Page 118 of Septembers

“Nothing. That was the problem. I couldn’t deny it.” He reached up to move a piece of sweaty hair off Theo’s forehead. “Ruined a great relationship with an awesome girl because I couldn’t get a pink-haired doofus out of my heart.”

Theo knew his smile was dopey, but he couldn’t help it. Dae was coy and comfortable and teasing and flirty; it was like nothing he’d ever seen. They’d teased each other before, but this was different. Everything was different, everything, everything, every little thing, down to how cute his hair was when it was messy. And how Theo could reach over and smooth it. And the way Dae’s eyes closed as he did, like the touch of his fingertips was enough to make him want more.

“Dae, I think I’ve been yours my whole life too.”

Both of his dimples appeared with his soft, lovely smile. “Theo.”

“Hmm?”

He looked down at the sweaty, damp sheets. “We’re sleeping in your bed tonight.”

Or Whatever

The high-pitched squeal that came out of his aunt was the kind usually reserved for boy bands and anime. She slammed the table with the palm of her hand, making his mom’s computer bounce and the picture of them on Theo’s screen shake. “It’s about time!”

“I’m happy for you both,” his mom said, leaning closer to the camera, her voice thick. “This is lovely news. Just…” She shut her mouth tight, and Liana fondly shook her head.

“Give her a few hours. She’ll stop crying eventually.”

“It’s just really lovely news!” She hit her shoulder, grabbing some tissues from off screen. “We’ve always loved Dae.”

“Thank you.” Dae’s smile was sweet and shy and altogether too breathtaking to exist in real life. They stood shoulder-to-shoulder in front of the kitchen counter as whatever Dae was making for dinner filled the apartment with a spicy, savoury aroma.

Liana winked. “Nothing like a near death experience to make you realize some things, eh kid?”

“Do not talk about that.” His mom blew her nose loudly, and Liana put her hand over the camera as if that would stop the noise.

“I’m just glad we’d already left,” his aunt said, “otherwise, your mom would’ve crawled out there to get you.”

“Ugh.” His mom squinted with a quasi-stern glare at the camera. “Promise me you’ll never go out there again.”

“It’s fixed now.”

“Theo.” The new tissue she’d grabbed ripped in her clenched fist. “Promise me.”

“Okay, I promise.” He wasn’t in a hurry to go back to the scene of that particular moment in his history anyway.

She pointed at her screen, and even though her finger wasn’t even in Dae’s direction from their point of view, the intention was clear. “You too.”

He nodded. “I promise.”

“Okay.” She took a deep breath and put on a smile, seemingly ready to move on from the unpleasantness. “So if that’s when Theo realized, how about you, Dae? When did you know?”

He tucked his chin, shy. “Um, Peter Pan the Musical.”

Liana gasped. “In the fifth grade?” It had actually been fourth grade, but Theo wasn’t about to correct her. “Are you kidding me? No.” She shook her head as his mom gaped, tearing up anew. “That’s too cute. Stop it. That’s too fucking cute!”

“That long, Dae, sweetheart?” His mom covered her mouth with her hand, still clutching the tissue. “And you waited for him?”

Dae laughed, holding up his hands in defence. “That makes it sound like I was waiting around for something more. No, I just genuinely liked being his friend. No ulterior motives. In fact…” His cheeks exploded with pink. “I’d pretty much given up.”

“Stop it!” Liana threw her head back in an exaggerated wail. “That’s too fucking cute!”

The oven dinged with whatever Dae was cooking and he moved off screen to deal with it. His aunt leaned in close. “Theo, you listen to me. Do not mess this up.”

He glared at her as Dae laughed from the stove. “You know that even when Dae isn’t on the screen, he can still hear you.”

She shrugged. “I stand by it.”