Ah... That smell... Omelet... I want to eat it... Ah! Something is touching my lips. Is it egg? Eran stuck out his tongue a little to get a taste.

"Agh!"

The egg went away and Eran slowly opened his eyes to see Riley covering his mouth, looking startled. Both he and the egg were on the bedroom floor. "So loud..." Eran groaned into the pillow.

"Th-that's because you... Wh-what the hell, Eran..."

Eran still felt strange when Riley said his name. They both looked at the inedible egg. Riley smiled sheepishly. Eran clicked his tongue then turned away.

"Well, it was just a sample." Riley stood up. "Get up or you'll be late." He started to leave the room.

"I don't want to go today. I'll skip."

Riley stopped momentarily. "Well, it's up to you," he answered with a shrug in his voice, then resumed walking out. "I'll come back when school ends."

Eran sat up abruptly, eyes hooked to Riley's back. "You wouldn't stay with me?" his tone of disbelief was somewhat loud.

Riley turned around and looked at Eran with a mature, unaffected aura. Then a smirk appeared. "I have to graduate and get into university. You forgot?"

Oh... Eran sighed dramatically. Riley was already back in the kitchen. "Yeah. Hurry and graduate," Eran mumbled.

When Eran finished washing up, breakfast was ready. The table was only missing cups. Eran reached into the cabinet which required no stretch, yet somehow the tall Riley pulling them out with ease bothered him. While it made his heart beat rapidly and Riley's stoic face was always nice up close, he figured it was jealousy. Eran grabbed Riley's sleeves and backed the startled younger man up to the counter.

By three seconds, Eran brought his tongue into the kiss. By five seconds, Eran seemed to be practically climbing on top of the counter and Riley. By seven seconds, they had pulled their mouths apart.

"Eran..."

Hearing his name, he nearly shivered.

"When you look at me like that, what am I supposed to do?"

After kissing Riley, Eran always tried to find something in Riley's eyes. Why and what that something was, Eran didn't know. But now seeing Riley's sad expression, Eran wondered what was showing in his own eyes.

Eran was forced to stop thinking when Riley's lips briefly, yet sweetly met his.

Oh... It's that I'm attracted to his height. Has it been that way this whole time? I mean, I'm not even that short. Is it girly for me to like how he looks down at me when he smiles? To like that he only has to lean forward to kiss my forehead?

"Let's stay in bed until my birthday." Riley hugged Eran tightly, leaning his head against his boyfriend's.

Eran couldn't help but smile. The idea didn't sound bad. Eran wouldn't mind spending any amount of continuous days in Riley's arms. "I'll try to come home early today."

"Don't push yourself."

Eran shook his head. "Let's meet back here."

"Okay. Are we going to Bubba's tonight?"

Eran frowned. "We can go this weekend. Why are you so eager?"

"It's not that I'm eager..."

Does he seriously want to see me embarrassed? "I wanted to stay home for the evening..." Eran shifted his eyes.

"Oh."

"Is that a problem?"

"Of course not. If possible, I'd spend every single second with you."

"Alone," Eran specified.

"Alone," Riley agreed.

"Then like I said, I'll be home early. Don't come to the campus."

"Yes, sir. I'd love to kiss you again, but the food is getting cold, and seriously—I have to graduate."

Eran nodded silently. Riley probably would never guess the things Eran was fantasizing. I need to get a grip. I'm the one who needs self-control. Eran wondered if his plans with Riley for that evening were a good idea or a bad one.

Elias was picking food out of the lunch Riley packed for Eran as the two sat at a table in the spacious, near-empty cafeteria.

"How's it going?" Elias asked.

"How's what going?" I already answered the same question this morning.

"Well, I couldn't ask openly in class, so this morning was just social courtesy. 'How's Riley,' is what I mean now."

Eran shrugged. "He's Riley."

Elias looked pointedly at Eran who seemed to be playing dumb. "If you don't want me to ask about you two then—"

"That's... not it. It's just..." Eran leaned forward onto the table and started folding a napkin. "I haven't been in a relationship in so long, it just still feels kind of... awkward answering questions like that."

Elias nodded in understanding. "Then I'll ask, 'Are you and Riley getting along well right now? Any concerns?' I sound like a therapist, eh?"

"Damn it, Elias. I feel so inept. How do people dating act these days? I'm supposed to answer those types of questions easily right? I just don't know what to say."

"I'll assume it's going well. And any ineptitude doesn't have anything to do with your age..." Elias gestured to Eran's food. "You're not going to eat this nice lunch that your husband packed for you?"

"Other than the fact that you're eating it for me, I'm too nervous to eat."

"Why nervous?"

I can't tell him...

"Why doesn't Riley just move in with you?"

"W-what?"

"He's always at your place anyway. It's more convenient for him to live over here; his school is close."

"Cohabiting?" Eran tried not to blush. "I was just going to get him his own key," he mumbled, looking pitiful. Quite a while ago, shortly after Riley became a regular part of his life, Eran set up the keypad lock in his door. In truth, Eran felt more comfortable with a traditional lock. It was something he'd hid from Riley in his too-shy-to-admit-anything days.

"Oh? Is that what you're nervous about? I'm surprised you didn't already give him one."

"I don't want him to get too cocky. Or didn't... But what if when I give it to him, it makes him too excited? Or what if he doesn't have much of a reaction at all?"

"It's a key, not a ring," Elias sighed. "Do you want it to be a big deal? I think Riley will feel like it's a big deal; and if he doesn't act like it, it'll be because he thinks you wouldn't want him to react that way." He paused. "Well, if you want to live with him, you would've had to get a key anyway."

Eran looked out of the tall glass window and imagined Riley reacting to the key the same way he acted after they'd agreed to date and set conditions—playful, yet serious, with sincere eyes and a stupid grin. Riley's so cute. I want to see him now. Eran pulled out his phone and thought about texting his partner, but decided not to. Oh, I remember he said he was going to tell Tony today. I wonder how that's going.

"Eran, Riley loves you. So no matter how he acts, you never have to question his feelings, trust me."

Eran hoped Elias was right.