If anyone would’ve told me a year ago that I’d be elated to be sitting in bed on a Tuesday night talking about my feelings with my almost live-in boyfriend, I would’ve told them to fuck right off in no uncertain terms. But here I was, one month out of finishing my first year at Cornell, anxiously waiting to hear what Easton had to say. I knew he’d asked to go first because he hated hearing people say nice things about him. Too bad, because I was going in on all the fucking ways he made me ridiculously happy.

We stared at each other for a bit and as per usual Easton draped himself on me. When we were in bed it was practically mandatory to be touching at all times, and we were in bed together every night these days. We took turns between my place and his, but I couldn’t remember the last time I’d slept alone. It was hard to recall much of how it felt to be without Easton, to be honest.

As he moved limbs around, getting us wrapped around each other exactly how he wanted, he started talking. “I love how fiercely loyal you are to your friends. How open you are about your love for them,” he said, talking with his face against my neck, warm breath tickling my skin. “I don’t get jealous of them anymore, but at first.” He paused, nipping on my neck, and then running his tongue over the spot.

“That’s not fair play.” I groaned, helplessly turned on.

He smiled against my neck and lifted those moss-colored eyes at me. “Sorry.” He didn’t sound sorry, but there was a vulnerability there. He didn’t want to say this next part. “That first time you came back to Ithaca when Nesto opened the restaurant and you totally ignored me.” My stomach dipped at how sad he sounded. God I could be such an asshole.

“It was hard seeing you with them, but I still loved how you got along. It’s so amazing how you open up with the people you love, how you look so serious all the time, but for them, for me, you’re soft and sweet.”

I almost grimaced at that description. Soft and sweet were not words I associated with myself, but I leaned into how it felt to hear them from Easton. It felt good to be that to him.