Carol watched as Eric made his way out from the back hallway. He was pale and seemed shaky, when moments before he had been laughing and having a good time at their little house warming party. She reached out to touch his arm as he got close, "Are you okay?"
"I have to go home. I can't stay." He wouldn't look at her directly, "I'm sorry, I just have to get out of here."
His voice was softer than it normally was, and he seemed hesitant, though Carol wasn't sure why. "Alright. Do you want me to walk over there with you?"
He shook his head, "No, but thank you. I just need some time alone." She let go of him and he left quietly.
Carol hoped that he was going to be alright, but she put it out of her head so she could focus on what was happening in her home. They had invited a lot of people, wanting to be neighborly now that they had really moved into the two houses they had been given. She was unofficial hostess, and there was a lot taking her attention.
"Have you seen Eric?" Aaron cornered her in the kitchen more than an hour later and she had to think for a few moments.
"He went home a while ago. I don't think he was feeling well. Didn't he tell you? I thought that he had gone to find you just before he left." Carol paused in handing out drinks and looked at Aaron for a moment, "Maybe he couldn't find you. I think he was in the back, near the first floor bedrooms."
She didn't understand why he paled, but she was distracted again before she questioned it. "Oh. I guess I didn't notice him then. Thanks, Carol, I think I'll head home now too. Thanks for inviting us." He had a very bad feeling suddenly, and leaned against the wall for a moment when he felt a little sick. When he caught his bearings he went directly home though, taking a route that crossed yards instead of walking around the blocks.
The house was dark when he got home, and that worried him. For a moment he hoped that it was just a headache, or that Eric was coming down with something simple like a cold, but that bad feeling persisted. He found Eric sitting on the floor of their bedroom, sorting through his clothes. He was pale and his eyes were red, and it looked as though he had emptied all of his things from the dresser.
"What are you doing?" Aaron sat on the edge of their bed, looking at the piles of clothing with worry.
"Packing." Eric's voice hitched and he sniffled, "You were going to ask me to leave, weren't you?"
Aaron felt faint again, "What? Why would I do that?"
"I saw you with him. At his house." Eric didn't look up, his fingers moving over the fabric of one of his shirts, "I was looking for you and I found you with him."
"Eric, I am so sorry. It wasn't what you think. I swear." Aaron tried to reach out, but the gesture was ignored.
Eric shook his head, "It's okay. You don't love me anymore. I understand." He flinched at his own words, and his hand clenched on his shirt, messing it up. He was still looking away from Aaron, but he stayed in place as Aaron got up from the bed and knelt next to him on the floor.
"No." Aaron reached out, taking Eric by the shoulders, "If you think that I don't love you, you really don't understand anything." He took a deep breath, "I didn't want to do it like this. I had hoped for a happy moment, a celebration or a good day. Something that we would want to remember."
Eric frowned, glancing up at Aaron in confusion. "Do what?"
"What you saw me doing with Daryl? He was just helping me practice because I didn't want to sound like an idiot, not that he was much help. He laughed at me more than helping." Aaron let go of Eric's shoulders and took his hands instead, holding them firmly. "Eric Raleigh, will you marry me?"
Eric blinked, leaning back slightly, "What?"
"Not exactly the answer I was hoping for." Aaron squeezed Eric's hands, "I know we've been together for a long time, and we could have done this before. Maybe marriage doesn't even mean the same thing anymore; anyone can claim the status without any ceremony, but I was hoping that maybe you'd want the ceremony. With me. Would you?"
"Yes." It was whispered and Eric still looked as though he were unsure of what was going on so Aaron leaned forward and kissed his forehead.
"I am so sorry about what you saw. I never thought that it would hurt you, or that you would see it." He closed his eyes and imagined Eric coming home, thinking that he wasn't loved and sitting in the dark, packing his things, and let the feeling wash over him. "I would never want to make you feel like that."
He slowly let go of Eric's hands and stood before offering to help his boyfriend up off the floor. "Come on, let's get your things put away, and then we should talk some more about this."