"Do You Hear Me Now?"

“We're more than just friends,” I whisper against George's deaf ear. I know he won't hear me, but that's okay, because I've never actually told him before.

His soft breath tickles my neck as we hug. He always gives the best hugs. I feel like I belong in his arms. Through all the years I've known him, and through all the stuff we've been through, I've known that I'll always be with him.

“Did you say something?” he asks as he pulls slowly away.

“Nope.”

“I swear I heard you...”

“Nope, nothing,” I shrug with a smile. He smiles too, which makes my insides quiver with excitement. He's so beautiful.

Before we hugged, we'd been talking for hours. We'd talked about our past together. We talked about school, and the countless times we'd been in trouble. We remembered the times we would run through the corridors of the maths department, and hide from each other for the fun of it. We reminisced about the way we used to stay up all night, and realised we were doing it again. I'd looked at my watch, and smiled.

“It's 3am,” I laughed. And then he had hugged me.

“This is great,” he says.

“What is?” I ask, although I know exactly what he means.

“This. Us. This is how we're supposed to be. We're supposed to be relaxed, chatting, laughing...”

“We laugh a lot,” I giggle.

He nods, a massive grin on his face. “I've missed this.”

“Me too.”

“What happened to us?”

“Stuff...” I say, not wanting to go into it.

He nods again, his face more solemn now, as he thinks about it too.

I pull him into another hug. This time, I rest my chin on his other shoulder, so I can talk into his good ear. “I've missed you, George.”

“I've missed you too.”

“I know we've been together most of the time,” I laugh, “but I think tonight is the first time, in a long time, that I've seen the George I used to know.”

“I know,” I hear him smile. “Sorry I went away.”

“Don't worry,” I squeeze him tighter, “I understand.”

“You're always here,” he laughs, pulling away slightly to look into my eyes.

“What do you mean?” I ask, looking around his flat.

“You might as well live here!”

I laugh, “That's true...”

He laughs too, “Want to?”

“What?!”

“Do you want to move in with me?”

“What are you talking about, Mr?”

“I'm asking you, as my best friend, to move in with me, so we can do this more often, and spend everyday together.”

I close my eyes and rest my forehead on his chest. He squeezes me tight to his body, and to breathe, I place my chin on his shoulder (next to the deaf ear again). The urge to kiss his neck is overwhelming, but I catch myself in time. I press my face against his skin and sigh. I feel him shiver.

“What's wrong?”

“I wish I was more than your best friend,” I whisper, quieter than ever.

“Hey, what's wrong?” he repeats when he doesn't hear my answer.

“Nothing,” I mutter.

“Don't lie to me.”

“I'm not! It's just a big question.”

“What? To move in with me?”

I nod.

“Okay... Take your time – you don't have to! I was only half serious anyway...”

“I want to!” I admit quickly.

“Then what's the problem? It's not like I asked you to marry me!”

My face drops.

“What's with the face...?” I can see him working it out. “You want me to ask you to marry me?”

“No!” I hastily reply.

“Then what?”

I look him in the eyes, with a shy smile on my lips. “I'd wanna be wined and dined first...”

He laughs. I laugh too, but it's a nervous giggle. I pluck up the courage from within and continue, “I'm serious, you. How long do I have to be there for you, hug you, and tell you I love you before you take the hint?!”

“What do you mean?” he looks bewildered.

“I.” I say this really slowly, “Love.” I pause between each word. “You.” I give him a moment, before adding, “I really love you George, and I wish you could see! Every time we hug, I tell you how I feel, all the things I wish I could just come out with, I whisper them into your useless ear.”

“What?!” I can see him starting to smirk.

“I pour my heart out to that ridiculous scar tissue of yours, hoping, I suppose, that one day you'll actually hear me, or maybe that it'll sink into that equally useless brain of yours!”

“Alright!” he laughs, “no need for the abuse!”

“It's been forever!” I continue, “I've loved you for as long as I can remember, and the night you lost that hearing was one of the scariest nights of my life! But it gave me to opportunity to tell you everyday that I wish we could be more than friends, and that I love you more than words could ever say!”

He walks me to a chair, and sits me down.

I take a deep breath, but now I've started, I can't stop - “I say I love you everyday, but you've always thought I meant it as a best friend... and I did, but I also meant so much more! I love you, George...” A few moments passed in terrifying silence, “Do you hear me now?”

George chuckled lowly to himself. “I thought I was making it up. I hear you. I've always heard you.”

“What?” My heart is racing, and his reaction is puzzling and frustrating.

“I've always heard you saying that we should be more than friends. I've always heard you say you love me. And I'm sure I've heard you singing to me. When we hug, I always close my eyes, and hope that what I'm hearing isn't in my head, because although I can feel your breath on my skin, I could never have believed that you would be saying those things to me.”

“Why didn't you say anything?!”

“Why didn't you?” he asks seriously.

“But you heard what I was saying!”

“I didn't dare believe it!” he huffed, standing me up again.

I feel tears of confusion flooding from my eyes as he sits in the seat he moved me from, and pulls me down onto his lap.

“I can't believe you,” I whisper.

“I'm sorry,” he whispers back, wiping the tears from my cheek with his thumb.

“I still love you though, you prat,” I laugh.

“I love you too,” he replies, and fresh tears stream down my face, as I feel relieved, and happier than I've ever known. He adds, “I always have, and I always will. And from now on, please can you tell me in my good ear, because I'll never get tired of hearing it...”

I laugh and nod, before his gentle lips press against mine and we hold each other until the sun peeks through the window, and it's time to start our lives together.