Husband Hunters

by Rick R. Reed

  Matt had moved on. Cody knew he’d have to repeat the simple sentence over and over to himself, a mantra, to force it to sink in. Life was, right now, a dreary prospect when Cody considered it without Matt.

  Old reliable.

  “Ah shit, Ryder, why can’t I be more like you?” The dog lifted his head and turned to regard his master with what looked very much like sympathy. “You don’t overthink things. You know what you want, and you don’t question it. You just go after it. It all seems so simple. So easy. Why are we humans considered so smart? I can’t even see what I want when it’s right in front of my face.”

  Cody thought he should be shedding a few tears right about now, but he was too numb. He stopped thinking and sank back onto the bench, letting the wind lift his hair off his forehead. He watched a sailboat as it glided across the calm blue waters of Lake Union.

  He couldn’t help himself—he pictured Matt. In dozens of different places, in hundreds of different moods, their shared good times (and bad) together. The laughter and the tears. Matt was always there.

  He closed his eyes and could see Matt, standing right there before him. Cody knew he was everything he wanted. Why did hindsight have to be 20/20, as they said? Who made that rule? It was stupid.

  He let his head loll back and believed he could actually hear Matt. That soft, velvety voice. He was saying something about it being over. Over between him and Tre. Wishful thinking, Cody thought. Hearing what you want to hear.

  But the voice wasn’t coming from inside his head.

  Cody opened his eyes when he felt something gently laid upon his lap. Ryder gave out a single woof. He looked down to see a bouquet of irises wrapped in green tissue paper. He stared at them, not understanding, wondering if he really was going crazy and the perfect purple stems were a hallucination, more wishful thinking.

  And then he turned to look and see who had reached silently over his shoulder and put the flowers before him.

  Matt was standing there, a shy grin playing about his lips. Cody’s eyes welled up, and he knew this was not wishful thinking, a phantom of his tortured, grieving soul bringing something he wanted so bad his mind conjured it up, but reality.

  Matt was standing behind him, and he was real.

  Nothing, Cody thought, nothing could be more authentic yet magical and wonderful.

  Cody’s heart swelled with simple joy. He reached back over his head and grabbed Matt’s hands in his own and squeezed, simply to feel the solidity of him so close.

  “For me?” he asked, knowing the question was stupid, but what else was there to say?

  “Of course they’re for you.” Matt hurried around the bench and sat beside Cody, reaching down to give Ryder a scratch behind the ears. Then he gave Cody a quick peck on the cheek. A father and son, down the hill a bit, flying a brightly colored dragon kite, saw the kiss. Cody would have thought they might have frowned or turned away, but they didn’t. All they did was smile.

  The scene seemed kind of frozen and had all the earmarks of a dream. But Cody knew it was not. It was life. And little more needed to be said.

  But obviously Matt didn’t agree, because he began talking.

  “Before I met you? When I was in college?”

  Cody nodded, not sure at all where this was going.

  “My very best friend in the world was Kate Reeves. I may have mentioned her before. I never get to see her these days because she’s off in Costa Rica, but that’s not my point.” Matt breathed out, gazing off into the distance. Cody followed Matt’s gaze to the other side of the water, the city skyline, but also the hues of yellow, red, and amber the leaves on the trees of Capitol Hill displayed, fiery testimony to the season.

  “Anyway, Kate and I were best pals, the two geeks in the dorm. We met freshman year when we had some of the same math classes. Kate was the kind of girl no one noticed, always on the periphery. The one out of focus in the corner of the snapshot. The girl who passed you by, and a minute later, you’d forget you’d seen her. She had frizzy hair and wore thick glasses.” Matt laughed. “Her hair was already turning gray, even as a freshman. No one saw her because she seemed so unremarkable.

  “But the fact was—she was remarkable. Probably more than anyone in our class. She had a genius IQ; she was a math prodigy. She studied Latin and Mandarin for fun. But she wasn’t just this egghead. She listened to Bonnie Raitt, Duke Ellington, Nina Simone. She would watch dumb TV.” Matt snickered. “More than one afternoon, we were in front of the TV together, glued to Judge Judy.”

  Along with Cody’s lack of impulsiveness was also a lack of patience. He wondered where Matt was going with this and what the point was, but he bit his tongue, knowing (hoping) Matt would get there eventually.

  “The thing about Kate, and me too I suppose, is that we were both lonely kids. We didn’t fit in anywhere. She was kind of like you and me, in that she was always there for me on the weekends and whenever I was bored and wanted to hang.” Matt paused for a moment.

  “Until she wasn’t. I hadn’t seen her for a couple of weeks, which was really rare, you know? She hadn’t answered my calls or texts, and I began to wrack my brain, trying to think of what I had done to offend her.

  “And then, one early morning before my eight o’clock class, I ran into her on campus. I saw her. She didn’t see me. At first, I questioned whether this was really Kate or just a reasonable facsimile. Her hair was pulled back away from her face, and she was wearing makeup, which she never did. She had on this cool, form-fitting black sweater and jeans, which showed off a pretty nice body that I had never known existed, since Kate’s preferred form of dress had been velvet track suits and tennis shoes, another thing that set her apart from the student body.”

  “She was beautiful?” Cody wondered aloud. He pondered whether Matt had somehow gotten inside Cody’s own head and read what he himself had been thinking—how he had at last seen Matt for his true worth and found Matt sexy and valuable. But then he admonished himself for thinking that way, because Matt wasn’t the vain type. Another thing he loved about him…

  There had to be more to this story.

  “Yes, yes, she was beautiful. The clothes showed she had a decent body. And the way she had simply pulled her hair back revealed the good bone structure she had—the high cheekbones and strong, Roman nose. The makeup, subtly applied, didn’t hide anything but brought out her beauty.

  “But the thing that marred her looks a little and the thing that really shocked me was that her glasses were gone.

  “And she was squinting. Hard. She didn’t even recognize me until I was like, six inches away from her face. I had to do one of those waves in front of her eyes to get her attention.

  “I asked her right up front: ‘What the hell’s going on? Why haven’t I seen you? And what’s up with the new look? Where are your glasses?’ She smiled, and I swear, there was a trace of the Mona Lisa in it.

  “She explained it all with three words. ‘I’m in love,’ she said, and that simple, declarative sentence sounded more rapturous than a book of poetry.

  “Anyway, to make a long story short, Kate had met Harold Goldblatt. They were perfect for each other, and I think they’re still together.”

  “And you think we’re like Harold and Kate?” Cody asked, feeling warm.

  “No. Not exactly. That wasn’t my point.”

  Cody couldn’t hold back the words. “Well, then what is your point? Jesus Christ!”

  Matt chuckled. “My point, and I do have one, is not so much about my friend Kate finding love when she thought she never would but about my reaction to her finding this guy.”

  “What? You were jealous?” Cody asked.

  “No, you doofus.” Matt grabbed Cody’s face and squeezed his cheeks together with his hand. Then he leaned in and kissed him. Hard. With tongue and everything.

  “The point is that I was happy for her. Over the moon. Elated. Here was this girl, too bright to connect with most people on any meaningful level, who looked so pl
ain and homely that most of the other kids didn’t have a clue she even existed, and she found someone, at last, who saw her…and loved her. On our many weekends together, we both agreed that, if neither of us ever met anyone and, even though I was a card-carrying, dyed-in-the-wool homosexual, if we reached age forty or so and were still alone, we would get married.”

  “Seriously?”

  “I don’t know. Getting back to my point. I was happy for her.” Matt looked into Cody’s eyes. And Cody couldn’t help but feel a little befuddled. The truth was out there, as they used to claim on The X-Files, but it was still a little out of reach. Cody had a glimmer of what Matt was talking about but knew it hadn’t sunk in. Yet.

  “I was happy for her,” Matt repeated.

  They sat in silence for a while, and Cody supposed Matt waited for him to draw his own conclusion.

  Now, Cody thought, it was Matt’s turn to be impatient.

  “You need me to spell it out? Because I will, but it’s embarrassing for me.”

  “Yes. Yes, I do. Dumb as a rock, I am.”

  “No, you’re not. You’re just a little slow—and that’s one of the many reasons I adore you.”

  Cody felt a flush of heat go through him, magical. Was there anything sweeter than praise from a loved one? Dubious as it was…

  “I saw an entirely different reaction in you, my best friend, when you thought I was in love.”

  “Wait a minute.” Cody thought of the cuteness that was Tre. “In love?”

  “Yes. Yes, I am. Very much so.”

  Cody frowned.

  “For a long time.” Matt looked pointedly at Cody.

  And he got it. He smiled.

  “See,” Matt continued. “My reaction to my best friend being in love was happiness, joy. It was wonderful, sweetheart.”

  And then it clicked into place for Cody.

  “That wasn’t my reaction,” Cody said.

  “Give the man a cigar. Bingo. All that.” Matt smiled at him. “When I saw how you reacted to me with someone else, I knew there was more going on with your feelings toward me than just buddies. I knew then that you cared.” His gaze met Cody’s.

  “I do,” Cody said.

  “I know that now. And you have Tre to thank for helping me see it.” Matt sighed. “What a man.”

  Cody looked away, and Matt touched his shoulder. “But he wasn’t my man.” He forced Cody to turn back and regard him. “My man is right here.”

  And they kissed again. For a very long time—until they heard applause and wolf whistles from strangers on the grass below them. They both pulled away, sheepish.

  Cody felt heat rise to his face. He said, “You wanna come back to my place? I’ll make you pancakes.”

  “Lead the way.”

  As if on cue, Ryder rose and tugged Cody to his feet.

  It was time to go home.

  * * * *

  Later, they lay in bed, bellies full, libidos sated. The sheets beneath them were damp with sweat. Cody had cracked the window open, and a cool breeze washed in, refreshing and clean. Cody thought he could be very happy if he never left this bed again.

  He had never really allowed himself to think of Matt in sexual terms before, and if he had, he would have guessed Matt wouldn’t be much of a lover. Competent, maybe, but that would be the extent of it. Matt was more the type of guy to make someone laugh rather than make him come.

  Boy, was Cody wrong! Matt was tireless, controlled, and gave new meaning to the word solicitous. Cody couldn’t remember a time when he had been so thoroughly pleasured, literally from head to toe. When he came, it was with an arched back and rapturous cries so loud he was certain he would be red-faced for a long time when he encountered any of his neighbors.

  Now it was the calm after the storm. Or maybe it was the eye of the storm, because he was sure there was more to come, so to speak. Ryder dozed lazily on the floor beside the bed, his snore rhythmic and in its own way comforting.

  Cody had curled his body around Matt’s to ward off the chill coming in through the window. His head was on Matt’s hairy chest. “I’m glad you didn’t stay with Tre.”

  “Hey, you rhymed.”

  “I’m trying to be serious here.”

  “I know. Thank you. He was such a nice guy, but my heart was already taken.”

  “By me?”

  “You know by you.”

  “I don’t know if I deserve that placement,” Cody said, hoping Matt would vehemently object to the opinion.

  Matt snorted and ruffled Cody’s hair. “I don’t know if you do either.”

  “Hey!”

  Matt said, “Well, sweetheart, it’s true. You weren’t very nice to me.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “It’s okay. We got to where I know we should be, and that’s all that matters.”

  Cody sat up in bed, remembering, for the first time since encountering Matt in the park, the travel plans he had made that morning. The nonrefundable ticket, the nonrefundable deposit. “Shit.”

  “Nice comeback,” Matt said. “You’re such a sweet talker.”

  “No,” Cody said. “I might have done something stupid.” And he told Matt all about the travel plans he had made and even why he had made them.

  “You’re stupid like a fox.”

  “Huh?”

  “Don’t you see? Barring I can’t get away from school for a few days, I can come with you. We can make it a proper honeymoon.”

  “But we aren’t even married.”

  “Not yet. But life is short; eat dessert first.”

  “Really? You’d come with me?” Cody felt as though he was glowing inside. His happiness was huge—it was joy. What a difference, as the song went, a day makes.

  “Of course. I wouldn’t have in any other way. And you know what else I wouldn’t have any other way?”

  “What?” Cody asked, grinning.

  “Dessert!” Matt yelled, just before diving down under the sheets.

  Epilogue

  ReallaTee.com Weekly Reality Show Recaps

  By Edmond Strauss

  Okay, so I admit it. Your curmudgeonly reality show reviewer was brought to tears by the season finale of Husband Hunters when it debuted just before Christmas. If you haven’t seen it yet, grab yourself a couple of Kleenex and surf the dial or the web—I swear they run this show twenty times a day.

  Now, said curmudgeon is often brought to tears by reality television, but this time was different. Normally, it’s tears of despair for the lack of intelligence, the brainless posturing, and the credibility-stretching setups these shows continue to engage in to attract their viewership. Usually my tears are for the very decline of civilization, boys and girls.

  But HH had me shedding buckets, because it somehow managed to touch this cold, dark heart.

  Usually the show is so syrupy sweet or so fake, I am immediately turned off. But this week, best friends Cody and Matt showed up and, in addition to stealing each other’s hearts, they stole mine. These two guys were so genuinely made for each other that it fairly jumped right off my screen. There was plenty of fire between these two.

  But it was their time on the mountain in this week’s episode that really got to me. When they stopped to take a picture amid the majestic spires, sparkling water, and abundant flora, I was floored because their love was so real. I knew, right then and there, which of the three guys husband hunter Cody would choose. There were no other options. The other men, both nice, ran a distant second and third to Matt. So distant, in fact, they weren’t even in the picture.

  This is one time when reality TV scored not in spite of its predictability, but because of it. This friends-to-lovers story was so genuine and moving it would make the most hardened cynic (like yours truly) a believer not only in reality TV, but in the magic of love.

  The show closed with Matt and Cody’s wedding. They returned to Mt. Baker National Forest for their nuptials. Shot earlier this month, the cabin where they had stayed in the summer looked co
mpletely different, decked out in winter wonderland white. Matt and Cody stood in front of a large picture window with the snow outside wafting down. Duke Ellington’s Nutcracker Suite played softly in the background.

  Magic, I tell you.

  And the two grooms, along with their attendant, a hound called Ryder, continued to let the love flow, making both their faces glow with happiness.

  It was the kind of real life happy-ever-after we all hope to find but so many of us never do.

  Mazel tov, Matt and Cody.

  THE END

  ABOUT RICK R. REED

  Rick R. Reed draws inspiration from the lives of gay men to craft stories that quicken the heartbeat, engage emotions, and keep the pages turning. Although he dabbles in horror, dark suspense, and comedy, his attention always returns to the power of love.

  He’s the award-winning and bestselling author of more than fifty works of published fiction and is forever at work on yet another book. Lambda Literary has called him “a writer that doesn’t disappoint…”

  Rick lives in Palm Springs, CA, with his beloved husband and their fierce Chihuahua/Shiba Inu mix.

  For more information, visit rickrreed.com.

  ABOUT JMS BOOKS LLC

  JMS Books LLC is a small queer press with competitive royalty rates publishing LGBT romance, erotic romance, and young adult fiction. Visit jms-books.com for our latest releases and submission guidelines!