Darryl's Pov:

It has been a few weeks now since I officially became friends with Zak. Now that I've been hanging out with him almost every day, (because he be getting a bit clingy now cough* cough*) I REALLY haven't been able to get him out of mind at all. My mind is always stuck on him. It gets annoying when I'm at work, but then again, I also love the thought of him. I used to always look forward to going to work, but now I seem to prefer hanging out with Zak rather than working. Each other hour, I'm just anxiously waiting on when I'll get a word from Zak, and I'm impatient for a certain time we agreed on to meet up with him.

I hate how I have spent my free time reading texts from him, even though they're short. But I love receiving a text dedicated to me, and hearing his voice, it gives me something more to look forward to. I can't place my finger on it, but there's something about Zak that seems to drive me wild. I hate that I love the feeling.

Currently, Zak and I have been browsing around the main part of town. We have gone in and out of a couple of stores, but we haven't really bought anything. We're just looking around. Zak seems to really like observing and admiring things... it's quite interesting, really. It gives me an idea.

Zak then stops and looks at the sky, then at his phone. He says, "It's starting to get late... maybe we should go now."

I slightly panic as I want to spend more time with him. I then remember something. I grin and say, "Actually, I would like to take you somewhere. Now would actually be a perfect time to head there."

Zak raises an eyebrow at me in question. He looks off into space as he starts thinking. He then clicks his tongue and says, "Sure, why not?"

I smile brightly at him. I grab his hand and say, "It's actually not too far from here. We can walk there."

Zak tensed up a bit at the sudden touch from our intertwined hands. He just nods at me and awkwardly lets me drag him to the spot. Though, I quickly notice that he doesn't quite like it that I'm holding his hand, so I let go.

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After a couple of minutes of walking in silence, we arrive at a quite large park. Zak looks at me in question for a moment as to what we're doing at a park, but he just lets me guide him through the park. Once we get close to the spot, I turn to Zak and ask, "Can you close your eyes?"

He blinks a few times at me, processing what I asked. He then asks, "What- why?"

I give him a smug smirk and say, "I want to surprise you."

He furrows his eyebrows for a moment. But he relaxes as he lets out a sigh. He knows by now how persistent I am. I gently grab his hand and smile softly at him. I then say, "Come on, I'll guide you."

For a second, it seems as though his breath hitched. But it must be my mind playing tricks on me. Zak is a confident guy. He's barely hesitant, isn't shy, and very straightforward. He just doesn't seem like the type to get nervous over something like this, especially to the point where his breath starts hitching. (Little do you know-) Zak closes his eyes, and I start guiding him to the spot.

After a bit of walking, we stop. I smile at the scenery. In front of us is a bright blue lake, with a couple of trees surrounding it. This area looks the best during the sunset, which is exactly what's happening right now. The sun is slowly starting to set in the horizon, the soft shades of orange and pink starting to fill the sky. I quickly guide Zak to a nearby tree so that we stand in front of it. I let go of Zak's hand but quickly place my hands on his shoulders. I whisper out, "Ready?"

He just gives me a nod. I smile as I say, "Then, you can open your eyes now."

I let go of his shoulders as he opens his eyes. He blinks a few times before really taking in the scenery. A small gasp escapes his lips at the sight. I watch in satisfaction as Zak stares in amazement at the area around him. He looks completely in awe. In a hushed tone, I hear him say, "Wow..."

I walk backward and sit down against the tree as I admire Zak, looking at the scenery in marvel. It's just as I thought. His reaction to this is everything. Zak is always admiring and appreciating the things around him, which is cute. So I knew that he was going to love this. Zak takes small steps, looking around the area. But I soon widen my eyes as I witness something I haven't quite seen before. Zak smiles. But it isn't one of his smug, confident grins. Right now, his smile is genuine and full of joy. He shows this smile as he continues looking at the area around him.

I can't help but stare at him in wonder. I've never seen him look so... happy. I didn't think much of it before, but he doesn't really smile much. I thought it was normal at first, but seeing him like this now... it's like looking at a whole different person. It's like discovering a whole different side of him that I've never seen before. He looks like he doesn't have a care in the world. He's just... enjoying the moment. That smile of his... seems to bring me in a trance. I want to see more of it. I want to see him smile so genuinely and look so happy more often. I want to make him happy. For some reason, he seems so much more irresistible now.

I snap out of my daze once I hear Zak exclaim, "How did you find this, Darryl!?"

I smile and say, "I used to like taking a lot of strolls. You know, exploring different areas."

He just simply nods. Once he finally looks at me, his smile has faded away, but it still slightly lingers on his face. I look him in the eye and pat the ground next to me. I say, "Come sit next to me. We can enjoy the scenery together."

Zak blinks a few times but obliges. He walks over to me and takes a seat next to me, sitting against the tree as well. For a while, we just sit there in comfortable silence as we watch the sunset in this beautiful area. But to be honest, I'm barely watching the scenery. I've taken more interest in watching Zak's face as he admires the whole thing. He seems too concentrated to even notice that I'm watching him. A small smile continues to linger on his face as he watches the sunset, though it's not as bright or cheerful as before. He seems to be more at peace right now. So peaceful...

He just seems so perfect in this moment. My eyes look over all the details on his face. I find myself admiring his features. Can you blame me? He's just so gorgeous... At some point, my eyes land on his lips. I remember how they were on my own lips during our first meeting. Right now, his lips look so soft and luscious. A thought then crosses my mind, which takes me aback. The thought that I have surprises me, but then again, it feels right... I think I'm starting to slowly understand why I got so easily attached to Zak. Why I'm so attracted to him. But I need confirmation. I need to explore first, collect more information.

Suddenly, Zak stands up, snapping me out of my thoughts. He then says, "As much as I would like to stare here and completely watch the sunset, it really is getting late. I think we should get going now. I don't want to be outside during the night today."

I just respond with, "Oh. Okay..."

Zak glances down at me and gestures with his head to follow him away from the area. He says, "Come on, let's go."

He takes a few steps away, but I stay there sitting on the ground, deep in my thoughts. Zak quickly notices my unmoving state. He raises an eyebrow and says, "Darryl...?"

He takes a few steps closer to me and looks down at me. I glance up to look at him thoughtfully. Maybe I should take this opportunity... It would do some good to figure some things out quickly instead of staying here filling my head with questions. Though, I could ruin things between Zak and I... You know what? Screw it.

I then abruptly stand up and pin Zak against the tree. Zak is clearly caught off guard as a small gasp escapes his lips. He looks up at me, frustration starting to become visible on his face. He says, "Darryl, what are you do-"

Before he finishes, I quickly close the gap between us and smash my lips onto his. He lets out a muffled sound of surprise from my action. I close my eyes and try to enjoy this kiss. Zak places his hands on my chest, trying to push me away, but I don't let myself budge. After a few attempts of trying to push me away, he stops. For a moment, it seems as though he melts into the kiss as I feel his muscles relax. For a moment, he seems to slightly kiss me back. In that moment, everything starts falling into place. I'm now starting to understand.

Back in our first encounter, our kisses were just filled with lust and nothing more. I didn't really get to just enjoy the feeling of his lips on mine. Now that I'm really taking it all in and focusing on this kiss, I realize how amazing this feels. It feels like pure ecstasy. The feeling of his lips on mine feels right. It's as though they belong there. This kiss alone has given me understanding to many things.

But quickly, Zak seems to snap out of his faze. He starts trying to push me away again and lets out groans of protest. After a moment, I decided to finally stop kissing him. I let him linger on lips for just a second longer before fully pulling away from him. Once I pull away and look at his face, I notice some slight blush has appeared on his cheeks, making me smirk in amusement. If he's blushing, then he must have enjoyed it, even if for just a moment. Still in shock, Zak exclaims, "Wha- why did you do that!?"

I hum before saying, "Because I wanted to."

Zak seems to be in a loss for words as he stutters out, "Wha- But- I-"

I stop his stuttering once I lean into his ear and whisper out, "Thank you, Zak. I now have a better understanding of things."

I then step away from him, freeing him from being pinned to the tree. I smirk at the sight of him being completely flabbergasted. I then walk away from him, leaving him with his thoughts. He probably has a million different thoughts and questions crossing his mind right now.