Picture Perfect Love

by Jerry Cole

  “Yeah. Where?” Jamie looked around, and I gazed at Ben.

  “How about this sports bar over there?” Leo asked, and we all agreed. Walking inside, we found it packed, but we found our way to the bar, leaning in to order beers for all of us. Leo kept his arm around Jamie and I watched Sarah as I stood close to Ben. I couldn’t help but think we were all going our separate ways in a matter of hours as I looked at everyone. It was sad but we also formed a bond this week. That wasn’t going to break anytime soon.

  We were all pleasantly buzzed as the night flew past us. No one wanted to be too drunk to remember this or end up sick in the crowd. Once it inched closer to the ball drop, we moved through the crowd for a good view. People were laughing and shouting, some drunk and others feeling enough to have fun. Jamie was dancing around to the music, swinging her purple hair around as the show recorded. She was happy. We all were, and I held Ben’s hand as we watched the activity around us.

  “Fucking chaos,” Ben said as I wrapped my arm around his waist. “I’m glad I’m in it with you.”

  “So am I.” We pressed together and watched as the host introduced a pop band, making teen girls in the crowd scream around us. “Shit.”

  Everyone got more excited as it drew closer to midnight. Jamie was swinging around, and Leo watched the people around us carefully as I chuckled. My sister was talking to friends she found and I looked over at the two girls and three guys. I didn’t know them but one seemed more interested in Sarah than the others.

  A voice filled the air, and I looked up to see the ball ready to go. I clutched Ben’s hand and squeezed it as he followed my eyes. “Almost there.”

  The crowd reacted to everything, and soon, they started to count down. The thousands of voices blended, and I kept looking as Ben moved closer to me. When they screamed one, followed by “Happy New Year,” I kissed Ben with everything I had. He held on tight and kissed me back as laughter and cheering filled the air. I pulled back and looked around. “Look!”

  Ben turned his head to see Leo and Jamie locked in a kiss. He was cupping her face, and she had her arms around his waist as they moved closer together. He laughed and looked at me again, and I caught sight of Sarah kissing the guy I thought liked her. I felt bad that she left my mom at home but there were friends with her enjoying the evening. I kissed Ben again, reminding myself that Mom told me to come here. We lingered there for several minutes until the crowd started to make their way out of Times Square.

  I considered getting a couple of hotel rooms for us but figured we’d get a ride back to the house. There would be a variety of drivers ready to take our money. I walked back down the street, and everyone followed as Sarah caught up to us. “Who is the guy?” I asked as she glared at me.

  “Brian. We know each other from school. It was just a kiss,” she argued as I rolled my eyes. “You don’t even live here anymore, and you’re acting like a big brother.”

  “I am a big brother,” I reminded her, and Ben squeezed my hand. We made our way a few blocks down away from the crowd before I used an app to get a ride home. We leaned against a building, and Jamie took everything in as Leo pulled her closer. He came back with us to the house and we walked into the house quietly. The kitchen lights were on and we got water before sitting on the couch.

  “That was the best New Years' Eve ever,” Jamie declared as she smiled at us. “Thank you.”

  “It was a pleasure,” I told her as I looked at Ben. He was leaving in two days, and I was going back to Belize the following day with Leo. We chatted for a while before going to bed, though Leo did not sleep with Jamie. He used a guest room, and she slept alone as far as we knew.

  The following morning was somber for a few reasons. We were still tired from the night before, and Jamie was sad about leaving. She wasn’t even going home with Ben, and he offered to switch his flight and go with her. “It’s just another day after my flight. I’ll be okay.” She smiled at him.

  “Are you sure?” Ben asked, and she nodded.

  “You need to spend time with Ryan. I’ll see you soon enough.” She picked at her breakfast as Mom watched with concern on her face. She glanced at Leo and gave him a weak smile.

  It seemed like five minutes later we were taking her to the airport. Leo was in the back with Jamie, holding her hand, and I considered skipping the airport. We could all go back to Belize, right? I parked the car in the lot, and we got out as Leo and I handled Jamie’s luggage. Ben walked her into the terminal with an arm around her waist and I watched before glancing at Leo.

  He looked miserable, and I wondered if he was falling for Jamie. That would be different for him, and I looked back at Ben. He helped Jamie check in her suitcase and we all went as far as we could to say goodbye. She already cried with Mom and Sarah at the house and it continued here as she hugged all of us. She hugged Ben for a long time and then turned to Leo. “I’ll call you.”

  “Hope so,” he said gruffly before pulling her to him for a kiss. It was chaste, but there was a lot of feeling in it. I looked away, and so did Ben, not wanting to intrude on their moment. Jamie pulled away and looked around, wiping at her eyes.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow.” She hugged Ben again and then looked at me. “I will see you as soon as I can. Take care of my Ben.”

  “I wouldn’t consider doing anything else.” I slipped an arm around him and smiled weakly. “Thank you for coming.”

  “It was perfect. I’ll never forget this Christmas.” She cried again and looked behind her. “I guess I should go. I’ll call you later. I love you all.” She blew a kiss and slipped her backpack over her shoulder as she made her way to security. We watched and turned as she disappeared out of sight.

  The drive home was quiet, and Leo sat alone in the back. He decided to go home once we got to the house, and we watched him drive away. “He’s feeling it,” I said and Ben nodded.

  “Yeah. It’s going to hurt.” We walked into the house and joined Mom in the living room, where she was taking the Christmas decorations down.

  “How did it go?” She asked with red eyes as she leaned against the wall.

  “Sad. Leo went home as soon as we got here.” Ben replied, and she frowned thoughtfully.

  “He had a good time with her. They suit each other.” Mom looked at my face and then Ben. “Will you be okay?”

  “We’ve been doing this for a few months. We’ll figure it out,” Ryan assured her, and she nodded. “It doesn’t mean that I won’t hate it.”

  “What do you want to do for dinner?” Mom asked, and I looked at Ben.

  “New York pizza? We can order in.” He nodded, and I grabbed a menu to look it over, calling in two pizzas after we decided what we wanted. They were going to deliver it in half an hour, and Mom decided to open a bottle of wine to enjoy with dinner. Sarah was at work so she couldn’t eat with us now but possibly later. We were fine to stay up as long as possible and spend every moment together awake. We could sleep tomorrow since that was all I would want to do once Ben was gone.

  One bottle of wine turned into two and lightened the mood for us. We were lounging on the couch watching movies as we talked, laughing at ridiculous things. Sarah walked in late and looked at us for a moment. “Are you drunk?”

  “We had some wine with pizza. There are leftovers in there.” I pointed in the general direction of the kitchen, and she giggled.

  “Leftovers of food or both?” Her voice was teasing, and Mom laughed.

  “I think there’s some wine in there and I know there’s pizza. Get some and join us.” Sarah did and looked us over. “How are you holding up?”

  “I’m drunk right now so good. Leo didn’t even come in the house when we got home from the airport.” I told her as she frowned.

  “He was sweet with her. I wonder where that will go.” Sarah took a bite and chewed it thoughtfully as I pulled Ben closer to me.

  “It’s hard to say. They both have ties to their homes.” Ben replied as he relaxed against me. She managed t
o eat two pieces of pizza with two glasses of wine before we were all laughing at a movie.

  I blinked and looked around the living room. “Shit. We fell asleep,” I murmured as I looked at the sun shining through the windows. I grabbed my phone and checked the time, relieved to see that we had a few hours before Ben’s flight took off. I rubbed my eyes and took a moment to gaze at him before I heard a yawn.

  “Morning. You two were so cute falling asleep out here last night.” Mom smiled as she walked past me into the kitchen. She started a pot of coffee, and I felt Ben shift beside me.

  I watched as his eyes fluttered open, taking in the living room around us. “We fell asleep?” His voice sounded panicked, and I grabbed his hand.

  “It’s okay. We have a few hours before we have to leave.” My voice was soothing, and he looked into my eyes.

  “I didn’t want to fall asleep. I wanted to stay up all night with you.” His eyes mirrored the emotions flooding me, and I pressed my forehead against his.

  “I know. I did, too.”

  “I can make some breakfast if you boys want me to.” Mom offered behind me, and I smiled at him. “I don’t know if you want to be alone or eat with me. I don’t know what to do here.”

  “Breakfast sounds good, and I need a lot of coffee,” Ben said and kissed me quickly before pulling away. We both stood up and stretched, and I took in his lean body as his shirt lifted enough to show me a strip of bronzed skin. He grinned as he caught me and led me by the hand to the kitchen, insistent on helping Mom cook. Sarah showed up as we were finishing, taking her coffee and stumbling to the kitchen table.

  Ben ate a few bites before looking around at us. “I appreciate all that you did for me this holiday. For both myself and Jamie. It was amazing, and I know I’ll never forget it.”

  “We loved having you. It’s nice to look at this city with fresh eyes sometimes. I forget how beautiful it is.” Mom smiled as she reached for her coffee. “I can’t wait to see that house of yours.” Ben and I exchanged a smile.

  “We’ll plan something soon.” I meant every word of that statement.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Ben

  I packed my bag after breakfast, dreading being away from Ryan again. The days passed so quickly while we were here, and I was going home today.

  Shit.

  I folded the last dirty shirt and glanced around Ryan’s room. I had everything after making a thorough walk through the bedroom and bathroom. I had everything coming home except for what I wanted the most.

  Him.

  I zipped up the suitcase and carried it down the hall before setting it down in the living room. I looked around to see the rooms empty, and then my eyes searched the deck to see Ryan standing there. He was leaning on the railing looking out back and I sighed deeply before joining him.

  I wrapped my arms around his waist, and he leaned into me. “I hate this. I want to go with you.” I kissed his neck gently as he shivered in my arms.

  “I want that, too.” He covered my hands with his. “This went by so fast even though I tried to memorize every moment.”

  “It will be one of the best memories of my life. Everything was so perfect this holiday…except when Jamie was angry with me.” I remembered the look in her flashing eyes and the way she made me feel like I somehow betrayed her. “Your mom went above and beyond.”

  “She loved having you here. I think she’s adopted both of you into the family.” I smiled and breathed him in. “She wanted to give us some time alone.”

  “She’s gone?” I asked, and he chuckled.

  “No. In the office working. She wanted to say goodbye.” There was a longing in his voice that I felt to my core. One more time with him would be amazing, but I knew we’d see each other soon. We talked about it a few times during this time together.

  “We’ll see each other. I’m going to plan a trip as soon as I can.” Ryan turned in my arms, pulling me against him as I closed my eyes. “I love you.”

  “I love you more than anything,” Ryan told me as he kissed my hair.

  We stayed out there as long as we could. Mom and Sarah appeared when it was time to leave, hugging me before Ryan took me to the airport. They were giving us time alone, but it didn’t cut back on any of the emotions. They both cried, and I watched as Ryan struggled with his feelings off to the side.

  I was misty-eyed when we walked out of the door. Ryan was taking me in the SUV again, and we loaded up the back before I slipped into the passenger seat. Ryan started the engine and we drove with less enthusiasm than when I arrived. I didn’t want to go home but I had to. Ryan and Leo were flying back tomorrow. We were all going to be back in reality and nobody wanted to. Even Leo sounded down when I called to tell him goodbye.

  When we arrived at the terminal, Ryan parked, and I stared at the building. He leaned over to kiss me and I held his head to keep him there as long as I could. He pulled away and looked at the clock as he bowed his head. “I guess we should go.”

  We both slipped out of the car, and I got my suitcase from the back, rolling it as we walked. Ryan was looking at the ground as we moved to the glass doors and moved behind me as they opened. We stood in line to check my bag, and I slung my backpack over my shoulder as I stared into his face. He was gorgeous and fragile right now, breaking slowly in front of me. “I am going to miss you.” My voice was soft and hoarse and his eyes locked on mine.

  “I’ll miss you. I’ll miss all of this.” He was down to a whisper, and I pulled him into my arms. I knew that once we were alone, we’d fall apart in our own way. He held me tight, kissing me softly as we tried to push away the flight that was leaving soon. I heard an announcement and pulled back, blinking at him. “Go. You still need to get through security.”

  “I’ll call you later. Love you, baby.” I held his hand, backing away slowly before I finally let go. I turned to go through security, knowing that I was pushing it. Maybe if I missed my flight, I could stay here longer with Ryan.

  I moved to my seat and sank down, knowing that I was going home. They came by for drink orders, and I asked for a beer, needing to wind down. I rarely drank on planes, but today called for it.

  Once we were in the air and I knew I had a few hours, I pulled out my laptop and looked through the pictures I took over the holiday. They showed how gorgeous New York was, both over the holidays as well as just on its own. I caught the wonder in Jamie’s eyes as she took it all in and smiled as I pulled a few shots to edit as I made my way home. Now and then, I took a look through the window to see the land below me. I crossed a lot of states on this trip and planned to return there to see my family.

  First, I needed to plan a trip to Belize to see my boyfriend.

  Jamie picked me up at the airport, and I hugged her tightly. “How are you?” She asked as she pulled back to take a close look at my face.

  “That was tough. I didn’t want to leave any of them behind.” I smiled, and she nodded.

  “I know.” She walked me through getting my suitcase, asking if I was hungry. I admitted that I was since they served food so early on the plane, and I was surprised when we stopped at the place that used to be our favorite diner. We went here a lot before I started traveling and she took on her bakery hours.

  “What about work?” I asked as she shrugged and took a seat across the booth from me.

  “So, I’m tired. When I came home this time, I found myself looking around a lot at our past. Coming here and going out and stuff like that. When did we get so old?” A waitress came by and took our orders for coffee, smiling as she told us to take our time reading the menus. We did since it had been some time eating there for us.

  “When are you going back to see him?” Jamie asked as I reached for my cup.

  “As soon as possible.” She laughed and nodded.

  “I’m going to try to get there myself. Leo is just…I don’t know. I get that he’s hot and probably a player, but he’s kind to me.” She shrugged and smiled.

  “H
ow serious is it?” I asked, and she smiled as the waitress came back to take our orders. We both got burgers and fries, and then she leaned back.

  “We didn’t sleep together. I guess that was due to the location more than anything because I wanted to. I just enjoyed everything about New York and not just him. That’s for later.” I nodded and reached for a fry.

  “I like that.”

  “You and Ryan, though. You are in love, and his family loves you. It’s perfect. You even bought a house together.” I gave her a curious look, and she smiled. “I’m not mad anymore. I just need to know why you did that.”

  “I guess it was because of Thanksgiving. We were in those separate houses, and I loved it, but I didn’t want to have to rent a place next time. I had some money and he had some and he’s happy there. They built a life there.” I had trouble explaining it but she got it.

  “You’ll be happy there someday.” I shrugged, not wanting to be away from the life I knew, not wholly.

  “Someday.” We moved away from the topic of Ryan and Leo and discussed our past as we ate. We drank too much coffee and stayed too long, but Jamie swore that it was worth it when she went to work with no sleep. I sent Ryan a message that I arrived home safely and was out with Jamie. I would call in the morning so it wouldn’t be so late.

  I went to bed when Jamie left for work, enjoying catching up on sleep. I got a lot of work done on the plane. I had time for more when I woke up since I always threw myself into work when I was home. Since meeting Ryan, that was much more the case. I slept until early afternoon, restless with dreams. When I woke up, I took a shower and went to the kitchen for coffee. I needed to get back on track with running, but that could start next week.

  Jamie brought home the usual treats when she got off work, and I enjoyed mine as I went through my travel schedule. I noticed a few celebrities popping up in my emails and wondered how that happened. Who promoted me?

  Jamie disappeared to the balcony and chatted on the phone as I went through the emails and details of the project. After working on jobs that weren’t worth my time in the beginning, I knew to pick the ones that would give me the best life possible. I needed to make the most money that I could without killing myself in the process. I made some appointments to talk about the needs of some potential new clients and called Ryan during a break. He was leaving in the morning to return home and told me they were all watching a movie at the house.