"There's nothing I want more in the world than for you to be happy. That's the truth."
"Remember what I told you?" Lyke asked suddenly.
"What?"
"No matter what happens to me, you can't interfere. Ti isn't someone you can beat. Remember?"
"Lyke. Nothing will happen to you. I-"
"Rain. I'm serious. He will do anything to get his way. You can't stop it, just like you can't stop snow falling from the sky. You need to live a nice life," Lyke smiled, "Don't ruin it saving me."
Lyke had no idea what was going through Rain's brain. That sentence was like a spear through his heart. It shook the foundation of his being.
'Don't ruin it by saving me.'
Lyke said that without blinking, not knowing Rain would do anything. Anything. He would ruin his life a thousand times if it meant Lyke was okay. Not that saving him would even ruin his life in the first place. Rain couldn't imagine that saving him would do such a thing. He would be happy, beyond happy, if he could even touch the problems that Lyke faced. So he knew that he wouldn't listen to Lyke. No. He couldn't.
"Nothing will happen. It's all going to be okay, I promise to protect you. Why don't you go to bed? It's late." Rain reassured.
"Okay. I'll talk to you tomorrow. Thank you for listening to me."
"Of course. Good night."
As he closed Lyke's bedroom door behind himself, more thoughts flooded his mind. The messages, Nicky's best friend watching the game with Lyke, neither sat right with him. He searched his phone for Ani's number, which he still had from when he was good friends with her.
"Hey. You said we could talk later. Are you free?" Rain texted.
"Yeah. Let's call." She responded quickly.
Rain sighed.
"Hello?" He said as he picked up the phone.
"Hey. I can tell you aren't interested in chit-chat," She said sarcastically, "But I'm only here to help. I promise."
"What is it, Ani?"
"It's about Lyke. I overheard Nicky talking about letting someone into the game today. They were going to mess with him."
"What?" His heart dropped deep within his chest.
"I don't know. I could tell something bad was up, so we stayed with him. I just wanted to let you know. In case they try again."
"Thank you."
"Rain?" She said, "Don't let anything happen."
"I won't. I promise I won't."
"Also, I don't want you to think I'm on Nicky's side anymore. I've seen her for who she is. I don't want to be grouped with a person like her. We aren't friends; I'm trying to make up for the things I've done. I think Lyke is a good kid. He deserves better than what I've done."
"I know. I know you, Ani. I knew you wouldn't stand with Nicky. You are a good person, unlike her, after all. Lyke is a good person, too, so I'm sure if you were to apologize to him, he would accept it. I appreciate what you did today, too. Whatever she was planning, it wasn't good."
"I know it wasn't. Since Lyke has come along, she's never had a good intention towards him. It wouldn't change now."
Rain sighed again.
"I know. I know."
"I won't pry."
"Thanks. Just let me know if you hear anything else."
"Yep."
_____
"Things are looking bleak, guys. I'm not going to make it." Lyke melted into the floor.
"You survived it, and you didn't fail anything either. You will live," Olive patted his back.
The five sat in Olive's room. The fall semester was officially over, and peace was starting to set in. The days rolled by as the group sat around waiting for something to do as Christmas inched closer and closer.
"We should take a trip at the end of next semester," Lin said one day, "To celebrate, of course."
"Last semester just ended, why are you already planning for the next one?"
"Well, it's cold out, so it's not like we can go to the beach right now... But we can do that in the summer, no?"
"There are plenty of things to do when it's cold out," Rain scoffed.
"Like what? Not to agree with him, but there's not much besides sports, and nobody except you is athletic." Sana asked.
"You guys can try something-"
"No," They all shouted.
"How about we look at Christmas lights? Unless you want to snowball fight..." Rain trailed off.
"Olive and I usually go with our parents for the holidays to look at lights, even though I don't really enjoy it..." Lin said.
"Aren't you just the greatest son? So noble of you to look at lights, even if you don't like it," Sana mocked.
The two started wrestling, an occurrence that was becoming more usual. Being cooped up inside was driving them insane and they could barely be in the same room without Sana beating Lin or Olive doing the same. As they continued to fight, Rain looked down at Lyke, still lying down, hugging the carpet.
"Do you want to go see lights?" He asked. Lykes head perked up.
"Of course I do."
"Well, I thought I would ask anyway," Rain laid down next to him. "I want to hug you," He said in a half-whisper. Lyke hit him.
"Awe. What was that for?" Rain asked in pain.
"Think about it and get back to me."
"What are you two doing over there?" Olive asked suspiciously.
"He said something weird," Lyke responded without missing a beat and got up, huddling next to Olive.
"What did he say?"
"I feel very wronged, really, I do. How could you do this to me? After everything I've done, you throw me away," Rain said sadly.
"Don't do that. I'll feel bad."
"Well, I feel bad already."
"What did he say??" Olive insisted.
"I didn't say anything!"
"I'm sorry. Did it hurt?" Lyke crawled back over.
"No, you punch like a cat." Rain smiled.
His sunshine smiled back at him, his eyes shining bright like crystals. He was mesmerized by Lyke once again. His hair was slightly messy, covering his face in a way that enhanced his perfection. His dark eyes disappeared as his smile grew bigger.
"You can't have a hug right now," Lyke whispered back.
"Okay. Later?"
"We'll see," Lyke laughed.
"What are you two doing?" Olive pestered again.
"Talking quietly. Why are you being nosy?" Rain asked.
"You-- I don't have the energy to argue. Good night," Olive's head slumped over to Sanas' shoulder.
______
Their break passed quickly. In the blink of an eye, they were in the spring semester.
"Back in business, baby! Let's get it," Lin said loudly as the group walked through the front gate together. The second semester had started, and snow was still falling. Not everyone was as excited as Lin, but looking at the scenery around them made it seem better.
"I'll see you guys later," Rain waved.
"Woah, where are you going? The gym?" Lyke quickly questioned.
"Just for a minute. I-"
"Nono. You said you wouldn't go in there in the mornings anymore. It makes me shiver thinking about it."
"Nono? Are you sure it's not the snow falling from the sky making you shiver? Lykeee, I just wanted to check my locker."
Lyke looked back at his entourage, nodding. They flung snow toward Rain. Of course, Lyke had prepared in case Rain went to the gym (he knew he would), and he knew it would work (of course).
But Lyke didn't expect the enemy to be prepared, as a snowball hit him directly in his face.
"Ooo," Sana, Lin, and Olive grimaced.
"Get over here now, Rain."
Rain started running as fast as he could without slipping on the snow, but Lyke quickly caught him, and they fell over together.
"Are you okay?" Rain wiped the snow off Lyke's face so he could see again, "Good morning, Sunshine. Are you awake now?"
"I am, but are you?" He said as he attempted to smear snow into Rain's face.
But Rain was able to wrestle it away and laugh, "People are looking at us just lying here. Hurry up. You'll get too cold."
"Nono," Lyke giggled as we grabbed Rain's hands.
"Hey!" Their heads whipped over, "Are you going to class or not?" Olive yelled.
"Yeah," Rain yelled back, "And we'll probably dry off too. See you guys at lunch. You good?" He asked, looking back at Lyke.
"I tore my pants," He frowned.
"Oh no. I'll fix them."
"You know how to sew?"
"Yeah! My mom taught me."
Even though Rain had no idea how to actually sew, he would learn for Lyke. As they wiped off the snow and continued on their way with soaked jeans, the cold bit their faces. They didn't really care all too much though. They both walked in silence, smiling with their rosy cheeks.
The moment played through Rain's head all day.
It ran through Lykes as well.
Going back to school was never the happiest thing, but it seemed a little less miserable now as they sat through the endless syllabus readings.
At lunch later that day, it was only Olive and Rain.
"Seeing you guys earlier almost made me think you guys were together..."
"Olive, what is wrong with you? You can't just say stuff like that." Rain sipped away at his drink. Olive couldn't tell, but he was happy she said that. It gave him butterflies in his stomach each time he thought about it.
"I'm just joking," She smirked.
"Yeah, of course."
"Have you thought about talking to Lyke about where he's going to live?" Olive asked suddenly.
"I'm not kicking him out if that's what you're asking." Rain snapped.
"Of course that's not what I'm asking. I'm asking if you talked to him about having the option to move back to his place."
"He wouldn't want to even if I gave him the choice. He needs more time to know if it's okay. I wouldn't let him move out if he wasn't 100% sure, and I know right now that he isn't. Stop bugging me about it."
"Alright, alright."
"Why are you so interested anyway?"
"No reason," Olive smirked, "I just think maybe your mom wouldn't be happy to find her son living with some strange boy."
"You know she wouldn't care. And it doesn't matter that he's a man."
"Mhm. So are you two dating yet?" Olive asked.
"No," Rain frowned, "Wait, what?!"
"You answered me! It always works."
"Stop it."
"Nope! I've been your friend for how many years? I know that changing topics quickly makes your mind wander. It's easier to get a real answer from you that way."
"Shut up, Olive."
"Are you really not dating yet? After this long? Come on, Rain! Man up!"
"Stop it, Olive, or I'm going to shove my fist down your throat."
"Oh! So violent today! I must have hit a nerve. Did I hit a nerve? Real talk, you should date someone. I wonder who..." Olive blabbed.
"Maybe you should, Olive. You've only been single your entire lifetime."
"!!"
______
Lyke turned, restless in his bed after hours of lying there, hoping closing his eyes would help him sleep. However, sleep never came. His thoughts tormented him. In every waking minute, he imagined what would happen when Ti got to him. It felt inevitable. It felt so close. Like an arm reaching out, it was as if he was already in Ti's grasp.
Lyke sighed.
Even though he was so happy with life, being fully content would never be an option. Not as long as Ti was free. Not as long as Lyke was alive.
But Rain promised to make sure nothing would happen. He should have been able to lean on the fact that Rain was more than willing to be there in his darkest hours and protect him, but he couldn't. Lyke knew the true nature of the situation better than anyone. No amount of explaining would help anyone understand it. If Ti was going down, someone was going down with him, and that person had to be Lyke. Ti got what he wanted. Always.
Ti always gets what he wants.
Tired of lying down, Lyke finally got up and walked to the kitchen aimlessly. He poured a glass of water and stared into it with an empty gaze filled with nothing but terrorizing thoughts.
"Lyke?" A hand rested on his shoulder. "What are you doing up?"
"I'm thinking," Lyke whispered, turning around to look at Rain, "You?"
"I had a feeling you'd be up," Rain said gently, "I could tell you haven't been sleeping much."
"Yeah, I guess I haven't."
"What's on your mind?"
Lyke thought for a minute before answering.
"I can feel it. I can feel that I'm not safe. I know you promised to protect me, but you can't protect against the devil. That's what he is.
The devil."
Rain slowly wrapped his arms around Lyke, hugging him gently.
"Remember," He said, "He can't get to you here. He can't get to you as long as I'm around. He can't get you at school either because you have a bunch of people looking out for you. More than you know."
"Mm"
"What else is on your mind?"
"It's nothing. More of the same."
"Have you ever thought about therapy? It could help. I can go with you." Rain suggested.
"You think so? I've never thought about it, but I guess it could help."
"You have to be strong," Rain's voice broke out of nowhere.
Lyke pulled out of the hug quickly, looking up at Rain's face.
"Why are you crying?" Lyke wiped away a tear that fell from Rain's watering eyes and caressed his cheek softly.
"I don't know. I only want to free you from this. I would give anything if you didn't have to stay awake at night wondering if you're going to be safe."
"But it's okay," Lyke smiled a sad, sad smile, "You promised it would be okay. So it has to be. Because I trust you. And I know deep within, even if I don't know it yet, I will be at peace and it will all be okay."
Rain nodded and smiled.
"Let's go over to the couch," He suggested and guided Lyke over towards the living area.
Lyke rested his head on Rain's shoulder, completely exhausted and worn down. Rain hummed his favorite song softly, and Lyke finally felt the tiredness consume him. But before he fell asleep, one final thought popped into his head;
"Remember when I couldn't sleep? The only reason I could sleep on the couch is because of you. You were there. My body was comforted by you. And I'd say you'd have to be a pretty special person to be the only comfort for a person like me."
"Me? I don't think I'm all that special. I'm special because I'm with you, of course, but I digress. I'm happy to be someone to you."
________
They sat at the lunch table the next day, but Lyke seemed worlds away.
"Hey!" Lin yelled, catapulting Lyke back into reality.
"Lin, don't do that to people. Couldn't you see he zoned out?"
"What are you thinking about, huh?" Lin ignored Sana.
"Me?" Lyke coughed, "Nothing. Nothing at all, just zoned out."
"Are you okay?" Rain leaned in and whispered.
"No," Lyke admitted.
"One minute, guys, we'll be right back."
Rain got up from the lunch table and lightly helped Lyke up as well. As they walked away, they left confused looks on their friends' faces.
Rain and Lyke walked over to a more secluded spot.
"What's wrong?" Rain asked gently.
"I felt like somebody was watching me. I could feel their eyes on me." Lyke said, wanting to bury his head into Rain as if to hide.
"Look at me."
Rain looked into Lyke's eyes with a comforting gaze, "It's okay. Nobody is watching you. You're okay."
"Okay," Lyke's voice cracked.
"I promise you. Don't cry, don't cry," Rain pulled him into a hug.
"It just feels so real."
"You're safe here."
"I know."
"Do you want me to check? I'll walk you back to the table." Rain asked.
"Mhm."
"Okay," Rain said and grabbed his hand, squeezing it three times.
"Let's head back over."
In the end, Rain found nothing suspicious or out of the ordinary. He felt deep inside his heart a new kind of pain, one caused by the onset of paranoia in Lyke. It was hard for him to grasp, but he tried to support him to the fullest, listening to him and easing his thoughts. In the end, that was all he could do.
They had worked out a plan that whenever Lyke didn't feel okay, they would walk to a different, hidden spot, and talk it out. Whatever helped to ease his mind. After a while, it became routine, and even their friends caught on. When Lyke would space out or act off, the two would leave, coming back after ten minutes or so.
And a while, things started to get better. It seemed the longer everything was fine, the more Lyke accepted the fact that he was okay.
Lyke thought that maybe he could live his life peacefully. He thought maybe Ti finally gave up, although the thought was almost unimaginable. And most of all, he knew he could be happy. He had everything he wanted right in front of him, and seemingly no threat to take it away.
It put everyone's minds at ease as well. Knowing there had been no threat for such a long time was a relief, and they knew that it would stay that way.
"Rain," Raini and Lyke sat on the floor in Olive's room, alone. "We should paint together sometime."
"So suddenly?" Rain laughed at his childish mind."
"You don't want to?" Lyke looked at him with sad eyes.
"Of course I do, now give me a hug."
"No, they'll be back any second."
"Just a quick one," Rain wrapped his arms tightly around Lyke.
"Stop," Lyke laughed while wrestling away, "Rain. Stop right now."
Rain kissed his cheek in retaliation.
"Ew, I got dog slobber on me."
"Dog- Should I lick you?"
Lyke shrieked in response and ran for the door just as it opened.
"What are you two doing?" Olive said as the other two piled into the room, also curious.
"He's going to lick me," Lyke's voice trembled.
"He called me a dog," Rain shrugged the accusation off.
"No licking. I got fruit, so eat it."
"Thanks, Olive," They murmured in response and started eating.
Weeks dragged on and on as always. School work and events came and passed. Lyke forgot about anything else except what was in front of him for once. It became more natural. Instead of worrying about who was in his immediate area, he was just a student going to his classes. He didn't need to know. Instead of being scared of everything, he was just a normal kid living a normal life. It was a breath of fresh air. Clean, cool, fresh... air. For once, he was a kid. He was just a teenager. He wasn't forced to be mature, scared by everything, and riddled with anxiety. The greatest thing pressuring him was his school work, the way it should have always been.
It took so long for him to look at his life and smile, but he was finally there.
The snow started to become less frequent as time passed, approaching the middle of the semester.
The frost melted slowly, and the rain began. It poured and poured, but Lyke was able to admire how beautiful it was. How it watered blooming flowers and let them grow so the campus could be filled with color and life once again. How beautiful the rain was. All that time he'd been around it, and he was just now noticing its beauty. Finals seemed a little less intimidating with the scent of tulips and roses filling the air. Lyke was happy to be alive and, most of all, he was happy to be alive with Rain and his friends. Finally, the school year neared the end.
"How are your finals going?" Rain asked.
"Good. Great actually. I have one left tomorrow, then I'm home free," Lyke responded with a smile.
"Good luck then. My last one was today. Do you want to do something to celebrate?" Rain came around the corner of the couch and sat down.
"Hmm. How about you join me in cooking tomorrow? We're baking mini cakes as a goodbye for this semester. I want to make one with you," Lyke looked up, kind of nervous that he would be rejected.
"You look like a sad dog," Rain laughed softly, "A cute sad dog. Of course I will. Chocolate cake, I presume?"
"Yes, of course, but you can make your own."
"It will still be chocolate," Rain smiled.
There was silence.
"So-" They both started talking at the same time.
Silence again.
"You first."
"Rain, no. You first."
"Okay. I wanted to know what you concluded. You said you had to think about us."
"I still don't know. Can I have a little more time?" Lyke said as he looked at his hands.
"Of course. I will always wait for you. No rushing."
"But..."
"Yes?"
"I wanted to say that I am so, so happy to have you in my life. I feel like when I needed you the most, you came, and even though I didn't know it then, you were the best thing to ever, ever, happen to me. Thank you, Rain. For allowing me to be here with you."
"Lyke..."
"I mean it," Lyke's face turned red for the first time.
"Thank you, Sunshine, for being here as well."
(next day)
"EVERYBODY!" Lyke announced, "We have a very special guest today! It's... drumroll please.... RAIN. He finished his finals, so I invited him."
"WELCOME," The group yelled and clapped.
"Thank you, thank you. Teach me well because I can only make eggs and bacon," Rain replied.
"Eggs." Lyke coughed.
"What?"
"Eggs. You can only make eggs."
The entire group giggled.
"Hey..." Rain said, dejected.
"Okay," Lyke laughed, "First you want to mix your..."
As Lyke walked the group through the steps of making a cake, Rain stood by his side closely so he made sure not to mess the recipe up. Lyke had to stop multiple times to help him, but still, he had the time of his life. Laughter filled the room, friends helping friends with creativity flowing through the air.
Rain made a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and a bright yellow sun in the middle.
Lyke kept his a surprise.
___________
"Road trip time! Off to the beach we go!" Lin shouted.
"Stop screaming."
As mentioned at the end of the previous semester, the group decided to celebrate the end of spring by going on a trip to the beach.
"No. I'm-"
"You don't have to come."
The 3 1/2-hour trip consisted of the usual bickering, but Lyke sat carrying a neat box in his lap the entire way, patiently watching it as if it was going to walk away from him. Any attempt by anyone to find out what it was holding was shot down quickly.
"Lyke-"
"No."
"I wasn't going to ask about the box," Rain laughed, "I was going to ask what you were doing later."
"Hm..." Lyke perked up just thinking about it, "Let's swim first when we get there. Then we can shop. And then we can cookout."
"How about we get to the place and unpack first?"
"Oh yeah. I forgot. I gotta put my box away."
"How about your clothes and toiletries?"
"Box is first. Nobody is allowed to touch it. Got it?"
"Yes, sir," An agreement rang out.
"Then what is after eating?" Rain continued.
"Party."
"Party?"
"Yeah. I bought stuff so we can do activities. It'll be fun!"
"Yeah! I saw what he brought. He brought modeling clay and paint, and canvas so we can do crafts together!" Olive said excitedly.
"Ooo, I've seen videos with crafts like that. That will be fun."
As the drive came to a close, excitement started to fill the car as they sang at the top of their lungs to their favorite songs. Pulling into a parking spot beside a beachside condo, the five piled out. There was an open cookout area with hanging fairy lights decorating the perimeter.
"It looks beautiful when it gets dark and even more so when there is a party," Rain smiled.
"Let's get our stuff unpacked quickly," Lin rushed into the house part.
"Okay!" Lyke rushed after, carefully balancing the box and his duffle bag of stuff.
"Any idea what's in the box?" Olive leaned over and whispered to Rain.
"Yeah. It's a cake. I just don't know why he's hiding it. He's been hiding everything about it since we made them in cooking. I made mine chocolate because it's his favorite. He made his chocolate too. This kid."
"Make sure to tell me if he reveals it," Olive nudged his arm and smiled, then walked inside with Sana.
What the fuck is in the box frfr (I found this while reading over again and decided to keep it bc why did I put down my thoughts in the middle of the story 😭)
He followed them inside, wondering to himself what could be so special that Lyke had been defending it so closely, even at a time when they were supposed to be relaxing. It must be really important, Rain thought to himself, and smiled. Lyke was probably just happy to do something for them after a long time of being the one taken care of. So maybe the cake was special. Just in a different way than they all realized.
"Did you all find a place to sleep?" Rain asked.
The condo was the Rains family's; it was smaller in size because they were only a family of three, so they would have to split the rooms.
"I feel so left out. Why am I the only one alone? This is outrageous. Downright disrespectful." Lin complained.
"I see you've figured out the beds."
"Yup. Olive and Sana, you and me, then Lin," Lyke answered.
"I want to sleep with someone. I want to have a sleepover!" Line pouted.
"You are 19 years old. You are acting like you're 9, Lin. It only makes sense this way. The two girls and the two who actually live together. I don't want to share a room with you, even if we do live together. And are related." Olive rejected Lin.
"I'm going to drown you."
"Do it. I dare you."
"I will."
"I weigh more, you'll die first."
"Guys, guys, we aren't going to kill anyone. We're here to have funnn," Lyke danced into the room, "Now get changed so we can swim."
-*-*-*-*
(Later)
"I'm full. Do you guys want to continue karaoke?" Lin asked
"Hell yeah. Hand me a mic," Olive beckoned him.
"I'm going to sit this one out," Lyke looked at Rain, "You wanna sit somewhere else for a while?"
"Oh... sure." He responded, caught off guard.
"Okay. Let me grab something real quick."
Lyke ran into the condo and came out carrying a small plastic bag, not the box Rain was expecting him to be carrying.
"Let's sit over here. It's in the grass, but you can still walk to the sand. It's also still kind of light from the outside area."
"Okay," Lyke smiled.
It was silent as they slowly walked, as if neither of them had any clue what to say or do. Even though Lyke suggested they sit elsewhere, his mind was blank on what they were going to do. Eventually, they laid down and stared at the stars. The sky was bright, just how Lyke liked it. The stars twinkled and danced to the song of the moonlight. They could hear the waves softly crashing onto the beach from a distance. They felt the grass at their fingertips as they nervously fidgeted.
"Do you think one day you'll get bored of me?" Lyke asked suddenly.
"No. It wouldn't be possible for me to live without you."
"How would I ever know if you're lying?"
"You'll know when I'm with you even when we're 50."
"50? That long?"
"No. Till we're 70," Rain smiled.
"You want to be here that long?" Lyke whispered.
"Of course. If you're there too."
"Rain." Lyke hesitated, "What do you think about me?"
"I love you so much. You are my world."
His eyes could trace Lyke's face until the last star in the sky burnt out. His perfect boy, his sunshine, he didn't have a single imperfection. His beautiful boy, whom he could love forever, lying right next to him, deserved every star in the sky. He deserved so much that Rain feared he would never be able to give him enough. He loved every small thing about him, from the way he spoke to the way he giggled at any little thing; he loved it all.
"If I could give you a star, I'd place it right in your hand for you to keep forever," Rain reached for Lyke's hand and traced a star exactly three times in his palm.
"Will you be my boyfriend?" Lyke whispered.
Rain paused.
"What?" He sat up quickly.
"I asked if you would be my boyfriend," Lyke whispered again.
"Of course I will," Rain laid down and hugged Lyke tightly, "Of course I'll be your boyfriend." A tear left his eye. He waited for those words to leave his mouth for months, and now, he finally got to hear them.
"Rain?" Lyke asked again.
"Yes?"
"Here," Lyke sat up and reached back, grabbing the bag carefully, "Open it."
"Oh? Was this in the box? A smaller box?"
"I tricked you. Open it."
"It's a cake. I knew it was a cake."
"Oh, you did?"
"Yeah, it's the chocolate cake you make."
"Wrong. That's in the fridge back there."
"?"
"I made this one for you. It's coffee caramel cake. Your favorite flavor."
"When did you-?"
"Last night, when you went to bed. I brought up your favorite cake in a conversation, so it wasn't suspicious; that's how I knew. I hope you like it...."
"Of course I will. Thank you."
They stared into each other's eyes, not knowing what to do. Staring like that for a minute, they finally read each other's eyes. They slowly moved in towards each other, their lips meeting softly. It felt like an eternity of longing had ended as they melted into each other's warmth. As they pulled back, all they could do was smile. Finally.
Finally.
Rain turned his head to look at his love after a while of lying in happy silence.
"Hello, Sunshine."
"Hello."
"Have I ever told you you have the prettiest smile I've ever seen?"
"So beautiful that it can't belong to anyone but you."
"How did you know?"
"You tell me every day."
As they looked up at the stars, the silence said all the words for them.
Rain reached out and placed his hand gently on Lyke's face, staring into his beautiful brown eyes. Lyke moved closer, hugging Rain closely and burying his head in his chest.
"Thank you for letting me love you." Rain said, gently moving his hand through Lyke's hair.
"Thank you for loving me."
They laid like that for a long time. Being in each other's arms was the only thing they wanted. If they could, they would stay there in that moment forever, breathing in each other's scents and listening to the beating of their hearts. After such a long wait, they were exactly where they were meant to be.
"Rain? Lyke?" They heard Olive yell after what seemed like the shortest minute of their lives, even though they had been gone for close to an hour.
"We should go back now," Lyke said, breaking their long silence.
"Uugghh," Rain groaned.
Lyke hit him softly and stood up, grabbing Rain's hand.
"Let's go."
As they walked back to the condo, Olive looked at them suspiciously but couldn't confirm that anything suspicious had happened.
"Where were you two?" She asked.
"Lying in the grass over there," Rain pointed, "If you had taken a couple of steps, you would have seen us."
"Oh, shut up,"
"I'm just telling the truth."
"Lyke," Olive said, "Is this the truth? I know you wouldn't lie to me."
"It is, Ma'am."
_______
"How was the trip?"
"It was good. Great, I mean. It was wonderful. You? How was your trip? Did you have fun?"
"You're being suspicious. What happened?" Olive asked through the phone.
"Nothing, Olive, nothing happened." Rain fumbled. He was again lying on his bed calling Olive, but this time it was different. He knew who he was, and now he had exactly what he was so afraid to admit he wanted.
"Mhm... yeah right. I've known you for years, you aren't going to lie."
"I'm not lying. Really, I'm not. Nothing happened."
As much as he wanted to admit it, Lyke had asked him not to. He was scared. He had stuff to work through before he could accept other people knowing, even though he knew his friends wouldn't care. He didn't want anything changing, or worse, for Rain to change.
"Okay, I'm just teasing you. Anyways, what are you doing the rest of the summer? What about Lyke?"
"What about Lyke? He doesn't have to do anything but relax. He deserves as much."
"Are you going to let him move back home at some point is what I mean."
"..."
"It's been a while. Don't you think it's probably safe?"
"I don't know. I told you that's up to what Lyke thinks. If he doesn't feel safe going back, then I will not let him. Even though it's been a while since anything has happened, it doesn't mean nothing will."
"You're right. Sorry for asking, I was just curious."
"Why? Is something up?"
"No, nothing's up. It's just suspicious that it has been so long without anything. Complete radio silence. Doesn't it feel eerie to you? I've got goosebumps just thinking about it."
"Well..." Rain paused, hesitant on whether to tell her about the incident on Lyke's birthday. "Don't think like that. He's completely safe with here. There's no way that anything will happen."
In the end, he decided not to.
"I know... but still be careful. Anything can happen at any time. I think someone like Ti wouldn't give up that easily. He gets what he wants."
"I know that. I know that well."
"I'm going to bed. Night."
"Mhm. Night."
"Be careful," Rain whispered to himself and got up. The instance at the basketball game ran through his head again.
"Lykeee," He yelled as he walked into the living room, "You want to watch that show?"
"Yeah," Lyke scrambled over, "I've been waiting for an eternity to finish it."
"Alright, alright. It's the next to last episode, right?"
"Yeah."
Lyke snuggled up to Rain closely as they watched the couple finally get together. As if by magic, they were finally where they were meant to be. It had been two weeks since they had become boyfriends, and things couldn't have been better. There was no more wondering whether they would ever be together, no more doubt in either of their minds. They were just happy they got to wake up every day and call each other 'mine'. Now they watched the couple in their show that had followed them through their own relationship, find each other in the same way.
"That was a beautiful story, don't you think?" Lyke commented as the end of the episode neared.
"Of course it was. It reminded me of you and me."
"Wait shshhh shh. Look," Lyke pointed at the TV, "Her ex-boyfriend showed up!"
"Oh no," Rain frowned, drawn into the drama he claimed to hate before, "What's he doing there?"
"It's so obvious! It's going to cause a misunderstanding, and they have to figure it out in the last episode. Look! I'm right! Now he's upset because he saw her with her ex!"
"Lyke," Rain turned to Lyke seriously, "Promise if you ever see me with Nicky, you'll know it's against my will. Okay? I avoid her like lava to begin with. She's up to no good if she's near me."
When Rain said that, it quickly reminded Lyke of what Nicky had said in the cooking classroom: "Sometimes it's like we never broke up. Of course, that's because we had to break up because of his family. I know he still loves me, though."
"..."
"Lyke?"
"I was just thinking. Of course, I'd know that she's up to something. Shes been a bitch to me and I know you at least like me a little bit more than you like her..."
"A little bit? You are my boyfriend. I would say I like you a lot a bit better. I don't want anything to do with that cockroach."
"..."
"What's on your mind?" Rain asked when faced with Lyke's silence.
"It's been so silent. Do you think everything is okay?"
"Of course it is," Rain hugged him closer.
Lyke laid his head back on his shoulder and looked up solemnly.
"I can't help but think it isn't. It's been too long since I've been happy. He's thinking the same thing, I know he is.
"No, he isn't. You are safe with me."
"I know. But-"
"No but. You are okay. I'll never let anything happen to you."
"Promise?"
"Promise."
Rain could only hope that his promise could be carried out. If it couldn't, he would never be able to forgive himself. He would rather die than let the promise be broken. He'd surely exchange his life for Lykes.
"Lyke?" Rain said.
"?"
"You trust me, don't you?"
"Of course I do. I've never trusted anyone more in my life." Lyke replied with a smile.