Now I Know You Can Rent It
It was two in the morning, and Angel was still awake. She sighed and rolled over in bed. Collins was sleeping peacefully, lucky him. She smiled, even when he was sleeping her lover could make her break out in a smile. She gently ran her fingers over his soft chest, taking in his muscles.
"Angel, I'm sleeping," he said, with a voice smooth as silk.
She giggled, "Oh really?"
"No," he said, flipping over so he was facing the drag queen. "Why are you still awake?" he asked.
"Why are you still awake?" she teased.
"Mmhmm… mostly because a certain girl decided to not be asleep. So I had to not be asleep with her."
"Okay," Angel said softly. "I love you."
Collins kissed her, saying, "I love you, Angel."
"Collins-" Angel started to say.
"Now I know that's not what you want to call me," Collins interrupted.
"Tom," Angel emphasized. "You're the only one I ever want to be with."
"You're the only one I could ever be with, because without you… you know what would happen?" Collins continued.
"What?"
"I'd die," he finished.
Angel struggled to figure out what to say. After a while, she continued, "When I was in high school, I was a mess. Gender confused, for one. And one of the two gay kids at my school. I remember listening to my mom reading fairy tales to my sisters, about princesses who met their princes and lived happily ever after. That was all I ever wanted."
Collins wrapped his arm around Angel, "Really, Ang?"
She nodded, snuggling closer to him. "And you know what? I've got just that. Well, almost. I may not have a happily ever after, but at least I have my prince, and we're happy now."
The anarchist's heart broke, "Angel…" was all he said though. It was moments like these, the ones that broke his heart that made him worry. Worry if she would leave tomorrow, if today was the last day.
Collins couldn't guarantee her a happily ever after, but he could make sure she was happy now, and every day up until the last. Nights when Angel got all deep and sentimental made him want to just forever hold her in his arms, protecting her from the fate she was so afraid of. She put on a brave face for everyone else, for Mimi and for Roger. But with Collins, she could be honest. Honest that she hated the disease that ran through her blood, the one that was killing her slowly, day by day. She was afraid of the end, scared to leave him.
They did have true love. But both of them knew it wouldn't last much longer on earth. That they were only renting it, and one day, one of them would get evicted from this world before the other.