"I haven't told anyone this before, but I'm going to tell you now." I told him, taking a deep breath.

His eyebrows knitted together in concern, probably because I never sound this serious.

"Is everything okay, Laurens?" He tilted his head, searching my eyes. Another deep breath, and I sat down next to him on his bed. Slowly, I shook my head.

"Somebody… stole something from me." I replied, fiddling with the buttons on my shirt. His eyebrows shot skyward, and he abruptly stood. Placing his hands on his hips, he created a hurricane of questions.

"What?! Who?" He exclaimed, concern lacing every letter. "Do you know who?! Why would someone do that to you?! You're the sweetest thing ever!"

I lightly chuckled as his face flushed at his own words. He lowered his head a bit, and I answered one of his queries.

"Yes, uhm… I know who. It was, ah… you."

His head whipped up, lips parted in shock. A strangled noise emerged from his throat, as his eyes darted around my face.

"What? No, I would never steal from you, John," He vigorously shook his head, putting his hand on my shoulder. "I swear on my mother's grave!"

A stroke of realization flashed across his face, and he paled. "Oh, God, I… I stole that sandwich you got from Subway a few days ago, but I just… it was late, and I was so hungry and tired, uh… I'm truly sorry, John."

He rubbed the back of his neck, his puppy-dog eyes guilting me into telling him the truth.

"No, no, that's not it, Alex." I assured him, slowly wringing my hands in anticipation. "The thing is…"

I trailed off, rethinking my whole plan. What if he doesn't like me back? Oh, God, why did I let it get this far?! I heavily exhaled, shaking my doubts away. He turned his whole body towards me, turning me with his hands. Face to face with Alexander, my confidence skyrocketed. But, he spoke first.

"John, you're honestly scaring the hell out of me right now," He whispered, his brown orbs looking directly into mine. "The thing is… what?"

Hard gulp.

"The thing is… you stole my, uhm… you stole my heart." I muttered, bringing my head down into my hands and hoping the floor would swallow me into oblivion.

He froze, and I swear his eyes flickered down to my lips before he retracted his arms. He didn't move away, which I'm taking as a good sign, but he did wrap his arms around himself. His gaze dropped down to the carpet, his lips parting and mouthing something.

"You…" He began, his voice a mere murmur. "You stole my heart? Is that what you just said?"

I nodded, my face still cowering behind my hands.

"You stole my heart?" He repeated. "That's the pick-up line you thought would be a winner?"

I lifted my head and a slight grin appeared on my face, intrigued by his answer. He wasn't upset? He was… joking, which is a good thing, I guess.

"Yeah, 'cause you're, like, the lightbulb to my lamp, bro." I said, attempting a surfer dude accent. He outright laughed, and I smiled at his adorable laughter.

In a flash, he stopped laughing and batted his eyelashes. "Do you have a name, or can I call you mine?"

He puckered his lips and blew a kiss, before we both dissolved into more laughter. This is going so much better than I originally thought it would… Time to be blunt.

"Alexander," He raised his twinkling eyes, wiping the joy-induced tears from them. "I like you."

"Really?" He waggled his eyebrow, his smile overtaking his face. "I didn't notice, you moron."

Smacking his shoulder, I humphed.

"I'm kidding, John, no need for violence." He chuckled. "Honestly, I like you, a lot…"

We grinned at each other, both of us blushing wildly. He reached a hand up to my face, brushing a curl of my hair behind my ear.

"John Laurens, will you be my boyfriend?" He whispered, gazing into my eyes. Gazing! He's gazing at me! I'm going to die of happiness.

"No." His face immediately fell, his eyes becoming rounder. "I'm kidding, Alex, I'm kidding! I'd love to be your boyfriend."

He perked up, falling forward and hugging me. God, his hugs are the best.

"Want to go to the zoo with me?" I murmured into his shoulder. "If we're dating, you have to like turtles."

I felt him nod. "Of course, I'll go to the zoo with you! I love turtles." His muffled voice vibrated against my shoulder.

I smiled more that day than ever before.

A/N: Read and review, please!