He was, after all, doing the same thing, and while he may have been further down the road than Levi, he still had a way to go. At the moment he could only be grateful he’d come to his senses in time and Collin had taken him back, because their relationship brought him a great deal of happiness.
Collin put an arm around his waist, and Matt leaned into the embrace without caring what anyone around them thought of the PDA. Maybe the Founding Fathers hadn’t had exactly this in mind, but it was the kind of liberty and happiness Matt wanted for his life, and for Levi as well.
“Okay,” said Collin, “it never seemed so personal before.”
Nothing like having to fight tooth and nail for something to make a person really appreciate it. Matt took a close-up of the inscription for Levi’s essay. Then he said, quietly and solely for his boyfriend’s benefit, “You’re part of my happiness, you know.”
“I’m glad.” Collin gave him a beaming smile. “Same here.”
Levi announced, “This essay is going to be easy to write.”
Work in progress though he undoubtedly was, Matt really felt like he was getting a handle on this whole happiness thing.
Epilogue
“This apartment has been good to me,” Matt said. It was nearly empty now except for Dex, who was not pleased about being cooped up in his small temporary tank.
Collin winked. “You did have good luck in the next-door neighbor department.”
“I liked this place too,” said Levi. “It was the first place I could be me.”
Levi was doing very well. In fact he had a slightly easier time of adjusting than Matt had endured, for which he was quick to credit Matt’s guidance. He’d just finished his first year of college with excellent grades and was working towards his goal of being an investigative journalist. Recently he’d discovered electric blue eyeliner and it was his new favorite thing, demonstrating that he was quite happy to be himself no matter what other people (namely their family) thought. All in all, he was a reasonably well-adjusted young man and Matt was proud of him.
Now Levi was ready for a new stage in his life, renting a house with some college friends. “On the other hand, I’m moving into a place where I’ll have my own room,” he said. “And we have a dishwasher.”
“I’m looking forward to having a washer-dryer,” said Collin. “It was part of my campaign to get Matt to live with me.”
“That had nothing to do with my decision.”
“It didn’t hurt, did it?”
“Well, no.” It wasn’t the main factor, but a washer-dryer and dishwasher would be really nice. The biggest part of the decision to cohabitate was timing. After three years as a couple and with Levi moving out, Matt was ready to live with Collin.
“Whatever it took, I’m just glad,” said Collin.
“You were practically living together already,” pointed out Levi. “I think Matt slept next door more often than here. I know I was a big part of the reason you guys waited, so thank you.”
Matt was less worried about Levi than he’d expected. There was no reason Levi wouldn’t be okay, and he knew he had an open invitation to the new place. “You’re welcome. And you know I’m just a phone call away if you need me.”
“I’m not even going to be two and a half miles away, you know,” said Levi. “I’ll be fine.”
“I know you will.”
“But I’m gonna take you up on those dinner invitations, since I’m doing the starving college student thing.” Levi wouldn’t actually be starving, of course. He just didn’t like to cook. “You guys are all set?”
“We only need to take Dex and turn in the keys.” Matt looked at his bearded dragon. “We’ve got your habitat set up at the new place, buddy. You’ll like it. It’s even Sarah-certified as no longer living in a cave.”
Levi took the apartment key off his keychain. “Here you go. I’m gonna head out. See you soon.”
“Are you going to hang out at the library and flirt with what’s-his-name?” asked Collin.
“It’s quiet during the summer. He has plenty of time to flirt.” With that Levi grinned and headed down to his scooter.
Matt kissed his partner. “Thank you again for waiting. I know you wanted to move together last summer.”
“I did, but you were doing what was best for Levi and I couldn’t ask you to change that. Besides, you’re worth waiting for.”
“And now you get me all to yourself. Aside from Dex, of course.”
“Speaking of Dex, he looks pissed. We should probably get him back home.”
Home, with Collin. Matt loved the sound of that. “Yes. Let’s go home.” He scooped Dex up and into the pet carrier while Collin took the tank. He’d have fond memories of this apartment, but it was time to start an exciting new chapter of their lives. Together.
Thank you
Thanks for reading!
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I hope you enjoyed Pursuing Happiness. If you’d like to get a free short story, sign up for my mailing list here: https://tinyurl.com/JessiePinkham
About the Author
Some kids have imaginary friends. Not content with that, Jessie dreamed up an entire village. She hasn’t stopped inventing stories since, though these days they involve a lot more handsome men.
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Jessie loves a rich fictional universe as much as a good happy ending. She's usually writing more than one new book at a time, and frequently rushes out at the last minute because she got lost in her own fictional world.
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Jessie's virtual home is http://www.jessiepinkham.net.
Also by Jessie Pinkham
SURVIVORS
As a farmer Lee Johnson is well-situated to survive in the aftermath of a plague that killed most of humanity. As a gay man in a small community he's resigned himself to the probability of lifelong bachelorhood, at least until his sister returns home with handsome Army veteran Nate Schlessinger.
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Sparks fly between the two men but nothing is easy following the collapse of civilization. Nate claims to be celibate despite his clear interest, Lee tries to keep his neighbors from starving, and the threat of attack looms constantly. Can love triumph in the ruins of the world as we knew it?
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