Catalyst (Connectivity Book 2)

by Whitney Cannon

  Travis laughed and shook his head. “You are just beyond adorable. I can’t believe you’ve created some coupley name for us like movie stars or something… Alright, babe. What have you got? I never really figured I’d be changing my last name but let’s hear your cutest idea.”

  Jersey looked back at him with such a sweet and loving expression that Travis could tell this really meant a lot to him. “What do you think about Fitzwilliams?” he asked softly.

  Travis’s face softened at Jersey’s words. The combination of their two last names brought an unexpectedly warm feeling to his chest. He ran the backs of his fingers lovingly down Jersey’s cheek, then cradled the back of his head. “I love it, babe. I think it’s perfect for us. I love the idea of having a piece of each of us in our new name. I’m going to marry you in two days, Michael Thomas Fitzwilliams, and there’s nothing you can say to make me change my mind. I’m going to eat a little cake and I’m going to spend two nights on a small honeymoon, in a really cool treehouse, making love to my new husband. I’m going to join my life to yours, Jersey, and yes, to answer your earlier question, I will always wanna dance with you too.”

  They swayed together, kissing and talking softly about their lives and their upcoming wedding, for a long time. The soft jazz melody from Jersey’s phone played in harmony to nature’s song and the twinkling stars above, and the warm night air that surrounded them held them lovingly in its tender embrace.

  Travis’s life had never been more perfect. He’d grown up with a loving family, but he’d never had anyone to call his own. From the first moment he’d seen Jersey, he’d known there was something different about him. Jersey had made Travis feel something he’d never felt before; a Connection to another person. And little did he know at the time, it would turn out to be the most important Connection of his life.

  Jersey was his person, his Complement.

  On paper, they might look like opposites, like they would never work, but reality was different. They fit each other like puzzle pieces cut from the same wood. Fate had designed them perfectly to Complement one another and then introduced them into each other’s lives in the most unlikely way.

  The world was full of “what if’s” and questions about life, but dwelling on those endless possibilities would drive a person crazy. Travis was more than happy to take the gift that fate had given him and love it for the rest of his life.

  -XVI-

  They woke up early the next morning but took their time in bed, not wanting to rush their time together. Their engagement left them deliriously happy, and even with the big island of Hawaii laid out at their feet, they still allowed themselves to appreciate waking up together.

  When they finally did leave the guest house, they packed up some essentials and hit the road. They wanted to see waterfalls, the green sand beach, and walk through the volcanic lava tubes in the national park. Jersey mentioned that there were a few good waterfalls on their side of the island and they set out to look for Rainbow Falls, which was supposed to be really pretty in the morning, and also easily accessible since it was close to town.

  The drive was just as beautiful in the morning as it had been the day before, and they kept their windows down, letting in the amazing sea breeze as they chatted about where they should go next.

  Things in town were pretty much like things anywhere else except for all the tourist shops and the gorgeous green vegetation grown everywhere. Not wanting to miss out on seeing some of the “rainbows” at Rainbow Falls, though, they bypassed the tourist traps and headed straight over to the falls. The signage was good and the primary parking lot was easy to find. According to their quick internet search, the falls were only a short walk away and you could get relatively close for excellent viewing.

  They left the car and walked hand-in-hand up the well-marked trail and it wasn’t long before they came up to the first viewing area. There were several other people milling about and taking pictures, but Jersey nudged Travis with his arm, and when Travis looked at him, he nicked his chin out in the direction of two men standing off to the side, leaning against the railing.

  Travis shrugged.

  “Let’s ask them to take our picture,” Jersey said quietly. Travis nodded but instead of going straight over they just hung back and observed the falls. The water was loud but not overly so and the falls themselves were shorter than Travis would have expected. There was a good amount of water coming over the edge and there were two separate falls that broke around a rocky formation, then came back together once they fell toward the pool below. It was really beautiful and Travis hugged Jersey into his side, pressing a kiss to his hair. Jersey wrapped his arm behind Travis’s back and place his casted hand on his stomach.

  “It’s beautiful, huh?” Jersey asked.

  “I was just thinking that, but it really is. It’s shorter than I thought it would be but still really amazing to see. Let’s get a pic before those guys leave, though.”

  Jersey nodded and they made their way over. A few groups of people had moved on to the short hike along the side of the falls and the lower viewing area had cleared out a bit.

  “Excuse me?” Travis said to the larger of the two men. He was around Travis’s height with dark brown, almost black hair and when he turned toward them, Travis realized he was probably native or some mix of Pacific Islander. The other man was smaller but only slightly, and had similar coloring but bright blue eyes and longer, shaggier hair. He immediately reminded Travis of a surfer. Both men were wearing shorts and flip-flops with tank tops, but a cursory glance toward their hands revealed what Travis had been hoping for. They were both wearing wedding rings and furthermore, each man wore a woven rainbow patterned bracelet around his left wrist.

  “Sorry to bother you,” Travis said as the men looked back at them, taking in the way Travis and Jersey were holding hands. “We wondered if you wouldn’t mind taking a couple of pictures of us?”

  Both men smiled, revealing rows of white teeth that stood out against their darker complexions. The larger man spoke first. “Sure, man. No problem. Where do you guys want to stand?” He held out his hand and Jersey handed over his phone.

  “Thanks. We appreciate it. Um, I guess just over by the railing? Can you take a few? With us and the falls in the background?” Travis asked.

  “You got it. First time to Hawaii?” the man asked as he moved a short distance back and Travis and Jersey positioned themselves against the railing.

  “Yeah. We just got here yesterday and this is our first stop,” Travis replied.

  “Cool. Alright, I’m ready when you are,” the man said.

  Travis wrapped his arm around Jersey’s shoulders and Jersey turned to rest his left hand on Travis’s stomach. They both smiled and the man tapped the phone screen, adjusted slightly, then tapping again.

  “You guys want a different pose?” the man asked, his intuition spot on, and his companion moved in next to him, resting his hand on the man’s beefy shoulder. Travis looked to Jersey then back to the man. The man nodded with another bright smile, and Travis smiled his thanks in return. He turned and Jersey came right into his arms like he was meant to be there. Travis cupped Jersey’s cheeks and Jersey rested his hands on his waist. Even though it was a little awkward to kiss in front of total strangers, Travis smiled and leaned down to kiss the smiling man in his arms.

  After several moments and a few hand position changes that Travis was totally mortified about, Jersey giggled and they broke apart. He grinned at his man but still gave him the stink eye as he removed his hands from Travis’s butt.

  “What?” Jersey shrugged with an innocent laugh. “It’s not my fault you have a nice butt.”

  Travis groaned, and with a chuckle, he pressed another kiss to Jersey’s forehead. They turned toward their audience and both men had huge grins on their faces.

  “You guys are really adorable. How long have you been together?” the smaller man asked, speaking for the first time and Travis didn’t miss the fact that his
hand had slipped into the back pocket of his companions shorts.

  They approached and Jersey took the offered item and shoved it back into his pocket. “Thanks,” Jersey returned. “Only a month or something, right, babe?”

  Travis nodded. “Yeah. But, we’re actually engaged. We’re getting married tomorrow.” He felt his heart swell with pride over the happy expression on Jersey’s face.

  “Wow. Congratulations. You seem like you’ve been together a lot longer. I’m Billy and this is my husband, Andrew, though, everyone just calls him Drew.” He held out his hand and they all took turns exchanging greetings.

  “I’m Travis and this is Michael, though, everyone calls him Jersey.”

  Jersey laughed. “You can’t possibly guess why.” Everyone chuckled with him and he grabbed Travis’s hand. “Thanks for the pictures. We’re totally hitting all the touristy spots and hoping to make some amazing memories of our time here.”

  Billy and Drew shared a look. They appeared to be in their early or mid-twenties, but their attire and laid-back ease reminded Travis that they weren’t that much younger than the pair.

  Drew turned back to them and said, “If you guys would like, we can show you around a little bit? We both have the day off and we’d be happy to show you some of the less crowded spots that are still just as beautiful as all the popular places. It’s totally up to you since you’d probably like to spend your time together, instead of with strangers, but if you’re interested, we’d be happy to help.”

  “Really?” Jersey asked already bouncing on his toes. He grinned at Travis. “You want to?”

  Travis was already nodding. “Totally. That’d be awesome. Thank you so much.”

  Billy waved them off. “Not a problem. We don’t often come out to the more popular places because they’re usually too crowded, but it was a beautiful morning and Rainbow Falls is kind of special to us.” Billy wrapped his arm around Drew’s waist and kissed his forehead.

  Drew explained. “We got engaged here. We’ve known each other since grade school, because, you know, we live on an island.” He chuckled. “But we both hid the fact that we liked each other growing up. Neither of our families were all that supportive of LGBT people, and being native just kind of came with its own pressure. Tradition and heritage are a huge part of our culture and we need to keep passing along our bloodlines and all that. You know, marry a woman and make more Hawaiian babies? Anyway, in high school, we finally got up the courage to pass notes to each other, telling the other that we like them. I mean, it was kind of obvious with the looks he would shoot me all the time.” Drew nudged Billy and they both laughed. Billy shrugged. Drew did have a killer look with those eyes and floppy hair. “But, still, in high school, you second and third guess everything. Billy has huge brothers, and I did not want to get my ass handed to me by any of them. But, the first time we agreed to meet each other outside of school and our regular lives, we met here. We figured we’d never get caught because none of the natives come here since it’s so touristy. And it worked for a long time. We were just two boys falling in love under that huge banyan tree up there,” he indicated to the top of the trail where, even from a distance, Travis could see a huge tree, majestic in its glory.

  Billy took over. “Anyway, our families eventually found out and we were told to stay away from each other. You can see how well that worked out. We just changed tactics and met up in other places. That’s how we got so good at finding all the little hidden places around the island. But, nevertheless, neither of our families were thrilled when I proposed to Drew, right here at Rainbow Falls. It was where we started our journey together and it’s still a place we hold dear to our hearts. I’m glad we met you guys here too. You seem like a sweet couple, and you remind me of us a few years ago. Happy and in love, determined to pave your own way.”

  “Thank you,” Jersey said. “That’s such an incredible story. Thank you for sharing it with us. It makes this place even more special to know that you guys fell in love here too.” Travis squeezed Jersey’s shoulder. “If you don’t mind my asking, what do you guys do for a living?”

  “A little of everything, really,” Billy replied. “Drew is trying to make it on the pro-surfing circuit, but it’s been hard going because he’s gay. He gets hassled and heckled everywhere he goes and no one wants to deal with that as a sponsor. I work for a property management company that handles mostly vacation rentals, and I also work for another company that provides cleaning services alongside the property management gig.” Drew kissed Billy’s shoulder. “Tourism is huge here and rentals are big business. We’re actually saving right now to buy our first place to use as a rental. It’ll help supplement our income between any winnings Drew earns and my jobs. Drew helps out when he can with cleaning and setting up properties for new renters, but he’s busy and travels a lot. We make it work, but Hawaii’s not a cheap place to live, either.”

  “Wow, you guys. You’re really incredible to figure all that out and make things work,” Travis responded and Jersey nodded as well. “It’s awesome that you support each other that way.”

  Both men nodded. “It’s not the best plan, but we do what we have to do, you know? We don’t get a lot of support from our families and neither of us went to college, so we don’t have much else to do but to just keep going,” Drew said. “Why don’t we walk up the trail and you guys can see the falls from the top.” They all nodded and each couple paired off holding hands as they made the climb.

  They all stopped at the enormous banyan trees and exchanged photography duties with each other. Conversation flowed easily between them with questions and answers back and forth, and before they knew it, they were back in their car following Billy and Drew to another set of waterfalls the couple knew about that were on private land.

  They hiked and took pictures and eventually ended up at a restaurant where live music played and the patio doors opened right out onto the beach.

  After lunch, Billy and Drew followed them back to their guest house and they dropped off their car. Billy had offered to drive since he knew where everything was and it made better sense than them following along in a different car.

  Once they were all settled into Billy and Drew’s van, they headed off in search of sea turtles.

  Their adventures that day extended from nearly empty gorgeous beaches with and without sea turtles, a green sand beach, and just before sunset, they did a quick walkthrough of the lava tubes.

  Travis offered to cook dinner for everyone as repayment for Billy and Drew driving them around and playing tour guide all day. Drew eagerly accepted their invitation, since he himself had only been to the mainland a few times in his life and never to the south. Travis promised to make a traditional homemade southern meal and with a quick stop by the market, they gathered the ingredients they needed and headed back to the guest house.

  Jersey punched in the door code, and they all filed in as Travis clicked on the lights.

  “Make yourselves at home, guys. I’ll get started on dinner and you guys can chill or whatever,” Travis said and Jersey went over to open the patio doors. He disappeared outside, but Travis didn’t feel anything too strong pulling on their Connection, so wherever he’d gone, it must not have been too far away. Travis grinned internally. He secretly loved the fact that Jersey would always be close by. Even when others might get tired of their significant others, Travis didn’t think he would ever get tired of Jersey.

  He unpacked their grocery bags and Billy came over, offering to help with any prep work and noted Drew had headed out to the patio as well, probably in search of Jersey. The pair had formed an easy friendship during their day together and Travis wondered if they might all keep in touch after they left for home.

  He set Billy up with a cutting board and the veggies they needed while he got to work on the chicken and sausage. Travis had planned to make a simple pastalaya dish that was fairly easy and a standard around his house. As he and Billy chopped and prepped, they chatted about life
back home and their families. Jersey and Drew came back in and both men came right over to them, hugging them each around their middle.

  “Drew was helping me start the hot tub,” Jersey said as he pressed a kiss to Travis’s lips.

  “We have a hot tub?” Travis asked.

  Jersey waggled his eyebrows. “Yes, we do. After dinner, we should definitely use it. It’ll be nice to relax after our day of exploring.”

  “Don’t worry,” Drew chimed in, standing in front of Billy. “We’ll get out of here after you feed us. This night should be for you two to enjoy each other and reflect on your big day tomorrow. I remember the night before our wedding, and we only had a small ceremony since not many people supported us. It’s an emotional time and you guys need to be alone to celebrate your love and commitment.”

  Billy nodded, kissing the top of Drew’s head. “I know we’ve already told you guys, but thanks for sharing your day with us. Your trip here was probably supposed to be about the two of you and your marriage, but it’s been really fun getting to know you guys and hanging out with another young gay couple. We don't get that very often here, and you guys seem like an exception to the rule. We thought we were young when we got married at twenty, but you guys beat us for sure. It’s been pretty awesome to find another couple who we can relate to so well.”

  Travis and Jersey both smiled back at them. “It was really awesome to hang with you guys too. Jersey actually surprised me with the trip yesterday morning, and I hadn’t known a thing about it. It was completely out of the blue. Then once we got here, he planned this amazing little picnic out on our beach there,” Travis pointed outside, “and the next thing I know, he’s down on one knee. It’s been a crazy few days, but I’m really glad we met you guys too. If you guys are ever in the mood to travel and find yourselves stateside, please let us know. We’d love to see you again. Jersey’s family have this huge estate and you guys would be more than welcome to come and stay for however long you want. We live in the guest house above the garage but would love to see you and introduce you to our other friends we were telling you about.”