by Max Hudson
“I don’t know if I would have started surfing again! I don’t know if I would have ever felt so happy. And yes, it’s much better here than NYC. No doubt about it.”
With that, Joey leaned in and kissed me once more, letting his passion for me run free. “Come on,” he murmured smilingly. “Let’s get back to my house. The things I want to do to you, I can’t do out in public.” He glanced around, messing with me. “Well, maybe I could, but there’s no guarantee that we won’t get arrested. I don’t know if it’s worth spending the night in jail, do you? As fun as that sounds…”
“Oh, stop it,” I slapped him and stood up, shaking my head at him. “Take me back to your place, and stop being such a tease.”
We walked, my hand tightly linked through his, my heart racing with joy. Being with Joey, it was all I wanted, and nothing was going to change that. Not for now anyway.
Chapter Nineteen
This time as Joey slid into me, it felt different. It felt much more like making love than just sex. The deep passion was still there, but it didn’t feel so hurried, so frantic. The desperation was no longer there. We just were…
We were connecting on an even deeper level, building a bond that was based on something much more powerful. Now that we were accepted, that none of this was taboo, we were making something else. Something even better. We had each other forever more now, this wasn’t goodbye anymore, this was a very lovely hello.
As Joey stared into my eyes, I couldn’t stop the emotions from spilling out. Deep down I felt like I’d known it for a while, but I wanted to keep it back in case I freaked him out, but after everything that he’d done for me I didn’t think anything would scare Joey now. He’d accepted me back, despite the massive hiccup in my life, and I adored him for that. Maybe this was me moving way too quickly, but it was too late now, my mouth was speaking for me.
“I… I love you,” I gasped loudly, unable to hold it all back any longer. “I love you, Joey.”
I didn’t expect him to say it back, that wasn’t why I said it at all, but he gripped me tightly, pulling me closer to him and he whispered it back. “I love you too. I want to be with you forever.”
That was intense, in any other situation that probably would have felt overwhelming, but with Joey it felt right. Maybe I was a romantic, maybe that was why I always fell too quickly, too hard, why I put everything into a relationship, but this didn’t feel like a big mistake. I didn’t feel like I was falling into the same trap as I did with Maria, I’d learned my lesson from past mistakes. I knew what I was doing now.
As the orgasm tore through us, it seemed to happen at the same moment, bringing us even closer together. We yelled in unison, clung together, opened up and had our most vulnerable moment together. I felt our bond grow as we gripped each other’s bodies, I felt the connection increase, and I never wanted it to end…
While we lay next to one another panting, recovering from that intense experience, I wondered if that topic of conversation was just a ‘heat of the moment’ thing, or if it was something I could bring up again. I leaned up on my elbow, I turned to face him, and as he gave me a wicked smile, I just knew…
This was it; I had found the person I wanted to be with. There was no point in holding back, not with Joey. Not after everything that we’d been through.
“I do. I really meant that.” My hands shook as I spoke, my mouth ran dry with nerves. I was putting myself out there, and there wouldn’t ever be a time when that didn’t scare me somewhat. It was always terrifying to be so vulnerable with another person, to hand everything over to them knowing they could crush it, but I wasn’t going to let that stop me. If this all worked out, then it’d be the best thing ever.
The payoff would be totally worth the risk.
“Yeah, me too.” He took my hands and he held them over his heart. “Every beat of that heart has been for you, since the very first moment I laid eyes on you. No one I’ve ever seen has made me feel so strongly, and I’m just glad that you found the courage to open yourself up to me. I’m also glad that you’re sticking around.”
As he kissed me, tears of joy rolled down my cheeks. I still couldn’t get my head around how lucky I’d become, how amazing my life was now. I spent so long, lying on the couch in devastation, thinking I’d lost the only life that could ever make me happy. Yet this second chance at life was so much better. I’d been given the chance to have the old me back, and I’d turned it down. That had to mean something, right? It was everything I could have asked for, and so much more. I had found love, true love, and it had changed absolutely everything about me.
What I had with Joey felt so much better than what I’d ever had with Maria. That wasn’t ever love, she didn’t feel it back. Even as she stood in that hotel room, staring at me, needing something from me, it was never love. Maybe it was more of an obsession on my behalf, for her it was all to do with public image. This… this was the real deal.
“So, this is it now, I’m stuck with you?” Joey asked teasingly, his voice sounding thick with emotion. “You really aren’t going?”
“Oh, I’m definitely sticking around, wild horses couldn’t take me away. I love it here, it’s where I was always supposed to be.”
“Well, I’m glad. I would’ve understood if you’d gone, but it’s so awesome that you’re not,” Joey smiled happily. “I’m just sorry that you had to go through all of that craziness.”
“Yeah, maybe…”
Although he did leave me thinking, maybe I’d gone through all of that for a reason. Maybe I needed to learn some harsh lessons from Maria, just to give me the confidence to be myself. Maybe I did need to leave home, just to learn how good I had it here, maybe I had to have my old life dangled in front of me, just to ensure my brain that I’d made the right choice. Maybe everything happened for a reason, and that was all about to come to fruition.
Maybe I’d had to suffer that nightmare with Maria, just to get Joey, and with him here it all felt totally worth it. The heartache was nothing compared to what I had now. I would have suffered it a hundred times. Joey made me forget it all.
“How did I get so lucky to have you in my life? When did you get to be so awesome?” I chuckled happily, getting myself even more comfortable on the bed where I felt more myself than the one I had at home.
“I was just born this way,” he chuckled nonchalantly. “It’s just good for you that you know me.”
As we laughed, as we lay together, wrapped up in one another’s arms, I wondered if it would always feel as good, if we would always be as happy. I honestly couldn’t see anything changing it, and I hoped that I was right. I hoped that real life didn’t tear us apart, I wasn’t sure that I could stand it.
Then again, I loved him, and he loved me. That would be enough, wouldn’t it?
Chapter Twenty
Nerves tore through my body, no matter how hard I tried to push them to one side. This was scary, utterly terrifying, but also exhilarating too. The last eighteen months had been an absolute roller coaster, the best time of my entire existence, and now that was about to come to a head. Today, my love for Joey was going to become something even more special because I was going to ask him to marry me.
I wasn’t scared about being his husband, not for one second. I didn’t fear him saying ‘no’ either, I was confident enough in our relationship for that. I was only anxious because I had made the insane decision to do this in public, with all the people who had impacted our lives watching us. Now I was starting to think that I should have done it much more privately, making it a moment for just me and him, but it was too late for that now. Everyone was here, the surprise party had been organized, it was done.
My mom and dad had been a great help with organizing everything, and they couldn’t wait for us to get married. They’d been our biggest supporters ever since they came back from their world trip, and I was so utterly happy to have them in our lives.
I hadn’t told them about Maria and the pregnancy scare, because
they hated her enough, it wasn’t necessary at all. We were on good terms anyway, if only the odd message between us, but I was pleased to see that she was doing well as a single mom. Parenthood had changed her in the best way possible. I was so glad that I didn’t have any involvement in her life anymore, but I still wanted the best for her.
I was happy, there was no reason that she shouldn’t be too.
Joey didn’t know it yet, but his parents were in town as well. That was a surprise I was saving for the night of our engagement, which I just knew he was going to love. I’d met them a couple of times, and they were just as laid back and easy going as I assumed they would be. They accepted us without a second thought, and to be honest we couldn’t have taken this huge step without them here. They were the main reason I’d decided to do this so publicly.
“Will you marry me?” I asked my reflection, trying to work out the right way to say it. “Will you marry me? Oh God, this is so hard.” I’d even gone as far as to pull out one of my old suits, wanting to look my best for the evening, and now that I didn’t have to wear them every day it felt all right against my body. “Will you marry me?”
“Flint, are you here?” Joey called through the front door, making me jump like a mad person, stuffing the ring back into my pocket. I glanced at my watch, noticing that he was early, which threw a wrench in the works…
Never mind, we could make it work. I was super organized anyway today, which helped. “Uhm, yeah I’m here, in the bedroom!”
Now we had our own apartment, one that was slightly bigger than Joey’s old home, but that still had a lot of the same feel about it. We could make it more luxurious, if we wanted to. Joey’s surfing lessons were in high demand, giving him lots more money, and I was now the official manager of the surf shop, which gave me more responsibility when it came to bringing in new stock and other things. That money was spent on travelling, on doing things that excited us, on making us happy. On experiences, rather than stuff. I’d had a life of materialistic things; I didn’t need that anymore.
As Joey wandered, almost aimlessly to join me, his eyes were almost bugging out of his head at the sight of me in the mirror. “What is going on?” he gasped. “Have I forgotten something? What are you doing looking so super-hot?”
“Actually no,” I turned to face him, giving him a wide grin. “It’s your surprise party tonight, so go and put on something slightly fancier than shorts.”
“Party? What for? And do I need to look like you?” He looked panicked, his expression was freaked, it took all that I had not to chuckle like a fool.
I pushed him toward the wardrobe. “Never you mind, you’ll find out soon enough, and no. Just cover yourself up a bit, there are going to be lots of people there.”
I was lucky really, that Joey was so laid back he was almost horizontal because it meant he was content to just let me do this without needing to ask too many questions. Even if he was thinking them inside, he wasn’t vocalizing them which made it so much easier. I was weak, I could easily have cracked, especially if he gave me those puppy dog eyes that always made me forgive him, even if we were arguing.
I moved into the front room, to pace up and down the warm and inviting room anxiously. At least I had that familiar view of the ocean to keep me company, to steady me when things got a little crazy in my head. Everyone was down there now, at the beach waiting, Romi had texted me a short while ago to let me know. Now all that needed to happen was for us to join them, and for me to ask the most important question of my life…
"Okay, I’m ready.”
As I spun around, I saw Joey looking heart-stoppingly gorgeous, causing an involuntary moan to escape my lips. He had on trousers and a pale blue shirt, with his hair tied back revealing a brand new tattoo he had across his neck, and he looked wonderful. Maybe we looked a little opposite – me much more conservative than him – but we’d made our similarities and differences work for us this long, I had no doubt we could do it forever.
“God, you look gorgeous,” I told him, holding out his hand for me to take. “Now come on, your party is waiting for you.”
“But first…” Joey wasn’t quite ready to leave just yet, he wanted to kiss me first, and as his lips crashed into mine the same fireworks exploded loudly in my stomach. The chemistry between us hadn’t dulled in the last year and a half, and I honestly didn’t think that it ever would. Even though we were far more content with each other, we still drove one another wild. He still unleashed that animal within him, one that couldn’t be tamed. “I just needed a kiss first.”
“You’re distracting me,” I scolded with a smirk. “Will you just stop it, we need to go.”
He could’ve asked where, it was the perfect time for it, but still he didn’t, still he just went with the flow. In fact, he didn’t comment at all until he spotted his parents on the sand, with the backdrop of the amazing, greenish blue water behind them. “Okay, I have to ask… what the hell is going on? I’m trying to be all cool about it, but honestly, I’m freaking out. Why the hell are my mom and dad here? Is this some sort of anniversary or something?”
It’s about to be, I squealed happily inside, but I managed to keep focus. “It’s not, go… go hug your parents!”
As he raced off and he embraced everyone in turn, no doubt trying to question them secretly, I smiled happily to myself. Any minute now, as soon as I’d worked up the nerve, I’d ask Joey the question that I’d been planning on vocalizing for a while now. I’d realized the depth of my feelings early on, but I needed to get some real-world experience with Joey before I could be certain, and now I had that. We lived together, we paid bills, we looked after one another when we were sick, we fought, we bickered, we made up, we made love… it was mundane, yet it was incredible. I loved him more with every single day, and that wasn’t going anywhere.
“Are you okay?” Romi sidled up beside me and asked me discreetly. “Still gonna go through with it? If you need an escape, I can fake a heart attack…”
“Oh don’t be so silly,” I shoved her away playfully. “You know I’m ready… in fact, get everyone’s attention, I want to do it now before you freak me out.”
As she rallied everyone round and brought Joey over to me, my heart skipped a few beats again. If I didn’t get this done soon it’d end up stopping completely!
“Hi everyone,” I waved shyly to the small crowd that had gathered. “Thank you all for coming, as most of you know this is a very important day.” Joey’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion, but he kept his lips sealed shut. “This day is to celebrate my finding the love of my life.” I moved closer to him, taking his hands in mine. I tried to send him a reassuring smile, but the nerves probably got in the way and it ended up a grimace instead. “Joey, you really have changed everything for me.” I dropped onto one knee, causing a gasp to rise up from the crowd. I wasn’t sure why they were so shocked, they knew what they were here for after all! “I love you, Joey, you’ve turned me into a much better version of myself, you’ve made me happier than I ever thought I could be, and I want to repay you for that. I want you to be mine, forever, and I want to spend the rest of my life making you happy, so will you do me the honor of marrying me?”
That came out better than expected! All the practicing didn’t mean anything, speaking from the heart worked a whole lot better. Joey’s eyes welled up, he lost his voice with happiness, and a pregnant pause fell over everyone. I held in my breath, anticipation tearing through me.
“Yes,” he finally put me out of my misery by declaring. “Yes, of course I will! Nothing would make me happier.”
As everyone else started cheering, I tuned them all out caring about the reaction of only one person. Joey was happy, ecstatic even, and as he pulled me in for a kiss I felt the same way. I slid the ring onto his finger, safe in the knowledge that this was the right decision, that we were perfect together and that this would be a happily ever after.
ve