Lucio's response had been exactly what Ansel expected it to be, and Ansel hated himself for allowing the confession to slip from his lips. He was grateful when Lucio took his awkward conversational bait and spoke of their trip instead of what Ansel had said. "Yes, historic hotels are lovely," he replied simply, nodding slowly and taking another sip from his latte as he continued to stare at his phone, avoiding Lucio's eyes. "Tickets are booked. We'll be leaving the Monday after the term is over. I left the return date open so that we can stay in London however long you like. We can always take a little trip around Europe as well, if you're feeling adventurous." He slipped his phone back into his pocket and finally returned to the barely touched croissant that had gone cool during their tense conversation. Ansel took slow bites, not wanting to finish his small meal too quickly lest he be forced to find something else to talk about with Lucio to fill the think silence.<br/><br/>Thankfully, the men finished their breakfasts around the same time and quietly got up from their chairs in unison. Lucio held out his hand, and Ansel sighed in relief, taking it and interlacing his fingers with his. He nodded to the barista as they exited and remained silent as the two went out to the car and climbed inside, the doors seeming to close<i>too loudly</i>against Ansel's ear.<br/><br/>The professor fastened his seatbelt and waited for Lucio to start the car, but after the engine revved to life, they just sat there. Ansel felt his heart stop in his chest as Lucio addressed him. He hadn't expected Lucio to address his declaration of love. He had hoped it could be forgotten, that they would move on and pretend like it never happened. But Ansel seemed to be particularly awful at predicting Lucio's actions today, and his young lover surprised him one more with his question.<br/><br/>Ansel let out a heavy sigh, lowering his head toward his lap and staring blankly as if he were ashamed. He wasn't embarrassed about his love for Lucio, just how it came out, and now he feared Lucio would end things with him immediately, the reason being that things were moving too fast, he didn't feel the same, he didn't want anything serious, blah blah blah. Whatever reason Lucio gave, it would destroy Ansel.<br/><br/>But he couldn't run away from his feelings, nor Lucio's questioning, so he responded honestly. "Yes, Lucio. I meant it. I love you. You're the first thing I think about when I wake up in the morning and the last thing I think about when I fall asleep. I want to be with you all the time. I want to touch you, kiss you, talk to you, sit with you, sleep next to you. I want to give you everything I know you deserve and spend the rest of my life finding new ways to make you happy. You make me feel like a better man just by standing next to me.<br/><br/>"I realize how illogical it is. I know how this all started, how idiotic I must appear to you. I didn't intend for my feelings to be revealed to you this way. I apologize."