A/N: So, I have created a playlist on Spotify named "Alex's and Hunter's Playlist", which is based on songs I believe they would like to listen to when they are together. If you want to go check it out, my user name is Valentina Olga on Spotify!

"How amazing it is to find someone who wants to hear about all the things that go on in your head".

~Anonymous

Hunter

I had been thinking of the perfect gift to give to Alex non-stop for the next four days. His birthday was on Friday, and since we skipped school on Monday we couldn't skip again. Calla and Noah had told me that they had found it weird how both Alex and I skipped on Monday, but they left it at that.

They did want to find out who my soulmate was. And yes, during those first two weeks they had been pestering me about him. But soon they stopped. They realized that nothing they said would get me to out him, and also respected his choice to stay in the closet.

Since his family would celebrate on Saturday, I figured he could use some time away from them. Come Friday afternoon, I told him to come to my house and that we were going on a small road trip. His response was rather ecstatic. We started driving at three in the afternoon and we planned to be back by ten in the night.

As we drove down the highway, headed West, I put on one playlist that I had fixed, of songs I liked and songs Alex liked. With the corner of my eye, I could see him and the aura that surrounded him. You could see how in his element he was as he sang along to the songs that blasted throughout my car. Yes, being an artist was hard and not guaranteed. And yet, someone with Alex's passion and talent had to succeed. If he didn't, no one could.

We stopped at Santa Cruz, after an almost three-hour drive. We got a pizza and drove down to the beach where we sat down and ate.

"So, how do you normally spend your birthday?" I asked him, as we listened to the waves that crashed at the seashore.

"Home, with my parents and Chris. Sometimes I go out with my friends. Nothing special," he said with a shrug.

"You don't do birthday parties?" He snorted and gave me a sideways glance.

"How do you spend your birthdays?" he asked, diverting the subject.

"Oh, you know, I get woken up by an enthusiastic Aurora, then we go to the beach with my father. And in the afternoon, I do something with my friends".

"The beach...? Right, your birthday is in July, right?"

"Yes, July 24th," I answered, taking another piece of the pizza. "So, how come you started a YouTube channel?"

"Eh, I don't know. I sang ever since I was little, my mother even says that before I even spoke I hummed melodies. And singing has always been something I did when I was stressed out or bored. I love singing. And I love how some lyrics can describe emotions better than words, you know..." I nodded along and he smiled at me. "It was actually Don's suggestion to start a channel. Because I always sang, he urged me to get a channel and put myself out there".

"Yeah, you do seem closer to Don than anyone else..." I muttered.

Without saying anything, he turned his gaze straight ahead and watched the horizon. Seeing as the sun was about to set, I turned to also look at it. I always preferred the sunset to the sunrise. Maybe it was because the painter in me loved all the different colors. Or because by nature I was more of a night owl.

And judging from Alex's expression I could tell he also loved the sunset. Though truth be told, who didn't love a nice sunset?

With as little movements as I could, I reached behind me and pulled to my lap, an empty notebook. My art style was influenced by comics and manga since I grew up reading those kinds of things. It took me years to de-manga my portraits because my old art teacher had scoffed about how manga wasn't an art form. How could a form of drawing not be considered an art form? Because it was also mixed with dialogue? Or because it originated from Japan and we lived in a racist world?

Either way, as much as I hated it then, practicing on it had made my portraits become more life-like and unique. And, even though my old art teacher would never admit it, the fact that I could draw manga characters also helped. I admit they weren't as detailed or as realistic, but it was that hint of non-realistic that made my portraits great.

Without even asking I started to scribble down on my notebook the image before me. Alex, laying on the sand, resting against his elbows, with a look of absolute wonder as he starred off to the sunset.

Miraculously, I finished right before the sun disappeared completely. Alex, still oblivious to the fact that I had been drawing him, looked at the sea and the colors that were on the sky. Setting my notebook aside, I leaned forward, grabbed him from the chin, and kissed him.

He was tense at first -maybe because this was one of our first public kisses-, but soon he relaxed. He didn't look it; but, Alex was not one to start kisses. During the first two weeks, he always seemed more composed and introverted than I had thought. Though my judgment was clouded since I hadn't paid much attention to him before.

I pulled back and smiled at him. There was a small blush on his cheeks. Reaching, I tucked his hair behind his ear and he moved and fell on his back. His fingers got buried in the sand and he giggled softly. I watched as he started biting his lower lip, first slow and then as seconds passed faster and faster.

"Why are you biting your lip?" I asked him and he snapped his attention back to me as he had drifted off. Realizing what he was doing he frowned.

"I don't know, I guess it feels weird that I don't have a cigarette there..." he muttered and sat up, looking away from me. Now I frowned.

"Is it hard for you? Not smoking?" At my question, he lowered his gaze and folded his arms before his chest. "Alex, you can talk to me. I know how hard it is to stop an addiction..."

He shook his head. "It's not that... I mean, yeah it is but..." he exhaled annoyed. "It's so frustrating. I keep getting angry and annoyed with anything and everything. And at night... God, at night I get so –" he paused to cover his face with his palms. "At night I get so depressed," he muttered.

"Alex," I started, reaching out to touch his hands, but not pulling them away. He should look at me whenever he felt comfortable. "How about every time you feel angry or annoyed or depressed you talk to me? Tell me something through our bond. I'll be there to distract you or to relax you".

"You'd do that?" he asked, looking up to see me. I smiled and poked his nose.

"Of course I'd do that. Alex, I'm your soulmate and I told you that I'm here for you with whatever you need".

We both stayed silent for a few moments and then I decided to change the subject. "So, check this out," I said and pulled my notebook closer. Opening it on the page I had been drawing on, I gave it to him.

"When did you do this?" he asked, running his finger over his own portrait.

"While you were watching the sunset," I told him.

"It's... awesome," he said with a smile. I smiled back and stood up.

"We should start heading back. It's getting late," I said and offered him my hand to pull him up. As soon as we got in the car, though, I remembered something. "Oh yeah, here for you".

Alex looked at me hesitantly, but he took the gift I offered him, that I pulled from the backseat. "I was joking... you didn't have to..."

"Just open it," I cut him off, waving dismissingly my hand at him. He unwrapped it and was left examining the thing before him. It was a hand-crafted binder, filled with music notes I had found online.

"I went through your channel and I noted down some song you haven't done yet, that go along your style, and that I really like. I then found the sheets for them online, I printed them out and I put it all together..." I explained.

Staying silent, he placed the binder on the dashboard and crashed his lips against mine. His one arm wrapped around my neck, while the other was holding tight my shirt, and I could feel him tug me closer. I pulled back for a second, just to check out if anyone was around and since no one was, I climbed onto him.

We kept on kissing, our tongues intertwined, and at some point, I could swear I felt him harden underneath me. I kept on kissing him, only stopping for him to move downwards and bring his lips to my neck. His hands slipped under my shirt, on my back. I was left a moaning mess as he nibbled on my pulse point. I was about to say something when his phone went off.

It didn't seem to faze him, but I turned my eyes to it to see the caller ID.

"Alex, it's your father," I told him, between heavy breaths.

"Fuck him," he growled, still not pulling away from me. I laughed and leaned closer to his ear.

"It'd rather fuck you, though". Hearing me, he finally pulled back to take a deep breath and look me in the eyes. "Answer it," I told him, offering his phone.

"What?" he snapped at his father, as soon as he picked it up. I couldn't hear what his father replied, I was sure he was whispering, though. "I'm out right now, and I won't be back for the next few hours," Alex went on. "I don't care. I can't teleport". He rolled his eyes and run his fingers through his faded green hair. "Yeah, whatever, I'll be there as soon as possible," he finished and hung up.

"What happened?" I asked him, cupping his one cheek.

"My aunt and her family decided to pop in a little bit earlier. And my father is hounding me for not being home yet," he replied, looking exasperated.

"Alright, let's go," I said and sat back to the driver's seat.

"Um, Hunt...?" Alex started, clearing his throat.

"Hm...?" I replied as I started the engine and began to drive.

"About what you said... I want to... I want to have sex with you just, it's all so new to me. And I don't-".

"You don't have to explain yourself. I meant what I said when we first started dating. You set the pace. We won't do anything until you are ready. I'm not with you for the sex Alex," I interrupted him, giving him a hard look. He nodded, a small blush dusting his cheeks.

On the drive back, we were rather quiet. Both of us were still taking in everything that had happened on this trip. Alex seemed in more deep thought, though, he couldn't resist the occasional singing. And at some point, I was sure Alex had fallen asleep.

When we reached my house, it was already a quarter after ten. I gave him a goodnight kiss, told him to tell me if he felt like smoking, and wished him once again happy birthday. This day, now, felt way too big. I watched him drive away and then I went upstairs, to my place, to shower.