Touched Down

by Hayden Hunt

  We walked to the garage to get in the car and I opened the door for him, as I always tried to. He stepped in and I gently started tying the blindfold around him after he buckled his seatbelt.

  “Can you see?” I asked.

  “Not a thing.”

  “Perfect.” I smiled as I got in the driver seat.

  “Please tell me this isn’t a very long drive though!”

  “It’s not, I swear. Just twenty minutes and we’ll be there.”

  For the first ten minutes of the drive, we made small talk. But the closer we got, the more nervous I became and I was no longer able to hold a conversation. To try to hide this, I turned the radio on and pretended to be into the song that was playing.

  As soon as I parked, Alex asked exactly what I expected him to.

  “Can I take my blindfold off yet?”

  “No!” I said quickly, putting my hand on his hand which was reaching up to the knot of the blindfold. “Almost, but not yet.”

  “Oh, come on, Liam! We’re literally here!” He whined.

  “Just a few more minutes.”

  I went around to his side of the car and opened the door. I gave him my hand, and helped him out. Slowly, I began to walk with his hand in mine, guiding him to where we needed to go.

  Once we were inside, I placed him in the middle of the room.

  “Okay, I’m taking off the blindfold now.” I unknotted the thing and let it fall to the floor.

  His expression was one of pure confusion.

  “Wait…” he looked around quickly. “Are we at the beach bar?”

  We were. It was the same bar we had first met in. But he didn’t recognize it at first because the entire bar top and tables were covered in a variation of candles and flowers.

  “We are.” I told him.

  He still didn’t seem to process this information.

  “But… Why are there so many candles? Is this-“

  It all clicked for him when I got down on one knee.

  His hand flew to his mouth as he gasped.

  “Alex, baby.” I took his hand in mine. “You have no idea how many times I think about coming here that one fateful Wednesday afternoon. That small decision to have a drink here changed my life forever because I met you. Even that day, I knew you were something special. I could talk to you like I’ve never been able to talk to anyone else. Your positivity shined through your smile and from that day forward, you brought sunshine into my dark, cynical world. You brought me happiness. All I knew was that I didn’t want to lose you. So, I’m hoping today, I can make a promise that guarantees I never will.”

  “Oh my god.” He whispered as tears started flooding his eyes.

  “Alex, I’m scared. I’m scared of the vastness that is the rest of our lives. The same way I’m scared to jump into the ocean, I’m scared to jump into a whole new life with you. But like you said, vast opportunities are not always a bad thing. And I’m willing to jump head first into the ocean of the rest of our lives with you.”

  I grabbed the small black box holding the wedding ring and held it open to him. “Will you marry me?”

  “Yes!” He choked, now completely crying. “Yes, I’ll marry you. Of course, I’ll marry you!”

  I slid the ring on his finger and then instantly jumped onto my feet to kiss him. He buried his head into my chest and cried happy tears.

  “Oh my god! How did you even do this? With all the candles and the empty bar? I mean, it’s Saturday night! Where are all the people?” He looked around for a second time.

  “I bought it out for the night. I thought you wouldn’t want an audience for our proposal, but I knew it had to be here. Where we met. When the sun was setting over the ocean and the waves were shining. It needed to be here, so I bought out the night to keep it closed for us.”

  “The whole night, huh?” He wiped tears out of his eyes.

  “The whole night. Because there’s more.”

  “More?!” He gasped. “You just put a ring on my finger! What else could there be?”

  I took his hand and led him to a table set for two. “Well, exactly. This is the night I ask you to marry me. So, of course, I want you to remember it well.”

  As we sat, a well dressed waiter came out from the back and dropped off two waters in front of us along with a first-course salad.

  “If you gentlemen need anything tonight, please let me know.”

  “Thank you.” I said in response since Alex clearly wasn’t going to. He was staring out, wide eyed, in shock.

  “Well, this looks fancy.” He finally commented when the surprise wore off.

  “Eh,” I shrugged. “Only if you'd call a five course lobster meal fancy.”

  “Uh, yeah, I do.” He grinned. “Liam, this is all absolutely perfect.”

  “I was hoping you’d think so.”

  He twirled his fork around, sliding lettuce around his plate with a goofy grin on his face.

  “What is it?” I asked.

  “I was just thinking… You still remember that thing I said the first day we met?”

  “Which thing?” I asked. “We talked quite a bit.” And I remembered all of it.

  “The thing about the ocean.”

  “Oh, yes. You know, I’m pretty confident I remember our entire conversation from that day but that stuck out in particular for me. There’s no way I’ll ever forget it. It was the moment I knew that, one way or another, you were going to be an important person to keep in my life.”

  “And why is that?” He asked.

  “It was the moment I realized you could change my perspective. You were capable of making me see the world in a different light. And, at the time, I felt very negatively about the world. And then you said that and… I just knew. You were going to be the one to change my mind. And fuck, Alex, I needed someone to change my mind so bad. I was digging myself a hole I couldn’t get out of. Then, there you were, offering me a shovel.”

  He was grinning ear to ear. “That’s so fucking sweet.” He paused for a moment. “What kind of hole?”

  “The kind that keeps you isolated from the world. That makes you bitter, lonely, depressed. I felt so alone. Right before I met you I had just went out on a blind date with a woman and even though she was beautiful, sweet, and seemingly perfect for me, I felt nothing for her. I just felt that, in that moment, I was never going to find the person for me. Which was very fucking sad.”

  “Yeah, I think I remember that.” He said. “I mean, obviously I came out much earlier than you, as soon as I turned eighteen. But still, I remember how lonely the world felt before I really accepted that I liked men.”

  I laughed. “No, that wasn’t the problem I was having.”

  “No?” He asked, confused. “Then what was?”

  “Not finding you.” I said seriously. “It was just… you. Realizing that I could be attracted to men, that wouldn’t have saved me. Do you know how many men I’ve met in my life? And none of them ever made an impact on me. The same way no woman ever interested me. It wouldn’t be enough to just date men. I’d feel the same emptiness I felt dating women. I wouldn’t have found the right man for me. Because I wasn’t destined to, until that day I met you.”

  I could see more tears welling up in his eyes but he didn’t have a chance to answer because the waiter was bringing us the next course, a lobster bisque.

  “Thank you.” Alex said to the waiter this time, though his voice was showing overt emotion.

  “You know,” Alex began after taking a few spoonfuls, “my situation wasn't exactly like yours. Obviously, I dated other men. I even loved them. But one thing I can definitely say is that I never loved any of them like you. I never really believed in fate or destiny before but now… I can see it. I can see how all the bumpy roads of my life were leading me to you. I’m just excited to see where they continue to lead.”

  “Oh,” I laughed, “I already know that.”

  “Know what?”

  “Where our road will continue to lead.
”

  He rolled his eyes. “And where is that, exactly?”

  “To a family. To two beautiful children. To our perfect house with our perfect big backyard and a dog. Not right away, of course. First our road will take us to some beautiful vacations. We’ll go traveling, we’ll get to know each other better than we ever could have before. And then, eventually, we will settle. When our adventures are done, we’ll take on the adventure of a family.” I took his hand. “I see a big, beautiful life ahead of us.”

  18

  Alex

  This night was more than I ever could have imagined.

  I wasn’t one of those guys that dreamed of their proposal and wedding. Frankly, I never even considered either of those two things an option for me until I met Liam. And I definitely didn’t think it was going to come this soon.

  Not that I was complaining. I may have never contemplated my proposal before but this night was absolutely perfect. I can't imagine a better way to get asked to marry someone.

  I didn’t want tonight to end but, of course, it had to. We finished our dinner, though I ate as slow as I possibly could. I expected Liam to suggesting going home after dessert but he didn’t. Instead, he asked me to walk on the beach.

  “A walk on the beach?” I laughed. “Isn’t that a little cliche?”

  “You’re right. Because taking you to where we first met, covering it in candles and flowers, and proposing with a five course meal totally isn’t cliche. If you haven’t noticed, I’m going for the trifecta of corny tonight.”

  I laughed and took his hand as we made our way toward the bench we sat on that first day.

  “So, what do you think of this place?” He asked as we stared out at the dimming ocean.

  “Uh, it’s great. It’s perfect. It’s the beach.” I nudged him.

  “No, I mean, for our wedding?”

  “We’re already making plans?!” I asked.

  “Sure. Why? Does that scare you?” He nudged me back.

  “Let’s just say, the speed of sound doesn’t go faster than you.”

  He laughed. “But seriously, what do you think?”

  “I mean, it would be beautiful. Of course a wedding on the beach would be beautiful. But a little unrealistic, right? Like, we’re going to put a bunch of guests in chairs in the sand on a public beach and hope to not get interrupted?”

  “I was actually thinking no guests.” He said. “I mean, if you want them, we’ll have them. I’ll do whatever makes you happy. And if we don’t have them come to the ceremony, I’d love to throw a reception somewhere else where we could celebrate with friends. But, I thought it would be nice if we got married here alone. Just me, you, and the ocean.”

  Like I said, I hadn’t considered a plan for my future wedding. But this sounded oddly perfect.

  “Okay.” I agreed. “I like that. So we get married alone, on the beach?”

  “Alone on the beach.” He agreed, putting his arm around me and pulling me close.

  “Have you thought about the fact that we’re moving, like, very fast?” I asked him. “Seriously, do you have any reservations?”

  “Not at all.” He said casually. “Do you?”

  “Not really.” I answered. “I love you, of course. I feel like you’re the one. But there’s that thought in my back of my mind wondering… Will this really last? Are we really one of those love-at-first-sight couples that gets engaged after only a few months and makes it work? Because I know a lot of people feel that way and then it all ends up falling to shit.”

  He laughed. “Yeah, I know what you mean. But I’m pretty confident. It’s not as if I fall in love easily. There’s only been one person here for me, just you. I have no doubt there is nobody else out there for me.”

  “You’re right.” I agreed. “Besides, no sense worrying about it, right? Only time will tell.”

  “Right.”

  I stared out at the ocean and thought about what I told him the first time we came here. I stick by what I said.

  Liam’s right, a life with him is opening myself up to be vulnerable. To a vast number of possibilities. But I think they’ll all be positive ones. I think, in the course of my life, he’s going to pleasantly surprise me.

  Just like he surprised me that night he told me he had feelings for me. And how he surprised me by penning that open letter to his fans, claiming me as his. After everything that’s happened, I don’t doubt there’s not a thing that boy wouldn’t do for my happiness.

  And there’s nothing I won’t do for his.

  Epilogue

  Liam

  I rolled over in bed, expecting Alex to be laying across from me, but he was nowhere to be found.

  I looked out the window to our backyard, surprised to see it was already light out. Well, that’s weird. Usually I wake up before the sun rises.

  Scratch that, usually the kids wake up before the sun rises. Which in turn forces me to get up.

  But I didn’t mind this. In fact, I loved waking up with the two of them.

  We had adopted them both as babies. First was Charlie, he’s six years old now. He’s a firecracker. Constantly full of energy, always bounding around the house. If trouble is stirred or something gets broken, you can pretty much guarantee it was Charlie.

  I loved him for it. His adventurous spirit, I could just see it taking him far in life. He’ll be the one who wants to travel and do college abroad, I just know it. He’ll be the one to take risks.

  Then there’s little Rachel. She was Charlie’s exact opposite. Sweet, kind, nurturing. She was quiet, our little introvert. She never got into trouble. Actually, if anything went even mildly wrong in preschool, she was the first to announce it when she got home. She was four.

  They were both the light of my life. Along with Alex, of course. But they held a special place in my heart that even Alex couldn’t touch.

  Worry started to rush over me. Wait, where were they? And where was Alex?

  “Alex?” I called out from bed as I started to get up. “Kids?”

  Alex bounded into the room with a grin on his face. “Oh, you’re awake, perfect. Stay right here.”

  He stepped out of the room and when he came back, he had a breakfast tray with pancakes, eggs, and sausage.

  “What’s this?” I said with a grin.

  “Breakfast in bed for the love of my life.” He set it down.

  “Thank you.” I said but I paused before I sank my fork into the food. “Wait, what am I missing?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “There’s something special about today, right? It’s our anniversary? Or is it valentines? Or-“

  “Nope. Nothing special about today except for the fact that I love you and I want to spend time showing you just how much. Relax, eat.”

  He was such a sweetheart.

  I bit into the breakfast which was perfect. “This is amazing. Thank you, babe.”

  “Oh, no problem.”

  “How come the kids haven’t come in here yet?” I asked. “Do you have them plopped in front of a movie?”

  “Even better.” He told me. “They’re out for the night?”

  “Out for the night?” My protective instincts overtook me. “Where?”

  “With Aunt Sarah.” He smiled.

  Okay, that’s fine. Sarah is one of very few people I trust to watch our kids. She was great with them.

  “Okay… Good.” I smiled. “And what are we going to do all by ourselves, hmm?”

  It had been so long since we were able to spend the day alone together. We had some time while the kids were in school, but mostly we were catching up on our long list of things to do during that time.

  “Oh, you know.” He grinned. “Have a very romantic day to ourselves.”

  “Mmm.” I smiled. “I could use one of those.”

  I set my food tray on the bed side table and motioned for him to cuddle with me. He settled himself in my arms and I began to run my fingers through his hair.

  “You’re
very romantic, you know.” I told him.

  “I know.” He laughed to himself. “But so are you.”

  Yeah, I was. I thought back to the proposal I did for him in the place that we first met. Or our beautiful beach ceremony, where my vows nearly made him burst into uncontrollable tears.

  “I know we get busy.” Alex began. “We have two kids, a never ending list of things to do, and we get complacent. But I just want you to know, I appreciate you so much. I still have a love for you that runs deeper than I ever could have imagined. You are the light of my life.”

  “I believe you’re the light.” I reminded him. “I’m the dark, cynical, cloudy day, remember?”

  “Not anymore.” He shook his head. “It’s funny. But I’ve seen you transform over the last few years. You’re a different person. A brighter person.”

  “Only because of you.” I told him. “And the kids. I can't be dark and cynical when I look at the wonderful family I have. Hell, the wonderful life I have.”

  He looked up at me and smiled.

  “Remember where we took our honeymoon?” He asked.

  “Hawaii, because you loved it so much you wanted to go back.”

  “Exactly! And we haven’t been there since. I was thinking of maybe taking the kids this summer, when school is out. What do you think?”

  “Yeah, yeah. I think that’d be nice. We don’t travel with them enough.” Like Alex had said, it was easy to become complacent in our daily routines.

  “Perfect.”

  We were quiet for a while. When we first started dating, we used to fill every silent moment with conversation. Because we were learning each other, of course. And wanted to learn one another to the best of our ability.

  But things have changed. We knew each other now. In fact, I knew Alex better than I’ve ever known anyone. And he knows me. Inside and out, there’s not a detail that’s gone unmentioned between us.

  So we felt differently about the silence. Especially now that we had kids and the house was almost never quiet. Now it was an opportunity to enjoy the peace in each other.

  I love every second of this.