MATEO || bxb

- 22 -

| Mateo |

Cam would be home today. He was already back in the country and travelling back from the airport so I was sat on his house's front door step waiting for him and his family's safe return. I needed to see him and these last twenty minutes or so that I had to wait felt like centuries. Why was it when you looked forward to something that time moved the slowest of all?

As I sat on that doorstep, I pondered at what was to come the rest of summer. I dreamt of all the ways our relationship could progress and all that we could do. What would happen after summer as well? The closer and closer I got to uni, the more excited I felt because now I would be spending that time with someone who already mattered so much to me.

Soon enough, I saw an unfamiliar car pull into the driveway. Must have been the driver the Morrises hired to bring them and their luggage home. I stood up in anticipation for Cam to get out of the car so I could finally hug him again.

Soon his dyed blonde hair, dark roots coming through, was floating away in the slight breeze of the day as I saw his head poke out of the car door he'd just opened. The sun shone on his face perfectly like a halo around his head glittering like he was a precious jewel. It was like the world was saying 'here you go, here he is'. How was it that he seemed more beautiful than I remembered? It almost seemed unfair that he could be so divine.

And then before I'd even managed to take a step toward him, I felt him in my arms, so fast had he run to me. I squeezed him tight not caring for a moment that his family probably watched us from the sidelines. He smelled of cologne and sweat and aeroplane and I didn't care one bit because he was finally home.

"Mateo," was all he said, his head beside my own, our faces hidden from each other masking what was surely a big smile on both of our faces.

"Camden."

"I missed you," he said.

I squeezed tighter and told him I felt the same. "Let me go say hi to and help your family okay."

Cam nodded and let me go as I greeted everyone else, giving Adrian a quick man hug and helping to bring any luggage inside.

"Flight back okay?" I asked once everything had been dumped into the hallway.

Sienna sighed exasperated. "Oh it was fine. Bloody exhausted. I need a nap."

"Did you not get any sleep on the plane?" I asked.

"None of us can ever sleep on a plane," Andrew, Cam's dad explained.

I caught up with everyone for a bit where they all retired in the kitchen, Cam holding my hand the whole time and leaning into my side, not that I was complaining. The feel of him beside me calmed a heavy heart. It felt good to be close again. For a second, I even think I noticed Sienna smiling at our joined hands.

Eventually Sienna and Andrew went to have a nap like they wanted; apparently, they'd been pretty hungover as it was when they got on the plane. I loved those two like they were my own parents. Sometimes I worried when they all went away that their plane would crash, and I'd never see them again. It broke me sometimes thinking the worst could happen. I hoped they'd be in my life forever.

"How was the trip mate?" I asked Adrian now that it was just us three left.

"To be fair, it was pretty decent. I mean we already kinda told you some of what we did. But yeah, it was good. Next year we'll probably go somewhere together though, yeah?"

I nodded. "I've already said I wanted to take Cam to Spain. Obviously, you're coming with too," I replied. One thing I absolutely did not want to do was trade one Morris for another. Adrian would always be my best friend and I never wanted him to think that I'd replaced him with Cam.