Cabin Fever (BXB)

we bond over italian food

I hadn't realized I was holding my breath until Simon opened the door to his apartment building and asked, "Are you okay?"

"Yep," I forced out, my voice raspy. I coughed to the side and shoved the bouquet of flowers that was way too large at him, only for them to hit the screen door. "S-sorry!" I stammered, fumbling to collect any petals or leaves that fell off. "I-I was at the store, and I didn't know if you wanted more chocolate, but I saw the flowers, and, and these ones made me think of you, and I...uh...yeah." I flushed. "I-I should probably shut up now."

Simon pushed open the screen door. He slipped the flowers from me before whispering, "There's gay protocol for things like this, you know."

"What?"

He smirked. "I'm kidding. Sorry."

I smacked him in the arm, and my fingers tingled from pulling off skin. "Simon, I'm already panicking enough."

"If that wasn't obvious."

"Simon, I'm serious. It's not everyday I'm going on a date – " My insides turned to mush when I said that. Because I was on a freaking date with Simon freaking Hopkins, actual freckled Adonis, and I didn't want to wreck anything about it. " – with..." I cleared my throat.

He frowned. "Are you sure you want to date me?"

"What? Yes. Why?" This heavy, sinking dread filled my stomach.

"I just want you to be sure, Micah. I – " He chuckled, but his face remained downtrodden. "Life would be easier if you, just, found a girl – "

"You – ssssshhhhhhhhhh!" I hissed, my hand pressed into his face, and when my palm touched the tip of his nose, I won't lie and say I melted a little for some reason. "I've been freaking out about tonight for the past 12 hours. I didn't sleep last night, I kept messaging everyone from high school, I changed clothes 5 times, and my foster parents think I'm either going insane or I'm hopelessly in love with you, and I only prefer one of them."

"You're absolutely insane."

"Simon, I'm serious! I – " I glanced down at his hands, and I wrapped my fingers around his. "I-I'm taking this seriously, okay?" When I met his eyes, he still had that uncertain look on his face. "Need I remind you, too, that I kissed you yesterday and you seemed to kiss me back?"

He flushed red. "Y – that's not fair! You looked so cute in the coffee shop, and – "

"So I'm here for our date."

Something in his expression softened, and Simon smirked. "Okay." He stepped closer to me. "I'm not normally a flowers guy, but...I like them."

I sighed. "Are you just saying that?"

"And if I was?"

"I'd kiss you until you said otherwise."

He tried not smiling. It didn't work. "Guess you'll just have to find out then, won't you?" Simon's expression fell a moment later as he stepped to the side. "Do you...want to come in?"

I followed him inside, up the stairs to his apartment door.

"Be nice," he warned. "I-I cleaned up a little, but I – there's just a lot of stuff – " He opened the door.

He was right – his apartment was a studio that looked like it was still being unpacked, but it was an organized kind of unpacking. He had art prints of famous artists propped against the walls – classic ones and modern ones and almost everything in between. He had 3 good, really pretty lamps. His floor was carpeted. The bathroom was tucked into one corner and a closet in the other, taking up 2 sides of the kitchen, while a small table stood in the middle of the kitchen. His mattress sat on the floor on the other side of the room while an IKEA bed frame, still unassembled, sat up against the glass doors leading out to a small balcony. It was a little eclectic but managed to work together somehow.