Although he understood, he also felt a pang of bitterness. Not towards Lauren, of course. But because he realized once again his mistake. The way he confessed his feelings made it seem like they were only fleeting, as if he wouldn't be around for the long run. It was understandable for Lauren to feel worried and uncertain.
Yet a part of him felt a bit happy. Lauren asking this meant he was considering a future with him, suggesting that his feelings were likely reciprocated. After all, Lauren wouldn't be thinking about these things if he didn't feel anything for him.
This was not the time to feel happy, though. As the person responsible for this situation, he should do everything he could to reassure Lauren and to help him lessen the anxiety he's feeling.
"I know my confession earlier might have seemed pretty half-hearted, and it's entirely my fault if it came off that way to you. But Lauren, my feelings for you are genuine. While I'm still figuring everything out, there's one thing I am sure of: I care about you deeply. I'm not planning on going anywhere. What we have means a lot to me, and I want to see where it can go.
"You deserve honesty and commitment, and I'm here to give you both. I don't have all the answers right now. That's why I want to further explore this relationship with you. Let's take things one step at a time and see how we can grow together. Maybe, sooner or later, both of us could arrive at the same answer. I just hope you can give me a chance. Discover more content on m-vl-em-pyr
No, give us a chance. Please."
After saying everything in one go, Reas observed Lauren's reaction. From the start, he hadn't taken his eyes off of him. So, he knew how the other reacted to every word he said.
From seriousness, to confusion, to embarrassment, and then back to confusion once again. Honestly, Reas couldn't really tell what Lauren was feeling when he had those expressions. Of course, he could assume that the emotions he felt were the same as the expressions he had shown. But could it really be that straightforward?
The good thing here was, knowing Lauren, he would definitely not hesitate to voice out his opinion. And that meant he didn't have to play a guessing game with the other.
"Do you really think I will be joking at this moment?" Lauren asked back with a raised brow.
A big, bright smile appeared on Reas's face, and it was probably the first time Lauren had seen him smile like that. Who would have thought someone could become even more handsome just by smiling so widely? Unknowingly, a smile also spread across Lauren's lips.
"Thank you for trusting me. Thank you for giving us a chance," Reas said, looking completely relieved and grateful. And then, as if he just remembered an important problem, he asked, "Then what does that make us now? Are we... dating?"
Lauren's face immediately turned red at the question. Then he quickly took back his hand. "Y-you--! We're only talking about giving each other a chance. Why are you suddenly jumping into 'dating'?"
"But we already established that we like each other, right? Doesn't that mean that we're dating?"
Lauren wanted to say, 'When did I say I like you?' But he couldn't, because the truth was, he did like Reas. He wouldn't have started this conversation if he didn't feel at least somewhat the same as the other. And Reas, being smart and all, knew that.
But then again, Lauren really disliked complicated situations. That's why he made sure that he would get a clear answer from Reas. Following that logic, it was better for their relationship to have a label rather than having it remain undefined. Especially since both of them had decided to explore this relationship more. They couldn't exactly properly do that as friends, could they?
"Fine. Let's date."
As soon as he said that, Reas suddenly hugged him, and Lauren felt a deep warmth spread through his entire body, making his heart race once again.