The light of the sunrise cut through the curtains, illuminating his sweet face. His gentle breathing put me at ease as I traced his body's valley, hovering my finger above his skin so as not to wake him. My fingers moved along his body until they reached the beginning of his collarbone. My fingers caressed his bronze skin up to his soft cheeks.

He appeared heavenly as he slept in this early morning light. Every deep breath he took caused his chest to gradually rise and fall. I drew my fingers back toward his neck, observing how his body reacted to my touch.

His eyes fluttered open, and confusion washed over his delicate features as he stretched and ran his fingers through his dark curls. It took him a moment to remember that he had spent the night with me. He squinted, grinning the instant he laid eyes on me. His short hair took on more definition in this light, each chestnut-colored strand shining.

His face was always pale in the morning, and his eyes were swollen. He used to hide his face behind his hands, but now he lets me see this side of him. He exhaled deeply, nuzzling his face into my hand and brushing his lips against my skin. His hand landed on top of mine, stroking it with his thumb.

"Hi," he whispered.

"Morning," I murmured.

He scrunched his nose and said, "Were you watching me sleep?"

"No," I lied.

"Creep," he teased.

"Oh, I'm the creep. Would you like me to bring up what happened last—"

He clapped his hand over my mouth while shaking his head and groaning."No, no, no! Stop it!"

I reached for his wrist, yanking his hands away from my mouth as he kicked his legs, trying to divert my attention. He persisted, attempting to place his hands on my mouth, but I caught them and pressed them against my chest.

"Leo, noo," he whined.

"I was kidding," I groaned. "I won't say anything."

"Liar."

I leaned in and smiled at him. He closed his eyes and reached for my neck with his hands. His soft lips grazed mine, and I could feel the smile that formed on his lips. He enjoyed teasing me. As our forehead touched, he nuzzled his nose against mine.

"Julian," I murmured.

"Hmm?" He sighed.

"I'm glad you're here with me."

His hand cupped my jaw and caressed my cheek, drawing our lips together. I was enveloped in the warmth.

"Mhm," he nodded.

I don't know where I'd be without you, I thought.

Before I met him, my life closely resembled a drab winter; lonely, cold, and dull. My winter had felt like an eternity, so when my spring came around, it was too good to be true. He appeared, and just like that, the clouds parted and the sun came to end my anguish. From our first encounter, I knew I wanted to keep him forever.

Days in my endless winter were miserable as snow descended from the sky, assaulting my senses with its frigid cold. Clouds of my warm breath rose above me as I wandered through my dreary, desolate land. I was hoping to find the one golden blossom that would indicate the end of this winter.

Then, all of a sudden, he appeared. A golden bulb so beautiful that it would catalyze a spring so lovely and warm that it could instantly melt away all the snow. In the land of my winter, he shone brilliantly.

The first bits of color I had ever seen were when I first laid my eyes on him. Always staring from across the room, never daring to face him.

He was holding a red cup in his hand, his arms crossed as he listened intently to the conversation he was a part of. Every few minutes, he raised the cup to his lips and took small sips. I could tell he didn't drink. It was obvious from the way he held his drink to his chest, swirling it around and rarely going back for another sip.

He frantically backed away each time the intoxicated boy next to him would enter his space. He laughed in an attempt to ease his tension, but he looked uncomfortable. His attention drifted from the group conversation and his gaze wandered towards me, and our eyes met. I cleared my throat and took another swing of alcohol, turning away from him, pretending not to notice him.

It hadn't worked since, through my peripherals, I could see him approaching me.

"Hi," he said.

I glanced up at him and nodded, "Hey."

He bit his lip and pointed to the empty space next to me on the sofa. "Is that seat taken?"

"Uhm. I don't—I don't..." I trailed off.

He grinned and nodded, peeking over to look inside my cup. "You might want to slow down. Your brain seems to be buffering," he teased. 

He sat next to me and placed his cup down on the table in front of us and said, "I don't like it too much." He pointed to the cup of alcohol he had placed on the table.

"Yeah, I know."

He tilted his head, raising an eyebrow. "How do you know? I just met you," he said.

"I don't—I don't—It's actually kind of—"

His laughter interrupted my stammering. "It's okay!" He beamed. "I saw you looking at me. Anyone with eyes can tell I hate alcohol."

I let out a nervous breath as he continued to stare at me. 

"I'm Julian," he said.

"I'm Leo." 

"Do you want to come outside with me, Leo?" He asked. When I gazed up at him, the cigarette smoke surrounding the room hovered over him, and the bright, colorful disco lights that whirled around the room all combined to highlight his attractive features.

I was in the presence of an angel.

"Yes."

My breath was heavy from the bitter air as I followed him outside. He led us to a tall sycamore tree and pointed at the ground. "Sit," he said. I followed orders and sat, leaning against the trunk of the tree.

"You look nervous," he said, sitting next to me.

"I guess I am," I replied.

He nodded, and I tucked my hands beneath my legs in an effort to warm them up.

"Are you cold?" he asked.

"Yeah."

He grabbed my arm and took my hand in his while stating, "Here." His eyes flickered towards me as he smiled and tucked our hands into his pocket. The inside of his sweatshirt was emitting heat. "It's a hand warmer," he explained. " I have a bunch."

"Oh."

The pounding in my chest was getting louder and louder the longer our hands were intertwined.

"So, is there a reason why you were staring at me?" He asked, bringing his knees to his chest, resting his head on his knees.

"No. I was just—you looked..." My words wandered away from me. I had forgotten every word in the English language.

Julian chuckled, "You're funny, but you don't have to be nervous around me." He leaned back against the tree and sighed, "I think I know why."

"You do?"

"You stare at me in class too," he stated.

"Sorry," I said, turning away.

"No." he shook his head, releasing our hands and placing his hand on my thigh. I returned my attention to him, the hand that rested on my thigh was shaking. "Don't be," he said. My gaze was drawn to his lips. 

"It's okay..." he whispered.

I closed my eyes as he leaned in, feeling his hot breath near my face before his soft lips brushed mine. My heart was racing, and the pounding in my head was caused by more than just the alcohol.

The clouds that had been obscuring my life began to part instantly, allowing light to shine through and warm the air. The snow was finally melting. The frozen ice fields that had once engulfed my lands had thawed. That was the beginning of my spring.

He pulled away. "Are you okay?" He asked, turning away.

"I've never felt better," I answered. He laughed and hid his head in his hands, embarrassed by his own reaction.

"Thank goodness," he exhaled. "If you weren't into me, I would have died from embarrassment!"

"How could you tell?" I asked. "You know, that I—"

"You're not mean to me," he replied. "I think our classmates are a little weirded out by me. I've never heard you make fun of me." He smiled before turning away. "Also, you stare a little too much for me not to notice it. At first I thought it was because you secretly hated me, but then I realized it was a crush."

"A crush?" I laughed and shook my head, "You must have thought I was weird."

"Hey! I've never heard you laugh before!" Julian beamed.

I cleared my throat and nodded, releasing the laughter I had left. "That's funny, I don't think I've heard my laugh either."

"That's depressing," Julian said. "Come on, I wanna show you something." He jumped up, dusting off his pants. He extended his hand towards me and said, "Do you trust me?" The light from the streetlamp peered over his smiling face, showing off his dimples.

"Yeah," I said, reaching out to accept his hand.

He grinned and led us away, the music from the party becoming background noise and slowly fading away until all I heard was his voice.

"What are we doing today?" Julian asked, nudging my leg and shaking me out of my treasured memory. Julian had always led us since the beginning, and even now, my spring had come to show me that there was more to life than my eternal winter.

 I smiled and pulled him closer to me and murmured, "sleeping."

"We already did that," he said, stroking my arm.

"All right, let's just stay here a little longer." I drew him into my arms, his back against my chest. He laughed as he felt my breath tickle the back of his neck.

"I'm hungry," he whispered. I tightened my embrace around him.

He was the first bloom of my spring, a season I had never experienced. Our relationship was similar to this. Something I never had but desperately desired. The warmth of his body, his smile, and his laugh melted away all of the snow in my life. His touch and kiss drew out the colors of the universe and the colors in me, putting an end to this winter.