"Could you really spend your whole life with me?," Kevin asked.
Edd quickly turned his head to the redhead laying in the bed and smiled. They only got to the hotel yesterday, but it felt like it had been a lifetime between when they left Peach Creek and now.
They had grown up together, fought each other, and then a bully bigger then themselves. From that fight, a friendship sprang up. But it seemed liked everyone and everything wanted to break them up. Their parents didn't agree with those kind of lifestyles. Eddy was afraid of losing his best friend and Nazz was concerned about Kevin's reputation.
"He's kinda cool, but he's still a nerd."
"Are you sure this isn't some sort of prank to make fun of you?"
"Be careful."
"Watch your back, Dweeb."
All the things people said and did to separate them only pushed them closer together. They had way more in common than most would ever admit, but they didn't care. They liked each other and it was nicer to be friends than not.
But somewhere along the line, they got closer than close. It felt safe to be under Kevin's arm. It felt natural to want to hold Edd's hand. And the hugs? Talk about stopping the world and melting with somebody! First kiss? Fireworks.
And the world only got meaner. Eddy would yank Edd away to talk about some lame idea that would never pay off. Nazz would guilt Kevin into hanging out with her because she was his best friend, after all. She'd try to hook him up with other girls in the cool crowd and Marie had yet to learn what personal boundaries meant.
When junior year came, they both had had enough. And Kevin had an idea. Drop out, get their GEDs and get the hell out of Peach Creek. Kevin just wanted Edd to himself. To be with him and take care of him like a good partner should. And Edd wanted to live with the love of his young life in peace. They went to school during the day, would study all afternoon for their GEDs, and then work in the evenings to save up money to leave all that they knew behind and start anew elsewhere.
By Christmas, they had enough to get a car and pay for two weeks at an extended stay hotel. When school let out for the winter holiday, they took a Saturday afternoon to take their tests. A week later they got the results.
They passed.
So on Christmas Eve, they hopped in the car that Kevin had bought two weeks before and left. They were supposed to be meeting everyone at the bowling alley for Nazz's Christmas party. They ended up driving for 6 hours across the state and another 17 hours west into California. They took turns driving only stopping for gas, food and potty breaks.
Edd got them new phone numbers. Kevin deleted and blocked everyone on social media and made their accounts as private as Ft Knox. It was just them. They were each other's friend, lover, confidant, family.
When they reached Pasadena, Kevin suggested they stop and see what there was to see. He knew Edd had been thinking about going to USC or Cal Tech. If either school was really up to the ravenette's expectations, Kevin would stop at nothing to make sure he could go. But they had to stop first. Finding a decent extended stay hotel and putting down the payment for two weeks upfront, they went to the room and slept through Christmas.
When they woke up, Kevin ordered pizza while Edd took a long and much deserved shower. And it was over that pizza that Kevin dropped that question into Edd's lap.
Edd knew why they had stopped in Pasadena. And it made him fall in love with Kevin all the more. Despite only making plans to leave, Kevin still wanted Edd to continue his education. Kid was too smart to not use his big ol' brain to its full capacity. And Edd wanted to go to college as well. As long as they stayed in California for a year, Edd could go to school as an in-state resident. Considering that he didn't have a college fund and was basically broke with no traditional familial support, he could get all the loans and grants he needed to pay for school.
But despite all that, or maybe because of it, Edd knew that where he was right now and who he with was meant to be. This was it. This was the forever he wanted and the peace he had about it all had started to bloom in his heart and soul as soon as they pulled out of the cul-de-sac.
Come what may, for the rest of their lives he could spend it all with Kevin. And when he gave his simple one word answer, Kevin knew that they were in it for forever and he couldn't wait to live it with raven haired boy who had stolen his heart as easily as he stole the last pizza slice.
"Definitely."
