May 2015
Kurt finished straightening up the sleeves on his shirts from moving them around in his wardrobe after moving his heavy winter clothes to the storage boxes for the summer. The last of the chilly weather had blown out a few weeks before, but end-of-semester projects and finals had stalled his seasonal clothing swap.
They were heading into their fourth summer in New York City. He felt like it had been both forever and just a brief period since they had arrived after high school. They all had two more years of college to finish to get their Master's degrees. He pushed the thought of school out of his mind and refocused on the task at hand.
When he finished, he leaned out into the hall and called out, "David?"
"Yeah?" he answered from their office.
"Can you come down to the bedroom?"
"Sure. Be right there." He left the book he was reading open on the desk.
When he got to their room, the door was slightly ajar, which made Dave push it open cautiously. He saw Kurt standing in front of the wardrobe, to the right of their bed.
"Can you sit down?"
"Yeah, sure." Dave sat on Kurt's side of the bed.
Kurt sat down next to him and took his hand. "I love you with everything I am. Will you marry me?"
Dave turned and wrapped his arms around Kurt, tackling him sideways down onto the bed. He laughed and kissed Kurt passionately. "Yes," he said when they pulled apart to catch their breath. "Yes. Yes. Yes." He accentuated each yes with a kiss. "I love you."
Kurt tried to keep his composure, despite Dave's excited response. "I'm proposing that we get married in August between the end of the second summer session and the start of the fall semester. I'll ask off from the shop today if you're okay with the date."
"It's perfect. Whatever day you pick."
"I was thinking that by then Melie and Alie will be two and may be able to handle flying here. If not, maybe Mom and Dad can just get her helper to stay the whole day and they can just fly in and back out. I don't know. Or we can just go get married wherever the office is that does it."
"We can do whatever. As long as I get to be your husband, I'm good with whatever."
"You're so easy," Kurt teased.
"Only for you." He kissed Kurt again. "Only for you."
"I didn't get an engagement ring since I want us to get married in a couple of months. I thought we could go out and pick out rings together."
"I like that idea."
"You like all my ideas."
Dave pretended to think. "Yep, pretty much."
Kurt rolled him onto his back and pinned him to the bed. "Take your shirt off."
Dave pushed up and pulled it off.
"I hope you're not in a hurry to go anywhere. I have plans for you."
"I don't have any plans, except to read that book I was reading before I came down here."
"Good." He leaned down and kissed Dave before he hopped up and locked their door. He turned back around. "Why are you still dressed?" He raised his eyebrow.
X-X-X-X-X
The same morning, Sam and Sebastian went out on their morning run. When they finished their cool down, they stopped and sat on a bench and enjoyed the breeze and the people watching.
Sam reached out and took Sebastian's hand, something that Sebastian had become accustomed to and found that he enjoyed. Over the years, he had teased Sam quite a bit for turning him into a softie.
"Whatever it is, the answer is yes."
Sam turned to look at him with his eyes narrow and his brow furled. "You should really listen to the question this time."
"You don't have to try to persuade me. I'm just going to say yes anyway. You know I always say yes. You just look at me and I say yes. That's how I gave up my playboy lifestyle, the one I thought I'd want forever. New guys, excitement… And then I pulled you out on the dance floor. And well, I never had a chance. You're just so damn gorgeous and sweet."
"Will you marry me?"
"Yes."
"Did you actually listen to the question?"
"I did. You want to get married and I agreed to your proposal. I will marry you." He leaned in and kissed him quickly, both of them still a little too hot to consider hugging.
"So, how about at the end of the summer? I know you've already taken that volunteer position and you're working too. I thought if you ask off three months in advance that surely you could get a day or two off."
"I'm sure I can. How about we split one of those new smoothies we tried a couple of weeks ago."
"Sounds great." He stood up and stretched some more.
Sebastian didn't move, enjoying his view of Sam stretching.
"Will you stop ogling me and get up?"
"You like my ogling," Sebastian insisted.
"True, but I'm thirsty."
Sebastian got up. "Me too. Maybe not for the same thing though. Let's get the smoothie and go home and I'll let you take care of my problem in the shower we both need."
"A most excellent idea, Sebastian," Sam said in his best Dr. Watson impression.
"You dork."
"You love me."
"I do," Sebastian admitted freely. He started walking away from where Sam was still stretching. "Didn't you want that smoothie?"
Sam jogged a bit to catch up. "You just want me to–"
Sebastian took off running again. Sam smiled and chased after him.
X-X-X-X-X
When Sam and Sebastian got back to the apartment, Kurt and Dave were in the kitchen having a late breakfast. Sam and Kurt made eye contact and both nodded almost imperceptibly.
Dave didn't see, but he was practically glowing and couldn't keep their news to himself. "Kurt asked me to marry him."
Sebastian said, "From the look on your face you said yes, just like I did. Sam asked me too."
"Were you two in on this together?" Dave asked.
"Who us?" Kurt said, feigning ignorance.
"Right," Sebastian said. "You may look angelic, but we all know the real you. You're a plotter. You move things behind the scenes."
"Sam and I were talking, yes. So, we did work to have the two of you go out and the two of us to stay in, so we could ask you each privately. And we discussed the fact that we all have the same group of friends and that getting married near the same time would make the most sense so that people won't have to travel twice in a short time period."
Sebastian wrapped his arm around Sam's waist. "That all makes a lot of sense. I'm all for whatever works. I had never even considered getting married until I met Sam, so if you have some dream wedding ideas, I'm willing to listen. But first, we need a shower. I reek."
Kurt laughed. "Go on, then."
X-X-X-X-X
August 2015
Three months later, the four of them were sitting at their dining room eating their final breakfast before they'd be married men. Kurt kept looking at Dave and he'd break out in a huge smile. Sam kept winking at Sebastian, which made him roll his eyes, which in turn made Sam laugh.
They cleaned up after breakfast and remade their beds with clean linens and washed the others. Paul and Ramona would be spending the night, as well as Burt and Carole. The four of them were paying for Kurt and Dave and Sam and Sebastian to have a room at a nearby hotel with a Jacuzzi for the night.
Burt and Carole opted to leave Alie and Melie in Lima in the care of young woman who helped Carole a few afternoons a week. She had come over a few evenings instead to learn the girls' bedtime routine so it would go more smoothly. They wanted to be able to focus on Kurt and the weddings rather than focus on keeping the girls occupied and quiet since they were too young to be interested in what was going on.
X-X-X-X-X
Saturday afternoon, the four of them walked into the private room they had rented at their favorite Italian restaurant. The room had been designed to make it look like they were seated outside in a courtyard with stucco walls and windows around the room.
Sebastian's eyes grew wide and he began to cry. "Oh, my God, Paul. You brought my grandparents. It's been so long – three years."
"Sebastian, dear, I wish you had told us what you were doing," his grandma said as she pulled him into a hug. "We knew you were gay. That didn't matter to us."
"You never said anything," Sebastian said.
"I know, dear. That's on us. We're so sorry. We didn't know where you had gone. We contacted your father, of course, but he said you had run off and he didn't know where you were and since you were 18, he didn't have any legal leg to stand on to report you missing. We saved up money for three years to hire a lawyer to help us find you."
"You went to Paul."
"We did. The instant we told him what we wanted to do, he told us that you were here in New York and that you were getting married."
His grandpa broke into the conversation. "He told us to keep our money to buy plane tickets to come to your wedding."
Sebastian hugged his grandpa next. He was a little taken aback, but he patted Sebastian on the back.
"I don't know what got into your father's head to disown you like that. We didn't raise him that way. All I can think of is that he got involved in politics and it sided with the party that it was easier to win with."
His grandma said, "We're so happy for you."
Sam had been standing close by. Sebastian turned to him and took his hand.
"This is Sam Evans."
"Aren't you a handsome fellow?" Sebastian's grandma teased. "I'm Lorraine Smythe. It's nice to meet you."
"You too."
His grandpa reached out to shake his hand. "Alexander Smythe."
Sam nodded and shook his hand.
A few people were standing behind them, unable to get in the room.
"Let's step inside," Sam said.
Lorraine said, "We'll let you be for now. We'll go find our seats. We know you need to be where you belong for this to get started. "
"I'm really glad you're here."
"Me too, dear. Me too. We've missed you so much."
X-X-X-X-X
Although they had their ceremonies in the same room, on the same day, with the same guests, it was not a joint ceremony. The room was a somewhat narrow rectangle and the two ends of the room had been decorated differently. The decorations on the tables incorporated both color schemes. Both couples wanted brief ceremonies with individually written vows and nothing else.
Kurt and Dave went first.
"Dave, when we first met, you were hiding who you were. You were scared and living in fear. You did such a good job of pretending, no one knew you were hiding anything. We got the chance to get to know each other, outside the influence of the people around us. Actually, it was under the guidance of someone who's here today. She gave us the place and time to learn about ourselves and each other. We grew from two people not know each other grew to us becoming best friends and then I fell in love with you and I asked you to be my boyfriend. The courage you had to be yourself cost you so much." A few tears trickled down Kurt's cheek. He reached up and wiped them quickly. "I wish that hadn't happened, but I was thrilled that you wanted to date me. That was four years ago. The best four years. I love you more now than I did then. I stand here proudly proclaiming that love for you and wanting to be your husband."
"I was grateful for the chance to let you see the real me, outside of everyone else's watchful glare. Without that safe space, this day would have remained a distance dream so unrealistic that it would have been pure fantasy. And I did lose loved ones, but I had known that their love was hollow. But I gained new family members who love both of us for who we are. I'm so happy to be standing here with you today. I'm looking forward to spending the rest of my life with you."
Their officiant had them repeat the vows after him and they exchanged rings.
"By the power invested in my by the State of New York, I declared you legally wed."
Everyone clapped.
They stepped towards each other and kissed. They sat at the center table with Sam, Sebastian, Paul, Ramona, Burt, Carole, and two seats had been quickly added for Lorraine and Alexander.
They ate a lovely Italian meal served buffet style. Once everyone had eaten, Sam and Sebastian moved to the opposite end of the room. The two of them had also written speeches for each other. Afterwards, the officiant went through their vows.
"Do you Samuel John Evans take Sébastien Alexandre Larose to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, to honor and cherish, forsaking all others? Do you willingly pledge yourself to be his companion through life, supporting each other through the good and bad times?
"I do," Sam said.
"Do you Sébastien Alexandre Larose take Samuel John Evans to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, to honor and cherish, forsaking all others? Do you willingly pledge yourself to be his companion through life, supporting each other through the good and bad times?
"I do," Sebastian said.
They exchanged rings. The officiant presented them to the group and they kissed. Everyone applauded. Sam pulled Sebastian into a hug.
After their ceremony, they moved the tables to make room for a small dance floor. They shared the floor, but remained far enough apart not to run into each other. They danced to a medley of love songs the four of them had recorded in a small studio. Once the song ended, other people joined them.
After a few more songs, each couple sat at separate small tables that had been placed where they had stood during their ceremonies. Their cakes were brought out and each couple sliced their cake and fed each other the first pieces.
The group of about 30 friends plus family members milled around and stopped by to talk to both couples and pick up slices of cake while music played and people danced. They had each designed a box to put on their tables for the cards people brought since they had asked people not to bring gifts.
After everyone had had a chance to talk to them, the two couples headed back out onto the dance floor for a few more dances.
X-X-X-X-X
Honeymoons – Key West, Florida – May 2017
"We have a Jacuzzi like we did on our wedding night in the hotel," Kurt said as they stepped into the hotel room.
"Dad said he got us a room with one. I was keeping it as a surprise."
Kurt waited for Dave to push the door shut and then he backed Dave up against the door. "Nice surprise." He kissed Dave thoroughly and ran his hands down Dave's chest, but right before he reached for the button on his shorts, he pulled his hands back and turned around. He grabbed his suitcase and pulled it towards the dresser.
"You tease."
"Do you want me to undress you?" He winked at Dave.
"You're so much better at it than I am."
"Is that so?"
"I'm certain."
"Go in the bathroom. Let's shower first, and then we'll try out the Jacuzzi."
Kurt followed him in.
X-X-X-X-X
Later that evening, they met up with Sam and Sebastian for a walk along the beach. They sat down in the sand just close enough to the water that it washed up onto their calves.
"It's so beautiful here," Kurt said. "I can hardly believe we're here.
They all sat in silence for a while. Kurt was the first to get back up. He started wandering a long the edge of where the surf was hitting, looking for shells. He picked up a couple that he liked and put them in his swim trunk pockets. Dave got up and followed him. He walked along side him through the shallow water.
"It feels surreal, but I love it."
Dave reached out and took Kurt's hand. "It's gorgeous, but not as beautiful as you." He squeezed Kurt's hand and interlaced their fingers. "I love you."
"I love you too, David. We've been together almost six years. And every day I'm glad about that. I wake up every morning next to you and I just feel so comfortable. I know that sounds boring, but it's not. It's perfect."
Sebastian and Sam came jogging up behind them.
Sam asked, "Are you two about ready to head to Duval Street? Sebastian and I are ready to go dancing."
Dave said, "You two can go on ahead. We'll catch up later. Just text one of us the name of the place you end up."
"You're sure?" Sebastian asked.
"Yeah. "We're just going to walk along the beach for a while longer."
"Alright, then," Sam said. "We'll see you a little later."
After they had walked away, Kurt asked, "Do you not want to go to the club?"
"I don't mind going. It's just that we have clubs in New York. We don't have a beach like this. I just wanted to stay out until sunset. Did you want to go now?"
"No, I want to be with you. We've been working so hard just to get to this point. I know you're going back to school in the fall, but this is still a huge deal. We all deserve some rest and relaxation. I'm glad we're in a place where we can just be comfortable walking along holding hands while enjoying ourselves. We can dance right here on the beach." He stepped farther away from Dave without letting go of his hand. He stretched out his other arm and spun himself into Dave.
"I see," Dave laughed as he pretended to push Kurt away to spin him back out. "You make everything fun."
"Thank you," he said, impersonating Elvis. "Thank you very much."
Dave just laughed. "You're getting better at that one."
Kurt spun himself back into Dave and kissed him.
X-X-X-X-X
Three hours later and a single margarita and Kurt was using Dave more as a dance pole than a dance partner, not that Dave seemed to mind one bit. He played his part well, and moved his hands along a long Kurt's lithe form to the beat of the music. They were attracting quite a bit of attention. Kurt noticed the guys watching him and unlike in his younger years, he knew they were watching him.
He turned and ran his hands down Dave's chest and leaned in to speak directly in his ear. "I see them watching me, but only you get to touch."
Dave shivered a bit and let his hands slide down lower until he had pulled Kurt flush to him and he began to kiss down Kurt's neck. "How much longer are you going to tease me and torture the rest of these guys?"
"They should look for their own hot guy. I already found mine. And I'll take you back to our room any time you're ready to go." He licked along the edge of Dave's earlobe. "Just say when." Kurt pressed his lips to Dave's, effectively keeping him from answering until they had to part to catch their breath.
"You little minx. I want you to take me to our room now, please."
"Well, you did beg so nicely." Kurt kissed him and took him by the hand and led him out the door. Once they were on the sidewalk, Kurt texted Sam that they were calling it a night and that they'd see them the next day.
X-X-X-X-X
Over the course of the week, they alternated between spending time together as a group and spending time together as couples. The place they stayed offered free bike rentals, which they took advantage of during their whole stay. They planned all of their excursions together. One morning, they went out on one of the glass-bottomed boats that took them out to the coral reef where they went snorkeling. They rented two hydro-bikes at sunset one evening. They spent one afternoon exploring Dry Tortugas National Park. They spent one rainy day at the aquarium and the Mel Fisher Maritime Museum. Not all of their time was spent sightseeing, they also spent part of their days either relaxing at the beach or in the pool.
X-X-X-X-X
The four of them were lying out in a cabana alongside the pool at the end of the week eating breakfast and talking.
Kurt said, "It's so completely the opposite of the lives we've been living here. It's all 'slow down and enjoy life' and it's all about relaxation and I wonder what it would be like to live here. Obviously, the residents have to go to work and be on time and everything, but I wonder what it would be like to work a job encouraging people to relax. And when work is over to be able to relax. It's not like it's desolate here. There are still quite a few people in the amount of space here. But there are no skyscrapers. It just feels more open."
"I think it's probably like living in any other tourist town. The people who live here probably don't relax as much as it seems like they would. I think we all tend to start to ignore our environment once we get accustomed to it. They're probably a lot more wowed by taking a vacation to the mountains or to New York City because everything is different and catches their eye," Sebastian offered.
"Maybe." Kurt ate some more of his breakfast before he said anything else. "I do love New York, but I think now that I'm older and I can travel that I might find other places I love just as much or more. Growing up in Lima, I saw New York City as this Mecca of acceptance and place where I could be myself. I didn't do myself any favors by not using the internet to research things."
Sam asked, "Has living in New York disappointed you in some way?"
"Yes and no. I was young and idealistic and I found that while it was a much more tolerant place than Lima, it's still full of prejudice. The whole world is full of prejudice. I think that's disappointing to have to come to terms with. As a kid, I thought that everyone would grow up and one day realize that their bigotry was unfounded and they'd just become decent people, like all they needed to do was just realize the error of their ways and they'd stop acting terrible. But it's not true."
Sebastian said, "Yeah, I can see how you might have believed that. Your dad is a good guy. I didn't really grown up with the type of bigotry you faced in Lima, but I knew it on a more personal level, so I never expected bigoted teens to grow up and become decent adults. And in my dad's case, it actually seems to be the opposite. He wasn't raised by bigoted adults, but became one."
"He grew up in Lima," Kurt said. "So, adopting the local bigotry doesn't seem so out of place if you think about it."
"Yeah, I guess," Sebastian said. "It still makes me angry. He was never married to my mom and got out of supporting me in any way that he could, but he's an upright citizen and I'm a scourge on society because I married Sam, who is kind and caring and loving. It's all so illogical. But I don't really think about it very often anymore. We made lives for ourselves and created our own family in New York. I really like living there. But coming here has been really relaxing and no one has hassled us in any way here. I'd definitely consider coming back here again."
Sam said, "I'm excited to go parasailing tomorrow. I think it would be awesome to live here, but I'd have to figure out what to do to make enough money to enjoy the attractions."
They went back to eating. Once they finished, Kurt said, "Alright, one more time out to the beach to collect shells."
"How many more do you think we need?" Dave asked.
"I'm not sure. Let's just go find as many as we can. Sam and I will make the frame for the entryway mirror however wide we have enough shells to cover."
"Makes sense. I'm ready," Dave said. He stood up and leaned over to kiss Kurt.
"You're so easy," Sebastian teased.
"Like you have room to talk," Dave said. "Sam just looks at you and you say yes."
Sebastian shrugged, but couldn't hide his smile when he glanced over at Sam, who got up and pulled Sebastian to standing and into a hug.
"Let's go find more shells for the mirror."
"M'kay." Sebastain kissed him. "But no one can blame me when Kurt gets stopped by security in the airport for being a shell thief."
"I'm not putting them all in my carry-on," Kurt said. "We're going to divide them up between us."
Sebastian rolled his eyes. "Let's go. We have other plans for this afternoon."
"Like what?" Kurt asked.
"Private plans." Sebastian winked at Sam.
Kurt sassed back, "Is this filling your Bingo card of how many places you can blow each other in public without getting caught?"
Sam about choked.
"Yeah, that's what I thought," Kurt said. "And yes, I love you both and we'll come bail you out of jail if you get caught, but don't get caught because I don't want to spend our parasailing money on your bail."
"Got it," Sebastian said. "Those shells?"
X-X-X-X-X
"That was AMAZING!" Sam said, as he practically launched himself at Kurt and spun him around when the four of them met up after their parasailing adventure.
"It really was, but put me down."
"Right." Sam put him down.
They started walking back towards the area where they could shower and redress.
Sebastian said, "It was so much more smooth than I had imagined it to be. The view was amazing. I took a bunch of pictures and about a minute of video. We can send it to your parents with our thank you email. This has been so much fun. Definitely the best graduation present for all of us."
"I'm glad we all got over ourselves about not spending any of our savings. Me especially," Kurt said. "This has been a fantastic week that we'll all remember forever. When we get home, I want everyone to download their sharable photos to discs and I'm going to make a big collage and hang it in the last empty space between the windows in the hallway."
They showered and changed quickly and met up outside. The Uber that Dave had arranged showed up on time and took them back to where they had left their bikes. They rode around exploring places they hadn't been yet, ate lunch, did a little souvenir shopping, and went back to their hotel to get ready to go to Mallory Square for one last sunset viewing before going on their Ghost and Mystery Tour.
X-X-X-X-X
The tour met up on Duval Street. The tour guide led them through various areas telling them mysterious and creepy stories from the past.
They were standing with the group while he told them the history of the house they were in the backyard of. Everyone was listening carefully. Sam squirmed and swatted behind him before scooting closer into Sebastian's side. He reached back again trying to brush whatever it was away and nudged Sebastian to move to the side a bit, which he did.
When their guide stopped talking, Sam turned to chastise Dave for poking him, only he and Kurt were standing at least five feet back from where he and Sebastian had been standing. He walked back to them. "Very funny," he said sarcastically.
"What?" Kurt looked genuinely confused.
Dave's face showed no evidence of guilt.
"One of you kept poking me while he was talking."
"Nope," Dave said. "We've been standing here the whole time. You two moved closer and we just stayed here."
Sam looked at Kurt.
He shook his head.
Sam could tell when Kurt was lying because they'd been friends for so long that he knew all of his tells, but this time he saw nothing indicating any dishonesty or trickery.
His eyes narrowed and he looked around. Sebastian stepped behind him and wrapped his arms around him and kissed him on the back of the neck. "If any more ghosts want to poke you, they'll have to get around me first."
"Let's just go look around," Dave suggested. "Maybe he has assistants in the group that stand around and poke random people just to increase the tension and add to the excitement."
"Maybe," Sam said. "But it's totally creepy if he doesn't."
X-X-X-X-X
After getting up to watch one last sunrise and spending the rest of their morning before brunch in their rooms enjoying their Jacuzzis a final time, they visited the Butterfly and Nature Conservatory until they had to leave to catch their flight back to New York.
They sat and looked through photos on their phones and the camera they took with them and talked about their favorite parts of their trip.
Sam showed Kurt his phone. "This one from this afternoon is really cool, with of the butterflies flying around you."
Kurt looked and smiled. "I never imagined seeing so many in one place. It was really cool." He showed Sam one of him when they were parasailing. "I got a decent one of you up in the air." He showed him.
"Ooh, that's a really good shot. I want that one for sure."
Kurt could see Sebastian moving photos to a file. "Are those for your BINGO game?" he teased.
"Yep. I would have never called it a BINGO game, but after Sam explained it, I know what you're referring to. Those photos won't mean anything to anyone else, so I'm moving them to keep them from being included in a group CD." He went back to what he was doing.
Dave showed Sebastian a photo. "This one of you near the reef came out really good."
Sebastian looked over. "That is really good. I think putting them all together is a fun idea. We all took pictures of each other, so we should have a really good selection." He saw Dave lean in to the camera, blocking anyone else from viewing it. "Umm hmm. It seems I'm not the only one with some non-group photos."
Dave blushed.
"I didn't think Kurt would pose for those types of photos."
"Not taken on a phone, I wouldn't. He took them with the camera, on a separate SD card, for his viewing pleasure only. It was our honeymoon and he liked the idea of some boudoir shots. I won't allow them to be printed, but he can look at them at home whenever he wants."
Sebastian nodded. "Make sense. Those kind of pictures getting leaked ruins lives and careers."
Kurt scrolled through his own phone again. "Aww. This was when we saw the baby rays." He held it up and turned it so the other three could see.
Sam said, "That was totally adorable."
Dave looked up. "It's been an amazing week here. I'm so glad we came. I just feel like we let five year of stress go in a week."
"Maybe we could come back again in a few years and celebrate our 5th anniversaries or in eight years and celebrate our 10th anniversaries," Kurt said.
"We totally should," Sam agreed. "We could fly into Miami next time and drive down and back and do things along the way. We could try out new places and still revisit some of the places we loved this time."
"Are we all still going to be living together eight years from now?" Sebastian asked.
"I don't see why not," Dave said. "It makes sense financially. Once we're all making decent salaries, we can save up. We could buy a small house together somewhere along the East Coast, a place we could go to together and separately. We could take cool weeklong vacations like this every year or every other year."
"That really does sound amazing," Kurt said. "It's been such a fantastically perfect week." He leaned into Dave, who turned to look at him and was surprised with a kiss. "I'd love for us to come back."