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“They are,” I agree while kicking off my shoes and taking off my jacket. “Would you like to watch a movie or something?”
“Sure,” he replies with a big grin before also removing his shoes and pulling his oversized sweater over his head, leaving him in a tight, long-sleeved shirt.
I grab the remote for my television before climbing into bed, propping myself up with pillows, and opening my arms as an invitation for Sasha to join me. He quickly gets into position, resting his back against my chest like he did when we were at the park.
“There’s something I’ve been dying to know,” Sasha says while I’m scrolling through the shows trying to find something we’ll both like.
“What’s that?” I question, but don’t stop scrolling.
“I’ve been dying to hear the full story of how you got your nickname,” he says, repositioning himself in my arms so his head is now resting in the crook of my elbow.
There’s a shit eating grin on his face, and I can’t help but laugh, finally stopping my scrolling. I was really hoping he’d forget all about that stupid story, but here we are.
“Is that so?” I check and he nods with that perfect smile of his.
“We got interrupted last night,” he reminds me. “Which was totally unfair. So now that we have all the time in the world, you need to tell me.”
“Do I now?” I question with a smirk of my own.
“Absolutely. First dates are usually about getting to know one another, what better way to do that than spilling the tea.”
I chuckle. “Be prepared to be bored out of your mind,” I warn him. “Like I said last night, it’s not actually an exciting story.”
Sasha rolls his eyes. “I don’t care I still want to hear it.”
“Fine,” I sigh. “When I was fifteen, I was assigned a project to do a report on Rio. Keep in mind the main subject of that section was life. Everyone’s assignment was different and there were a bunch of different categories. Some of those categories were books, movies, real life events, and locations. On the paper of my assignment, it said location, but I kind of skimmed over that.”
Sasha’s eyes go wide, and he covers his mouth as he waits for me to continue.
“So instead of doing my report on Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and the people who live there, I wrote about the movie Rio and the impact it had on society.”
Sasha snickers before waving his hand and apologizing.
“My soccer team thought it was hilarious and since Art was kind of a lame nickname, they started calling me Rio. It stuck, obviously, but I always felt like a dumbass when I told the story, so I just stopped and let people think what they wanted. There have been a bunch of different theories since I started here. I think my favorite is that I accidentally switched boarding passes with someone, and instead of going to my real location, I ended up in Rio. Which is a way better story than the truth.”
“I don’t know, the original is pretty decent,” he tells me with a bright grin. “And I feel honored to know it when most people don’t.”
“If you tell anyone, I’ll break up with you,” I grumble which only has Sasha laughing.
“Your secret is safe with me, but wait. You said your old nickname was Art. What is your real name?”
I was expecting his question, and as stupid as it is, I don’t mind telling Sasha the truth. “Arthur Henry Leon.”
“That’s a mouthful,” he responds, and I nod. “My full name is Nathaniel Sasha Erikson. I used to go by Nate but changed it when I moved to Green Spring.”
“Does that have something to do with your ex?” I ask.
“Yeah,” he whispers, averting his eyes.
“How bad were things with him?” I inquire while running one of my hands up and down his side.
“Bad,” he tells me while staring at my chest. “Really fucking bad.”
I press a kiss to the top of his head and even though it’s a faint sound, I don’t miss his little sniffle. “I’m here when you’re ready to tell me your story.”
He finally looks back into my eye and offers me a small smile. “I appreciate that. I think it’s just going to take some time. I’ve only ever told one person about what I went through and that was a therapist.”
“There’s no rush. Just know that I’m not going anywhere, and whatever you say won’t make me see you any differently.”
