November didn't last long and we all found ourselves at the airport flying home for Thanksgiving. Leah and I booked our flight together, of course, and we sat at our gate with snacks, Leah with something healthy, me with Oreos. She used airport wifi to work on a last-minute article for Buzzfeed and I texed Bram and played time-wasting games on my phone.

Thanksgiving wouldn't be all fun and games for Leah this year. As a member of the five-year reunion committee, they took advantage of her presence to schedule a meeting to help decide when and where the reunion should take place (and if time, why?).

I broke the news to Mom and Dad that I decided to propose to Bram alone. Mom hid the fact she was a little disappointed with a rehearsed response and emotionless face, but she was still supportive. Dad, however, was supportive.

"So you're going the surprise route. I must say that I'm surprised you picked that path. Bram won't know what's coming."

Dad also told me he had finally taken care of the rings, but that I couldn't see them yet.

"I want it to be a surprise to the both of you." Dad told me over the phone. This, surprisingly, only hiked up my anxiety a little.

Since Halloween weekend with Bram, I've been uncharacteristically calm. I felt like I experienced an awakening and became more mature. Or that I've been being slipped Valium by Leah unknowingly. Either way, it was a weird feeling as I've lived with anxiety Simon for so long.

"Okay Dad, I get it, but I'll need to see them eventually, like when I actually propose to him?" I replied sarcastically.

"Yeah, yeah, I know, don't worry you'll love it!"

I hung up the phone and Leah looked at me with nostalgia. "I can't believe it's already Thanksgiving. This year has flown the F by."

"You're telling me, the show opens next week. It felt like I just came back from visiting Bram."

After that weekend, Bram returned to flying under the radar, though he always made sure to text me between classes and work. Seems his busy year picked right back up, but he'll be home this week for Thanksgiving, giving us an opportunity to spend a decent amount of time with each other.

"We're two months away from the proposal," Leah started, patting my knee. "How do you feel?"

"We're?" I laughed. "Yeah, I feel really great about it."

"Good, you should. I think it's nice you're doing it privately."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. I mean, it's so unlike you that it will be an honest surprise to Bram. He'll love it."

Her phone vibrated and she laughed.

"Ian says hi." She showed me a picture on her phone of Ian taken in our kitchen after finding the food we cooked for him. It was a surprised and happy face. He couldn't go home this year for Thanksgiving and Leah and I didn't like that, so we cooked him all the typical side dishes found at Thanksgiving and left him instructions on how to cook the small chicken. I know it wasn't turkey but we didn't think Ian could eat an entire turkey in a few days…right?

"So Ian's cool," I stated, obviously trying to pick Leah's brain over a suspicion I've had for a few months. They were subtle hints, but only ones me or Nick could have picked up.

"Yeah, he is. It's nice you have him up here so we can share your Simonisms." She said as she bit into her apple. "I was worried because I didn't have Abby or Nick to help me, but everything worked out great."

"Uh-huh…you know, Ian has yet to have a...long-term girlfriend, just so you're aware." I pretended to go right back to the game on my phone.

Leah turned and eyed with a defensive glare. "And why would that interest me at all?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "I think that at his core, Ian is a relationship guy who just never found the right girl to show him that."

I turned to meet her defensive glare that downgraded to a mild annoyance glare. "How could you tell?"

"You laughed when he burped, Leah." I said, laughing. "You've never laughed at a bodily function before and Nick is full of them."

She smiled. "I dunno. Maybe I've changed too."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know, I think I've softened in college."

"Is that a bad thing?" I asked.

"I don't know yet."

"Well," I turned my body towards her in the uncomfortable airport chairs. "I personally don't think you've changed that much. The only thing that I noticed is that you're still the powerful, determined Leah that I've always known. But you know, you can even pet a porcupine if you rub it the right way."

"I'm a porcupine?!" Leah lamented, laughing. "You're the worst."

"I don't think you're comprising yourself by falling in like with someone we've known for three years." I followed up in a more serious tone with a small smile. "I mean Bram and I knew each other since Freshman yeah of high school and we never talked. But he couldn't help the feelings he developed and I'm glad he took a chance. Albeit, a long, drama-filled chance, but a chance nonetheless." I finished smiling again.

"Maybe that's it. That I know your proposing and my biological clock began to tick. Ugh! I hate it."

"Don't hate it, Leah. But you also don't have to act on anything if you're not ready or don't want to. That's the whole thing with dating, it's chemistry plus timing times confidence."

Leah quietly grabbed my hand to both thank me and to get me to stop talking about it. And I did.

We got on the flight and it always surprised me how short it was. As soon as I would get into my book, the pilot would tell us they were preparing for arrival.

Mom and Dad picked us up from the airport and Nora was in the back seat as well.

"Hey Si, Leah," Nora spoke, not looking from her phone as we got into the back seat of the car. It appeared she eased into the new band she was forming with her friends in our garage to Dad's quiet displeasure (I can't get to my tools when I need them cause they're in there every day!). Seems she needed to over compensate in cool since the last Spier attended Creekwood.

"Busy as usual, Nora. Thanks for taking the time out of your schedule."

She shot me a peace sign and returned to her phone. If Bram were with us, she'd be already deep in conversation.

"Alice won't be here until Thanksgiving day itself," Mom informed me, a bit of melancholy in her voice. "Her trip was extended because apparently library staff can't understand how computers work!" Mom slammed the steering wheel to all of our bugged eyes. Don't try to get between a mama bear and her cubs, no matter their age.

"I'm sure she wishes she could be here." I replied.

"She does," Nora responded, showing me the text from Alice saying the exact same thing.

The drive home was filled with questions about school from Mom and Dad to Leah and me and before Leah could answer question seventeen, we were at her house.

"Thanks for the ride you guys."

"Anytime," Mom responded. We drove the two seconds to our driveway and as soon as Nick saw the car in the driveway, he came over.

"Nick, how are ya?" Dad said while hugging him.

"Great, New York is craaazzyyy. Having a hell of a time keeping up but that's what coffee is for right?"

"Right, right. I don't know how you do it kid, but you're doing it. Keep it up."

"Thanks Mr. Spier."

Nick followed us inside and we both went to my room.

"So Abby wanted me to talk to you."

"Oh?" I said pulling out my computer and setting on my desk.

"Yeah. So…don't be mad." He began.

"Not the best way to start, but continue," I teased.

"Abby and I didn't break up."

I shot him a puzzled look. "That's great! Why would I be mad?" I hugged him and he hugged me back half-heartedly. I backed up and he was staring at the ground.

"Yeah, we didn't break up, but we're in an open relationship."

My puzzled look returned with greater cartoon expression. "Oh." My 'oh' wasn't negative or positive, it just was.

"We just thought, that…it would be easier to tell people that we broke up because if you tell people it's an open relationship, they just ask so many questions about it."

"Okay," I replied, trying not ask questions about it, but I did have one. "Bram knew about this part too, didn't he?"

"This is the part I didn't want you to get mad at." Nick said finally looking me in the eye. I smiled and shook my head.

"Nick, I'm not mad. Not mad at all."

"Wait, really?" he replied, shocked.

I started to unpack my clothes from my suitcase. "Really. Bram is a good friend and I never asked about it so he never had to lie, and even if he did have to lie to me he'd have his reasons."

"Simon? Is that actually you?" Nick joked.

"In the flesh."

"Okay…well I was expecting an entirely different conversation, so now I don't know what to do." Nick said while texting someone.

"This may sound crazy, but you're talking to the right guy about lying about a part of your life because you didn't want to be asked questions immediately or have people think of you differently." I smiled as I placed my hand on his shoulder.

"Oh, you mean you and the gayness." We both burst out laughing as my hand turned to a fist and I punched him.

"Nick, it's your life. And if you both are okay with it and happy and it works, then why wouldn't I be happy for you guys?"

Nick smiled and kicked around his feet. "Thanks, dude. Really."

"Duh, ya idiot. So is that it?"

"You want to ask questions, don't you?"

"SO MANY QUESTIONS!" I yelled. "But only one. Is there someone one of you met that drove you to talk about this?"

"Well, we both…kinda met someone. We're dating her as a couple."

"No fuckin' way." Nick shook his head with a grin. "That's what you've been trying to do since middle school. Two girls?! Middle school you must be so happy."

"You know it! Best part, it wasn't my idea, it was Abby's."

There was a knock at the door and Abby entered.

"Simon, I'm so sorry I didn't come with Nick I was so nervous how you'd react and I got scared but I'm so glad you're not mad at us." Abby said in one long breath as she hugged me hard.

I told her roughly the same thing I told Nick.

"Si, no offense, but you're reacting so…chill to all of this."

"Well, in the interest of being honest, I've been much more chill ever since Bram and I stopped using condoms."

Nick and Abby shot me an expression of happy confusion until Nick spoke.

"Oh, wait, is that a big deal?" Nick said.

"I thought you guys already did that." Abby added.

"No! And it's kinda a big deal. It's hard to explain."

"Well, whatever you guys are doing to make this Simon appear, keep it up." Nick said.

"Oh I intend to," I replied with raised eyebrows. "So Nick tells me you guys met a gal, huh?"

"Yes, we did…and you're sure you're okay with this?"

"Abbs, of course. Non-traditional relationships are kind of an automatic for me."

"Bram was right; we should have listened to him."

I smiled. I love that Bram knew me so well, like we're building hive mind. I also love that I'm becoming less of a nuisance to my friends. You learn a lot about yourself in college. It honestly didn't bother me and why should it? If this is what they want, this is what they want.

"Me too. I guess I'm growing up. Sorry guys."

"So only you and Bram know about the open relationship, we're going to tell Leah tonight and I think it goes without saying to not bring it up to your parents?"

"I don't know, they were pretty receptive to me telling them I was gay."

We went downstairs and Mom and Dad made Abby and Nick stay for lunch and they did once Nick deeply inhaled the barbecue pork slow cooking in the Crockpot.

"When is Bram getting in?" Nick asked, mouth slathered in barbecue sauce.

"Tonight at eight. He had to stay a little later on Saturday to finish up some work."

"God that boy works hard." Abby said, taking a bite of potato salad.

"Attention to detail is his forte," I replied. "When we first started talking, when he was Blue, he told me he figured it was me almost right away due to my speech patterns."

"Awwww," Abby crooned.

We talked further about Bram until Dad asked Abby and Nick about their projects in New York. After Nick finished his third sandwich, Abby and Nick bounced leaving me alone with Mom and Dad.

"So, since you're privately proposing," Mom started. "Where do you think you'll do it?"

While Leah slept on the flight, I thought of multiple scenarios

"I think I want to give Bram the gold standard of proposals: I want to cook him dinner here-"

"YES!" Mom shouted as Dad placed his hand on her shoulder and calmed her down.

"Yeah, but no hidden cameras to capture anything, Mom, promise me that."

"I will be sure she doesn't," Dad chimed in.

"So yes, dinner here, then some movies, just…very low key and casual so that he doesn't suspect anything. Then I will bring him into my room when I'll have candles on my desk and maybe rose petals on the bed spelling out 'Bram' so he has to walk close to it and when he turns around to ask me what this is about I'm already on my knee, with the ring from Dad…and I shut the door and behind it hanging are hundreds of pictures of us from the last four years…but that's just my first thoughts. What do you think?"

Mom's hands clasped around her mouth as she breathed heavily to try to control her tears. Dad nodded his head and smiled.

"That's a pretty solid first thought, Si. Simple but powerful, always effective, I'm sure he'll love it."

"I was thinking of writing him a poem too, you know, get on his level, make him realize how much he means to me." Bram was working on his degree in professional journalism, but he always wrote me the best small, three sentence poems that made me swoon even deeper in love with him. "Try to speak his language."

"Simon, that sounds…perfect." Mom advised. "The most perfect thing in the world. He will have no choice but to say yes."

I smiled confidently. Ever since Elijah told me I was confident, I discovered more and more everyday that I really have been, even when I thought I was a coward. People can tell you over and over again that you are something, but unless you are ready to believe it yourself, it seems like they're so wrong.

"Then I better get started, I want to be sure it's perfect."

I usually tell Leah everything, but this was something I wanted to stay mine and mine alone. I wanted it to be so obviously me, so stupidly me that Bram knew I wrote it with no help from an outside source. But, it seems it's easier said than done.

My pen tapped my notebook as I lay on my bed and stared off in the distance thinking about what things came to my mind when I think about Bram (both appropriate for a poem and less appropriate things I want to do to him when he arrives).

Grammar. Writing. Planning. Cautious. Loving. Smile. Brown eyes. Soccer. Calves. Cute. Sexy.

I knew where this going, so I wrote a bunch of words down that came to mind when I thought of Bram and they started forming sentences. Some were nonsensical, but is that what poetry is?

Out of a few pages a few good lines jumped out at me, but I wanted to spend more time on it so I hid it between the mattresses (on my side so Bram doesn't notice if he stays the night. If. When he stays.).

Bzzz.

Bram
I'm about to board, I'll see you so soon! 33

Safe flight! I will be there to pick you up :)


I love telling people my boyfriend is picking me up from the airport.
My boyfriend.
Is it still weird to hear yourself say that phrase?

Kinda. It wasn't something I thought could be an option
Then I met you


Listen here, I was the one with the crush on you first!
Jacques a dit.
Oh, my group is next, see you shortly!

I can feel his energy in his texts and it's infectious, flowing through my fingers and into my blood stream. Little Brams running through my blood and posting up in my heart. Well, his heart, cause I have his and he has mine per his poetic musings.

I quickly wrote that thought on my pad and bide my time with Nora until it's time for me to leave for the airport.

I be sure to get there early and circle the arrivals area until he texted me that he landed. Round and round until it gets me dizzy like feel every I see Bram for the first time if it's been more than a day.

And there he is, suitcase and backpack, a sculpted statue where the sculptor focused on the calves. I waved to him like a dork because it's an involuntary reaction when I see him after a long absence. He tilted his head and smiled as he bee lined towards the car.

"Hi!"

"Hi, Peanut," he said as he placed his luggage in the back. I knew I didn't like it, but I did say I'd easily fall in love with it and it may be working.

He got in the front seat and my pulse increased as he kissed me tenderly, his lips not chapped from the flight. Anytime we're in a car together it always brings me back to his Honda Civic the day after the ferris wheel when both of us wanted each other until we could no longer contain ourselves. I leaned over and kissed him again for bringing the memory back.

"It's so nice to have a real week off. I didn't have to bring any work back with me." He bragged as he picked up my iPod and searched through it to see if I had any new purchases to mentally catalog to listen to them later. He finally picked a song and leaned his head on my shoulder the entire ride back to my house.

Mom and Dad knew in the years of college that the first day we are back in Shady Creek, we stay with each other, this year it happens to my house.

We brought in his things and as soon as Nora heard Bram was in the house she ran downstairs.

"Bram!"

"Hey Nora, aren't you the girl in that popular Creekwood band?"

"Working on it. You're staying here this year right?"

"You know it."

"Awesome. Come listen to some stuff we recorded last week."

I wish Nora looked at me the way she looked at Bram. His deep brown eyes found me and I nod him away towards her room as she ran up the stairs. He kissed me on the cheek and followed her. She can borrow him now, I'm going to have him the rest of our lives.

"Happy Thanksgiving!"

This was the first year that, after four years of dating, I arranged the Greenfeld and Spier families to have Thanksgiving together.

Extra leaves were in our large kitchen table and sat all of us comfortably around it as Ruth ambled around after eating only a few bites of turkey and cranberry sauce.

The Dads sat at the head of the table with their respective wives to their right. Tracy sat on Ellijah's left next to Bram, who was next to me. On my left Alice and I were in conversation and across from me was Nora and an empty seat to her where Ruth's mostly full plate resided.

"I'm glad we were finally able to do this," I mentioned. "Bram always said we had similar Thanksgiving traditions, especially the one of eating Thanksgiving dinner at dinner time instead of one o'clock."

"I mean," Elijah started, "what the heck is that about?"

"No idea," Dad joked back. Dad was always good at making people laugh. It was never what he said, but how he said it.

"These potatoes are delicious, Tracy." My mom added.

"Thank you, they're Abraham's favorite."

Bram blushed. It was so cute to see him revert to Quiet Bram Greenfeld when he was eating with a large group of people.

"So how does it feel you two to be almost done with school?" Alice asked while sipping her wine.

"Great," Bram answered (surprisingly) first. "I'm ready to be done with school assignments and focus on real stories."

"Yeah," I added, "Bram's already looking for places in New York and we have Abby and Nick keeping an eye on any diamonds in the rough."

"If worst comes to worst, we can always stay with Nick and Abby for awhile." Bram planned.

I smiled lightly because if we're engaged I don't want to share him with roommates. I also see Elijah's eyebrow raise and look at me slightly, knowing I'm going to be an actor trying to make it in New York.

"I know that acting won't give me that much to begin," I start.

"Hey," Bram comforted.

"No, it's true, but the play that opens next week, the playwright lives in New York and really likes me, so there's another connection on top of the professor's former students and friends. Plus Abby and Nick's connections, I mean knowing a guy from Julliard has to have its perks."

Tracy smiled and winked at me, almost saying 'good answer' as Elijah gave me a surprised smile.

"I can always find a part time job as well, I mean all actors usually wait tables or bartend, I know the risks involved."

Thanksgiving always turns into an interview.

"We could live in a box on the street in Mid-Town, as long as we're together." Bram intervened, sensing where the conversation could head and stopping it. Mom smiled at me as Dad nodded his head approvingly.

"You guys are always welcome to visit me when I'm in New York, they have a lot of libraries." Alice offered. "Then we can order room service and bill the company."

"You know we'll do that," I replied.

"The gauge rig is pretty!" Ruth said to Elijah.

I smiled at Elijah as he looks at me.

"Gauge rig?" I asked, trying to move the topic off of me and onto one of the fishing terms I remembered from Provincetown. "You already taking her to the ocean?"

Bram looked at me with surprise, probably wondering how I knew it had to do with fishing.

"Just up at Lake Lanier for now, but she's just like her old man and loves the water."

Bram looked at me and smiled. "Look at you mister fisherman."

"What can I say?"

Whew. Thankfully Bram left it at that. Dad's eyes bugged because mine couldn't and it made me laugh.

The rest of dinner was wonderful and we all got to talking in various groups. Bram talked with Mom, Alice, and Nora in the kitchen as Tracy and Elijah and I were in the living room.

"You almost blew your cover there, son." Elijah joked.

Nervous heat overwhelmed me as I put my face in my palm. "I know, and I've been so good up to that point. Thanks for not asking me how I knew that."

"Well it's not a real term anyway, Ruthy meshed two words about fishing together, but luckily you're not the only actor." Elijah laughed heartily.

"So, sweetie, do you know how you're going to," she looked at her son in the kitchen deep in conversation with my family. "Propose?" She whispered.

I told them the same thing I told Mom and Dad: dinner, candles, roses, pictures, Poem, ring.

"Very nice, Simon," Elijah approved. "Very nice."

"That sounds so perfect. I wish I could get it on video."

"I'll take pictures after, I promise." I said, sipping my water. "But now onto the other fun joint family tradition!"

"Let's do it!"

We all cleared the table and played board games until at least midnight. Ruth fell asleep shortly after dinner and was up in my bed.

During one of the breaks in between the games, Bram found me lost in thought looking out the window staring at my old car that was now Nora's. He laid his head on my shoulder.

"Tonight was the best Thanksgiving I've ever had."

I pulled him closer as we looked at my car. The car we got coffee in and the car I drove Bram to school the entirety of our senior year.

"Tonight was the best Thanksgiving I've ever had too."

"Come on guys," Mom poked her head in. "Time to play Scattergories and hear your father's stories defending his bad answers."

Bram and I said we'd be in shortly and Mom left the living room. I pulled him closer to me and we shared an intimate, deep, subtextual kiss that Bram, after our engagement, would understand before heading into the kitchen. We all laughed and played and it was a great, relaxing, family moment of two families coming together. It's exactly the moment I wanted to repeat every year for the rest of my life.