Is there really a Happy Ever After?

They had been going out for five years, Aaron was 23, Jackson 26. They'd been living together for the last three and a half years. Everything had moved so quickly for them. Jackson hadn't been sure about this, he loved Aaron but he'd been Aaron's only boyfriend. He didn't want them to wake up 10 years down the line and Aaron decide he needed new experiences so he had decided he was going to let Aaron decide it as much as it hurt him to do it.

Waiting for Aaron to get home he'd decided that he was going to give him 3 months to decide what he wanted to do. He'd be free to date and Jackson would wait for him. If he decided not to come back then Jackson would let him go as much as it would pain him. He loved Aaron with his whole heart and didn't want to give him up but he needed to know that Aaron wanted him and only him. He was sweating just thinking about the conversation he was going to have.

Hearing the front door go Jackson knew the moment had come. He was sitting at the kitchen table with his hands around a now cooling cup of tea. He was looking into the beige depths left when Aaron came in.

'Hey love' he said smiling. Seeing Jackson's face he stopped short 'you alright, you don't look yourself'

'I need to talk to you about something. Will you sit down please'

Aaron didn't like the look on Jackson's face as he sat at the table.

'Are you breaking up with me?' he asked quietly.

Jackson looked down at this point and Aaron knew that this was exactly the case.

'Why? What did I do? Don't you love me anymore?' he hated that he sounded so needy but he loved Jackson so much and now, now it was ending and his heart was breaking. He could feel tears welling in his eyes but he was desperately trying to contain them. He didn't want to make this any harder then it was going to be.

'I don't want to break up but I think you need to experience life. You've only ever been with me. I don't know how I could cope if you cheated on me and this way you can experience life without feeling guilty about it.' Stopping at this point Jackson finally looked up and into Aaron's beautiful blue eyes. He could see tears welling up and Aaron was trying so hard to stop them. He wanted to stop and say forget it but he needed to give Aaron his freedom, he just hoped he'd come back.

'If we took a break for say three months, you can have a life, go out maybe meet some people and if after the three months you still want to be with me then we can get back together' Jackson managed to get out before loosing his ability to look at Aaron, he could literally see Aaron's heart breaking as he finished this.

'I can't believe your doing this to me! Why are you doing this? I don't need time, I know I love you. Do you not love me?' queried Aaron.

'Of course I love you. I just don't want that 5 years down the line you resent me and wish you'd lived more, experienced more but cos you've been with me for so long you didn't get to experience any of that and then you'd hate me and dump me and it would hurt too much if that happened.' Jackson said trying to make Aaron understand what he meant.

Aaron nodded and got up from the table without saying another word. He walked to their bedroom and closed the door. Slowly, he took out the box from his pocket and opened it. In it sat a plain platinum band he'd gotten to propose to Jackson with. Engraved on the inside it said 'J, Forever yours A x'. He threw it on the bed and began throwing clothes in a rucksack. His heart had broken. All he'd heard was that Jackson didn't want him. He didn't get that Jackson felt that he needed to let him go to keep him forever.

Tears course down his face as his chest contracted until he felt like he couldn't breath ever again. Pulling out his mobile he rang paddy, he needed to see if he could go home.

'Paddy, it's Aaron. I need to come back for a few day.'

Course mate, come on over. Are you alright? You don't sound too great' Paddy said with worry in his voice. Aaron sounded terrible, he sounded like he was crying but he knew Aaron would never say anything over the phone.

'I'm not Paddy, I'm really not' Aaron choked out. 'I'm coming over now, ok.'

Pulling his bag over his shoulder he glanced quickly around their room. He'd loved it here, he'd never felt happier and now, now everything had come crashing down and he felt like shit.

Running down the stairs he went straight to the front door and opened it quickly before he could see Jackson. He was broken hearted and he needed to get to Paddy as soon as possible.

-oOo-

Hearing the front door bang closed Jackson got up to look out the front window to see Aaron get into his car and slam his door closed. Jackson's heart went into his throat, slowly getting up he moved like a sleep walker. He trudged up the stairs to their bedroom, he needed to sleep, he was totally drained. Pulling himself up the stairs tears started flowing down his face. He couldn't believe it, he'd actually gone through with it and now he was pretty sure he'd lost Aaron for good.

Walking in to the room he saw the wardrobe hanging open in front of him the majority of Aaron's clothes were gone. Turing away from the wardrobe his eyes fell on the bed. In the middle of it he saw a small box, it was definitely a ring box. Moving slowly towards the bed he reached out and grabbed it. Slowly opening the box he saw a plain band. He pulled the ring from the box and saw the inscription. His heart stopped, Aaron was going to propose to him. He couldn't believe it, he thought Aaron needed more time. Time to do other things, live his life away from Jackson and Aaron had been thinking long term with him. Shit, he'd really fucked this one up. Pulling a coat from the wardrobe he put the ring in the box and the box in his pocket and ran down the stairs. Pulling out his mobile he rang Paddy, he hoped that was where Aaron was heading to. Answering on the third ring Paddy wondered why Jackson was ringing him so soon after Aaron had.

'Hey Jackson, what's up?'

'Eh, just wondering if Aaron is heading over to yours?'

'Yeah, why? What's up? Aaron sounded upset when he rang earlier.'

'We kinda broke up but not really. It's hard to explain Paddy' Jackson replied a catch in his throat.

'You broke up?' Paddy exclaimed 'Why?'

'I though he needed space to do other things, I thought he wanted a break. I was so wrong. Is he coming over to you cos I really have to talk to him.' Jackson was practically begging Paddy at this stage.

'He's on his way Jackson, come over. I don't know if he'll want to see you though.' Paddy answered truthfully.

'Paddy, I'm gonna make him listen to me. I fucked up and I need to fix this.'

'Ok, sure I'll see you later then.' Paddy replied.

They hung up and Jackson jumped in his van to follow Aaron to their previous residence. He hoped Aaron could forgive him.

-oOo-

Pulling in to the drive outside Smithy Aaron had a feeling of coming home to a degree. He stopped the car and sat staring at the house once he'd turned off the engine. He looked in the rear view mirror and saw that his eyes were puffy from crying the whole what from their place in Hotten. Well there's no hiding this, he thought.

Getting out of the car he grabbed his bag and heading to the front door, using his key to let himself in.

'I'm here paddy, just dropping me bag up to me room.' He shouted as he ran up the stairs.

Opening his bedroom door he say Paddy was sitting on his bed waiting for him.

'Hey son, you ok?' Paddy asked with a sympathetic look on his face.

Aaron's face crumpled as he sat on the bed and put his head on Paddy's shoulder crying.

'He dumped me Paddy, I was going to propse and he dumped me today. He broke up with me Paddy, why, why did he do it. I don't understand, why did he do it? Why Paddy? I don't understand. I thought he loved me. He said he loved me. I wanted to marry him and he dumped me.' By the end of saying this Aaron was shaking with the tears streaming down his face.

'Oh Aaron, did you say this to Jackson?' Paddy asked.

'No, I couldn't. He dumped me and I couldn't tell him I wanted to marry him Paddy!' Aaron exclaimed.

Paddy let it go, Aaron was too upset to get any real conversation with him. Just then the doorbell went and Paddy knew it but Aaron didn't.

'Better get that Aaron, I'll be back in a sec.' Paddy said.

He got up and went down the stairs.

-oOo-

Jackson was standing outside the door to Smithy, he had a key but he wasn't sure how he would be received so he'd rung the bell and waited.

Paddy came down the stairs and opened it fully expecting who was at the door.

'Hi Jackson, he's upstairs. He's upset so be careful with him.' Paddy warned him.

Walking up the stairs slowly Jackson pushed open Aaron's bedroom door to see Aaron hunched in on himself with tears dripping off his chin. His heart broke knowing that he was the one who had caused it but hopefully he could fix it.

As the door swung fully open Aaron didn't look up cos he'd expected Paddy to come back up.

'I'm sorry Aaron, I'm so, so sorry.'

Aaron looked up when he heard the deep voice of his boyfriend.

'I found this on the bed' Jackson continued as he pulled out the ring box from his pocket. 'I thought you wanted to live life for a while away from us but you were thinking long term for us. I didn't know babe, I didn't know'

Aaron looked at the ring box in Jackson's hand.

'Did you open it?' he asked.

'Yeah, it's beautiful. Is it what I think it is?' Jackson asked.

'Yeah. I wanted to marry you but you broke up with me. How funny is that!' Aaron said without an ounce of mirth in his voice.

'Aaron, I thought you wanted to live life. Take time out so that if you chose me then you did it fully knowing what else is out there. It was selfish of me. I wanted to make sure that if you stayed with me it was cos you wanted to and not cos you felt obliged to stay with me. I love you more then anything I just thought you might want a bit of freedom from me or a while. I thought cos you are younger you might want to sleep with other people. I know what I want and I want you forever. If you still want to marry me I want to marry you. I love you Aaron, I have since we first met and when I shouldn't have. I love you so much that the thought of maybe losing you made me come up with this stupid idea to tell you to go sleep with other people just so you would hopefully come back to me and stay with me forever' Jackson finally stopped and took a breath.

Aaron looked at Jackson without saying anything.

'Aaron, can you please say something' Jackson asked.

'I'm processing. So, let me get this right. You wanted me to go sleep with other people so if I came back to you you'd know I wouldn't cheat or leave you for someone else. Did I get that right?' Aaron asked slightly incredulous at what Jackson had just told him.

'Em, now that you say it, I sound like a nutcase. I'm sorry babe, I'm really sorry. I just want you to want to be with me. Jesus I sound like a crazy person. Have I said I'm sorry yet?' Jackson asked.

'Yes you have. Its ok, I think I realise what you were trying to do. You hurt me though Jackson, you really hurt me! I need you to know that.'

Kneeling down in front of his boyfriend he said 'I know and I'm sorry. I love you. Aaron, I want to ask you something. Will you marry me?'

'Hey! I wanted to ask that! I think since YOU dumped me toni…' Aaron was stopped mid sentence with a passionate kiss from Jackson knocking the two of them back onto the bed. Deepening the kiss their tongues clashing as the kiss became charged.

Pulling away from Aaron Jackson asked 'So is that a yes then?'

Aaron pushed Jackson up into sitting and looked around for the ring box. Finding it on the bedcovers he opened it and looking at Jackson he pulled out the ring. Taking Jackson's left hand he placed the ring on his finger and pushed it down until it was safely on his finger. 'I love you and I can't wait to marry you Jackson. I don't want anyone but you and I don't think I ever will. Do you trust me?'

'Yes Aaron, I trust you. I love you' Jackson said smiling as he looked down at his hand the ring glinting on his wedding ring finger. 'I can't wait to marry you.' Kissing Aaron again he couldn't believe how happy he was considering what had happened earlier that night.

'Come Jay, I want to tell Paddy. He saw the state I was in earlier.' Aaron said as he tugged Jackson's hand.

As the two men traipsed down the stairs Paddy came from the sitting room and met them as they entered the kitchen. He looked at their faces and knew what the story was.

he addressed Aaron 'So he said yes I take it?'

''Actually I asked him.' Jackosn said.

'Anyway!' Aaron said over Jackosn 'We're gonna get married and I'd like you to be one of my witnesses Paddy. Kinda like my dad at it, I'm not sure what you'd do but I want you there.'

'I'd be proud to be there for you Aaron, you know I would. I'm so happy for you. Now guys, I seriously don't want any more fights with ye two now. Ok!' Paddy said partially serious.

'Ok' they said at the same time, smiling as they said it. They couldn't wait to get back home and celebrate their engagement. Everything was great and their wedding was going to be amazing. They couldn't wait to begin their married life together, the sooner the better in Aaron's mind.

-oOo-