Love Me Like You Do (Ianthony AU)

Chapter 34: Confession.

Love is friendship that has caught fire. It is quiet understanding, mutual confidence, sharing and forgiving. It is loyalty through good and bad times. It settles for less than perfection and makes allowances for human weakness.~ Ann Landers

~Ian's POV~

It was when Anthony was leaving for a week to stay with his parents, it was when he said it. We were hugging outside his car when he'd just brought me home from his apartment. I was watching Pip for the week he'd be gone, a week that I'd miss him. 

My head was pressed against his as we hugged and I heard it, the barely heard confession. "I love you." 

I pulled away, raising an eyebrow. "What'd you say?" 

His face was beet-red as he pulled away to get in his car, "I- uh- I didn't say anything. I'll see you next week, Blue Eyes. Take good care of Pip!" And then he was gone, leaving me a grinning mess outside my house. 

I took Pip's cat carrier inside, letting Daisy smell it for a few minutes before I opened it and let the cat out to explore. I sat down on the couch, pulling my new phone (that was admittedly pretty crappy) out of my pocket and called the only person I knew who could give me a hand on what I was planning.

"Hey, Mel, I need your help with something really important.."

 ~

"Okay, so let's get this straight. You want me to help you draw and paint this gigantic canvas to show Anthony?" 

I nodded quickly, feeling excitement building within me. "Precisely. You're the best artist I know, you'll make it amazing."

She tapped a finger against her chin thoughtfully. "If I do it on my own it won't be special for him. You've gotta help me." At my horrified expression, she pressed on. "You took some art classes last year, you aren't too bad. I'll do the more detailed and difficult things, you do the simpler ones. How long do we have?"

"A week starting tomorrow." 

She rubbed a hand over her forehead. "We've gotta work hard. We're both on our holidays this week from work, so that's a plus. Alright, we'll start tomorrow. I'll go buy a lot of paints, which you'll be paying me back for, and the right canvas. You go home and write down a list of things you want on there and bring it for tomorrow." 

"Yes, captain. I've got tons of ideas, so don't you worry!"

~

I had no ideas. Several balls of paper littered the floor, failed ideas written or sketched on them. I flopped my head forward, trying to think about all the things we'd done together so far in the span of our relationship, and even before. And it hit me. 

I grabbed a fresh piece of paper and began writing furiously, hoping not to lose any of the ideas before I could get them written down properly. 

1. A coffee mug and a pink sprinkled doughnut- to show where we met 

2. A swing hanging from a tree- the place of our first kiss

3. A pumpkin and a red solo cup- to show the Halloween party where we first became friends (where Anthony was completely hammered)

4. A pizza box (our favorite)- to symbolize the first time we hung out as friends

5. Covers of our favorite video games to play together (Halo, Smash Brothers, I like to watch him play Legend of Zelda & Mario)

6. Our hands interlocked, showing our matching tattoos. (two arrows with an S between them)- for when he surprised me on my birthday with that important present.