Under The Moonlight

Chapter 25

Raven looked awestruck as he wandered around the gallery, dragging me along when he found something fascinating. I never understood art, not the way he did but seeing him light up made everything better. I could ask him to explain later. 

"The strokes in this are so intricate. I could never do something like this." He sighed, mesmerized and when he looked at me, I could see stars in his eyes. Figuratively, of course.

I could not be any more happier than I was. He had gone out of his way multiple times just to make me feel secure and loved and I wanted to do the same for him. He deserved all the love I could offer and more. He seemed to share my thoughts as he reached out for my hand, giving a loving squeeze before he let go and moved on to the next artwork.

We were almost done and I was getting a bit sluggish from the activity. A call from my mother reminded me that we needed to get going or I would have a hard time getting dinner ready. I nearly had to drag the jovial boy out when it was time to leave. I had a hard time controlling myself from kissing the adorable boy when he pouted at the mention of us having to go back home but the promise of getting another surprise perked him up. 

I was out in a flurry the moment the car swerved into the drive-through and Raven was about to follow when my mom stopped him by asking him for help. All she had to do was keep him from entering the kitchen while I cooked pasta which was hopefully edible. There was also cheese stuffed garlic bread on the menu as an appetizer and red velvet cupcakes for dessert. 

The garlic bread turned out a little more burnt than needed and the pasta spicier than expected but the cupcakes were perfection. My dad poked his face into the kitchen as the delicious aroma wafted in the air and gave a thumbs up as he taste- tested all the dishes. I heaved a sigh of relief and then carried the dishes to the backyard and placed them onto the checkered picnic blanket. Twisting my body, I reached out for the vanilla-scented candles and placed them onto either side once lit. I switched on the golden fairy lights, illuminating the cozy backyard like tiny fireflies in the night sky. Once done, I sent a text message to my mother, asking her to bring Raven. 

He was blindfolded when he arrived, wearily gouging his surrounding with outstretched arms. My mother left us alone with one last appreciative look towards the set-up and I ushered to his side, holding him up when he tripped over a tiny stone.

"Hey sexy." I whispered into his ear and he shuddered at the contact. 

"You are planning a ritual which needs me as a sacrifice, aren't you?" 

"Of course, pumpkin. That's the plan. I'll fatten you up a bit before that though." I laughed, moving the lightly frightened boy so that he could face the picnic blanket. I slowly untied the knot of the blindfold, the cloth coming loose in my hand and Raven looked around as he adjusted to the sight looking a little stunned. 

"I know it's really cliche but I really wanted to do something for you. I hope you like it." My voice quivered as he engulfed me in a bone-crushing hug. "I love you, Raven."

"I love you too, Seb." He whispered as he claimed my lips, drowning me in the depth of his kisses. I was drunk off of his love, his touches maddening. I hated that I needed to pull away before the food went cold and when I did, I saw Raven's blinding smile, the same smile that made me so deliriously happy. He stroked my cheek lightly as he whispered that he loved me once more and with one more kiss, I grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the blanket.

I plated the food and placed it front of him, refusing his help when asked. 

"It smells great! Did you make all this?" He  questioned and I gave a quick nod in response, nervous about how it tasted. He moaned in appreciation when he bit into the garlic bread and I resisted the urge to pinch his stuffed cheeks. 

"It's so good! I can't wait to taste the pasta!" He exclaimed in excitement and then his eyes fell on the cupcakes. He widened his eyes as he looked at me and pointed towards the sugar-filled goodies and I laughed. 

"Yes Raven.You can have them after dinner. I know that it's your favourite flavour."

We scarfed down on the warm food, our conversations light and filled with laughter and our stomachs getting heavier by the minute. When we were done, I put the dishes aside excusing myself for a few minutes to clean up. 

Raven was lying down, staring at the night sky when I returned with the gift in hand. The cream coloured muffler I had made was not very pretty but it had all my love and effort poured into it and I prayed that he would like it. He sprang up into a seated position when I sat down and I grinned at the action. 

"Close your eyes."

He gave a questioning look and I repeated the words again until he finally complied. I wrapped the muffler around his neck and he tugged on the ends as he opened his eyes, his body back against mine. 

"I love it, Seb." 

--

We were lying down, side-by-side as we stargazed, our hands intertwined. 

"I'm thinking of applying for a scholarship at Parsons." He whispered and I whipped my head to look at him. 

"I want to do what I love and business is definitely not it." Raven turned his body to look at me, slinging his arm around my waist. "Parsons is great for designing and I'd have loads of opportunities. I know it's far from home. Really, really far and I might be away for a long time if I do go, but we'll make the distance work right?"

 He was scared for our relationship already as  if it was already decided that he would get in and leave home behind but I knew where he was coming from. He would definitely get in.

"I knew that you wanted to get into Parsons. I saw the brochures and the multiple internet searches about it." I replied, calmly and he snuggled against me, seeking for warmth.

"I want to get into Julliards for music composition, Raven. I thought of what I wanted to do and when I saw that you wanted to get into Parsons, I instantly knew that this is where I wanted to be." 

"We would be only minutes apart then, wouldn't we?" He gushed in happiness, flopping onto my body so that he was lying on me. I shifted to make the both of us comfortable and softly spoke.

"Yeah, we would. And then we would meet up after a long day for some cheap liquor and pour our hearts out about how the projects were killing us. Hopefully there would be cheesecake as well."

"And then on the weekends, we could go for a movie and following that we would go back home and sleep in each others arms or just talk as we cuddled." He murmured, content at the thought. We were quiet for a while after that, until Raven spoke up again.

"Let's live together when we get there, Seb. We could have a house with a huge library and a room for gaming." 

"Sure Raven. And we could get a pet so that the house does not seem empty." 

"Let's get a cat." He muttered, his eyes sparkling under the moonlight.

"Let's."