Sunset with Beau by anon

sunset on the island
sitting next to beau
it's been a long day of doing...nothing, really
mostly just fishing and goofing off
beau was your first friend on the island
the both of you quickly spent nearly every day together
it's hard for you to remember a time without beau
you're very glad to have him as a friend
you wouldn't trade him for the world
"hey, anon?"
beau's voice brings your focus back to reality
for him to call you by your name instead of "saltlick", he have something important he wants to talk about with you
you turn towards him, waiting for him to continue
you can hear him take a soft, yet deep, breath
"i really like you."
you're not quite sure how to respond

what did he mean by this?

you decide to be cautious just in case you're misunderstanding

"...how do you mean?"

his eyes shift toward the ground ever so slightly
it must be hard for him to tell you this
you feel a little bad for making it harder for him, albeit unintentionally

"i mean i really like you. i...like you."

there it is
you're not quite sure how to respond
no one has told you they've been romantically interested in you before
you sit there, racking your brain for any semblance of an idea of how to respond
you've always thought of beau as a friend, but you weren't necessarily opposed to the idea of having him as a lover
what even constituted being someone's "lover"?
was it just like being friends, only with more physical contact and the occasional pda?
you were already pretty open when it came to physical affection with the other male villagers
or was it something completely different?
fuck you can't just stay silent
you race to think of something to say

"...tell me more."

WHAT
this antelope just confessed that he likes you and you have the nerve to tell him to EXPLAIN HIMSELF???
god you feel like such a fucking nerd
beau takes a deep breath

"well...we've known each other for a while now, right? i've always enjoyed spending time with you, but something always felt...weird. i couldn't stop thinking about how much i love being with you, and i always found myself looking forward to the next time i'd get to see you...and then i'd start thinking about you yourself, and my face would get all hot...i don't think i've ever felt that way before. and i think i just now realized what that meant...and i wanted to tell you."

fuck
you've never seen beau be so heartfelt before
you think about it for a bit
beau's idea of love seems pretty simple
he likes you
he likes being with you
therefore he loves you
...
was it really that simple?
could love really be as straightforward as just liking someone and wanting to be together?
by those standards, you liked beau too
...
woah
you liked beau...?
you weren't quite sure, but, again, you weren't opposed to the idea
...
fuck it
if love is as simple as wanting to be around someone, then you loved beau and had for a long time
...
tell him

"..."

you're at a loss for words
your face starts to feel hot
just like beau was talking about
so you do feel the same
you think
you slowly inch your hand towards beau's before gently placing it on top of his
he looks at you with wide eyes
which isn't really saying much, he looks like he's stoned more than half of the time
but you can tell he's waiting for you to say something
you decide to tell him how you feel

"...if liking someone is as natural as you say it is, then..."

you turn towards him with a nervous smile

"i think i like you too, beau."

you both sit in silence, staring into each other for what feels like forever
finally, a faint smile creeps onto beau's face
he slowly leans toward you, pulling you into a big hug
he must have been holding his breath
he looks relieved

"it can be as natural as we want it to be, anon."

you ended up missing most of the sunset because you were too busy looking at beau