Electricity - 17. Chapter 17

The famous Persian poet Rumi once said, “Lovers don’t finally meet somewhere. They’re in each other all along.” An ex-fling had said that to Andrew once, post-coital and all doe-eyed and sweet, but the quarterback didn’t understand what it meant and made some type of clever response back in order to change the subject. The other man had looked sad afterwards, Andrew remembered that. But he wasn’t ready for it all, the word “love” was uncomfortable and the idea of being “in love” seemed foreign. There were men he liked, there were men he found attractive, there were men he enjoyed sleeping with, there were men he had fun talking to or spending time with, but there was no man that could make him care about them more than he did about himself. “Love” was not on his brain in those days. Love seemed like a corny and elusive concept, not something an NFL athlete needed to concern himself with.

But now the quote swirled back into his consciousness, and he smiled because he finally understood and knew it to be true. Love had turned up on his doorstep and unceremoniously kicked down the door, then settled in like an old friend that had never even left in the first place. That’s how he felt each time he thought about his beloved. Their first meeting set off electric sparks of attraction between them, but their essences seemed to have been already well acquainted. An ancient connection, perhaps even from another lifetime. Andrew wasn’t sure if he believed in fate or destiny, but it sure felt like one too many coincidences that had brought them to this very place, to this warm bed that he now shared with this breathtaking human being that he couldn’t get enough of, no matter how hard or long he tried.

He had never believed that he would be capable of this type of love, and be the type of man that actually deserved it. A love for which he would be willing to sacrifice anything and everything for. A love that made him selfless for another person, and faithful, understanding and patient. His work accomplishments were always a source of great pride and joy for him. He’d done a lot of things others could only dream of on the field. But waking up next to this magnificent human every morning and being able to bask in his essence wasn’t comparable to trophies or accolades. It was otherworldly. It was what made everything have any type of significance. What good were prizes if there was nobody at home to share them with?

Last night he had felt the writer’s fingers trace intricate patterns on his back, like a secret love poem between only the two of them. Andrew loved those fingers, and the magical words they conjured up without ever speaking. The pretty, slim, long fingers and the messages and feelings they held at their fingertips. It was pure magic.

“Guess what I’m writing,” Aubrey whispered and Andrew felt a new design being invisibly etched onto his back.

“Mmm… is it ‘hello’?”

“You got lucky, that was too easy. Guess again,” the writer replied, and Andrew felt the fingers gently begin again with an arch of an “A” then a dent of a “U” and before the other man could finish he already knew.

“Aubrey. Your name.”

“Oh, you think you’re good at this huh,” Aubrey replied in a competitive tone of voice, making Andrew chuckle. “Last one,” he said, and began a new word. This time, Andrew couldn’t guess it on the first try.

“Is it one word?” he asked, confused.

“No, it’s three,” Aubrey replied very gently.

“Do it again.” The writer traced the word on his skin slowly one more time. His fingers light and gentle, barely grazing the surface. Andrew wanted more of them. He deciphered the phrase this time. He turned his head to look Aubrey in the eyes.

“I love you too,” he said, and the writer smiled almost shyly, then leaned in for a slow and gentle kiss. After he pulled back, Andrew decided it was time to tell him.

“I’ve got a surprise for you.”

“You do?” Aubrey asked, curious.

“Mhm, actually I have two,” the quarterback said, smiling and pulling a shirt over his head.

“What is it?”

“You have to come with me to see.”

“Okay, this is all very mysterious,” Aubrey replied, getting out of bed.

The two men got dressed, grabbed Prince, and drove for a while, Andrew making Aubrey keep his eyes closed. After some time Aubrey felt the car come to a stop.

"Are we there yet?"

"We are," Andrew replied.

"Can I open my eyes?" he said, taking a sneak peak at the quarterback.

"You can," Andrew replied. Aubrey fully opened his eyes and looked ahead. They were parked in front of a beautiful, traditional Colonial style home.

“Are we visiting someone?” Aubrey asked, getting out.

“Not exactly,” Andrew replied. “What do you think about this place?” Aubrey stared at the house, not understanding.

“It’s an amazing house,” he replied, “Why?”

Andrew took him by the hand and led him inside through the large doors. This was the appointment he had to hide from Aubrey the previous day, a meeting with a realtor. This house was full of warm light and felt joyful, a far cry from Andrew's empty condo and Aubrey's cramped one bedroom apartment.

“We can keep looking, of course, but when the realtor showed me this one...well, I could just see you sitting in this sunny room and writing,” he said, bashfully. Then he added, “And there’s a dog park a six minute walk from here.” Aubrey’s heart melted like warm butter on toast.

“It’s perfect,” he replied full of emotion, then jumped into Andrew’s arms and kissed him until the quarterback pulled away smiling.

"You like it?"

"I love it," Aubrey said, looking around once again. "It's stunning. We're not rushing, are we?" He asked, suddenly worried.

"We're married Aubrey," Andrew said, wiggling his ring finger in front of the writer's face. "I'd say we're right on time." Aubrey took a deep breath, this was more than he'd ever expected. He would have been fine sleeping in a car if it meant being with Andrew. But to have both him and this house that gave off family vibes and in which Aubrey could imagine them living forever, it felt like it was too good to be true.

“Wait, there’s one more surprise. Come on,” Andrew said, and practically dragged Aubrey back to the car. The writer wasn't sure how many more surprises he could handle in one day. They got back in the car, then drove for about fifteen minutes down a very familiar road. When Andrew parked in front of the Foundation building office and recreational center Aubrey got out of the car confused. The Foundation had been launched, despite Kat's nasty article and without a glitzy opening gala. Andrew decided to skip fancy donation dinners and take the grassroots approach. He'd build it up slowly with his own funds. And once it was more established and legitimized, he'd go after some bigger donors. He already gave both Jasmine and Nelson internship positions at the foundation, which felt like a positive start to a long journey of his work to be less selfish and focus on helping others. But although Aubrey had already visited the building multiple times, he wasn't sure what exactly they were doing here now.

Andrew just stood by the car with a smile on his face. The writer looked at him questioningly. Was the man losing his mind? Andrew nodded towards the building.

“What?” Aubrey asked, even more confused. The quarterback simply repeated the gesture again. Aubrey searched with his eyes, but couldn't find anything. There was nobody outside and there were no new trees being planted, or anything else unusual or of any significance at the front entrance. He was about to give up when his eyes landed on the front sign, which originally read “The Thompson Foundation” but now said, “The Thompson Miller Foundation”. Aubrey blinked a few times, trying to register the information. He looked at Andrew who was smiling, then looked at the sign once again, his eyes tearing up. He had never in a million years expected for his name to be included in the Foundation. Especially not after everything that had happened.

“I don’t know what to say,” he managed to get out in between tears.

“Say that you’re happy, and that you accept being part of this forever,” Andrew replied, walking towards him. Aubrey’s lips parted as Andrew’s pressed softly and slowly against them.

“I’m happy, and I want to be part of this forever. Thank you,” he said, then closed his eyes and enjoyed the perfect moment and Andrew’s lips on his for as long as he could, before a nearby car honked at them and told them to get a room.

And get a room they did. The very next day they finally jetted off for their long awaited honeymoon in Bora Bora where they spent hours in bed, got sunburnt at the beach and ate more room service than was humanly possible. Andrew couldn’t have envisioned a better honeymoon if he tried. Everything about it was perfect, especially the way Aubrey’s skin had turned to pure gold after a few day’s worth of sun, and almost glittered in the tropical moonlight during their candlelit beach dinners.

During their honeymoon Joel called to let them know that he had begun divorce proceedings from Drew, and that he had started dating Jake, the interior designer he wanted to set Andrew up with a while ago. He sounded absolutely thrilled and full of the promise of life and love, and Andrew couldn't help but thank the Universe for working its magic again.

One day while they were getting ready to leave for the beach, Aubrey received an email from Earl Warren. It was an update on Nelson, who had moved back in with his parents and was by all accounts doing shockingly well after a very tumultuous year. His dad had committed to volunteering at Ways, as well as the Foundation, alongside his son in order to gain more understanding about the LGBT community. And apparently Nelson asked Earl to pass on words of gratitude from him and his father to Andrew, who without Aubrey’s knowledge, got the boy and his dad season passes to his games. The email also came with an attachment and said, “Proofread for me when you get a sec.” Aubrey frowned, it was his honeymoon after all, did he really need to work? Couldn’t anyone else proofread a simple article? But the dedicated writer in him forced him to sit back down and open the attachment. He read it and a part of him felt threatened and jealous for a moment. Did the Professore hire a brilliant new writer while he was gone? A writer whose amazing words he was now flaunting in his face while Aubrey was away on vacation? But then he read the byline, “Earl Warren”, and a peacful smile crossed his face. “It’s perfect, Earl. Well worth the long wait,” he replied simply, and even though he wasn’t there to see it, he felt the tears of relief that fell on the other man’s face when he read those words.

The morning before they were set to leave, Andrew found himself in an empty hotel bed, the brisk air from the open balcony door inducing a breakout of goosebumps all over his strong athletic body. The usual source of heat that was Aubrey was strangely missing. Andrew groaned and stretched, then slowly made his way out of bed in search for his human heater. It was early morning, and he wondered where Aubrey might have gone. He walked to the living room where he found the writer barefoot in a plush white bathrobe and coffee in hand, watching the sunrise from the balcony. He walked up and wrapped his arms around the curly-haired man from behind, then gave him a kiss on the temple.

“Happy honeymoon baby,” he whispered in his ear. Aubrey smiled and intertwined his fingers with Andrew’s.

“Is this real life? Still feels like I’m dreaming sometimes,” he replied, looking into Andrew’s eyes. The quarterback kissed him again, this time on his lips.

“Oh, it’s real, you’re stuck with me,” he replied, making Aubrey chuckle.

“Back at it with those corny lines, huh?”

“Always.”

“I can’t believe we made it.”

“I can’t believe you put up with my shit for this long.”

“I can’t either,” both of them laughed now. They looked on as the sun rose on the horizon, giving life to a brand new day. Both men couldn’t be more hopeful about their future together.

The End