Scars

by Avery Ford

  “We don’t have plans,” Henry said brightly. “I’ll have Caleb call you tomorrow around eight and we’ll plan from there? I’ve got a few places that are worth visiting, so I’m sure we can agree on at least one.”

  “Sounds great.” Kota nodded. “See you lovebirds tomorrow, then.”

  “Goodnight, guys.” Crew said a little more seriously. “Thanks for the great party.”

  They parted ways. Caleb and Henry stood in the doorframe together, watching their friends leave. Caleb kept an arm tucked around Henry’s shoulders, holding him close to his chest. Excitement welled in Caleb’s chest. It was almost time for the reveal.

  All night had gone by, and Henry hadn’t noticed the surprise Caleb had planned for him. It had been there all evening, waiting for discovery, but Henry had overlooked it. Caleb couldn’t wait to point it out.

  Kota and Crew drove away, and Henry shimmied out of Caleb’s arm to return to the living room. He started to pick up. Caleb stepped back from the door to close it. Once it was locked, he joined Henry in his efforts.

  “Tonight was a great night,” Henry gushed. “I can’t believe it went so well, and all of our friends got along like they did. I was a little worried about mixing two groups of people, but it went really, really well! Maybe we can do a friends-giving, or something nice at Christmas. We’ve got the space for it.”

  As they worked to collect plastic cups and paper plates, Beethoven followed them around, tail wagging. Caleb scratched behind his ear as he passed by.

  “That’d be a great idea.”

  “I imagine once you leave school and start working, you’re going to have even more friends to invite,” Henry said. “I still think we can fit everyone, though. I mean, we could have had at least six people stay the night, between the spare bedroom, the basement, and all of our couches and fold-out beds.”

  “I’d love that.” Caleb threw the garbage he’d collected away. Slowly but surely, the living room returned to normal. Beethoven helped by licking the crumbs off the floor. “Tonight, though, I was hoping it’d just be you and me. I was thinking you might be able to help me out. My face scars have been pretty dry and tight lately, and I was wondering if you’d rub some aloe into them.”

  Henry made a face. “You can’t do it yourself?”

  “I like it better when you do it,” Caleb said with a shrug. “Feels like you get more of it because you’re looking at my face from the outside. Please, babe?”

  Henry stuck his tongue out. “You know I can’t say no. Just let me throw the last of the garbage out and I’ll be back with the tube.”

  Caleb remained where he was standing, listening to Henry as he disposed of the rest of the trash, washed his hands, then returned with the tube of aloe they kept in the kitchen. With as many scars as Caleb had, there was a tube of moisturizer in every room of the house. He kept them readily available to alleviate sudden skin dryness.

  “Alright,” Henry murmured. He popped off the top of the tube with his thumb and reached up to move Caleb’s eye patch aside. Henry’s hand hesitated midway, and Caleb choked back a laugh. Lips pressed together, he watched as Henry’s eyes widened.

  “Baby?”

  “Yeah?” Caleb choked out through his laughter.

  “Baby, your eye patch…”

  “What about it?”

  “It’s on the wrong eye.”

  Caleb laughed in full. It burst from him like sunlight through the ice, lighting him up from the inside and leaving him with a magical feeling. It was the kind of laugher Caleb felt all the way to his toes, the kind that made him feel whole.

  “Yeah. It is.”

  Caleb lifted a hand and removed his eye patch as Henry stared at him. Both eyes were clear, and both eyes had vision. What he saw through his left eye was a little foggy, but he was getting to the point now where he could make out shapes and details well enough to get around the house without issue — especially since he was so familiar with the house’s layout. Up close, Caleb was able to see things better. The ophthalmologist told him that it wouldn’t be long before his vision was completely restored, and any minor errors could be corrected through laser treatment.

  “Baby!” Henry squeaked. He dropped the bottle of moisturizer and launched himself at Caleb. They wobbled across the room until Caleb’s back hit the wall. “Oh my god! Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “The doctor only cleared me to take off my eye patch this morning at my appointment,” Caleb said. “It felt like a natural move to do the reveal this way, since I was going to be a pirate for Halloween anyway. It’s been on the wrong eye all night, and you haven’t noticed.”

  “I thought something looked different!” Henry insisted. “I just couldn’t figure out what it was, and I was so preoccupied with the evening…! Oh my god, Caleb! I’m so happy for you!”

  “I’m happy for me, too,” Caleb said softly. He turned his head to the side and kissed Henry softly, and Henry closed his eyes and kissed him back. The excitement of the moment mellowed, and Henry’s arms loosened around his neck. When the kiss broke, Caleb felt limitless. “I’m happy for us. We’re getting through this. Every day is another step forward.”

  “You’re amazing,” Henry whispered. He rested his head against Caleb’s shoulder, and Caleb held him at the waist. “I love you so much.”

  “Love you, too.”

  Caleb wasn’t naive — there would be other obstacles to face, and other hurdles to jump over. But for now, in their new house and filled with love for each other and the family they’d put together, life was good. In fact, life was better than Caleb could ever remember it being.

  He kissed the top of Henry’s head and breathed him in. Soon, they’d be a real family. Maybe someday soon, he could be in a position where they could adopt.

  Whatever adventures lay ahead, Caleb knew that nothing would stand in their way for long. There were still stories to be told, and chapters to be lived through, and no matter how dark they turned, Caleb knew that as long as he lived through them with Henry by his side, they’d end happily every time.

  Afterword

  Thank you so much for reading Scars, I hope you enjoyed it! If you have a moment, I’d really appreciate a small (or long if you prefer!) review on Amazon to help others decide if they want to try my books out. Thank you!

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