It was Supposed to be a One-Night Stand - 1. Chapter 1

It was Supposed to be a One Night Stand

Chapter 1- Spring Break

It was Saturday night, the music was pumping, the dancefloor was packed, I was dancing with a hot guy, and I was a sweaty, slightly drunken mess. But I didn’t care. It was the end of spring break and the last night on a seven-day Caribbean cruise. Being a high school teacher has its advantages. I get the same vacation schedules as the students; too bad this wasn’t the vacation I had originally planned.

Brandon and I met our Freshman year of college. We had some mutual friends but didn’t hang with the same core group of people. During our Junior year, we had a history class together and decided to be study partners. Things progressed, we started dating, and eventually moved in together for our Senior year. After graduation, I got a job teaching history at a high school and Brandon started graduate school. I thought everything was fine. In fact, I would’ve told anyone who asked that things were fantastic.

I booked the cruise for us to celebrate our four-year anniversary as well as Brandon’s upcoming graduation. We were going to sail out of Galveston on a seven-day cruise with stops in Honduras, Coasta Maya, and Cozumel. Thank god I chose to buy vacation insurance, otherwise I would’ve been out a couple thousand dollars.

On Friday, a week and a few days before we were supposed to leave, I wasn’t feeling well. I had plenty of sick days/personal days I would lose if I didn’t use them before the end of the year, so I decided to call in a substitute for the rest of the day and left at 11:00. I knew Brandon didn’t have any Friday afternoon classes, and I wanted to surprise him. I pulled into the driveway and parked my truck next to Brandon’s car, so I knew he was home. I entered through the garage door and didn’t hear the TV in the living room, but I could hear loud music coming from our bedroom, so I headed that way. What I saw will be forever seared into my memories. Brandon was completely nude laying on his back. Under normal circumstances, that would be fine; however, the bitch riding his dick wasn’t fine. At all.

I then heard her say, “If this is how good you fuck Trevor, no wonder he’s still around.”

I stood at the door stunned. Finally, I found my voice. “What the fuck is going on here?”

Brandon practically threw the blonde off the bed. “Shit, Trev. I can explain.”

That’s when I heard a familiar voice say, “Explain? I thought he knew. You said you told him two years ago.” That voice belonged to his best friend, Marcie. His best friend who he would go out with at least once a week because we felt we should have our own friends still. His best friend who he spent the night with because they had gone out and he was either too tired or drunk to drive home.

I glared at Brandon. “Two years? You’ve been fucking around behind my back for two fucking years? Get the fuck out of my house.”

Marcie, who was in the process of getting dressed, looked at Brandon and said, “Seriously, I told you I wouldn’t go out with you or start anything with you unless Trevor knew. You told me y’all talked and he was okay with this as long as he didn’t see anything.”

Brandon looked from Marcie to me. He lowered his head and said, “Marcie, Trevor and I need to talk. I’ll call…”

He was cut off when she said, “Don’t bother calling me again. We’re done.” She turned to me and continued, “I’m really sorry. I never wanted to come between you two. I honestly thought you knew.”

Still glaring at Brandon, I responded, “Just please get out of my house.”

She left. Brandon started trying to explain how when they met two years ago, one night while studying at her place, they kissed. He didn’t think he would’ve been turned on by it, so he didn’t see any harm in going along with it.

I interrupted his explanation, “I honestly don’t give a shit. You threw away years of a good thing because you made out with a girl one night and got a hard on. Then you continued to see her while lying to both of us, not expecting to get caught. Was there anyone else?”

He shook his head but wouldn’t answer me. I demanded, “Brandon, we’ve supposedly been exclusive for four years. We’ve been barebacking for three of those years. I get my yearly physical and they test me then. I need to know, has there been anyone else?”

“No, I swear. She and I used condoms every time. I haven’t slept with anyone else. I love…”

“Don’t you fucking say that to me. If you really loved me, you wouldn’t have been fucking your best friend for the past two years. If you loved me, you would’ve told me about that kiss that night, and we could’ve talked about it like partners do. Now, I want you out of my fucking house. We’re done.”

“Come on, Trev. You can’t be serious. We’ve got the cruise next week. Let’s just go on our vacation and reconnect. I promise you I won’t see her anymore.”

“I don’t care if you see her or not. I’m done. Now, get the fuck out.”

“Where am I supposed to go, huh? You’re just going to kick me out on the streets and leave me homeless?”

“You should’ve thought about that before you stuck your dick in some bitch in my house, in my bed.”

“This is our house and our bed. We live here together. You can’t just kick me out.”

“You need to look again. Everything’s in my name. I’ve paid every bill. Now, I want you to pack up whatever you own and get out. NOW!”

He left that night, crying and telling me how sorry he was and how he would always love me. I didn’t lose my shit till I watched his car back out of the driveway. I immediately picked up my phone and called my best friend, Vanessa. She came over and we got drunk. We then went online and changed the reservation for the cruise. We upgraded to a two-bedroom suite (luckily there was one left), changed the passenger name from Brandon to Vanessa, and finally changed the pin so nobody could change the reservation again. Vanessa paid for the upgrades and we started planning what we wanted to do on our vacation.

Vanessa decided, since I was single now, I was going to have fun on this cruise. She was determined to find me a one-night stand before we returned to Galveston at the very least. I tried to protest at first; but once Vanessa has an idea in her head, she doesn’t let it go. I figured, once we were on the ship and she started pointing guys out, I’d just veto each one and avoid the whole situation.

We left the Port of Galveston on Sunday afternoon for seven days of fun. Or at least as much fun as you can have a week after you catch your boyfriend of four years cheating on you with a girl. Vanessa was insistent that, and I quote, “get back in the saddle and ride him all night long.” She spent most of the time while we were aboard the ship pointing out guys she knew were my type. She also didn’t have any problems pointing out the guys who were supposedly checking me out. Each time, I would come up with some excuse and shoot them down. It worked great. Until the last night.

After a formal dinner in the Dining Room, we went back to the cabin to change for the nightclub that was on the ship. Once we made it to the club, we immediately headed for the bar. There were a couple of days on the ship when I got a good buzz going on, but that night, I went balls to the wall and within an hour or so, I was shitfaced, sloppy drunk. Not to the point I was stumbling and falling down. I was right at that point where I shouldn’t have been making any decisions other than whether or not to sit the next song out.

At one point, I was standing at the bar, waiting to order another drink, when a guy walked up and stood next to me. He smiled at me, and I thought he might have been checking me out but wasn’t totally sure. I, however, did give him a once over. He was about the same height as me, standing at six feet. We also had similar trim builds. He looked to be about my age, maybe a little older. Where my hair was an auburn brown, his was black. He had the most piercing ice blue eyes I’d ever seen.

I was about to tell him hello, when Vanessa walked up to me and said, “Come on, Trev. Get your gay ass back out the dancefloor.”

I looked back at the guy and he was already at the bar, ordering a drink from the bartender, no longer looking my way. I growled out to Vanessa, “Fine, whatever. Come on.” We walked about ten feet away when I said in her ear, “You have the worst fucking timing in the world. I was about to talk to that hottie next to me when you had to come over and out me. When I looked back at him, he was ignoring me.” Even though my words were not kind, she could hear the laughter in my voice.

We were on the dancefloor about five minutes before Vanessa said, “Don’t look now, but Bar Hottie is coming this way. And he’s holding two drinks.”

Just as she finished, I heard, “Hey, I think I cut in line back there, and you didn’t get to order this. I asked the bartender what you were drinking. Y’all want to grab a table and talk?”

I looked at Vanessa, and she pushed me his way. I thought she was going to follow us, but when we got to a table, I turned around and it was just the two of us. He placed the drink in front of me and stuck out his hand. “My name’s Matt. Sorry about cutting in line.”

I shook his hand and introduced myself. He held onto my hand a little longer than normal, but it wasn’t awkward. We sat there and talked about trivial things like what excursions we did at the ports, who we were traveling with, if we were sharing a room with anyone. I let him know I was traveling with my best friend and we had a two-bedroom suite. He smiled broadly at me and said, “You lucky son of a bitch. I’m sharing a room with two other guys, who are a couple. I’m having to sleep on a bed that drops down from the ceiling. The room is beyond cramped and I’ve had to hear them fucking like rabbits below me almost every night. They think they’re being quiet, but they aren’t.”

I laughed and said, “I would be tempted to watch if they were hot.”

“Dude, one of them is my brother. I don’t think I want to watch that.”

Just then, two guys walked up to our table. One of them looked enough like Matt I could tell he was his brother. He looked at Matt and said, “We’re going back to the room. We’re beat and still have to pack. Have fun baby brother.” He looked at me and winked before they walked away.

Matt looked at me and was about as red as the lobster we had for dinner. “I’m so sorry. He doesn’t have a filter and loves to embarrass me any chance he gets.”

I chuckled and told him it was fine, and I was drunk enough, so it didn’t bother me.

He looked at me grinning and we started leaning towards each other. When our lips met, I experienced one of the hottest kisses of my life and it left me weak-kneed. After the kiss broke, I leaned back and looked him in the eye. “Wow! That was…wow!”

He gave me a heated look and nodded his head. All he could say was, “Uh huh. Again?”

I wasn’t one to argue, so I indulged him. I don’t how much longer it was before I heard the sound of a throat clearing next to me. I ignored it as long as I could before Vanessa finally said, “Excuse me, Trevor. Stop sucking Bar Hottie’s face long enough for me to say I’m going to bed.”

I pulled back from Matt and grinned drunkenly at Vanessa. “Okeydokey. Bye. I’ll see you later.” I turned back to Matt and asked, “Now, where were we? Oh yeah! Right here.” And leaned back over and kissed him again.

We sat there making out for a few minutes, then went to get refills for our drinks. That’s how we ended up on the dancefloor sweaty and dancing. Finally, around two in the morning, I looked at Matt and said, “Umm, so, what do you have planned for the rest of the night?”

He leaned over and whispered in my ear, “Well, I was hoping you would invite me up to your suite and we could take advantage of you having a room to yourself.”

My inhibitions were nonexistent, so I nodded and grabbed his hand and walked him out of the club. The elevator had four other people on it, so we didn’t get to make out any more on the way to the room. We entered the suite and as soon as I closed and locked the door, I attacked Matt’s mouth. I tried to direct him towards my room, but when we bumped into the wall, I broke the kiss long enough to guide us in the room.

Once we were in the room and alone, I started getting nervous. Brandon had been the only person I’d been with for the past four years. Before him, there were a handful of guys I traded blowjobs with and only about three or four I’d gone all the way with. I wasn’t used to random hookups. Matt must’ve noticed my reluctance because he grabbed my hand and led me to the bed. He sat down next to me and asked, “Are you okay?”

I nodded and said, “Yeah, I just don’t the whole random hookup thing often. Actually, like ever.”

He looked concerned and asked, “Do you not want to do this? I can leave if you’d like.”

I shook my head and said, “No, please stay. I want to do this. I need to do this.”

He gave me a quizzical look, but before he could say anything, I attacked his mouth and started laying him down. Before we were all the way down, he broke the kiss and grabbed my shirt and started lifting it. I did the same for him. Once both shirts were off, I took in the sight before me. I smiled down at Matt and grabbed my belt and took off my pants and underwear without a second thought. He didn’t hesitate to do the same. Soon, we were both naked, rubbing our bodies against each other, and making out like there was no tomorrow.

I pulled away from the kiss long enough to ask, “Top or bottom?”

“Oh God. Either. I’m good,” was his breathless reply.

I grabbed a condom and some lube from the nightstand and put some on my fingers. I got him as ready as I could, but neither of us was in a waiting mood. He put the condom on me, and we had sex that blew both of our minds. After we tried to quietly clean up, we napped for about an hour or so and then went again, only him on top. I won’t go into too many details, but we had sex four times before he had to go meet his friends for breakfast.

We never told the other anything very personal. Neither of us gave our last names, we didn’t even say where we were from or discuss what we did for a living. We both went into the bedroom knowing it was going to be a one-night stand and we were both okay with that. We saw each other at breakfast, but other than a surreptitious nod and slight smile, we didn’t acknowledge the other.

Vanessa and I returned home. I walked into the house and immediately noticed how empty and lonely it felt. A little part of me missed Brandon, but I could never forgive him for what he did.

So, I went ahead with my life. I returned to work and finished out the rest of the school year with no problems. During the summer, Vanessa and I took a road trip to Yellowstone National Park, spending the night at random hotels along the way. We came home through Colorado, where we went white water rafting. I didn’t go out and do the random hookup thing again. I did go on a couple of dates with one guy named Nolan. However, after the fourth date when we tried to have sex, it felt like something was missing. We remained friends but decided we couldn’t continue dating. I don’t care what anyone says, sex is important in a relationship. If you’re not compatible in bed, it won’t last. Nolan is now my other best friend. I didn’t forget about Matt, but he wasn’t on my mind all the time. I would think back on that night and remember the mind-blowing sex we had, which was fodder for many masturbatory scenes.

Chapter 2- Five Months Later

The new school year was about to begin, and teachers had to be there a week early. I got a phone call from my principal. She wanted me to sit in on an interview for a potential assistant principal as one of the faculty interviewers (she liked to do her interviews for any position with a panel of teachers). I let her know that wouldn’t be a problem and showed up the first day of work and went to the conference room for the interview. We were each handed a copy of the potential candidate’s resume. His name was Mathew McPherson, and he had his master’s in administration from Stephen F. Austin University (one of the best education colleges in the state of Texas). He previously was assistant principal at a middle school in Victoria, Texas. He seemed qualified on paper for the position. Mrs. Ainsworth, Mary, called in Mathew. I was still looking over his resume when he came in, so I didn’t see him till I looked up. Sitting directly across from me was a hot guy with black hair and ice blue eyes that pierced into my soul.

Neither Mary, Matt, nor the other teachers on the panel missed my sharp intake of breath. Matt looked me right in the eye and said, “Trevor! How are you doing?”

Mary looked from me to him and then asked, “Do you two know each other?”

I decided to let Matt answer that. I wanted to see how he would handle the situation. He smiled at her and said, “Not really. We met over spring break on a cruise. We spent some time together, hanging out on the boat. We didn’t exchange contact information and keep in touch unfortunately.”

Very diplomatic. Didn’t reveal too much information about either of us or what happened while we were hanging out. I spoke up, “Mary, if you would rather I sit this interview out, I will. It’s up to you.”

“No, no. You’re fine. I wanted to keep this one informal anyways. Alright, let’s get started.” She explained to Matt that the panel members would ask him questions first. Then if he had any questions, he could ask them of anyone. After that, the panel would briefly discuss the answers, then either the job would be offered or not. She then said, “Basically Matthew, I just want to see if you’re a good fit.”

I started thinking, “I know a place where he’s a good fit.”

I then heard Mary’s voice cut through those thoughts, “Trevor, do you have anything to ask Mathew?”

My genius response came out, “Huh? What? Umm…umm…no I think I’m good. Thanks.” I looked at Matt, and he had a knowing smirk on his much too handsome face.

Mary asked him to step outside for a bit. As soon as the door closed behind him, the chatter started. I got my first good look at the panel then. All female, except me. So, the comments I heard were about how gorgeous his eyes are. Did anyone notice a ring? Do you think he’s single? I wonder if he’ll go out with me this weekend? I sat there biting my tongue, thinking,“Too bad y’all are shit out of luck.” Finally, Mary cleared her throat and the gossip hens slowly stopped talking.

She looked at us and asked, “Does anyone have any reason I shouldn’t offer him the job?” When nobody spoke up, she continued, “Good. Trevor, would you mind asking Mathew to come back in?”

I nodded, stood, and crossed to the door. Matt was standing there, facing away from the door. When he heard me say his name, he turned and greeted me with a huge smile. I lost my train of thought for a second. Finally, I shook my head and asked him to come back into the room.

As soon as we stepped back in, Mary smiled and said, “Congratulations. The job is yours if you want it. If you need to take a day or two to think about it, that’s fine. Just let me know by Wednesday.”

He didn’t hesitate. “I don’t need any time to think about it. When can I start?”

Mary’s smile broadened. “Fantastic. Welcome aboard. You can start tomorrow if you want. First, you’ll need to fill out some paperwork over at the administration building. I need to call let them know to expect you.” She turned to me and said, “While I’m doing that, would you mind giving Mathew a tour of the school?”

“Sure, no problem.”

Matt stuck his hand out for Mary to shake saying, “Thank you. And please call me Matt.” He then turned to me and asked, “Shall we?”

During the tour, we started up a casual conversation. I was intentionally staying away from one topic: I didn’t think it would appropriate for me to bring up our one night together. I thought we were going to avoid the topic completely; that is, until we arrived in the main office and I showed him where his office would be.

As we entered the room, he closed the door behind us. “So, how have you been Trevor?”

I replied, “I’m doing well. How are you doing?”

He smiled at me and said, “So, are we just going to pretend it never happened?”

I tried to swallow, but my mouth was dry. I finally stammered out, “Well...um I guess that’s up to you. Is that how you want to do this?”

He shook his head and asked, “What’s the district’s policy on dating co-workers?”

“Well, as long as we’re discreet while at work, they don’t mind. Why?”

“Because that night was amazing. I wish we had gotten to know each other more, but I haven’t been able to get it out of my mind.”

“Me neither. But I don’t know if I’m ready to get into a relationship. I hardly know anything about you and if it doesn’t work out, things would get awkward around here.”

“Well, if we connected as well as we did that night, I don’t think there will be any problems with this not working out. As far as not knowing much about me, feel free to ask. I’ll answer anything you want to know.”

The first thing I could think of was that he didn’t look much older than me, but he already had a master’s in administration. So, I said, “I noticed you received your master’s in 2013. How old are you? You can’t be much older than me.”

His smile was lopsided when he said, “I’m thirty-one. Just turned it last month. What about you?”

“Wow, you’re thirty-one? Really? I thought you were closer to my age. I’m twenty-five. This will be my fourth year teaching.”

“So, back to my original question.”

“Actually, I’ve answered every question you’ve asked. First, how was I doing. Second, about pretending it never happened. Third, the district’s policy on dating. And then, about my age. So, what question is it you’re looking for me to answer?” I was being intentionally annoying. I wanted him to actually ask me out. I needed him to ask me out. I didn’t have the balls to do it myself.

He took a step closer to me and said, “You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?”

I feigned ignorance and replied, “I have no idea what you mean.”

He took another step closer. We were now merely inches away from each other. Just as his hand reached towards my neck, there a knock on the door. Without waiting for an answer, Mary opened the door just as we jerked away from each other.

She started talking immediately, completely oblivious to any tension in the room. “Alright, I’ve let them know you’ll be there shortly to fill out the paperwork. Here is the address for the building. Just ask for Mandy when you get there, and she’ll get you set up. I guess I’ll see you in the morning. I’m looking for to working with you.”

She turned and walked out, leaving the door open. I was suddenly uncomfortable and decided I needed to be out of there. I headed towards the door when Matt said, “Trevor, we only get one chance at this life. Sometimes we just need to put ourselves out there and see what happens. So, here I go. I’m going to put myself out there and ask. Will you go out with me so we can get to know each other and see if there is anything there and give us a chance?”

I stopped in the doorway when I heard my name but didn’t turn around. I thought about how much Brandon hurt me and wasn’t sure I could go through that ever again. My voice was thick with emotion when I said, “A week before we met, I found my boyfriend of four years in our bed with woman. He broke my heart. You were supposed to a one-night stand. I don’t want to get hurt again.”

I felt a hand on my shoulder trying to turn me around, so I could face him. I didn’t want to turn around because I wasn’t sure I would be able to tell him no. He spoke softly when he said, “Please give me chance Trevor. One date. That’s all I’m asking for right now. Who knows what will happen in the future. My motto in life is: We only get one chance to make this the best life we can; so, it’s now or never. If we don’t start living our lives to be happy, then we’ll never find our heart’s desire. So, what do you say?”

I turned towards him and chuckled. “You know you sound like one of those motivational posters. You know that kind with the kitten hanging from a tree limb and it says, ‘Hang In There!’”

“So, is that a yes?”

“Fine. One date. That’s all I’m promising. We’ll see how it goes from there. Now, I have a question for you. Why did you move up here?”

“Honestly, I needed a change of scenery. I was with a guy named Todd for two years and we split up last January. After I got back from the cruise, he begged me to take him back and I did. We didn’t last two months this time. Victoria isn’t a small town, but it’s not that big. I decided to try for a new start somewhere. Mike, my brother, lives up here and told me I could stay with him and Jeff; so, I took him up on the offer and here I am.”

“Are you sure this isn’t a rebound for both of us?”

“If it is, then let’s at least have fun with it. We’ll see where we go after Friday night. I’ll pick you up at 6:30.”

I gave him my phone number and we set everything up. I hope I didn’t make a mistake by agreeing to date a co-worker, but he was right, we only get one chance at making this life the best it can be.

Chapter 3- Two and Half Years Later

“Come on Matt. We have dinner reservations in the main dining room in fifteen minutes. It’s our last night on the cruise, they’re serving lobster, and you know how Mike, Jeff, and Vanessa get if we’re late.”

“I’m coming, I’m coming. Jeez. It’s your fault if we’re late and I’ll tell them that.”

“How exactly is it my fault. If I recall, you’re the one who suggested we come back to the room instead of laying out by the pool.”

He crossed over to me and put his arms around my waist and placed a light kiss on my lips. “Because I wanted to take a nap. You’re the one who attacked me when we got back here.”

“Only because you’re the one who stripped naked and said he wasn’t tired as soon as I closed the door.”

I leaned in and kissed him. Just as the kiss was getting intense, I pulled away and headed for the door. I looked over my shoulder and saw him standing in the same spot looking flabbergasted. I said, “If we don’t head down now, I’ll have to hear it all night from Vanessa. She’s already been pissy this whole trip because she can’t drink. I don’t need to be on the pregnant Vanessa’s warpath. And you’ll have to hear it from Mike and Jeff since they’ve got some weird mental mind link with her. I’m mean seriously, just because she’s carrying their baby doesn’t mean they can read her mind.”

I knew the longer I stood there and babbled, the quicker he’d come along. After almost two and half years being together, living with each other for a year and a half of that, we knew what buttons to push to get what we wanted from the other. Before I could continue my monologue about Vanessa, Mike, and Jeff, he walked to the door and placed his hand over my mouth. He teasingly asked, “If we leave now, will you shut up?”

I shook my head and licked his palm. “You know I won’t shut up, but I’ll be happy.”

“As long as it makes you happy, let’s go.”

We walked about halfway down the hall, then I suddenly stopped. “Oh, shit. I forgot something back in the room. Go on down, I’ll be right behind you. Hopefully, I’ll meet you at the elevator.”

I barely saw his eye roll before I spun on my heels and jogged back to the room. I went inside, headed over to my suitcase, lifted the lining, and removed the small box inside. The elevator doors were just opening when I caught up with Matt. He looked at me questioningly, raising one eyebrow.

I smiled at him. “I just forgot to grab my wallet.”

He looked like he was going to challenge me but decided to drop it. We exited the elevator and went to the dining room and saw Mike, Jeff, Vanessa waiting for us. Vanessa looked at me with her arms crossed. “Y’all are cutting it close. Come on, the little one is starving.”

I swear she said that on purpose because she knew it would cause Mike and Jeff to react. They practically ran over to us and grabbed each of us by the arm, dragging us to the host stand. Evidently, they had already given the host our reservation information because he grabbed the menus and asked us to follow him. We had a delicious meal of scallops in garlic butter for an appetizer, a banana rum cold soup, lobster tail with asparagus for an entrée, and baked Alaska for dessert. It was delicious.

We had plans to go dancing with the other three, but I suggested we go for a walk around the upper deck before we went to the room to change clothes. Mike, Jeff, and Vanessa all knew what I had planned and said they wanted to rest a little bit before meeting us at the club. Matt and I headed up to the top deck, I grabbed his hand, and we started walking. It was a beautiful night with the moonlight reflecting off the water. About halfway around the deck, I stopped to look out over the Gulf of Mexico. Matt stood next to me and laid his head on my shoulder.

I spoke softly. “This is great, isn’t it?”

Matt made a committed moan and responded, “Yeah, it’s beautiful. I’ve had a blast this week. Not looking forward to Monday.”

I chuckled. “I know what you mean. But at least we only have two months left once we get back, then we’ll have all summer to do whatever we want.”

Matt scoffed. “Did you forget Mary signed us up to go to that conference? Not to mention the baby being due in early August. You know those two are going to need our help.”

“No, I haven’t forgotten any of that. I’m just looking forward to spending that time with you. Three years ago, on this cruise ship while slightly drunk, I met a gorgeous man who was supposed to be a one-night stand. Never planned on seeing him again in my life. Didn’t know his phone number, where he was from, or even his last name. I had some of the most mind-blowing sex of my life that night and didn’t regret any of it.

“Then, five months later, I’m sitting in a room waiting to interview a potential new assistant principal. When, who should walk in? The guy from the cruise. My one-night stand who was supposed to remain a memory of an enjoyable night. I wasn’t sure how to react. I was totally fine pretending nothing happened and remaining co-workers. I never expected anything more to come of it.

“He had other plans. He asked me to give him a chance and go on one date with him. After some convincing, I agreed, and my life was forever changed.”

I then got down on my knee while retrieving the box from my coat pocket. “I’ve never been happier than I have been for the last two and half years. Someone once told me, ‘We only get one chance to make this the best life we can; so, it’s now or never. If we don’t start living our lives to be happy, then we’ll never find our heart’s desire.’ Those were words I’ve lived by ever since. Thank you for giving me the gift of happiness. Will you keep doing it forever and marry me?”

I opened the box and inside was a platinum ring with a row of diamonds around the center. I looked up at Matt and saw him standing there with his mouth opened and tears streaming down his face. He didn’t move or make a sound for a few long moments and I began to get nervous. Finally, I said, “So, are you going to answer me or did I just totally make a fool of myself for nothing?”

He let out a laughing sob and said, “Of course it’s a yes, you idiot. I love you so much. Yes, yes, yes, I’ll marry you.”

I stood up, placed the ring on his finger, and he pulled me into a heart-stopping kiss. We then heard the applause behind us, and he turned around to see Mike, Jeff, and Vanessa standing there. Vanessa was crying, and Mike and Jeff looked somewhat misty-eyed. He seemed like he was trying to process what was going on. He finally said, “I thought y’all were going to rest. What are you doing here?”

Mike spoke up. “Baby bro, we knew what Trevor had planned for tonight. He came to me and asked for my permission to do this when we started planning this vacation.”

Matt looked at me and laughed. “You asked for my brother’s permission? Really?”

I looked him in the eyes and said, “Yes, because he’s the only family you have. If I’m marrying you, I’m going to be part of that family. Besides, I needed someone objective to let me know if I was doing something completely stupid or not. Vanessa would’ve been all gung-ho for this no matter what. Same with Jeff. Mike is the only practical one out those three.” That earned me a couple of insults from the peanut gallery. “Will you two shut up? Y’all are both hopeless romantics and I’m trying to be romantic here.”

Before I could go any further, he kissed me long, hard, and passionately. Who knows where life will take us from here. But, as long as I have Matt by side, I’m willing to face it head-on. He was right, we have to take the chance when we get it to insure our own happiness, and he makes me happy.