And I tried to make a better effort to communicate that…especially with Topher.
Okay…with Simon too.
Simon and I weren’t the kind of brothers who talked about our feelings. I thought there was a decent chance we’d gloss over my relationship status change after Aiden and I made it official with a quick word and maybe a joke. But it was a little sweeter.
Simon and I met on the front porch of our parents’ house—I was leaving, he’d just arrived—and stared at each other for a long moment.
“Hey, Si. I’m sorry I didn’t say anything. I—”
“No. I get it, Georgie. I totally understand. Are you happy?”
I’d smiled…one of those embarrassing toothy grins that doesn’t know when to stop. “Very.”
“That’s all that matters to me. Aiden’s a good man,” he’d replied softly.
“The best. And you know…you’re not so bad yourself. Love ya, Si.”
He’d quirked a smile and pulled me in for a bro-hug. “You too, Geek Dracula. You too.”
That was it. Nothing earth-shattering, but it cleared the air.
Aiden and I hung out with Simon and Topher often now…and with Kenny too, on his own or with whomever he was dating at the moment.
We’d also become friendly with Newton and Susie. Not close friends, per se, but Newton insisted on inviting us to their wedding. He claimed we were instrumental in their happiness. Maybe that was true. Or maybe the universe had a funny way of guiding us to where we needed to be…if we read the clues and paid attention.
Aiden stepped out of the closet, fully dressed. He slid a tie around his neck and turned to me. “Help.”
I grinned, slipping one end of fabric around the other. “You look very handsome, Mr. Baker.”
“Thanks.” He kissed me when I finished with his tie, then snaked his arm around my waist and squeezed my ass. “Mmm. I have a couple of questions.”
“Like?”
“Is this going to be a long wedding, and will everyone there be speaking geek?”
“No idea and…probably, yes…geek will definitely be the main language. Is that a problem?”
Aiden nibbled my ear. “Not at all. I’m fluent. Come on. Let’s do this. Maybe we’ll get some ideas for our wedding.”
I fussed with his collar and stared lovingly into his eyes. “This is not your proposal, is it?”
“Oh, no. I’m gonna wait till we’re at a ballgame. I’ll rent out the video board and the scoreboard. That would be cool, huh?”
I rolled my eyes. “No, that would not be cool. Unless it’s on Halloween and you’re dressed as a Victorian pirate.”
Aiden furrowed his brow as if pondering the idea. “Hmm. Something to think about.”
I grinned. “Hey, Aiden?”
“Hmm?”
“I love you.”
“Love you too, G.” He kissed our joined hands and smiled. “What about a haunted house proposal, but we’re dressed in baseball uniforms?”
“With capes?”
“Naturally.”
I followed him through the house, with a ridiculous grin on my face as we exchanged outrageous proposal ideas.
These were the moments I ranked highest in our personal playbook. The knowing looks and inside jokes that wouldn’t make sense to anyone else.
I fell in love with the guy I’d had a crush on for years. His friendship, trust, and his appreciation for all things weird were a gift I cherished everyday.
But love didn’t come with a guidebook and relationships didn’t follow a script. We had to write our own. Aiden and I hadn’t figured out any big mysteries, but I liked to think we were heading in the right direction…with our own rules of play.