His dad looked at him and Josh shrugged his shoulders. He wouldn’t mind coming in as long as Cory would be allowed to be nearby.
“We can probably work something out as long as Josh is comfortable with the situation.”
“Good. That would help. Or at least be a step in the right direction. Another thing we’ll have to do is appeal to the board of trustees. As is common for private schools, I’m more like a spokesperson, than an actual decision maker. The board would need to review a formal request and decide if an exception would be allowed. Others might view this request as special treatment and would approach the board to seek dispensation of this request. Written approval from the board will be to everyone’s benefit, including your instructors. If they are told of the board's decision, they will have to comply in providing Joshua with the necessary material to finish his academic year.” Pausing his speech, Mr. Olivos took off his round-framed glasses and rubbed his eyes for a moment.
“As I said before, I’m not going to question you on the basis of your request. Your reasons are your own. I would like to add, on a personal note, though, that Joshua is an excellent student and role model for our community here at Blyth Prep. His involvement within the school over the years has made him a wonderful pupil to have had the privilege of knowing. I’ll be sorry to see you finish your career away from our campus, but please feel free to participate in any of the usual end of the year revelry, if at all possible. The last weeks of one’s senior year can be a very memorable time. And on that note, graduation is just around the corner. Our school prides itself on our inclusion policy, so if you do have a special someone, Joshua, I hope you’ll consider attending with them. Those are memories that will last you a lifetime. I’m sure your friends will be glad to have you there as well.”
“Thank you very much, Mr. Olivos.” Brian rose to his feet and offered his hand to the other man. “I’m greatly pleased to find this situation can be handled in an acceptable manner for Josh to continue his coursework and graduate on time. Choosing Blyth Prep has proven to be a very wise decision indeed. Josh will draw up his formal request and submit it to the board before Friday.”
“Very good, very good,” the portly man enthused, once his school was receiving such high praise. Josh held in his snicker as he rose to his feet as well. “Joshua, good luck with the rest of your academic career. I would expect great things from you, young man. The medical field would be lucky to have you join their ranks someday.”
Producing his hand for an obligatory show of camaraderie, Josh shook the headmaster’s hand and nodded his thanks as he made for the door. His father stayed behind a moment longer to satisfy the social norms of exchanging pleasantries. The only thing Josh wanted to do then was get back to Cory.
It seemed Cory had realized the meeting was over and had already been watching the door. Both boys smiled upon seeing the other, and Josh went straight over for a quick hug.
“That went better than I expected,” Cory stated after pulling away.
Josh laced their fingers together. “It helps that my dad knows just how to grease their wheels here, but yes, I would agree. I was expecting more resistance. I suppose they’re willing to do what they can to keep their paying customers happy.” Josh smirked and rolled his eyes. “Anyway. How are you? No issues?”
“Nope,” Cory said and popped the ‘p’ at the end of the word. Smiling at Josh, he continued, “I was totally fine. You were only on the other side of the wall and I could hear everything being said. I really hope my principal is as willing to accommodate as yours was.”
“Me too,” Josh acknowledged. “If we can work this out, we’re going to have to force ourselves to commit to a schedule to make sure we both get our work done. I don’t want to slip up so close to the end and have some silly thing keep either of us from graduating.”
Nodding his head in agreement, Cory turned as Brian reemerged from the headmaster’s office.
“Alrighty, boys. What do you say we get out of here?” Brian asked.
“Sounds good to me.” Josh turned and made his way back toward the main door keeping a hold of Cory’s hand the whole time. When they stepped outside, Josh was greeted to the sight of his best friend leaning against the railing along the stairs, looking down at a book.
“Jersey? What are you doing here, man? Shouldn’t you be in class?” Josh asked.
Michael ‘Jersey’ Fitzpatrick had been Josh’s best friend for the better part of his years at Blyth Prep. He was only about five-foot-six and a buck-thirty soaking wet. His longish brown hair was usually tucked behind his ears, and his intelligent brown eyes never seemed to miss a thing. There was a scar that ran across the bottom part of Jersey’s chin as well. Josh barely noticed it anymore, but Jersey had earned that beauty from a failed attempt at a backflip on a trampoline, when he was younger.
Startled by Josh’s sudden presence, Jersey fumbled the book he was holding and barely managed to recover it before it fell to the ground. Seeing it was Josh who had spoken, a wide grin appeared on his face.
“Dude. You’ve been out of Dodge for days now. I told Madame Durand I needed to see the nurse so I could catch you and say hi. Is that Cory? He’s cute. Hey, Mr. Rogers,” Jersey rambled in his Jersey accent. He’d grown up in New Jersey until his parents divorced and his mom returned to her home state to be closer to family.
Pushing off the railing, Jersey came over and gave Josh their customary handshake. Josh was a little remiss at needing to let go of Cory’s hand but proceeded to play out the greeting since it had been a while since he’d seen his friend. After several slaps and snaps and back pats, both boys chuckled, and Josh turned to pull Cory into his side, as Cory wrapped his arm around Josh’s waist.
“Cory, this is my best buddy, Jersey. Jersey, this is my soulmate, Cory,” Josh stated.
Cory snickered and smacked Josh on the stomach. “Boyfriend is good enough, dork.” Giving his attention to the other guy, Cory held out his hand. “Jersey, it’s nice to meet you. If you have any advice on how to handle this caveman here, I’d be willing to sacrifice my first-born child to you.”
All of them laughed at Cory’s remark. Josh squeezed Cory affectionately and pressed a kiss to his Complement’s temple.
“Don’t take the deal, Jersey. We’re gay. You’re going to be sorely disappointed when you finally learn about the birds and the bees and realize you’ve been swindled.”
Jersey rolled his eyes at Josh’s comment. “You really are a dork. Like you know anything about the birds and the bees. Maybe you know something about the birds and the birds, but that’s about it. Cory, give me your phone, and I’ll program my number in for you. When you have a question about the mystery that is our young Mr. Rogers here, call or text me anytime. I’m a bit of a night-owl, so don’t worry about it being too late.”
“Hey. I’m standing right here you know. I can hear you telling lies about me to my significant other,” Josh griped.
Cory took his phone back from Jersey and put it in his pocket. “We know you’re there, snookums. But, some of us need to align ourselves with the best possible offense to be able to deal with you. I’m just setting myself up for the best chance of success. You want us to be a success, don’t you, pookie?”
Cory looked up at Josh with the saddest, pleading puppy-dog eyes, and Josh about melted on the spot. He was so pleased that his two favorite people were getting along so well, and the easy banter and jokes flowed naturally between them.
Staring into those captivating blue eyes, Josh raised his hand and cupped Cory’s cheek. He reverently smoothed his thumb back and forth across Cory’s high cheekbone. “I want that more than anything,” he said sincerely. Then leaned over and pressed a tender kiss to Cory’s lips. Cory sagged against him with one hand gripping Josh’s shirt, and after much too short a time, they broke the kiss to wrap their arms around each other.
“Dude,” Jersey exclaimed, startling them both. Josh glared at him for ruining his moment with his Complement
. Jersey laughed. “You are so far gone. It’s actually both adorable and sickening to witness. But I’m happy for you. I’m glad you finally found someone who can put up with your sorry ass.” Jersey paused his pseudo heartfelt speech long enough to appear bashful. “Sorry, Mr. Rogers.” He waved to Josh’s dad, who was leaning against the other railing watching the scene play out.
“No harm done, Jersey. But you’d better get back to class before Madame Durand calls in the big guns. We have to be going ourselves anyway.” Brian straightened and pulled his car keys out of his pocket.
“Alright. I probably should get back. I’m sure Durand has already called the office to check on me. Josh, good to see you, man. Text me later and let me know your plans. Cory, it was nice to meet you. Josh has been texting me non-stop, blathering on and on about his amazing boyfriend.” They all chuckled at that, but Jersey continued. “Seriously though. You seem like a great guy, and you two really seem perfect for each other. I’m glad you’re both so disgustingly happy.”
“We are, thankyouverymuch. Now run along, minion and back to class with you.” Josh shooed Jersey down the steps, and with a parting bro-hug back-slap and a wave, the other boy turned and left.
Coming back up the steps, Josh pulled Cory into a quick hug. “I’m really glad you seemed to get along with Jersey. He’s a pretty funny guy when the teasing starts.”
Cory smiled at him. “He seemed pretty cool. We should all hang out this weekend. Maybe we can get him to come by and help with the dresser or something?”
Nodding his head, Josh beamed at his amazing Complement. “Thanks, Cory. It would mean a lot to me if I could keep Jersey around. We’re both going to have to work a bit harder now to keep in touch with our friends, but I have a feeling your friends and teammates are around your place a lot. Jersey lives pretty close to me, but now that I’m across town, we probably won’t get to see each other as much. I’ll text him later and see what he’s up to this weekend.”
“Alright, boys. What do you say we head over to your grandparents’ place? Cory, did you get a hold of your parents?” Brian asked.
“Sure did. I texted them while you were in your meeting. They’re up for it, but I didn’t have an address for them yet. Let me text them real quick, and they’ll meet us there.”
~
Josh’s grandparents lived in a modest white house in the older, more established part of town. The homes were generally smaller and the lots were fairly close together. The streets were lined with stately large trees that made for very pleasant evenings on the small patio off the back of his grandparents’ house. Most of the residents had lived in their homes for years, but Josh’s grandparents only moved into the neighborhood when Josh had entered middle school. They’d had a slightly larger home before their current one and Josh had often spent the night with them when he was younger. Once he’d gotten a bit older, they’d decided they didn’t need the extra space anymore and had moved into the smaller home.
Since the streets were narrower in that part of the city, it could sometimes be a problem when looking for parking. Josh and Cory were fortunate, though, and found parking right in front of the house. Brian pulled into the driveway, since it appeared his grandparents had their cars put in the garage.
Opening the front door, Brian called out to his parents in greeting.
“In the kitchen, everyone,” Maggie returned from the back of the house.
Brian set off in that direction while Josh and Cory hung back so Cory could look around. The living room was tidy with beige carpet and light airy drapes over the windows. There was a three-tiered plant stand in one corner of the room next to a rocking recliner chair. A navy and white checked sofa was positioned so anyone sitting in it would have a nice view out the front windows.
Cory had stopped in the entry, where a wall of framed photos, arranged in the configuration of a tree, displayed many memorable moments from Josh’s younger days. As Cory studied the wall, Josh came up behind him and wrapped his arms around Cory’s waist. Josh took the opportunity to lightly run his nose up and down the side of Cory’s neck, breathing in Cory’s familiar smell. Josh could still catch the scent of the shampoo Cory had used that morning and an underlying scent that was simply him.
Cory shivered a little as Josh moved his exploration on to Cory’s ear. Nosing the lobe and then gently taking it between his lips, Josh lightly flicked the tip with his tongue, causing Cory to make the smallest sound in the back of his throat. Josh responded by doing it again.
“Would you quit that,” Cory huffed with no heat behind it. “I really don’t need a stiffy while I’m looking at pictures of you as a child inside your grandparents’ living room.”
Josh groaned low, and keeping his ear out for anyone approaching, spun Cory around and pressed him against the wall behind him. Cory had a startled look on his face, but it quickly dropped off as Josh took Cory’s mouth in a heated kiss that left them both breathless.
“You can’t say stuff like that, Cory,” Josh groaned, pressing his face into the side of Cory’s neck and wrapping his arms around his Complement.
“Say stuff like what?” Cory huffed out a slightly breathy laugh.
“You know exactly what.”
“You started it with all the teasing you were doing. What did you expect to have happen?”
“Can we just stop talking about this. It’s not helping my situation.”
Pulling away, Cory looked confused for a moment and Josh, not so subtly, pressed his hips against Cory’s.
“Oh my God, Josh!” Cory exclaimed in a shouted whisper.
“What? Did you not think I would have this kind of reaction to you? You’re gorgeous and sassy and funny and amazing. I can barely keep my hands to myself half the time. You’re—”
“Boys,” Maggie called out, causing both of them to jump. “Why don’t you come on in here? I put together a little brunch, and we can all chat on the patio.”
“Well, that’s one way to solve that problem,” Josh groused and Cory chuckled lightly as well. He pecked Cory’s lips one more time and grabbed his hand. “Let’s go. We really do need to talk to them, I guess.”
“Josh?”
“Hmm?”
“You’re not the only one, you know?” Cory stated and adjusted himself as well, throwing a huge grin his way.
Josh groaned again. “You are trouble, you know that? Come on. Let’s go get this over with.” Cory snickered at that and they headed toward the sound of laughter and dishes clanging together.
~
Sitting around the wooden table eating breakfast pastries and sliced fruit, their expanding family sat chatting happily, getting to know each other better.
“We met in college,” Jim explained, in response to Ben’s question. “It didn’t take long before we were both pretty certain we were meant to be together. We only dated for about six months before I asked Diane to marry me. Of course, she said yes, but she wanted to wait until we both graduated. We were seniors by then so we didn’t have to wait long.” Jim took a sip of his iced tea.
Cory’s parents had shown up just as they’d finished setting the food out on the back table. Maggie brought them through to the back yard and everyone had fallen into comfortable conversation.
“So that was pretty quick then, too,” Ben replied. “Maggie and I, of course, had a different situation, but we were married after only a couple of months. Both our families knew what our Connection meant, and from my understanding, everyone I’ve ever known with Connective genes has also been married pretty quickly. Now Josh and Cory are another story. Like we’ve said, we’ve never heard of anyone finding their Connection before the age of twenty-five, so most of the time, the couple is eager to marry right away. Of course, the Connective pair doesn’t have to marry quickly, or at all for that matter, but every couple I’ve heard of does.”
Listening to his grandpa talk about marriage was a little weird. Josh was definitely aware of the subtle implication that now that he and Co
ry were Connected, it wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility that they could, or would, get married too. That was the weirdest part. Last week, Josh, and Cory for that matter, were both just normal high school seniors looking forward to graduation, maybe a part-time job over the summer, planning what the fall would hold for them. Maybe Cory would have saved up enough money by then to go visit a couple ballparks and travel a little bit. Josh would have been enrolled in his classes at the community college and continuing his hours at the hospital.
Last week, Josh hadn’t been thinking about marriage. Last week, he hadn’t been thinking about a boyfriend either for that matter. Since then, the boyfriend thing was a very pleasing thought to him, and the marriage thing? It wasn’t completely freaking him out. Which was a little freaky all on its own. Could he see forever with Cory? If he were being honest, he hadn’t thought much about forever. He hadn’t thought much about anything beyond high school, and then college, med school, and work. What did that future look like? Josh was certain it had blond hair and blue eyes, but aside from those details, he wasn’t sure. Everything he thought he knew last week was gone, and this week, he needed to start piecing together a whole new puzzle.
Cory squeezed his knee under the table and looked questioningly at him. Josh just shook his head. His mind was wandering and they had other things to talk about. He could process and discuss things later with Cory in their room. It made the most sense to just be honest with Cory, since he was the other half of Josh’s puzzle. Later, Josh mouthed to Cory, who nodded in understanding.
In the minutes that Josh’s thoughts had wandered, the conversation had turned to the hospital. When Josh found an appropriate moment, he interjected, “Speaking of the hospital, Dad. I should call the hospital’s volunteer coordinator and tell them I can’t come in anymore.”
“Probably for the best, Josh. There’s no way you guys can be apart and Cory certainly doesn’t need to lie in bed all day while you’re gone. Oh, speaking of which.” Brian straightened. “Dad, the boys did a distance test to see how far away they could get from each other. We’re all pretty curious about your input on that. I know I’m not the best one to offer advice on anything like that. Will you take the lead on that one?”
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