<i>Love. </i>Even the mere word was terrifying, much less the concept of what it meant in regards to their odd relationship. When Ansel uttered the word Lucio's face went pale and his mouth went dry. It scared him, truly, to know how Ansel felt about him, and after such a short period of time. What scared him even more, however, was the fact that Lucio wasn't able to reassure himself that he didn't feel the same way. No matter how terrifying it was, after Ansel admitted how deeply his affections ran Lucio felt the sudden urge to reciprocate the words. He<i>loved </i>him. Despite his initial desire to keep their relationship physical, to border his affections at lust, he knew in that moment that he loved the older male sitting there before him. While he lusted after him more than he ever had another man he also felt a deeply seeded desire to simply be with him; Lucio felt safe in Ansel's presence, comfortable in a way that he'd never been before with anybody outside of his immediate family.<br/><br/>He sat still, staring at Ansel with wide eyes and a gaping mouth as he searched for the right words but found himself unable to produce any. "I-I . . . Um . . . " he stuttered out, his cheeks suddenly flushing a bright scarlet which was very out of character for him. He wasn't left to gawk at his companion for long, however, and he found himself beyond grateful when Ansel redirected the conversation, which had taken a rather sharp and awkward turn. The student quickly snapped his jaw shut and cleared his throat, drawing his hands together and into his lap as he averted his eyes from Ansel, nodding hurriedly.<br/><br/>"That sounds like a perfect compromise," he said hurriedly, pulling his fingers apart and rubbing his palms together anxiously before reaching forwards to grab a hold of his mug. "I'll take a look at bookings when we're through with our weekend, I have a few ideas as to hotels you might like. Historic hotels are my personal favorite so I think I'll book one of those types." Without any other comments the student lifted the mug to his lips and sipped at his mocha quietly before setting it down and again beginning to nibble idly at his pastry as he stared across the table at Ansel, silently mulling over all that had been said at that table.<br/><br/>The remainder of their stay at the cafe was spent in silence, though it walked the line between the usual comfortable sort of quiet that lingered between them and an extremely uncomfortable lack of words after what had just happened. Lucio tried his hardest not to make it too awkward but he was admittedly just stunned, despite the fact that a part of him knew how Ansel truly felt, and certainly how he himself felt towards the beautiful professor. When they'd both had their fill of coffee and pastries Lucio stood slowly, clearing his throat and smoothing out his shirt carefully before simply holding out a hand to Ansel. Once the man had taken a hold of his extended appendage Lucio made his way from the cafe, smiling politely at the barista as the pubescent boy bid the handsome pair goodbye.<br/><br/>The pair moved out to the car and settled down. Lucio started the vehicle and buckled himself in but after the engine roared to life and the music started playing softly in the background the student paused. He took a deep breath and shifted his gaze slowly over onto Ansel. "Did you mean what you said? That you, um . . . That you love me?" he whispered in a voice that bordered on timid.