Will you wait, professor?
Will you wait, professor?
Chapter Eighty-Seven
“You’ve been pulling me along for ages and you still won’t say where we’re going,” Lucian complained.
“You complained too much, Professor,” Artemis answered without glancing back. Lucian stared at their interlocked hands. The matching bracelets glittering in the night lights made him smile.
They were heading to the resort after touring the city when a jewelry store caught Artemis’ eyes. It wasn’t one of those high-end luxury stores Artemis liked but Lucian assumed he wanted jewelry, maybe a watch or something, only for the boy to pick the cheapest bracelets.
Amongst the cheap bracelets, Artemis had selected all the freebie bracelets the jeweler gave them and asked that their names be engraved on it.
The demand surprised Lucian. There were better options in the store and even bigger stores they could have shopped for couple jewelry but Artemis picked this one.
“Are you concerned about my finances?” Lucian asked, as the woman behind the desk called for the engraver.
“Not really,” Artemis shrugged. “You haven’t changed my bike yet.”
His lips twitched in amusement. “So what's with the minimalistic choice then? You spent about seventy thousand here in just a week here. Why go for one dollar bracelets?”
“You’re not going to wear it?” Artemis asked instead, conveniently dodging the question.
“I don't mind but I'd like to know what you’re thinking,” Lucian said. Artemis shoved his hands in his pockets.
“You’ll probably think I'm crazy,” he muttered. “It’s kind of cheesy.”
“Tell me.”
“I just wanted to pick out something that costs absolutely nothing with you,” Artemis hesitated. Lucian waited for him to continue talking but Artemis just wanted to change the topic. Just thinking about the reason made his cheeks burn with embarrassment.
'I want to look at it and be certain that the only reason I treasure it is because of my love for you. Nothing more.’
Yeah, he would say that out loud. He would die of embarrassment.
For a long moment, Lucian simply stared at Artemis. The younger man refused to meet his eyes, his ears turning pink as he pretended to study the display case instead.
"That's the reason?" Lucian asked quietly. Artemis’ eyes widened, realizing he did say it aloud. Fuck! He turned away, completely mortified.
"I told you it was cheesy," he tried to downplay the nerves swirling around his insides.
"It is," Lucian agreed and Artemis felt like dying. "It's unbelievably cheesy."
Artemis groaned. "Professor..."
"But..." Lucian stepped closer until their shoulders brushed. "...I think it might be the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me."
Artemis finally looked up. "You mean that?"
Lucian nodded.
"When I was younger," he admitted, "I used to think expensive gifts proved how much someone cared about you. My family certainly acted that way. Birthdays, apologies, all of that. It’s not entirely bad because I do believe in spoiling the people I love."
His gaze dropped to the thin bracelet around Artemis' wrist.
"But this..." He gently lifted Artemis' hand. "I don’t know what to say. It's definitely unexpected and different. Good different.”
He leaned forward and planted a soft kiss on the boy’s forehead. The second his lips dropped, Artemis planted a quick kiss on them, catching Lucian off guard.
“Now I'm curious. Does it mean you don’t care about the expensive ones?” Lucian arched a brow.
“I love the trip, the car race, skydiving, those are all memories I would cherish. I've had the best time of my life with you, professor,” Artemis answered. “Everything else, the clothes, the food, the bike, I'd just rather spend your own money on those. I don’t really care.”
“Ouch!” Lucian clutched his heart. Artemis chuckled at the dramatic response.
“What? Do you want a refund for buying your husband stuff?” Artemis shot back. Lucian was about to speak when the word husband struck him again.
“You keep branding me without a ring,” Lucian snorted. “i’ve not even graduated from being your boyfriend yet.”
Artemis’s expression turned serious and Lucian’s smile slowly faded. He was just goofing around. There was no need for Artemis to look so serious.
"I intend to marry you, Professor," Artemis pulled out a box from his pocket. Lucian's heart stopped for a second. "I got the rings so don't worry about the proposal."
Lucian didn't even know how to react. A part of him was excited but the other part, a side he'd buried for almost a decade felt hollow. His heart was racing with a familiar gnawing feeling he'd tried to bury in the last few years.
He still had so much to do. Marrying Artemis was not an option. Not now, at least.
"I still have some things to put in place, Professor. When we go back..." Artemis continued, his voice heavy with an emotion Lucian couldn't understand. "It might take months, maybe even a couple of years."
Lucian's heart slowed.
"Will you wait for me, professor?"