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“I have to go,” William said, already pushing his chair back.
Nut frowned. “But we haven’t even finished the project yet. Where are you going?”
“I finished my part already, it’s in the white folder, you can message me if you have any questions.” William glanced at his watch as he slung his bag over his shoulder. “It’s already four, I need to pick up Est.”
And before anyone could respond, he was out the door. Nut can only stare after him. He looked at their groupmates and shook his head with a quiet sigh.
This had been happening ever since they met William. Whenever Est needed him, William would go. If Est wanted a ride, he will take his car and go. If Est craved something, even if the shop is two hours away, William would somehow find the time and go.
No one, and nothing, ever came before Est.
Because Est is his best friend.
Childhood best friend.
They had grown up together, their families close for generations. Holidays, birthdays, even random weekends was spent side by side. They even call each other’s parents Mom and Dad without thinking twice.
So really… nothing unusual.
Nothing at all...
“Hi,” Est greeted as he slipped into the passenger seat. William glanced at him, his lips curving upwards.
“Hey, how was class?” William asked.
Est groaned and rolled his eyes. “Oh my gosh, you won’t believe what happened today—” And just like that, he launched into a rapid, breathless recount of his entire day.
He told William how his professor was very annoying, and how he always call his name first during recitations, which Est thought was deliberate, and then ask him a very difficult question to answer. And William listened, he always did.
He drove through familiar streets, occasionally replying to Est with a hum, letting him ramble without interruption. It had become a routine of theirs. Ever since college started, and William got his car, this was how most of their afternoons went.
Est had a car too, but he hated traffic. So he preferred sitting in the passenger seat, talking endlessly, while William handled the driving.
“…and he had the audacity to do that?!” Est finished dramatically.
William chuckled softly, amused at his bestfriend's dranatics. “That bad, huh?” he asked.
“It was horrible," Est replied with a groan.
“Can you check the compartment?” William asked with a sheepish smile.
Est paused, evidently confused. “Huh?”
“The glove compartment, Est. Can you check it?”He asked again with the same smile.
Est reached over and opened it hesitantly. Then, his eyes slowly widened. “Wait...no way! You didn’t...”
Inside was a box of chocolate chip cookies from his favorite store. The one nearly two hours away. The exact one he'd been craving for days already but didn't had the time to actually get it.
“William!” He exclaimed, overly excited on his cravings.
Est looked at him excitedly, already tearing the box open. William just shrugged, pretending it was nothing. However, earlier, he made the trip during his long vacant period. He knows that Thursdays were always the worst for Est, it is where his least favorite subject, schedule, and professor all packed into one day. So, William made sure there was something to make it better.
He stole a glance at Est, who was now happily munching on the cookies, swaying slightly as if there were music playing only he could hear. William smiled contentedly.
They arrived at their condo not long after. It was a two-bedroom unit. Their parents had insisted on it, though neither of them had really objected. They thought it would be better to live together since they can look out for each other.
As soon as they got home, they went into their own rooms.William knew better than to disturb Est on a Thursday night. Fridays meant assessments and Est, being studious as he is, took those seriously.
At seven, William ordered dinner, chicken and rice. He added brownies too, for Est to munch on later while studying. A few minutes later, he knocked lightly before opening Est’s door. Est was curled up on the small couch, brows furrowed as he read through his notes, completely absorbed.
William set the food down on his bedside table, then walked over to him. Without a word, he placed his hands on Est’s temples, gently massaging it. Est leaned into him.
“You should take a break,” William murmured. “How about you eat first.”
“I’ll just finish this first, then I eat,” Est muttered, eyes still glued to the page.
“Est.” Something in William’s tone made him pause. Est sighed, finally setting his notes aside.
“Fine," he surrendered.
He opened the takeout, and only then did he realize how hungry he actually was. Moments like this made him think, what would he even do without William? If he didn't insist on him taking a break and eating dinner, Est must've probably skipped the last meal of the day.
The next morning, William dropped Est off in front of his building.
“Good luck,” William said.
Est leaned over and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek before hopping out of the car.
“Thanks!”
William blinked, then smiled to himself as he drove off. Unfortunately for Est though, his three friends saw him.
“Be honest with me,” Punch said as they walked down the hallway. “Is he your boyfriend?”
Est rolled his eyes. “We’ve talked about this, Punch. He’s my best friend!”
“Yeah,” Daou said, unconvinced. “But you guys act like a couple.”
“We do not.”
“Really?” Offroad chimed in. "He always drives you to school and back to your condo! You even live together! You should've been married withv3 kids, 2 dogs, and 2 cats by now."
"And let me add! You always act tough with us but when it comes to him you suddenly become a damsel in distress," Daou added.
"No, I'm not!" Est debated
“So the time you cut your finger with scissors—”
“I was really fine that time, I told you,” Est cut in quickly, making Daou unable to finish his words.
“Yeah,” Punch continued, grinning, “but when William showed up, you suddenly started crying and said it hurts.”
“And he kissed your finger,” Offroad added. “With the bandage on.”
“You’re exaggerating.” A tinge of pink now visible at the tips of Est's ears.
“Mm-hmm,” Punch teased. “Sure we are.”
“I’m just comfortable with him,” Est insisted. “We grew up together, we're like siblings already, that’s normal.”
“Right,” Daou said slowly. “So...Is he single?”
Est frowned, finding the wuestion unnecessary. Why would Daou ask him that? “Yes...why?” he replied.
“Well, my friend likes him,” Daou said casually. “I was thinking maybe you could introduce them to each other.”
“Absolutely not.” The words came out too fast, even Est himself was surprised. They all stared at him, amusement clearly evident on their faces.
"Why not? They're both available,” Daou asked.
Est hesitated, then looked away.“He’s busy,” he said. “With his studies.”
And before they could press further, he walked ahead faster, as if he's afraid of what his friends could say next. Behind him, the three exchanged knowing looks.
“You’re almost late,” Hong said as William take his seat.
“I still have five minutes.”
“That’s why I said almost.”
“You look happy today.” Tui leaned back in his chair.
“Do I?” William asked with a smug grin. Tui and Hong rolled their eyes.
“Please,” Nut scoffed. “It’s obvious. You came from Est, didn’t you?”
William didn’t bother denying it. “I just dropped him off, he had an early class.”
The looks they gave him said enough.
Tui tilted his head. “Bro, be honest with me. Do you like him?”
William blinked, visibly taken-aback by his friend's sudden question. “What?”
“I said,” Tui clarified. “Do you like Est?"
William frowned slightly, genuinely confused.
“No,” he said. “He’s my best friend. We grew up together. We're almost like brothers, stop asking weird things."
His four friends exchanged knowing looks. They clearky knew something. Because even if William didn't say anything, the slightest change in his expression, or even the tiniest tinge of pink on the tips of his ears gives it away.
The same old routine played. William and Est would go to school everyday, he would first drop Est to his building before heading off to his, then he would later pick him up so they could go home together.
A couple of weeks later, William is sitting at the football field with his friends. Est has a group project working on so he's waiting for him so they could go home together.
"Will, do you remember Belle?" Hong asked.
"Who?" William replied.
"Belle, our classmate at calc," Hong continued, "Apparently, she likes you dude."
"Damn, she's kinda hot, you should totally ask her out, Will," Nut added.
"Yeah, she told me to set you up for a date this sunday, just at a cafe nearby," Hong added.
"I'm busy," William replied.
"Busy with what?" Lego asked, "Our college lives are pretty boring."
"You should've asked him if he's busy with WHOM?" Tui teased.
"Stop it, Est is my best friend guys, of course I would take care of him," William muttered, "That's normal."
"We didn't even name anyone," Lego said.
"And Est is a grown man, he can take care of himself, you're spoiling him too much," Nut added
"Stop teasing him guys, Est is his princess and that's final," Tui chimed in to the teasing.
William rolled his eyes, "Okay fine, i'll try."
His four friend's mouths hung open. Like they can't believe what they just heard.
"Are you sure?" Lego asked.
"But what about Est?" Nut added.
"It's just a date, I'll just try, why are you asking me those questions."
Nut and Lego looked at each other, shock still evident on their faces.
The weekend after that came shortly, William is now changing clothes. He's currently wearing his longsleeves polo and denim jeans. They agreed to meet at the cafe at three in the afternoon, and it's currently two-thirty. He exited his room, and wear his shoes. Est, who's currently watching TV in their living room noticed him.
"You look good, where are you going?" He asked.
"Hong set me up for a date, I said I'll try once," William explained.
Est walked up to him. He took the cuff of his polo sleeves, and neatly folded it, and he does it to the other side too.
"There, you look more presentable now," Est murmured. William smiled at him softly
"Thanks, do you want anything? I'll get them before I go home," William asked.
Est just shook his head. "Just enjoy your date."
"I'll be back quickly, okay?" He muttered before kissing Est's forehead and heading off.
As soon as William exited their home, Est's expression changed. His smile from before was gone, and he felt something in his chest. Something sharp and unfamiliar.
Meanwhile...
William arrived at the cafe five minutes early. Belle was already there. William offered to order drinks for them. He ordered matcha latte and americano directly, like it was a force of habit. He came back to the table where belle is sitting, and settled himself on the seat across to her.
"So... why did you choose to study engineering?" Belle asked to start a conversation.
"It's easier...and closer," He answered briefly.
"Closer to where you live?" She asked.
"...To my best friend, he's studying dentistry, if I chose to study Aircraft then I would have to drive hours to get to him," William answered like it was a matter-of-fact.
"Oh," Belle replied.
They both went silent.
As soon as their orders were delivered to their table, Belle pursed her lips.
"William," She called.
"Hmm?"
"I don't drink matcha," She murmured.
William froze.
Shit
He was so used to ordering matcha and americano for him and Est that he forgot to ask the girl earlier.
"I'm sorry, that was such a dick move, let me get you another drink, do you want anything?" He asked.
"I prefer spanish latte, thank you."
William immediately went to the counter and ordered spanish latte and a cheesecake, then his eyes traveled to a certain dessert. He smiled as he looked at it, and bought a box of macaroons.
Belle saw it which made her blush, she likes macaroons, so she assumed that William got it for her.
After a few moment, William brought her the coffee and the cheesecake, while he took the box of macaroons on the seat next to his. A flicker of disappointment crossed Belle's face, but it was too quick, the other did not notice.
"Do you like sweets?" Belle asked, assuming that the macaroons was for William himself.
"No, it's for my best friend, he love these" William answered, a smile crept up on his face.
Another round of silence echoed between them, until William's phone popped up a notification.
E: Can you get me ice cream on your way home? Thank you in advance!!!! love youuuu
William smiled at the message, then he typed his reply.
W: yeah sure, i'm on my way
William turned to Belle.
"I'm sorry but I have to go earlier than planned," he muttered.
"Is there an emergency?" she asked concerned.
"No, but my best friend wants ice cream and his favorite shop closes in fifteen minutes, I need to get going," William muttered before picking up the macaroons and his bag.
"Oh...I see," Belle stood up fron her seat and extended her hand towards William. "Then, it was nice to meet you William."
William took her hand and gave her a genuine smile. As soon as they bid their goodbyes, William went ahead. Belle watched william take his leave.She took her phone and typed in a message to someone.
B: Hey, are you sure he's single?
H: Yes, why?
B: Nothing, i just thought we wouldn't really work
H: why?
B: I think he already likes someone else
As soon as William entered their condo unit, he was welcomed by Est who's already waiting for him.
Est snatched the bags immediately from William, which he only chuckled at.
"You're home early, how's your date?" Est asked.
"Just...okay, we decided to end it early," William muttered.
"Why? You don't like her?"
"I just thought we wouldn't really work," he replied.
"Oh..." Est whispered gently, "Well, I'm glad," William was taken aback by what Est said.
"I mean, I'm glad you came home early, let's go watch a movie!" He exclaimed before walking towards the couch with his ice cream and macaroons. William just smiled and shook his head, before following him to the living room area.
A couple months has passed, and they basically spent everyday with the same exact routine.
Until...
"Someone got me flowers!" Est muttered as soon he got in William's car, showing the bouquet someone gave him.
"Oh..." William blinked, "you've got a suitor."
"Yeah, and they're so sweet!" He exclaimed.
"Who is he? Which department?" William asked, his brow raised.
"His name is Drew, Multi media arts," Est answered enthusiastically.
"Do you like him?"
"Well... not yet, silly, I just thought he's so nice he got me flowers," Est muttered, a soft smile forming on his lips.
"Hey, I always got you flowers! And those are not even your favorite," William murmured looking at the flowers like he wants to throw them away and replace them with new ones.
"Well, yeah, but it's just nice to receive them from someone other than you."
William froze at Est's response. "So... you're gonna give them a chance to court you?" He asked slowly.
"Well...yeah, it wouldn't hurt to try right?" Est glanced at him, only to find William already looking. Their gazes both strong, both wanting to say something they fear they would regret.
'Yeah...' William thought.
They're getting older, soon they'll graduate university, it's normal for them to date people. But this thought, made something in William's chest tightened.
He convinced himself, it's fine. Est deserves to find someone who would love and cherish him just like him, maybe even more than he does.
William was more fine with it than ever.
Until one day...
Est suddenly called him.
Est went out earlier. He said Drew asked him out on a date. William thought it's going well because Est has been out for four hours already, not until he called him.
"Can you come pick me up?" Est slowly asked as soon as William picked it up.
William knew that voice, because he hated it.
He's crying.
"Send me your location, I'm on my way," William took his keys and headed out.
The very thing he hated the most, is seeing Est cry. So who on earth is Drew, and what did he fucking do?
He pulled up on a cafe near their university, and he saw Est crying while sitting on the three-step stairs of the cafe's entrance. He went straight to him, and pulled him to a tight hug.
"Let's go home?" Est nodded as William held his hand and gently dragged him to his car.
The whole ride home was quiet. When they reached their appartment, Est settled himself on their couch. William went straight ahead to the kitchen to make hot chocolate.
Ever since they were kids, William hated seeing Est cry. Est loved hot chocolate so much, sometimes when they eat breakfast, William would even offer him his own.
So everytime William saw Est cry when they were kids, he would ask his nanny to make hot chocolate then give it to Est. It's his way of comforting him.
William gave the hot chocolate to Est which the latter took gently. He took a sip, and released a long breath.
"So...would you tell me what happened?" William asked.
"Drew...he...," Est paused, "He asked me out on a date, but when I got there there was no sign of him, so I texted him, then he said he would be late, so I waited."
William's jaw tightened. His eyebrows furrowing.
"Then, I've been calling him every thirty minutes but he just says it's traffic, but I've been waiting for three hours already, so I called him again and asked him if he could come, then out of frustration I told him I just waisted my time coming there and called him an asshole, then..." Est paused, tears forming in his eyes again.
"Then?" William asked gently.
"Then he said that he did not show up because I'm such a brat, and that no one dared to ask me out because of my shitty attitude..." Est softly replied.
"That motherfucker," William murmured, anger rising to his chest.
"Please don't be mad, it's okay," Est softly said.
"No it's not, and you're right he's an asshole," William gritted his teeth.
"I wouldn't even dream of raising my voice at you, yet that motherfucker had the audacity to say those words to you? Who the hell does he think he is?"
He's mad.
And one thing about William, is he's really scary when he's angry. Est noticed William's fist clenched tightly, his knuckles turned white, so he held it gently. He caressed William's fist with his thumb, trying to soothe his anger away.
"Let's forget about him, okay?" Est gently muttered and smiled at William softly.
William only responded with a nod, pulled him closer to a hug, then placed a kiss on the top of his head.
After a while, Est went to his room to rest. William, still on the couch, took his phone out and opened their groupchat.
Engineering Bros
W: Do you guys know Drew from multimedia arts?
T: Yepp, total asshole
N: notorious playboy
H: left a lot of girls and guys heartbroken
L: yeah, and a dick too
W: You guys know and you didn't told me?
H: Dude
N: We didn't even know you knew him
T: What happened?
L: Oh fuck
L: Did he hit on Est?
N: I'm at the Bachelor's lounge right now and he's here
H: Nut, you fucker
N: oh shit
N: Should I warn the guy?
T: He's Dead
W: I'm on my way.
William took his car keys and headed out. He went straight to the lounge where Nut said he is.
Nut stopped him at the entrance. "I need you to calm down."
William looked at him with furrowed brows, like what he just said is ridiculous.
"I'm well-aware, show me where he is."
"William, this isn't the time to act rash," Nut tried to stop him one more time.
"Show me where he is," William muttered with intensity in every word, anger evident on his face.
Nut knew better, he really couldn't stop William this time.
"He's on the left corner, wearing the black shirt."
William went straight to the guy. He grabbed Drew's collar and punched him. Drew helplessly fell on the floor, but William did not stop there. He kicked Drew right in his lower abdomen.
Everything went up too fast, everyone was shocked of the sudden commotion.
"What the hell man! What's wrong with you?" Drew asked, writhing in pain, still lying on the floor from the impact earlier. William crouched down and grabbed his collar again.
“Next time, choose who to mess with carefully, I don’t tolerate anyone messing with what’s mine," he muttered before he released his collar, slamming him back to the floor. The waiters went to them hoping to stop them, but it was barely a fight.
William tossed a card at one of the waiters, then went to tap nut on the shoulder before he exited the lounge. He didn't went straight home, he drove two hours on a certain bakery, and bought a box of familiar chocolate chip cookies. Not for him, but for someone waiting for him at home.
The news spread wildfire across the university. Now everybody knows that Drew is a jerk. Many of his victims came forward too. They told stories on how they flirted with them at first only to ask for money or various things later on. His ex girlfriends revealed how they cheat on them. Some even said that what William did to him is something he really deserve.
But most of all, everyone learned one thing. If you don't want to mess with William Jakrapatr, then don't mess with Est Supha.
"This is your fault!" Est muttered, sulking, as he walk up to William who's sitting in their living room.
"What do you mean?" William asked, confused.
"No one wants to court me anymore because they're afraid of you!" Est exclaimed.
William let out a soft chuckle.
"I'm so gonna be single my whole life, and it's all thanks to you!" He sulked.
"No you won't," William shook his head, still chuckling lightly.
"How sure are you?" Est asked him with his brow raised.
"I promise you, you won't," William stared at Est.
Est returned the same gaze, then suddenly, he felt his heart beat faster and louder. He looked away.
"I'll marry you."
Est turned to william, his eyes widened with disbelief.
"W-What?" He asked.
"If you're still single by the time you're thirty, I'll ask you to marry me," William stood up, kissed Est's forehead, then went to his room.
Est was left there in the living room alone. His whole face flushed red, and his heart beating louder and faster than ever.
On a quiet morning, Est realized something...
He realized why he's never easily impressed with every guy who wants to court him. And why he thinks it's fine to be single throughout his college life.
He realized why he never dated anyone.
It's because of William.
He was never easy to impress because William set his standards too high.
He thinks being single is fine because William is there whenever he needs him.
He realized he never dated anyone, because all this time he has been looking at William.
He realized why he thought of Drew as sweet, and it's not because he likes him, but he's reminded of how William would get him flowers without any reason, and without any occasion.
He thinks... He might've liked his bestfriend.
"...so, that is why I think I like him," he muttered. He just told his friends about his feelings. He looked up to them and saw them completely unbothered.
Est was very confused, he just let out his feelings, something he's been too blind to see, because everything felt normal, and everything feels like a habit.
This, admitting his feelings, is a big deal to him. So, seeing his friends act nonchalant about it surprised him.
"Well," Punch started, completely neutral with the situation.
"Why are you guys like that? Don't you care about me?" Est dramatically asked.
"Babe...we've known about it ever since we met, we're even surprised you just realized your feelings now," Daou muttered.
"Yeah, I thought you're just denying it," Offroad added.
Est covered his face with his hands. Has he been this dense with his own feelings?
"I think you should confess," Punch turned to him.
"But...what if he doesn't feel the same?" Est sighed, "What if everything about us changes after I confess?"
"Est, babe, we doubt it."
"And, wouldn't it be better to let out your feelings rather than keep it? What if he finds someone else?" Daou asked.
Est imagined William with someone else, and it broke him. He can't. It hurts.
Days had passed, and today, is Punch's birthday. Naturally, the gang was invited to the party.
William is invited too, but he said he can't go because he still has a lot of unfinished plates. But he said he'll pick Est up later.
Est, however, is at the party, drinking vodka like it's water. Then, after about three hours, Est is heavily drunk.
He vomitted in the club restroom, exited the club because the noise irritates him, sat down at the entrance of the club, and cried at his friends on why does the earth spin faster today, and asked them if the earth hates him.
Daou can only shook his head. He saw his friend have fun like the world's gonna end tomorrow just earlier, and now...he can only sigh.
Offroad, on the other hand has been laughing his ass off. He answers Est's ridiculous questions too.
Something like:
"Please tell the earth to stop spinning too fast, does it hate me?"
"The world hates all of us, dear."
And when Est cried harder, he would throw his head back from laughing. Because just like Est, he's pretty drunk too.
Punch wanted to join them take care of Est too, but she have to take care of all her guests inside, so she let Daou and Offroad take care of him.
Daou took out his phone and dialed a number. After two rings, someone picked it up.
"Hi, so uhm Est is already drunk—"
"Okay, I'm on my way," someone from the other line spoke.
"Oh okay, wow," Daou was surprised at how quick it went. He can only look at his friend's crying mess.
A little while later, William arrived at the club. And as soon as Est saw him, he ran up to him and hugged him like a Koala.
"Willyyyyy~" he whined.
"What happened?" William asked in a soft voice as he snaked his arm around Est's waist to support him.
"The world hates me, he's spinning so fast, he makes me dizzy," Est whined as he snuggled on the crook of William's neck. William only let out a soft chuckle.
Est let go of him slightly, and looked at William. He cupped william's cheeks and pressed it together, which made William's lips purse.
"Why are you laughing? Are you siding with him?" he said, his eyebrows furrowing.
"No, no, I'm siding with you always," William muttered, face laced with amusement and adoration.
"Okay good," Est smiled, "And with that, you deserve a kiss," he continued as he placed a chaste kiss on William's lips then proceeded to snuggle himself on William's neck.
William froze for half a second, like he couldn't believe what just happened. He snapped back to reality when Est...purred.
On his neck.
Only then did William turned to Daou and Offroad, who's mouths are currently hung open.
Why does this two best friends act more like a couple than them?
"Thank you for taking care of him guys, I'll treat you next time, we'll head out now, he clearly needs to rest," William uttered as he placed his other arm at the back of Est's knees and carried him bridal style.
The couple only nodded in agreement, and they stood there watching William carry Est to the passenger seat, settling him before running to the driver's seat.
"Damn, he likes him too," Offroad can only mutter.
"Yeah..." Daou replied.
Morning came to Est with a severe headache, and a bit of memory loss from last night.
He went out of his room to find something to eat, only to see William cooking chicken soup.
"You're up already?" He asked.
Est only took the seat at their small dining table.
"My head fucking hurts, I'll never drink again," he whined.
William placed a bowl of chicken soup and a cup of tea next to him, then placed a kiss on the top of his head.
"Eat up."
Est smiled as he took the spoon and started eating.
"Did I do something embarassing last night?" Est asked softly.
"No not really, why?" William asked.
"Nothing, it's just that Daou and Offroad has been bombarding me with texts and I haven't opened them."
"Oh I remembered something, you actually did something last night," William uttered with a grin.
"Hmm?"
"Well, you kept on complaining why Earth spins faster, then you cried because you think he hates you..." William paused, he looked at him with a smirk.
"Then...you kissed me in front of them after I told you that I side with you."
"No..." Est murmured, horrified by what he just did.
"Yeahh, and when we got home, you clinged to me and ask me to—"
"OKAY! okay okay... stop already, I get it." He interrupted William, "Just know, I'm drunk that time so whatever it is please forgive me."
William let out a laughter.
He's always amazed at how adorable his best friend is when he's being shy amd embarassed.
Today's a quiet afternoon...
This is one of those days where they wake up on a slow morning, ready to spend the day doing things they both love. They're watching a movie called 'I'm drunk, I love you.'
They're already at the scene where the main characters kissed, but the other does not reciprocate his bestfriend's feelings, so she pushed him away, even if she once dreamed of his lips on hers.
Est cried.
William glanced at him when he heard him sniffing.
“Crybaby,” he murmured, opening one arm. “Come here.”
Est didn’t argue, he moved closer to him, curling into William’s side, face pressing against his chest. William wrapped an arm around him instinctively, thumb brushing lightly against his arm. They stayed like that for awhile, then, something surged in Est's chest.
"Willy..." He called out.
"Hmm?"
He turned to him, "If ever...I confessed to you, would you distance yourself from me?" He asked.
Their eyes met.
William was taken aback by the sudden question. There's something about it, that he did not like one bit.
"No," he directly answered. Est sat up straight and turned to him.
"But... would you hate it if I did...fell in love with you?" Est stared at him, and William returned the exact same gaze.
Their hearts are beating louder, and faster.
Then suddenly, William cut through the silence.
"Why would I hate that?" William paused, carefully thinking his next words, "If I have been in love with you for as long as I can remember?"
Est's breathe hitched.
William exhaled, almost like he’d been holding that in for years, then he pressed a kiss on Est's forehead.
"But I don't want you to feel pressured to return my affection," William muttered, "I want you to be with someone you really love, and not with someone...convenient."
Something in Est’s chest ache, how could William think he's just someone convenient?
“William…” He didn’t finish, he just leaned in, and kissed him.
William froze for half a second, then he kissed him back. Their lips moved in sync, like they have been waiting for this entire moment.
When they pulled away, none of them uttered a single word, but gentle smiles are placed on their faces.
“So…” Est murmured, still close, “what are we now?”
William let out a quiet laugh, still a little breathless.
“You tell me," he asked back with a little hint of teasing, but with a lot of hope.
Est smiled, eyes softer than before.
“I think…” he paused, “I think I’ve been choosing you since the very beginning, I just didn’t realize I have.”
He leaned back into William’s chest like it was the most natural thing in the world.William’s arm tightened around him. Then suddenly, realization on what Est said hit him.
"Wait..." William leaned in to him, "you mean..."
"Yeah, I think I might have been in love with you for as long as I can remember too," Est muttered softly as he snuggle himself in Williams chest again.
William let out a soft breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding, and he smiled, like something warm settled on his chest.
"Now that you've said that..." He kissed Est's forehead, "I'm not letting you go ever, no take backs."
Sometimes, love doesn’t come in waves. It doesn’t demand attention. It doesn't need drama or grand gestures. Sometimes, it settles quietly.
Sometimes, love can be felt on quiet afternoons, on peaceful days where you least expect it, and in the moments where your heart feels finally at home.
...