Jared loved the summer. He loved the sticky feeling of the heat on his skin, he loved basking in the sun's bright rays. Jared loved watching shitty crime shows in a barely air conditioned house, and he loved lazing around in his boxers because he couldn't be bothered to stink up a clean shirt with sweat.
But most of all, Jared loved summer because of Evan. How Evan would release himself from the confines of that disgusting blue polo and let himself be adorned in the thin fabric of Jared's muscle shirt. How Evan would apply way too much sunscreen in fear of getting sunburnt, and how Evan would let loose.
Jared adored the lazy smile that Evan wore when his mind wasn't so burdened with the pressures of society; when Evan would hum a tune to himself that he had definitely thought up doing whichever unnecessary task he was doing. He cherished these moments, these breaths in between living. The momentary stillness of the world where they could just be.
Jared woke to the smell of greasy nirvana, pepperoni pizza from Papa Felicíon's Pizzeria (yes he could distinguish the origin of the pizza, don't question it). He stretched his limbs out, appreciating the cracks his bones offered him. Grabbing his glasses off the nightstand and peeling himself out of the comfort of his blankets, Jared stood to grab his slice of baked heaven.
Upon entering the kitchen he noticed Evan. His beautiful boyfriend Evan and his stupidly pretty face, god sometimes he wanted to punch that face just to make it imperfect. Evan was sat on the counter of their small (but conventional!) rent-to-own trailer reading a book that Jared didn't recognize. The sunlight from the window made Evan seem as if he was encased in light, as if he were glowing. The rays bounced off his golden-blonde hair, seemingly illuminating the room with his lover's presence.
He shuffled over to Evan, resting his head on his boyfriend's shoulder. Evan closed his book, doggy-earing the page so as to not lose his place. The blonde wrapped his arms around Jared's shoulder and sighed contentedly, "Good morning, Mr. Hansen"
Jared nuzzled farther into Evan, longing to be swallowed by his comfort, "Mornin' Mr. Kleinman."
An inside joke of theirs. Alana had once made the offhand inquiry of "who would take whose last name when they got married" and from then on it had been a competition.
Evan pushed Jared's face away from his playfully, "Go brush your teeth, you smell. Like-- badly."
"Evan, dearest! You shoot me through the heart, I am wounded, truly. My own heart and soul, insulting me in such ways." Jared threw his head back dramatically and placed his hand over his heart.
Evan snorted and rolled his eyes but the softness in his eyes was enough to fuel Jared for the rest of his life.
If there was one thing about Evan that Jared truly admired, it was his personality. When they were kids, Evan was so awkward. Always tripping and fumbling and stuttering like he had more than a few screws loose in his head. But once he grew comfortable in your presence it was like a whole new person emerged. Evan was funny and sarcastic and he can tell you a whole bunch of random shit about trees and Jared loved him.
And sometimes it was hard. On days where the meds just weren't seeming to help, his lover rarely spoke, rarely even got out of bed! But Jared was right there, drawing small hearts and stars and swirls all over his Evan's knuckles until he was right as rain. Evan helped him too, when the periods of sadness washed over him like a riptide, pulling him to the depths of depression, Evan was there to dry his tears and to reassure him. There were days when their episodes clashed and they simply sat there in silence, each only needing the other's existence to help them recover.
"Besides," Jared began, "The pizza would taste weird with mint." He grabbed a slice and shoved half of it in his face as if Evan was going to snatch it away from him. His boyfriend's face gave the energy of two things. One, you are disgusting and two, I am irrefutably in love with you. Evan wasn't good with emotions, unless he was feeling particularly strongly he couldn't be read. It meant a lot when Jared was able to pick at the thread and discover what was underneath.
While the boy ate his pizza, Evan began explaining the plot of his book. A young girl who inherited billions of dollars from an old man she didn't have any recollection of. It seemed interesting enough to Jared's not-so-academic brain.
They settled into a comfortable silence. It was peaceful, just them and the sound of light summer rain.
Jared stepped from his spot by the counter, his foot feeling the after effects of pins and needles, "I'm gonna take a shower and then go to the store to get more watermelon. You wanna come?"
"Sure! I'll put my shoes on when you get out." Evan smiled, his eyes wrinkling at the sides.
"Cool" said Jared, "Wanna join me in the shower too?"
Evan flushed, the red in his cheeks almost contradictory to the purpley/greyish of his dark circles, "N-No! No, I think I'm okay. Thank you...for the offer that is. Yep." He trailed off nearing the end of the sentence.
Jared snorted, the sound completely from the heart. He was absolutely smitten for this stupid blonde guy on his counter and his cute ramblings. He pressed a short kiss to Evan's lips, "If you say so 'Ev. I'll be out in a few."
"Alright Jare," came Evan's reply.
And the last thing Jared thought before getting in the shower was the taste of peach tea on Evan's lips.
Evan loved the winter. He loved the tingly feeling of the cold on his nose, the way it would bite at his cheeks, leaving them pink and stinging. Evan loved the way the cold was an excuse to drink copious amounts of hot cocoa without remorse.
But most of all, Evan loved the cold because of Jared. The way he would cocoon himself in hoodies and snow coats; the way he would grip Evan's hands to generate some warmth between them. Evan loved coming home to Jared bundled up in fuzzy blankets napping without a care in the world.
When it was cold, Evan would be allowed to see the childlike glee on his boyfriend's face at the first snowfall of the season. When it was cold, he got to see the beautiful contrast between Jared's pale skin and the natural flush of color the chilliness brought to his cheeks.
Evan loved the memories they had in the cold together. When they were 7, Evan and Jared made their first snowman together. When they were 13, they kissed behind the school because Jared needed to "check something", Evan remembers forgetting about the 24 degree weather as soon as their lips touched. When they were 17, Jared confessed his feelings for Evan while drunk immediately face planted into snow a second after.
Winter is where their love was stored.
The night started as such:
Evan had returned home from work utterly burned out. He felt as if he had ran to Canada and back simply to please his overaggressive boss. Jared had asked him once if he was happy where he worked, he could only muster a head shake.
Speaking of, where was Jared? The house was silent, filling Evan's bones with a deep rooted dread. His brain supplied him with various terrifying scenarios, "he slipped and busted his head open" "someone broke in and took him" "you're going to find him dead somewhere and be all alone again"
Evan shook these thoughts away.
"Jared?" He asked loudly. Waiting anxiously for a response.
"In here, Ev!" Soon came his lover's response.
Evan took a deep breath to rid the heavy feeling buried deep in his chest. It was a habit, he thought, coming up with bad things when something good couldn't be found.
He put his bag on the ground by the door and kicked off his sneakers. His socked feet carried him through the small walkway into their living room. There he saw Jared, adorned in Evan's soft green hoodie, reading the book that Evan had recommended him. It was a shot to the heart. Jared hated reading but here he was, reading something that Evan had said he might like.
He watched Jared stick a piece of paper in his book to hold his place and stand. His glasses were crooked from lying on their couch and his hair stood up at one place. "I'm glad you're home, I started reading that book you said was good when I got back from work and oh boy were you right! It had some words I didn't know but I googled them."
"Jare, you know you didn't have to read it just cause I said you might like it." Evan reached out and fixed Jared's glasses, letting his hand rest on his cheek.
Jared leaned into the touch, "I know. But I figured I'd do it anyway."
Evan smiled. Jared raised an eyebrow, "what's that look for?"
"Nothing. You're just..cute." Evan replied before catching Jared's lips in a soft kiss. Evan adored these moments. No judging eyes or listening ears, just them in their living room existing together.
"Ah," Jared said after they seperated, "I believe you're the cute one here, but each is entitled to his own opinion."
Evan simply laughed and sat on their couch. Jared joined him, entwining their fingers and lying his head on Evan's shoulder. They sat together in the quiet, leaning on each other for support.
Evan moved their hands so that Jared's was on his heart, "wanna take a nap?"
And Jared smiled, that lopsided grin that made the butterflies in Evan's stomach seem more like eagles. The scrunch of his nose and the crinkle of his eyes because his joy was always too large to contain. "I thought you'd never ask."
People often say opposites attract, but Evan liked to think it's a matter of circumstance. He liked winter and Jared liked summer, he liked khakis and Jared liked jeans. They were different, sure, but their personalities worked well together. Evan was reserved, anxious and Jared was loud, boisterous; he was energetic. When they were kids, he worried that Jared would outgrow him, find someone who was just like him to be his new friend.
In the end, the fact that Evan was so different from Jared made him stay. Evan was his anchor, his break from being the comedic relief. Evan never judged him or called him weird for being himself and in turn he vowed to never do it either.
Evan was the moon and he was the sun. Jared was hot and Evan was cold.
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