Connectivity

by Whitney Cannon

  Cory stared at him, clutching Josh’s hands in his own. “I can’t go back in there if Nick is still here. I can’t. I don’t want to be alone with him, Josh. Or even in the same room, the same building. He wouldn’t listen when I told him I couldn’t leave you, and he started getting mad again. When he stood up, I felt so small and intimidated by his size that I stood up too, just to close the gap. I told him he needed to respect my wishes and he couldn’t force me to go with him, but he wrapped his arm around me and dragged me along. Josh,” Cory’s voice broke and he swallowed, trying to clear his emotions. “I was scared. He said he just wanted to talk, but then he was pulling me away from you and,” he paused suddenly. His eyes filled with tears again. “God, I’m the worst. I haven’t even asked you how you’re doing. You come to my rescue again, and all I did was fall asleep. You had to have been beyond frantic trying to find me, and I know you were hurting from your bees. I’m the worst, Josh, literally. I had the whole night planned out, and it was going to be so perfect,” he sniffled, wiping his nose on the back of his hand. “We were going to dance, and I was going to dedicate a song to you and then take you on a walk along the grapevines with all the twinkly lights and when we got to the lake I was going to propose to you. I even have a ring for you.” Cory’s voice shook and a few tears ran down his cheek. “But, you’re not going to want to marry me if I can’t be a good partner, Josh. I didn’t even ask how you were doing.” Cory’s voice cracked as he hiccuped out another sob and buried his face in Josh’s shoulder.

  Josh sat there on the rough brick ground, outside at their prom, holding his sobbing Complement, stunned. He’d been patiently listening to Cory and trying not to think of ways to go kill Nick for ruining his boyfriend’s night, but when Cory confessed that he’d had the night planned out and was going to propose to him, his mind froze.

  Cory had been planning to propose to him. Like, the marriage kind of propose. The kind where they got married. To each other.

  “Yes!” he shrieked. He clutched Cory tightly and then forced his face up so he could see his amazing, wonderful, beautiful man. “Yes!” he cried again nodding his head and smashed his lips to Cory’s.

  Cory made an undignified grunting noise and pulled back from Josh.

  Josh knew he was beaming. He could feel how wide his smile was, and that made him smile even more. Cory looked at him, with tears in his eyes and a runny nose, and all Josh could think about was how lucky he was to get to keep this guy. His Complement. Forever.

  “Why are you smiling like that?” Cory asked, sniffling again. “I’m sitting here crying my eyes out, on your lap, after we’ve just had the worst half hour of our lives, and you’re grinning like an idiot.”

  Josh nodded. “Come on. We need to get up,” he said urging Cory off his lap. Cory huffed out an annoyed sound, but moved to stand up. Josh steadied him when both their legs threatened to fail from sitting too long on the hard ground. “Can you walk? We need to go inside.” Josh checked them both for any wayward signs of their misadventure. Running his hand through his hair and then checking Cory’s, he grabbed his Complement’s hand. He brought Cory’s hand up to his lips and pressed a soft kiss to the back. “Ready?”

  “For what? Josh, I’m not sure I’m ready for anything other than sitting with you for the rest of forever. You really want to go back in there?” Cory questioned.

  Josh nodded. “Exactly. That’s why we have to go back in there. So we can sit with each other for the rest of forever.”

  Cory looked at Josh. “That makes no sense.”

  Josh laughed. “We can’t start forever until we go back inside and finish tonight. Exactly the way you planned.”

  Cory looked confused as he stared back at Josh, then the light came on. “Wait. What do you mean the way I planned?”

  “All of it, Cory. Exactly what you had planned. I want to go do all of that. Right now. So I can sit with you for the rest of forever,” Josh said happily, looking Cory in the eye.

  Cory’s eyes went wide and he swallowed. “You do?” he almost squeaked his eyebrows in his hairline.

  Josh smiled and nodded. “I do.”

  “Oh my God,” Cory cried loudly and threw his arms around Josh. “Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God,” he chanted excitedly.

  Josh laughed and gripping Cory tightly, he spun them around in circles, causing Cory to squeal with delight. He set his Complement back on the ground, and they looked at each other with huge grins. Cory kissed Josh soundly, and then grabbed his hand, nearly dragging him out of their hiding spot.

  Josh tugged Cory’s hand to get him to slow down, but he just looked over his shoulder, grinned, and shook his head.

  Josh laughed at his enthusiasm.

  They marched back up the stairs to the terrace, and when they made it inside, Cory directed them right over to the DJ. With Cory distracted, Josh scanned the room. He didn’t see Nick anywhere, but he caught Dylan’s eye and when he shook his head mouthing, He’s gone, Josh relaxed, realizing they didn’t have to worry anymore.

  You good? Dylan mimed.

  Josh nodded. Dylan gave him a thumbs up and turned his attention back to his girl.

  Cory tugged Josh's hand when he was through with the DJ and they finally moved back out to the dance floor, more than ready to enjoy the rest of their night.

  ~

  “I have a special dedication tonight, guys. We have a couple of lovebirds in the house,” the DJ announced, several songs later. There were rounds of cheers and whistles throughout the room as the music slowed down and Cory squeezed Josh’s hand. “This one goes out to Josh. Cory says he loves you and can’t wait to sit with you for the rest of forever. Cheers guys. Enjoy.”

  The soft melody of Now and Forever by Richard Marx filled the room, and Josh pulled Cory close into his chest. The world melted away as he looked into Cory’s blue eyes and saw forever reflected back at him. They swayed together turning in slow circles, hugging each other tightly, and when the song ended Cory pressed a soft kiss to Josh’s lips.

  “Take a walk with me?” he asked into Josh’s ear, and Josh nodded, ready to walk with his man, into their future.

  ~

  They’d grabbed their coats and strolled along the grape vines, hand in hand. Twilight had come and gone, and the moon hung, just a sliver in the sky. Josh could still see the dance going strong through the glass wall at the back of the building, but he couldn’t hear any of the music, as the cadence of nearby insects filled the air.

  Cory led them slowly down the hill, and when they reached the gazebo at the water’s edge, they stood inside with Josh’s arms wrapped around Cory, staring out at the view. The reflection of the fairy lights that hung overhead danced on the shimmering surface of the lake and the occasional call from a bullfrog sounded in the quiet night.

  Josh felt calm, at peace. He had his guy in his arms and even though the events of earlier lingered in the back of his mind, all was right in his world.

  They stood together, soaking in the comfort of their Connection as Cory traced random patterns on the back of Josh’s hand with his thumb.

  “Josh?” Cory asked softly.

  “Hmm?”

  “Will you marry me?”

  Josh kissed the side of Cory’s neck tenderly. “Yeah, love. I’ll marry you.”

  “Good. I love you,” Cory said.

  “I love you, too, Cory. So much.” Josh gave Cory a squeeze and after a few minutes of silence, he spoke again. “Cory?”

  “Hmm?”

  “I heard something about a ring.”

  Cory chuckled and turned his head to look over his shoulder at Josh. “You did, huh?”

  Josh nodded seriously.

  Finally turning around, Cory took Josh’s hands in his, idly playing with his fingers. “I did have a long drawn out profession of love and devotion and fate and Connections and all that, but then in the moment,” he shrugged. “It felt right to keep it simple.”

  Josh smiled softly. “You did, did you?”<
br />
  “Mm-hmm,” Cory answered. But he looked earnestly into Josh’s eyes and took a step back, reached into his coat pocket and brought out a small pouch. Josh’s eyes went wide as Cory untied the string and dropped a shiny gold ring into his palm. Cory moved down onto one knee and took Josh’s left hand in his. Looking up at him, Cory spoke. “This is a family ring that belonged to my great-grandpa. The way I figure, you’re only getting one proposal in your lifetime, and even though I feel like a big dork doing this, you deserve it. I want you to remember this moment so that as we start our family, we can include this in our story. How fate brought us together, and we discovered a love that would last a lifetime. Joshua Anthony Rogers, will you be my husband and sit with me for the rest of forever?”

  Josh’s eyes welled up, and he nodded. “Yes. Forever yes, Cory.” He laughed a laugh of pure joy and hauled his man up, enveloping him in his arms. “To copy your words from the other day, I don’t know what the hell I did to deserve you, but I’ve never been more grateful for anything in my entire life. I love you.”

  “I love you, too,” Cory said softly and pulled back to take Josh’s left hand, slipping on the ring he would cherish, with all his heart.

  -XVIII-

  Waking up the next morning, Josh felt the warmth and presence of his Complement before he actually opened his eyes. Cory had been playing with the short hair on the back of his neck as he lay across Cory’s chest.

  “Am I squishing you?” he asked, with a bit of gravel in his voice.

  “Not at all. Do think now that we’re engaged, we could trade in the two small beds for a bigger one?”

  Josh pushed up off Cory’s chest and stared down at him. “Holy shit! We’re engaged!” Josh cried with a laugh, then fell back onto Cory’s chest and hugged his fiancé in a smothering hold.

  Cory was trying to laugh, but the sound he was making seemed strangled, causing Josh to ease off a bit, but he didn’t let go.

  “I’m a little offended that something like that could be so easily forgotten,” Cory groaned from under him.

  Even though there wasn’t a lot of room to maneuver, Josh squeezed Cory tightly again, forcing another grunt from him, then rolled and flipped them over so Cory was on top.

  “Better?” he asked, smiling up at his man. Cory grinned down at him, reflecting his own happiness.

  That was when Josh realized their situation, and his facial expression must have told Cory what he’d realized; they were lined up perfectly from head to toe. The blinding smile Cory wore slid off his face and turned into a heated, predatory look that made Josh want to preen. He slowly moved his hands down the sides of Cory’s body, over his back and hips, landing on his butt.

  His butt, that was only wearing tiny purple briefs.

  Josh remembered what they’d done last night after they’d come home. They’d slowly peeled each other out of their suits, keeping their mouths connected nearly the entire time. They’d both been feeling the emotions of the night and with their engagement, they’d been bold; stripping each other out of their underwear and giving each other mutual handjobs.

  Josh groaned remembering that, as he pulled Cory into him tighter. His guy whimpered as their bodies rubbed together.

  “Cory?” Josh whispered in a guttural moan. “Can we feel each other? I mean, we’re engaged to be married, so it seems like a likely outcome at some point, but I don’t want you to feel like you have to. We can just do this if you—”

  Cory cut him off with a desperate kiss, wrapping an arm around Josh’s head. His other hand moved to take the hand Josh had on his butt and guided it to his hip, where he manipulated Josh’s fingers to grip the fabric of his underwear and encouraged him to push it down. Josh got the hint.

  He gripped the fabric on both sides of Cory’s hips and as Cory lifted up, Josh slid the fabric over his butt. He groaned a small sound as he gripped Cory’s bare skin and pulled him in, pressing himself up at the same time.

  Cory ripped his mouth away and moved it down to Josh’s neck. “You too,” he panted. “I wanna feel you.”

  Josh moved his hands, and placing his feet flat on the bed, levered his hips up a little to shove his own underwear down his thighs. When he settled back down, and Cory’s full weight landed on him, it was game over.

  They attacked each other, kissing and gripping and grinding. It was almost painful without any lube or oil to make things glide smoothly, but neither of them lasted long anyway. When Josh added a hand to the mix, gripping them both together for the first time, Cory thrust a few times then whimpered into Josh’s neck and spilled his warmth all over Josh’s stomach. The new slick and sensation of his man writhing on top of him, pushed Josh over the edge seconds later.

  They panted into each other's necks, holding on for dear life, as they reveled in their newfound intimacy.

  “Holy shit, I’m never letting you go, not ever,” Josh breathed. “You’re going to be laying here on top of me for the rest of your life, and when we get hard again, we’re going to do that again.”

  Cory chuckled an exhausted and satisfied sound. “Can we at least use lube if we’re going to be doing that so much? Could get pretty sore from all the rubbing,” Cory groaned.

  Josh nodded. “Deal.”

  They both snickered at that and when Cory tried to push up, Josh wrapped him up in his arms. “Uh-uh. Sorry.”

  Cory chuckled. “Josh. Things are starting to dry and pull a little. We’re literally going to be fused together soon.”

  “Good,” Josh teased, but kissed Cory and finally let go. They both winced a bit when hair pulled and skin stretched.

  Cory flopped over on his back, and they stared up at the ceiling, enjoying the quiet of the moment. “Love you,” Josh said softly.

  “Love you, too,” Cory replied, turning his head to look at Josh. “I’ll use tissue for now. You go shower first.” Cory said, giving Josh a nudge with his elbow.

  Josh nodded and pecked his fiancé on the lips, rolled off the bed and with a saucy look over his shoulder, pulled up his underwear. “I think I’m on board with the bigger bed idea. I could get used to waking up like that every morning.”

  Cory laughed and chucked a pillow at him. Josh grabbed a dirty shirt to do a brief wipe, then snuck a peek out the door to make sure the coast was clear and darted across the hall to shower.

  ~

  When they made it out to the kitchen, the table was laid out with placemats, fresh flowers, and extra chairs. Cory looked at Josh and they shrugged at each other. When Cory opened the fridge he called Josh over, and they both stared at the platters of food inside. There were several bottles of sparkling cider, orange juice, and even a bottle of champagne.

  “What’s all that?” Josh asked.

  “I don’t know,” Cory responded.

  Josh grabbed the milk and poured them each a glass and as they drank, leaning against the counter, the back door opened. Diane came in backwards, trailed by a gigantic cloud of congratulations balloons. The balloons made tiny thumping sounds as they hit the ceiling and when Diane turned and caught sight of them, she beamed.

  “Hi, boys! Congratulations!” Checking that the balloons were settled, she came over and gave them each a big hug. When she pulled back from Cory, she held his shoulders and just stared at him for a moment. The pride of a happy mother shone out of her eyes and smile. “We’re all so thrilled for you both. We want to hear all the details about the night, but let’s wait until everyone is here so you only have to tell the story once, okay?” Then she clapped her hands and put them to work.

  Josh peeled potatoes, Cory cracked eggs, and when Jim came in a bit later, there were shopping bags that needed to be emptied.

  Diane started the cooking and explained that the parents had all gotten together and decided they needed to throw a little breakfast congratulations/engagement party for them, and at ten o’clock, Brian arrived with Jersey, who was there to celebrate and retrieve his grandfather’s car.

  His dad pulled hi
m into a long hug after they opened the door for him. “I’m so proud of you, Josh. You’ve handled this whole thing with such finesse and care, balancing school with such an all-consuming, brand new relationship is not easy, but you’ve made them both work. You’re so close to graduation, and you’ve made your Complement so happy. You’re going to be the perfect husband for Cory.” Josh patted his dad on the back accepting his words, and when they pulled apart, Josh noticed a strange look on his dad’s face, but Jersey drew Josh’s attention away.

  “Dude. I can’t believe you’re getting married. That is so weird. Just a couple weeks ago you were the sorriest looking gay guy I ever saw and now,” he shook his head. “I don’t know what’s worse.”

  Everyone laughed, and Josh mock punched him in the stomach. “Hey. I happen to think I look pretty good with this delectable arm candy,” he teased while throwing his arm around Cory, who stood with them in the entry.

  Jersey studied him. “Yeah, no. Sorry, man,” he laughed and then wrapped Cory up in a congratulatory hug.

  “Hey, hey, break it up. That’s my man. Go find your own, handsy,” Josh said, shooing Jersey away and stealing a kiss from Cory, who just giggled and shook his head at their scene.

  There was another knock on the door, and Ben and Maggie popped their heads in.

  After more rounds of hugs and congratulations everyone helped lay out the food, and Josh, Cory, and Jersey all got a splash of champagne to celebrate.