Thursday. A full year later, and nothing had changed. Nothing at all. A year in college, a year of being kept apart. A year of phone calls, and still nothing about the taller, blonde haired boy had changed. He still seemed like his goofy, irresponsible, brimming with confidence self.
"Demyx." the strain on my face indicated a rare smile. "It's been… so long." A year in California, and a year in New York. A year apart, and every morning I felt my heart ripping at the seams, slowly and painfully, when I realized with a gasp he was never laying beside me. "I can't believe its-" I stopped, mid-sentence as he grinned. I hadn't seen that grin outside of a picture in… a full year. The grin touched his eyes, making them sparkle, blue, like the ocean.
"I know, right?" he beamed down and me, a foot taller, and crushed me in a hug. He was still warm. Like he was a year ago. "Jeez, a year… You realize my phone bill was through the roof every month, correct?" he laughed, the sound was euphoric.
I nodded, still grinning, and pulled away from the embrace, he slung his arm round my shoulders, pulling me close. My hand wound around his waist. We weaved our way through the airport, his luggage in hand. My heart throbbed, I felt his moving just as fast.
"How've you been? I've missed you."
"Amazing. I never thought music institutes would have anything to teach me. I was proved wrong with a hard slap from reality."
"I see. Chemical Engineering is no challenge. I'm getting A's in all my classes and-"
"Just like last year?"
I smiled, nostalgic. "Of course. Are you slacking?"
"In nothing even you could tutor me in."
"I suppose your right."
"Me?! Right? When ZEXI is in the room? Odin's hammer, a miracle!" he exclaimed, shaking me in emphasis. Smiling, I chuckled. His church bell laugh sent chills down my spine; in a good way. He still called me that ridiculous pet name. Even a year later.
The chill of the crisp, Autumn air of New York effected Demyx like a truck ramming into him, as the warmth of California rushed out of his veins, he snuggled closer, his teeth chattering. I pointed out my car, a column away.
"You still drive that hunk of junk?"
"It's better then nothing."
"No. It really, really isn't."
"Whatever."
I was hesitant to release my hold on my boyfriend, I hadn't held him in a year, and I didn't want him out of sight, he might disappear, as illogical as that would sound. He could be capable of it though, he was magical, in his own way.
The drive home was comfortable, we chatted, discussing everything that had happened in the last year in the other's absences. He continued studying guitar, his band, Riku, Axel, Namine, and Marluxia, also attended the school in their own courses. Singing and the like, my gaze never left his face once.
"Turn here." I said, pointing to my apartment. I lived off campus, frat parties at twoAM became a bit of a nuisance.
We dragged his luggage upstairs, and threw it in the closet. It could wait until the end of Summer. Unpacking now really wasn't necessary.
"You have any movies?"
"Besides the ones you sent me?"
"No, the ones I sent you."
"In the cupboard."
I watched him lean down and shuffle through the DVD's, occasionally smiling, shaking his head in rejection, before finally nodding and rising. "This good?" he held up the DVD case for something with an explosion on the front. Whatever.
"Sure." I strolled into the kitchen, pulling out a packet of popcorn. Like I did every Thursday, one year ago, when Demyx would come over. We agreed, on the Thursday he had left, when he came back, this would be the first thing we did.
I suppressed a laugh as Demyx fumbled with the DVD player he insisted I get when he sent the first DVD. Slipping out a few cusses, I heard his laugh of triumph and he god the screen to turn blue; signaling the DVD player had accepted the disc. The microwave showed another thirty seconds on the timer, and I tapped my nails impatiently in rhythm on the counter.
"Popcorn ready yet?"
"Obviously not."
"Well…meh."
Chuckling, I removed the popcorn from the appliance and dumped it in a random bowl. Discarding the wrapper and bag on the way into the tiny living room.
"Ohohohohoho! YES!" his snickered, snatching the bowl from my hands. "MY PRECIOUS!"
An hour later I was nestled in his arms, he pet my head rhythmically, mussing my slate-colored hair. My eyes began to droop when I leaned up and gave him a chaste kiss on the cheek. He looked down at me curiously.
"What was that for? Not that I mind." he smiled my favorite, brilliant smile.
"I love you."
"Me too, Zexion."
A full year later. A full year of phone calls and deprivation of my beaming boyfriend. A full year of worrying where the hell he was when I woke with a gasp each morning, and a full year of waiting until I'd see him again. A full year later, and saying those three words, was just as easy as saying them a full year ago.
