Chapter 21

I've been awake since 1 in the morning and never had the chance to sleep again. What I said to Wyatt yesterday has been bugging me. I basically told him that I loved him, and I really think it's too soon, too early to say the L word. Wyatt must be freaking out too. He just confessed everything to me – about his dad who passed away when he was at an early age, what prompted him to bully, and his feelings for me. I don't want to pressure him than he already is. I wanted to make him feel comfortable, but I guess I just ruined that, did I?

Groaning out loud, I turn around and hug my pillow tight, as if I'm choking it. I wish it was me being choked to death. How can I be so stupid to tell him the L word? Well, I didn't exactly say it, but I implied it. Did I really love him? Maybe.

Scratch that, I'm in love with him.

But even I know that it's too early. I mean, I get that it shouldn't really take long for someone to fall in love but everything is just happening so fast that I barely catch on. And now it's 4 in the morning and the flight is 5 am and I just had a good 3-hour sleep. I really mean what I had in mind last night. I don't want to go back to Brooklyn. Not after what I said to Wyatt. Am I overreacting? Yes. Is it okay to assume things? No. But I'm living in the spur of the moment and right now, I want to stay here. Maybe I should put in my resignation and be done with everything.

The door makes a creaking sound, and there's a soft thud on the ground. It could be my mom or dad. They know what time my flight is as I told them before I sleep. My clothes aren't packed yet, and I have no plan on doing so. They must be wondering why I'm not ready. I pretend to sleep, pulling the covers up my face. My bed dips and there's a sigh that I've heard.

"Mooooom, I don't want to go." I whine, unable to resist my mother. But I haven't lifted the covers. "I don't want to face him. I basically said I loved you to him. I'm freaking out, and he must be freaking out too."

"Take off the covers, honey." My mom says gently and I hear her snickering. "It's okay to freak out. Do you really mean it? That you loved him?"

"Noooo. I'm so embarrassed I don't want to take the covers off." As much as childish it is, I don't fucking care. Maybe if I act more like a kid, mom would let me stay and not force me to go face Wyatt. "And yes, I'm in love with him. But even I think it's too rushed, too early to say and feel it. But I do and now he's freaking out. I'm freaking out."

There's another snicker.

"Mooooooom, stop making fun of me."

"I'm not making fun of you. You don't have to be miserable."

"I deserve to be miserable right now."

"Pierce, just take the cover off, will you?" Mom, based on her tone of voice, is getting impatient with me. "And no, he's not freaking out. In fact, he's enjoying himself with the way you're acting. He's amused. You better believe me. I'm your mother."

"I wish you're not." I mumble under my breath, but it's loud enough for her to hear me. She smacks my face and it hurts. Maybe I deserve this, but she didn't need to smack my face that hard. I take off the cover to glare at my mother, but my eyes widen when my eyes meet the brown ones of the person I love. "Wyatt..."

"That's no way to treat your mother," Wyatt says as he lets out a chuckle.

"Yes, you tell him, Wyatt." My mom says as she gets out of the room, closing the room.

"How long have you been here, and how much did you hear?"

"Long enough to know that you mean it." Wyatt smiles genuinely at me, and my heart swells at the sight. It's really a sight. Here I was, overthinking that he may be freaking out just as much as I was, and here's here, proving me wrong. "If you don't want to go to Brooklyn just yet, we don't have to go. We can rebook it. We can stay here in Texas as much as you want. Work is not the priority as of the moment." Wyatt leans down and plants a kiss on my forehead, which makes me blush.

My heart somersaults. As much as I want to accept his offer, I'm going to decline it. His position as the CEO of the company means everything, and he has to work. I can't sacrifice his job just because I want to stay here. And the fact that he's okay with what I feel towards him – that I really love him – means everything. I was just being dumb. I was just overthinking.

"What have I done to deserve you?" I'm ready to fucking cry.

"I should be the one asking that question," Wyatt chuckles.

Despite that I haven't brushed my teeth yet, or at least gurgle, I move forward, hold the back of his neck, and kiss him. There's this newfound courage to do these things with him, to kiss him with passion, and I'm loving myself for that. Wyatt seems pretty shocked for a moment before he starts responding to the kiss. His arm lands on my waist, his thumb caressing the exposed skin on my stomach. The action sends shiver down my spine, electricity and heat coursing through my veins as he kisses me passionately.

My fingers get tangled, lost in his hair, gripping it and pulling him closer to me to deepen the kiss. Wyatt grabs my waist and pushes me closer to him, closing the small gap between us. He tugs the duvet and gets inside without breaking the kiss and drapes it over us. I let us fall back in the bed, him on top of me. His hand lifts my shirt up, feeling my skin. It's making me hot and bothered, and excited, too. Wyatt continues to kiss me, then bites my lower lip. I let out a soft moan, parting my lips. Wyatt grabs the opportunity to slip his tongue in. My cheeks flush. Wyatt's tongue gets tangled with mine, and though I'm never going to win this thing, we fight for dominance. A few seconds later, Wyatt's fingers trail across my stomach and I let out a gasp. He smirks, kissing me harder, tasting every corner of my mouth.

My heart feels like it's about to burst. Wyatt is putting a lot of emotions in this kiss, and I'm feeling it all. Physically and emotionally. My mind is in a haze, clouded, and my eyes hooded. I feel like crying because I never thought Wyatt would be into me. I mean, I'm not exactly the ideal type of the other gay guys, but Wyatt is into me. How could I be so stupid to doubt his feelings for me? I didn't exactly doubt it, but it just felt like the relationship we had was rushed.

If I could, I would take undo every stupid mistake I made and just tell him straight up that I liked him since high school, and in the process, I fell in love with him. It doesn't have to be so complicated. Not at all. It shouldn't be.

Whew. Kissing for almost minutes is making me, us, breathless. I pull away and take a deep breath. My eyes meet Wyatt's and a smile breaks into his face. My heart leaps again at the sight. I don't think I'd get tired of seeing his smile, or his face. He's just too beautiful, or handsome, to not look at. Wyatt rests his forehead against mine and he tweaks my nose, chuckling. I pout at him.

"I hope you didn't taste how my breath stinks," I tell him.

He laughs at that. "I certainly did, but I don't give a damn. It's bearable."

My hands are on resting on his face, and I notice that he's wearing a white polo tucked into a dark grey silk pants. He looks hot in it and I don't think I can handle his handsomeness today. He notices me staring at him and he throws a smirk at me. I punch him lightly on the chest. He leans back.

Wyatt grabs both my wrists and pulls it over my head, pinning me with one hand. His other hand, meanwhile, plays with my exposed stomach. I shiver and shut my eyes, savoring the feeling of his warm hand touching my skin. The skin-to-skin contact sets me on fire, and he knows what he's doing to me, what effect he has on me. Wyatt watches me as I gasp when he lightly pinches the skin on my abdomen. He watches me through his lashes, a small smile playing on his lips as he continues to torture me with his fingers trailing across my sensitive skin.

"So do you want to stay here or do you want me to keep this up?" he asks me, his voice husky.

I blush at the question. Trust me, I really want the latter. But we need to work. We need to go back to Brooklyn and start working our ass of. I bet we have tons to do once we're back. And, like I said, as much as I want to stay here, I don't want to risk our jobs. We all need to work here and be a responsible adult.

"Our flight is 5 am, and I haven't packed yet."

"I can rebook our flight. Same day. There's a flight at 8. Or 10."

"Pick the 8. I don't want to prolong our stay here." I say, giving him a smile. "I should have enough time to prepare my things. I'm sorry if I was being an ass and turned off my phone. I was freaking out because of what I said. Sorry for shutting you off."

"You don't need to worry about that." Wyatt cups my cheek and gives me a breathtaking smile that stops me from breathing. Okay, that's me exaggerating things. "I totally feel the same way. I was ready to say it back to you, but you hung up on me and I figured you turned off your phone because I couldn't contact you. I knew you needed time, so I didn't come barging here yesterday."

I'm speechless. "What... what did you say?"

Wyatt chuckles, his eyes twinkling. "I said... I knew you needed time."

"No, before that." I purse my lips, waiting for his answer.

He rests his forehead affectionately against mine for the second time and his smile widens. His index fingers trail across my jawline until it reaches my ear, then he moves it across my cheek to my nose. His finger lingers there for a moment, his eyes are set on my lips. My heart is racing. I'll still waiting for his response when his eyes meet mine.

"I feel the same way, Pierce. I mean it." He slowly leans down and captures my lips, then he pulls away, much to my dismay. "The moment that phrase came out of your mouth, I knew that what I feel for you isn't just because I like you, or I have a crush on you. No, it's deepen than those. It's so strong that it really scares me, but I'm not going to let that crush what we have. I'm telling you, you're the best thing that's happened in my entire life."

"Stop, you're going to make me cry." And yes, I'm being emotional.

Here is Wyatt, pouring what he feels. The raw emotion is so strong, and it just pulls me more to him. Every word that comes out of his mouth is pulling me into him. My heart is full, and I'm not sure if I can take any more of these feels. Wyatt may have been a bully in my high school life, absent while I was studying college and graduating, but he came back. This time, he is better, more mature, and cooler. Emotional, too. But in a good way.

"So yes, Pierce, I love you. It scares me, but I love you."

"Wyatt... I don't know what to say."

"For starters, I'm hoping you could say it back?"

I let out a chuckle and shake my head, pinching his nose gently. He makes a face and I roll my eyes playfully. Grinning widely, I look at him in the eye and beam.

"I love you, Wyatt."