Chapter 7: Finding Love

The next day Mason and Ivan woke up with massive headaches. Their friends were all gone, except for Henry. Mason, Ivan, and Henry had all eventually fallen asleep in Ivans room. Mason's body was half on the bed, half hanging off and Ivan and Henry collapsed on the ground. They all smelled of alcohol and puke. Mason and Ivan woke up at the same time. It was one of those things that happened pretty often and they just blamed it on twin intuition. Mason groaned and rubbed his forehead.

"What happened last night?"

"Oh, be quiet." Ivan groaned in response. He held his hands over his head to block out the summer light shining through the window. "I don't know but lets never do it again." Ivan eventually sat up and looked down to see Henry sleeping soundly next to him. Ivan suddenly wondered how often Henry would drink with his other friends and if he slept as soundly next to those people as well. A small part of Ivan hoped that he was an exception.

"Stop eyeing him like candy and go get us some medicine."

"Why do I have to get the medicine?"

"Mason, go get medicine." Henry mumbled from the ground, his eyes still closed.

"No fair!" Mason threw up his arms, but stood up and left the room to grab some medicine for their heads.

"Thanks for last night." Ivan murmured to Henry. Henry opened one eye, looked up at Ivan and a crooked smile pulled at the corner of his mouth.

"Of course. Got to go out with a bang. Remember my graduation party? My friends and I did the same."

"Oh yeah. I know Mason I ended up leaving early because our Dad didn't want us to cramp your style." Ivan said sarcastically.

"Well, I'm glad I was able to be a part of your experience." Ivan blushed at Henry's words. "So, have you thought of where you want to travel?"

Ivan shook his head. "No, I'm not entirely sure. I'm thinking of just going with my grandpa back to Turkey first? I can't help how interested I am in his life. He seems like the kind of first adventure I need."

"Well, I know I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you, too." Ivans face felt flushed but before he could try to say anything Mason entered back into the room.

"Dad's making food. You guys hungry?"

"Ugh, I don't know if I can stomach anything."

"Its better to eat than not the next morning." Henry said as he sat up and rubbed his head and ran his hand through his messy hair. "I'll eat something."

"Alright." Mason tossed a bottle on the bed. "I'm going to get dressed. Here's some Ibuprofen." He left the room and Ivan stood, reached for the bottle and swallowed one without any water.

"Gross. I don't know how you do that." Ivan just shrugged. "Do you have anything I could borrow? I think there's puke on my shirt." Henry sniffed his shirt and flinched at whatever stench he smelled.

"Yeah. I have some of the shirts you've left here." Ivan went over to his closet and pulled out a plain black T-shirt with some gym shorts and tossed them to Henry. Without a second thought he pulled out his own clothes and began to change. Ivan and Henry have crashed at each other's house before, so it wasn't unusual to change in front of each other, but Ivan was always very self-conscious. Mason was the more bulky one, Ivan felt. Sometimes Ivan thought he was too skinny and frail to be considered attractive at all.

"Hey, do you want to go to a park with me later?" Henry suddenly asked after he finished changing.

"Oh, yeah! Sure." Ivan tried to calm down his fast beating heart thinking about hanging out alone with Henry. It wasn't something he hadn't done before, obviously. He still felt as excited as he did the first time he realized he had a crush on him. They exited the room together to see everyone sitting around the dining and living room eating breakfast. If their dad was good at anything, it was making food for everyone. It made Dimitri feel like he was part of a large family again, and he couldn't help but feel a bit sad knowing that Rose would have loved to be there.

"Hey! I see you have finally woken up." Dimitri smiled at the two boys and handed them a plate. "So, Ivan. I know you decided you want to travel, and I was thinking that you, Mason and I could go visit your babushka!" Dimitri's face was lit up. He had called his mother early in the morning and she was completely on board. Dimitri said he would pay for the family to meet them in Greece so they could have a group vacation.

Ivan thought about it for a moment and nodded. "Yes. I would love to see Babushka. When are we going?" Ivan had thought about going with his grandpa, but he rarely got the chance with his dad's side of the family and was happy to take the chance to do so.

"Next week! We are going to Greece." Dimitri couldn't hold back his excitement. He hadn't seen his family in years and was so excited to be able to plan something together. He worked all morning to figure out the details before making breakfast. He was slightly worried about jumping the gun, but he had good reason. "I know that seems really soon. We just hadn't planned anything for this summer yet, and Mason is going to have to head to college sooner because of soccer practice and training. I figured this was going to be the last time we took a family trip."

Ivan was taken aback at how sudden the news was. His father wasn't really the type to rush into things but plan them out months in advance. They hadn't really planned anything for the summer because they were unsure about when Mason was going to be heading off to college. It was somewhat refreshing to see his father jump into something adventurous for them. "Okay. I'm down to go to Greece. But what about Raptor?"

"Well, I assumed when you said you wanted to travel, it was going to be an issue. Thankfully, Raptor is already a well-trained dog. I was able to get him certified! He should be able to go on the plane with you wherever you go. You just have to make sure to keep up on his shots and exams!"

They all cheered and went back to eating the amazing breakfast that Dimitri had put together. Ivan smiled to himself as he and Henry sat together and ate.

Mason came out and Dimitri's smile widened. "Mason! I have your graduation present now." Mason practically ran at his dad. Dimitri pulled out a small wrapped box with a cute bow on top. Mason took the box and opened it to reveal car keys.

"You didn't!" Mason ran outside and Ivan followed. Outside was a dark blue 2015 Toyota Camry Hybrid. Mason squealed like a child and hugged the car. "Yes. This is the best present ever!"

Letting Mason have his moment with his gift, everyone went back inside.

Ivan sent a message out to his friends asking if they were okay, but figured they probably weren't away just yet, or weren't conscious yet. They finished up eating and Henry went back home to shower before going to the park.

"I bet Henry is going to ask you out!" Mason yell/whispered at Ivan as the played video games in Mason's room.

"Whatever, no he's not. We are just going to the park together."

"Oh, c'mon! You don't think things were all cute and cuddly last night? I bet he's been waiting for you to graduate so he can make his move."

"I don't know. I don't want to get my hopes up." Ivan admitted.

"Look, we are going to be leaving for Greece, and then who knows what you're going to do after that while I'm stuck playing soccer in college. This is going to be your last chance to really tell him how you feel, you know?"

"Yeah, but what if he does feel the same? I can't ask him to travel with me, he only just started his new job a few months ago. And he really likes his job."

"All I'm saying is that you should at least say something."

A knock sounded from the bedroom door and Dimitri stuck his head in. "Ivan, Henry is back." Ivan jumped up, said bye to his family that still remained inside the house and greeted Henry at the door.

The front door shut and Abe gave a knowing look at Dimitri. "I think they're cute together."

"I don't know. They've been friends a long time, I just don't want Ivan to get hurt."

Abe waved him off. "Oh, please. Ivan is a big boy, he can take care of himself. Everyone has to get heartbroken at least once in their life. You dealt with your own relationship problems."

Dimitri nodded, vaguely remembering that woman who used to be interested in him. She was crazy! But that was all past him now. He had a family he loved and they loved him. He recalled the conversation he had with Christian, about getting back into dating.

"Do you think the boys would be mad if I tried dating again?" Dimitri asked Abe.

Abe shrugged. "I'm not quite sure. I don't think it's a bad idea. You're officially going to be an empty nester. You are so used to taking care of your family, it's going to be suddenly lonely when they are gone. I wouldn't put it past you to try your hand at the dating game again."

"I don't know if I am yet, but Christian told me to try and it's just been on my mind."

"Well, I don't have any more daughters to give you. And this time… try not to hit on a high school girl.

Mason had been listening from the hallway, and he wasn't sure how to feel. His dad dating? Besides the general gross idea that his dad could date and be intimate with women, he understood why he was worried about their reaction. It had been a while since their mom had died-but had it been long enough? Did this mean that he would eventually call someone else Mom?

That was out of the question. Mason couldn't think that his father dating would ever make him upset, but if he tried to pass her off as a new mom, Mason wouldn't be able to handle or accept it. He still remembers his mom. He dreams of her often, about how much fun they had. She would be unafraid as they tried out new reckless things, and she was almost always happy to see them… as long as she'd eaten that day. Mason chuckled thinking of how grumpy and hangry she used to get. He wanted to reassure his father that everything would be okay. That living his life wouldn't mean forgetting Rose. But, before he could make that step, he needed to talk to Ivan first.

Ivan and Henry walked the few blocks that it took to get to a nearby park they liked to frequent. On the way they chatted about the TV shows they had been watching.

"I just realized I need to get a phone plan that will give me service to all the places I'm going. I hope it doesn't cost too much."

"Nah, I'm sure its fine. You'll just have to be sure to use WiFi as much as possible. Are you excited about Greece?"

"Yeah, I'm glad to see my family. Its funny that we are going to be meeting up in Greece, though."

"Well, I think your dad is just being cautious about going to Russia during all the crap going on right now." Ivan nodded in agreement. "Are you excited to be meeting all kinds of new people?"

Ivan sighed. "I don't know. What if I end up not meeting anyone new or learning anything new. I just end up being all by myself because I'm not extroverted like that."

"You'll be fine. You are more extroverted than you think."

"I don't know what you are talking about."

They had arrived at the park and decided to sit on the swings, swaying back and forth while next to each other. "I'm going to miss you." Henry declared. "I was pretty happy to move back and be able to hang out with you again. It sucks that you're leaving, but its going to be awesome. And you can always come back and tell me your stories."

Ivan nodded. A knot formed in his stomach as he remembered his conversation with Mason earlier. He didn't know how he was able to push through, but he managed to blurt the words out. "I really like you."

Henry looked at him and smiled. "I… really like you too."

Ivan ran a hand through his hair and sighed heavily, the weight slightly lifting off of his gut. "Well, I mean. I more than like you. I know we get teased a lot about it, and I know you might not feel exactly the same way, I don't want our friendship to get damaged and I just-" Henry reached over and put his hand on top of Ivans.

"Ivan. I know. I know what you mean. I… I really do feel the same way. I didn't want to say anything. I also didn't want to ruin our friendship. I knew that you probably felt the same way, but I also didn't want you to have to hold yourself back from doing something fun after high school because you were worried about leaving me behind."

Ivan coughed out a small laugh, because he was already thinking about that before, and it was crazy to hear that Henry knew him so well. "Wow, okay. This is really happening." Ivan's mind was racing. He didn't expect it to go so well. He truly imagined he would either never have the guts to say anything or would immediately be rejected. This acceptance wasn't really in the cards.

"Yeah. I'm not expecting anything. I'm just glad you said something. I was hoping we could try to spend a little more time together before you left."

"Of course! I'd love to. I mean, I was kind of already planning to, but now its like… you know. Sorry, I know I'm being weird."

Henry laughed. "It's okay Ivan. Why don't we go back to my house and watch a movie or something." Ivan smiled and nodded and they began to walk back hand in hand.

Ivan couldn't believe it was real. Couldn't believe that Henry was really holding his hand right now, that they were going back to watch a movie at his house! What a crazy turn of events.

When they arrived to Henry's house, no one was home. They walked up to Henry's room and he turned on Hulu to throw on a new documentary. They both laid back, leaning slightly against each other and snuggled up together to watch the film. Within about 20 minutes of it starting, Ivan felt Henry's arm move so it was over his shoulders. Ivan's face heated, his ears no doubt burning red. Henry didn't say anything or made any kind of inclination that he noticed Ivan rise in body temperature. Ivan scooted just a bit closer into Henry's side, enjoying how wonderful it felt to be in his arms. He couldn't wait to tell Mason about how his day went.

His phone vibrated and he saw Mason had messaged him. No doubt some kind of twin intuition had them thinking of each other.

When you're done being gross and lovey, we need a twin meeting. Lmk when to meet at the usual.

Ivan messaged back a thumbs up. He looked up at Henry, seeing a small smile on his face. Henry glanced down and Ivan, and suddenly Ivan leaned upward and laid a soft kiss on Henry's lips. He pulled back almost instantly, worried about Henry's reaction. "Was that okay?"

Henry's eyes were closed, as though he was really enjoying and taking in the experience. "Yes, that was more than okay." Henry leaned downward and met Ivans lips with his own. He pulled his arm close to press Ivan against him and they began to makeout. It was a few minutes later that they pulled apart. "Well, that was nice."

"Yeah…" was all Ivan could muster, feeling utterly overwhelmed by his excitement.

They occasionally kissed here and there throughout the film. When it ended, Ivan was preparing to leave. "This was amazing, Henry. I'm so glad we were able to do this. I'm supposed to go out to eat with my family tomorrow, but what about this Friday? Do you maybe want to go somewhere?"

Henry nodded and smiled. "Yeah. That sounds great. I'll text you."

"Okay." Ivan got off the bed and Henry walked him to the door. Ivan turned around and looked up at Henry. "Thanks again."

"No problem. I'll see you Friday." He delicately put his hand on Ivans cheek and Ivan leaned into his touch and Henry kissed his forehead and then gave him a kiss on the lips. Ivan couldn't help the ecstatic smile in his eyes and on his face as Henry lifted his face away.

"See you Friday!" Ivan practically yelled out as he walked out the front door.

Ivan did his best not to literally skip down the sidewalk to his house. "Hey, Dad. I'm home!" Ivan was immediately greeted by Raptor. "Aw! Hi Raptor."

"Hey Ivan. Mason went out, he said he was meeting you up for dinner?"

Ivan had almost forgotten! "Yes. I was just grabbing some things. Also wanted to make sure to feed Raptor. I'm going to buy him some treats on my way home. Does that sound good Raptor?" He scratched the dog's head and Raptor rolled over to get some belly rubs which Ivan was happy to give.

He filled Raptor's food bowl, grabbed the keys and headed out to the pizza place he and Mason liked to meet up at whenever they needed to decompress or have a twin meeting. He had messaged Mason before heading out, so he knew that he was ready to meet up. Mason had somehow gotten there first, but Ivan didn't know where he and Liam had been hanging out anyway.

Ivan sat down. Mason said, "I already ordered our usual. Here's your sprite." He pushed a paper cup towards his brother.

"Thanks." Ivan took a big swig. "So, I have so much to tell you. But, I know that you called this twin meeting so you go first."

"Okay. After you left, Dad and Gramps was talking. Dad's thinking about dating again. But, he's worried that we are going to be mad about it. I wanted to know what you thought before saying anything to him."

Ivan paused, pondered the idea of his dad dating other women. "It kind of weirds me out to think of it. But, I don't want to be one of those asshole kids that doesn't let their parents date. It's not like we can hope him and mom can get back together or something."

"Wooowww… okay true. I don't really see an issue with him dating again either. Gramps was saying how he's going to have the house by himself… and I don't want him to be, like, lonely."

"Yeah, same here."

"But, I'm never going to call that person mom."

"Oh, hell no."

"Okay, I'm glad that we agree on this. We can talk to Dad about it tomorrow before we go out to eat with everyone." Ivan nodded in agreement. "Okay, so whats your big news?"

Ivan was so happy he asked he burst out, "Henry and I kissed!"

"What!" Mason yelled out causing others to stare at them. He looked around sheepishly and then said in a quiter tone, "Omygosh dude! That's amazing. I told you."

"Yeah. I just went out there and said I liked him and he said he did, too. Then we watched a doc film and we kissed like a bunch of times and we agreed to hang out on Friday."

"Ugh! If only you guys could have figured this out before, when you're not like leaving already."

Ivan shook his head. "I know! But, Henry said he was worried I'd hold myself back to try to be with him and he doesn't want that."

Mason took a sip from his soda and eyed Ivan. "Yeah, that sounds about right."

Their pizza arrived and they chowed down. Both so excited for what the future had to hold.