4 Years Later…

Chris woke, feeling the morning sun on his face. He opened his eyes with a smile. He then rolled over and pulled his boyfriend into his arms. Sighing in contentment, he gave the man a squeeze. Said boyfriend let out a small chuckle and hugged Chris’ arms as best he could from his position; they were both laying on their sides, back to chest. “Morning”, Chris breathed into his boyfriend’s dark hair.

Turning in Chris’ arms, he dark haired man gave his boyfriend a loving smile. “Good morning to you too. Gee, you’re certainly cuddly this morning, aren’t you mister?”

Chris responded by smirking and pulling the man even closer to him, wrapping his arms tightly around the muscled body of his beau. “What can I say?” Chris began. “You’re just to snugly to resist.” He delivered a small kiss on his boyfriend’s forehead, which resulted in the man letting out a cute little giggle as he wrapped his own arms tighter around Chris. The dark blond smiled happily, gently stoking his lover’s back.

As he lay in bed on a lazy Sunday morning, cuddling with his man, Chris reflected that he had never felt luckier to be himself than he did right in that moment. Sure, he had gone through some tough times over the last 4 years, but he knew all of the trouble was worth it if he could wake up next to his love and have mornings like this everyday.

He had met Dane Presley three years ago when he visited a gym nearby his college. Chris had been busy doing bench presses when he heard Dane’s voice for the first time. A sexy deep voice had began giving him some advice on his posture as he lifted weights. The voice alone was enough to turn Chris on. In way he hadn’t felt for and entire year at that point. The young man had spent the next 15 minutes lifted weights with the mysterious man guiding and encouraging him. Once he was finished, Chris sat up, anxious to get a proper look at the man with the sexy voice. The sight he was gifted with almost knocked the wind right out of him. The man was tall, like him. He had pale, creamy skin and a nicely toned body. His hair was as dark as coal and his eyes were the deepest emerald green he’d ever seen. It was as if Chris were seeing a real life male incarnation of Snow White.  

They introduced themselves to each other, and Chris learned that the gorgeous man’s name was Dane, and that he was in his third year of college, aspiring to be a high school PDHPE teacher. In the meantime, he was a young personal trainer and as it turned out, he owned the gym they were in with his older brother. From that day, Chris had visited that very same gym every afternoon for two weeks, training with and eye-fucking Dane for hours. Exactly two weeks after they’d met, Chris asked Dane out. They went to a basketball game together and Dane invited Chris up to his apartment after. That night, they rocked each other’s worlds, fucking until the early morning. Chris was gob smacked at Dane’s incredible ass. From that night on, the two young men became inseparable, spending all their free time together.

Though Chris had become comfortable with himself several months before then, he was not ready to come out to his conservative family. That was, until he met Dane. He was incredibly understanding of Chris’ situation and more than understanding. But after 5 months of pure dating bliss, Chris did not want to keep the man in his life a secret any more. So, with much fear, and great courage, Chris finally came out to his family. To say that his parents didn’t take it well would be an understatement. His mother had cried, looking at him as if she did not know who he was, while his father yelled insults and threw him out, warning him never to come back, despite the fact that Chris had already been living in his college dorm for over a year. It seemed as though his family disowned him, all but his older brother. His brother did not care that Chris was gay, and told him he’d always be there for him. Chris was so grateful that he’d burst into tears, while his brother comforted him. In fact, Dane and his brother became quite good friends, pleasing Chris immensely. In addition, Chris had also lost some friends, but made many others.

It was almost two years before he spoke directly to his parents again. He knew what they had been busying themselves with through his brother, but both his mother and father refused to talk to him during that time. In the last several months, however, it appeared that his parents were actually trying to make an effort. Chris’ older brother told him that they both had gone to counselling to try to reconcile the fact that their youngest son was a homosexual. Because despite the fact that they’d been taught that such a thing was a vile sin all their lives, they could not deny that they still loved their boy. And in the end, that was what became more important. So after a long period of estrangement, Chris’ mother and father reached out to him again, trying to make amends for the time they had ignored him. Things were not perfect; they were still quite rocky, and his parent’s had a long way to go, but they were better than they once were. Due to his own experience, Chris truly believed that one day, they would come around.

All the while, Dane had been by Chris’ side, lovingly supporting him through all of his stresses and woes. They were not only boyfriends; they were best friends as well. Chris trusted him with his deepest darkest secrets, even confessing to him about how he discovered his sexuality and how he’d struggled with it during his senior year of high school. How he’d fallen in love with a boy that was not meant to be his, and how that boy had helped him discover his true self. In turn, Dane shared with Chris all of his secrets, both good and bad, baring their souls to one another. Only two months into their relationship, Chris realised his love for the man; his perfect match. Eventually, the couple moved in together and had been happy ever since. Dane made Chris feel things he hadn’t felt since he had been with Justin Taylor.

Justin and Chris spent some time apart after their farewell parting at their high school prom. After a while, however, the pair got in touch again, reconnecting. Though they would never go back to having the kind of relationship they had before, the boys were still good friends. Chris went to Justin repeatedly for advice, and each time, Justin was there for him. He, along with Dane, helped him to find the courage to come out to his family. He had also given Chris advice on how to ask Dane out, telling Justin about how much he liked him when they first met. Chris’ hopes back on prom night had come true; he and Justin remained very good friends for what he believed would be a long time. The relationship was not all one sided, however. It pleasantly surprised Chris that Justin sometimes came to him for advice. Chris had helped him during the time he felt Brian was taking him for granted and when he met Ethan. Chris had helped him when Ethan cheated on Justin and when he realised he was still in love with Brian. Even Brian himself was cordial around Chris, whenever he was around when Justin and Chris hung out. Just as Justin had once told him; things got easier with time. Chris was incredibly grateful to Justin for showing him who he really was. He was able to acknowledge that Justin had been his first love, but he was glad that nothing had really progressed between them as he knew that Dane was his one true love.

Meanwhile, Chris’ career had also been looking very promising. After graduating from St. James, Chris continued to be the ultimate jock and star athlete he’d always been, having been offered a football scholarship in the finest sporting program in Pittsburgh. During his entire four years of college, Chris had been the star player and received the best news a football player could ever receive right after graduation; he had been offered a spot on a professional NFL team- the Pittsburgh Steelers! Even Chris’ parents told him they were proud of him, something they hadn’t said in a long while, upon hearing the exciting news.

Indeed, life was good as far as Christopher Hobbs was concerned.

That night

“Come on!” Dane said as he hurriedly pulled his partner to the bar they usually frequented.

“What’s the big rush?” Chris asked as he let himself be dragged towards the establishment.

Dane flashed him a knowing smile. “You’ll see”, he said.

Chris was about to ask what his boyfriend meant when they pushed through the door. “Surprise!” was the crowd noise that rang out. Surprised Chris was indeed. Looking around, the young man saw all of his close friends had filled the bar, including his brother. They was a banner hanging from the ceiling that said “Congratulations Steeler!” Chris also noticed that everyone was wearing the Pittsburgh NFL team’s colours.  

Flustered and taken aback, Chris said, “W-wow! I don’t even know what to say!”

Feeling two strong arms wrap around him from behind and hugging him, Chris heard Dane say, “How about, let’s get this party started?”

Chris looked back at his boyfriend, a silly grin on his face. “You did all this?”

“Not just me”, Dane responded, squeezing his boyfriend. “I had help”, he admitted, nodding over at Chris’ brother and another familiar face. Justin. Chris peered back at his partner in slight surprise. “The whole surprise party was his idea”, Dane told Chris, in reference to Justin. “I wanted a great way to celebrate your impending football success, and these two really helped to bring it all together.”

Smiling lovingly at the man holding him, Chris turned in his arms and gave him a big kiss. “I love you”, he said once their lips had parted, pure happiness evident in his voice and on his face. Dane matched Chris’ smile and gladly returned the sentiment. Turning back to his crowd of friends, Chris called out animatedly, “What do you say we listen to Dane here and get this party starteeeed!” The response was a loud, celebratory cheer from every person inside the bar. Smiling and laughing, the friends all got on to celebrating.

Twenty minutes after arriving, Chris approached his old friend Justin. “Taylor”, he greeted the man casually, clearly reminiscent of the way the pair used to interact during their high school days.

Justin gave his friend a smile and said, “Hobbs”, with a courteous nod.

The pair shared a genuine laugh together. “So, my boyfriend tells me you lent a helping hand in getting this celebration together”, Chris said.

Justin nodded. “That I did. He sought out my help, and as one of your good friends, I offered my assistance”, he replied light-heartedly.

“Thanks”, Chris said.

The sunshine blond gave the soon to be football star yet another nod. “Anytime.” After a beat, Justin said, “You know, Hobbs…I’m really proud of you.”

“You are?” Chris asked.

“You’ve come a long way since senior year”, Justin told his old friend. “Back then you were too sacred to even admit to yourself who you were. But now, you’ve accepted yourself completely, come out to your friends and family, and you’ve found yourself a true love. I always wanted you to be happy, Chris. And I’m really t=glad that you are.”

Touched, Chris gave his dear friend a big smile and pulled him in for a hug. “I never would have gotten here without you”, Chris told Justin after they’d pulled away from each other. “Really, Justin. Thank you for showing me who I was capable of being, who I was always meant to be.” Justin smiled warmly at Chris.

That was the moment that Brian returned to Justin with their drinks. “For you”, he said, handing Justin a beer. “Hey, Hobbs”, Brian greeted Chris. “Congratulations.” Chris could tell that the man meant it genuinely. He gave his thanks to the older man who had come to accept Chris as a part of Justin’s life. Seeing the happy glow on Justin’s face when Brian was around, Chris was incredibly glad that Justin was with the man. As his friend, Chris really did want Justin to be happy, as he believed the blond deserved all the happiness in the world.

“Who would have thought, huh?” Justin said, seemingly out of nowhere. Both Brian and Chris looked at Justin questioningly. “You and me, best friends, four years on from that shit hole of a high school”, Justin explained, looking at Chris. “The jock and the artist.”

“The athlete and the nerd”, Brian joked, poking Justin’s sides as the young man squirmed in his arms, giggling all the while.

Looking around him, seeing all his closest friends enjoying themselves, and his beautiful boyfriend smiling at him from across the room, Chris would always be grateful to Justin for being the reason he eventually found this wonderful happiness that he felt everyday. Turning back Justin, who was still chuckling at his own boyfriend’s playful teasing, he said, “To Hobbs and Sunshine!” raising his beer bottle in their air as a toast.

The blond before him raised his own bottle in jest, meeting Chris’ toast. He wore an expression of amusement, but as well as surprise. For, after five years of being friends, Chris had never learned of Debbie and Brian’s nickname for him. He had decided to call him that all on his own “To Hobbs and Sunshine!”

And they all lived happily, most homosexually ever after!

THE END!