Random short story...
Tomorrow
"The beach?" Ryan said with a slight grin. "Are we having a Notebook moment or what?"
Paul stopped grabbing the supplies from the trunk and looked over at his lover. "You. Promised."
Ryan sighed as he slammed his door because he had indeed promised. It was their two year anniversary and Paul had wanted to do an actual "couple" thing. Which was a new thing for them to say the least.
Making a zipping motion across his lips he smiled and made his eyes as wide as possible.
"Better." Paul answered as he went back to grabbing the secret supplies he had piled into the trunk before they left. "Grab this blanket for me."
Ryan walked over and took the Michigan Wolverines blanket out of the trunk, noticing the small picnic basket Paul in his hands. "Ok so not Notebook. From Here to Eternity?" he asked hopefully.
Paul slammed the trunk. "Promised!"
Ryan went back to not talking.
They had met their second year in college under what at best would be considered suspect conditions. Ryan had been well into his third girlfriend of the year jockeying for the fourth when he met Paul at a fraternity mixer. Ryan prided himself on not giving off any gay vibes whatsoever.
Paul had clocked him within five minutes of conversation.
What had started out as mutual gratification sessions had slowed moved into a quiet relationship and then at some point morphed into an actual one. When Ryan had told his father he was gay he thought the old man would literally die right there on the spot.
"You can't be gay. You play football." he said almost choking.
Which pretty much summed up Ryan's dad view on the world.
Paul had been gay before he knew what the word meant. Always the boy on the playground with a boyfriend, more worried about his state of cleanliness than any three girls with the mood swings of a whole theater of Twilight fans. he had taught himself how to act normal, even though he had no idea what that word meant. He was athletic, aggressive and very outgoing, everything one would picture in a young man.
Except of course the whole guy thing.
"This is good." Paul said stopping in the middle of the beach. It was nearing the end of the day and all of the tourists and beach flirts had gone home for the day. The only people left were straight guys running with their dogs, girls watching the guys running with their guys and the few real fans of a California sunset. "Put it down there." he said to Ryan.
"Aye aye sir." he snapped off sarcastically. When anyone met the two of them they automatically assumed that Ryan was the "man: of the relationship, as if there was such a thing. The former jock, current personal trainer and all around sports nut, he was the very model of a modern day heterosexual.
Except of course for the whole guy thing.
He had found a strength in Paul that had surprised him. Instead of just a sex partner he had found a friend, a partner and more than that, an equal. He had found someone more than willing to take the wheel of their life and navigate while he caught a nap. he was able to let out a breath he hadn't even known he was holding the first time he had fallen asleep in Paul's arms. It was the first night he knew he was in love.
After spreading out the blanket Ryan patiently waited for the next part of Paul's plan. "What now? We sit? We walk? We give the joggers a real show?" he said waggling his eyebrows.
"It is always sex with you isn't it?" Paul asked in exasperation.
"Hey I was happily straight before I met you. Not my fault you can screw the straight out of a guy." it was an old joke and one that could usually conjure a chuckle of out Paul, but not this time.
"Were you?" Paul asked, afraid to make eye contact. "Happily straight?"
Ryan shifted on one foot as he thought about it. "I don't know about happily...but I identified as straight yeah." It was another familiar topic but there was a seriousness about this one that made Ryan's chest seize up a little. "Why are you asking?"
Paul said nothing for several seconds. In fact he said several nothings as he stared at the blanket. They had made love under and on this blanket more times than he cared to admit in college. It was more than just a cover, it was their sign, their totem almost. They had made love on Ryan's dorm floor on this blanket one cold November night after a particularly long after game party. Life seemed so much easier then, all laid out ahead of them. It was easy then to just figure out what they were doing tomorrow. There was always another tomorrow, and another, and another.
He had followed Ryan out to California when they graduated. They had rented a house, shared a car, they simply extended what they shared in college to real life. And tomorrow had become today and then yesterday and still...no talk.
"What are we doing?" Paul asked finally, looking up at his lover.
"You're asking me?" Ryan asked flabbergasted. "Are you having a stroke, this was your idea! I have no idea what we are doing at the beach." he laughed.
"I'm not talking about the beach dammit!" he snapped. This was not how this was supposed to go. "What are we doing?" he asked again, this time in a softer tone.
Ryan remained confused for a few seconds before his eyes widened in realization. "Oh! What are we DOING?" He rubbed the back of his head as he seemed to think about it. "You mean that doing."
"Forget it." Paul said dropping the picnic basket, its contents tumbling out on the towel. There were rocks, dozens and dozens of smooth rocks, each one the size of a child's fist.
Ryan looked at them and then back to Paul. "Were you going to stone me out here? Because there are easier ways to get rid of me..."
Paul turned and began to stomp back to the car without a word.
"Whoa!" Ryan called out running head of him. "You used to like my jokes." he said walking backwards in front of him.
"This isn't funny." Paul fumed not stopping.
"OKokokok!" he said putting his hands on Paul's chest. "What's with the rocks?" Paul slowed a bit. "Come on I'm a dumb jock. I really don't know!"
Paul stopped walking forward. "It's stupid. Just forget it alright?"
Ryan was not going to forget it. "Look, you are having a diva moment." Paul's face hardened in anger as Ryan talked faster. "But I love my diva, you know that. But baby...use your words? Because I have problems reading my own thoughts much less yours." Paul said nothing. "Please?"
Paul sighed as he looked down at the beach. "If i tell you then it will be weird and it will be forcing a conversation you aren't ready for and I don't..."
"TALK!" Ryan barked over him.
Paul stopped and took a deep sigh. "I was going to spell out marry me with the rocks while you went and looked for driftwood."
Ryan said nothing as he stared at him blankly.
"See? This is what I meant!" he tried to push past him. "I get it, we aren't there yet. It's not tomorrow!"
"With rocks?" Ryan asked in surprise. "Seriously with actual rocks?"
Paul stopped and gave him a look. "Yeah why? it's romantic!"
"It's stupid." Ryan said turning back towards the ocean. "Stupid rocks.." he mumbled.
"Oh how would you have done it big shot?" he asked grabbing Ryan's shoulder, turning him around.
In one motion Ryan turned, went to one knee and opened a ring box with a platinum band. "I would have said marry me dummy."
Paul froze in place, not even able to breath.
"I may have been happily straight, but you make me ecstatically gay. Now say something before you pass out or something."
"I hate you." was all Paul could muster.
Ryan took his hand and pulled it close. "Now even I know that is Paul for I do." with careful deliberation Ryan slipped it on his fiancee's hand.
Paul held the hand up, completely shocked at how much he loved this man.
Ryan stood up and put one arm around him as he pulled him in for a kiss. "But seriously, rocks? So lame."
Paul looked out at the ocean as he realized...tomorrow was finally here.
"The beach?" Ryan said with a slight grin. "Are we having a Notebook moment or what?"
Paul stopped grabbing the supplies from the trunk and looked over at his lover. "You. Promised."
Ryan sighed as he slammed his door because he had indeed promised. It was their two year anniversary and Paul had wanted to do an actual "couple" thing. Which was a new thing for them to say the least.
Making a zipping motion across his lips he smiled and made his eyes as wide as possible.
"Better." Paul answered as he went back to grabbing the secret supplies he had piled into the trunk before they left. "Grab this blanket for me."
Ryan walked over and took the Michigan Wolverines blanket out of the trunk, noticing the small picnic basket Paul in his hands. "Ok so not Notebook. From Here to Eternity?" he asked hopefully.
Paul slammed the trunk. "Promised!"
Ryan went back to not talking.
They had met their second year in college under what at best would be considered suspect conditions. Ryan had been well into his third girlfriend of the year jockeying for the fourth when he met Paul at a fraternity mixer. Ryan prided himself on not giving off any gay vibes whatsoever.
Paul had clocked him within five minutes of conversation.
What had started out as mutual gratification sessions had slowed moved into a quiet relationship and then at some point morphed into an actual one. When Ryan had told his father he was gay he thought the old man would literally die right there on the spot.
"You can't be gay. You play football." he said almost choking.
Which pretty much summed up Ryan's dad view on the world.
Paul had been gay before he knew what the word meant. Always the boy on the playground with a boyfriend, more worried about his state of cleanliness than any three girls with the mood swings of a whole theater of Twilight fans. he had taught himself how to act normal, even though he had no idea what that word meant. He was athletic, aggressive and very outgoing, everything one would picture in a young man.
Except of course the whole guy thing.
"This is good." Paul said stopping in the middle of the beach. It was nearing the end of the day and all of the tourists and beach flirts had gone home for the day. The only people left were straight guys running with their dogs, girls watching the guys running with their guys and the few real fans of a California sunset. "Put it down there." he said to Ryan.
"Aye aye sir." he snapped off sarcastically. When anyone met the two of them they automatically assumed that Ryan was the "man: of the relationship, as if there was such a thing. The former jock, current personal trainer and all around sports nut, he was the very model of a modern day heterosexual.
Except of course for the whole guy thing.
He had found a strength in Paul that had surprised him. Instead of just a sex partner he had found a friend, a partner and more than that, an equal. He had found someone more than willing to take the wheel of their life and navigate while he caught a nap. he was able to let out a breath he hadn't even known he was holding the first time he had fallen asleep in Paul's arms. It was the first night he knew he was in love.
After spreading out the blanket Ryan patiently waited for the next part of Paul's plan. "What now? We sit? We walk? We give the joggers a real show?" he said waggling his eyebrows.
"It is always sex with you isn't it?" Paul asked in exasperation.
"Hey I was happily straight before I met you. Not my fault you can screw the straight out of a guy." it was an old joke and one that could usually conjure a chuckle of out Paul, but not this time.
"Were you?" Paul asked, afraid to make eye contact. "Happily straight?"
Ryan shifted on one foot as he thought about it. "I don't know about happily...but I identified as straight yeah." It was another familiar topic but there was a seriousness about this one that made Ryan's chest seize up a little. "Why are you asking?"
Paul said nothing for several seconds. In fact he said several nothings as he stared at the blanket. They had made love under and on this blanket more times than he cared to admit in college. It was more than just a cover, it was their sign, their totem almost. They had made love on Ryan's dorm floor on this blanket one cold November night after a particularly long after game party. Life seemed so much easier then, all laid out ahead of them. It was easy then to just figure out what they were doing tomorrow. There was always another tomorrow, and another, and another.
He had followed Ryan out to California when they graduated. They had rented a house, shared a car, they simply extended what they shared in college to real life. And tomorrow had become today and then yesterday and still...no talk.
"What are we doing?" Paul asked finally, looking up at his lover.
"You're asking me?" Ryan asked flabbergasted. "Are you having a stroke, this was your idea! I have no idea what we are doing at the beach." he laughed.
"I'm not talking about the beach dammit!" he snapped. This was not how this was supposed to go. "What are we doing?" he asked again, this time in a softer tone.
Ryan remained confused for a few seconds before his eyes widened in realization. "Oh! What are we DOING?" He rubbed the back of his head as he seemed to think about it. "You mean that doing."
"Forget it." Paul said dropping the picnic basket, its contents tumbling out on the towel. There were rocks, dozens and dozens of smooth rocks, each one the size of a child's fist.
Ryan looked at them and then back to Paul. "Were you going to stone me out here? Because there are easier ways to get rid of me..."
Paul turned and began to stomp back to the car without a word.
"Whoa!" Ryan called out running head of him. "You used to like my jokes." he said walking backwards in front of him.
"This isn't funny." Paul fumed not stopping.
"OKokokok!" he said putting his hands on Paul's chest. "What's with the rocks?" Paul slowed a bit. "Come on I'm a dumb jock. I really don't know!"
Paul stopped walking forward. "It's stupid. Just forget it alright?"
Ryan was not going to forget it. "Look, you are having a diva moment." Paul's face hardened in anger as Ryan talked faster. "But I love my diva, you know that. But baby...use your words? Because I have problems reading my own thoughts much less yours." Paul said nothing. "Please?"
Paul sighed as he looked down at the beach. "If i tell you then it will be weird and it will be forcing a conversation you aren't ready for and I don't..."
"TALK!" Ryan barked over him.
Paul stopped and took a deep sigh. "I was going to spell out marry me with the rocks while you went and looked for driftwood."
Ryan said nothing as he stared at him blankly.
"See? This is what I meant!" he tried to push past him. "I get it, we aren't there yet. It's not tomorrow!"
"With rocks?" Ryan asked in surprise. "Seriously with actual rocks?"
Paul stopped and gave him a look. "Yeah why? it's romantic!"
"It's stupid." Ryan said turning back towards the ocean. "Stupid rocks.." he mumbled.
"Oh how would you have done it big shot?" he asked grabbing Ryan's shoulder, turning him around.
In one motion Ryan turned, went to one knee and opened a ring box with a platinum band. "I would have said marry me dummy."
Paul froze in place, not even able to breath.
"I may have been happily straight, but you make me ecstatically gay. Now say something before you pass out or something."
"I hate you." was all Paul could muster.
Ryan took his hand and pulled it close. "Now even I know that is Paul for I do." with careful deliberation Ryan slipped it on his fiancee's hand.
Paul held the hand up, completely shocked at how much he loved this man.
Ryan stood up and put one arm around him as he pulled him in for a kiss. "But seriously, rocks? So lame."
Paul looked out at the ocean as he realized...tomorrow was finally here.