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Tim woke before Matt and propped himself up on his elbow to watch the younger man sleep. Matt was looking especially relaxed, and Tim couldn't blame him. The idea last night had been to turn in early after the long drive to The Red Barn Bed and Breakfast in Vermont, but Matt had wanted to show Tim how happy he was to have a long weekend vacation together. They'd been up late, exploring each other like they were giddy teenagers.
He felt decidedly younger and more carefree this morning. Tim's musings were interrupted by a slight knock on the door – three quick raps – and he carefully slipped out of bed and pulled on his robe to investigate.
A tray had been left outside with a small carafe, two cups, and two covered plates that smelled strongly of bacon and eggs. Tim carried it inside and put it on the table by the balcony doors. It was sadly too cold to eat outside, but they could enjoy the view.
Then, he returned to the bed and leaned over Matt to place light kisses on his closed eyelids. His boyfriend shifted and grinned as he woke up.
"Morning," he murmured just before Tim pressed his lips to Matt's in a kiss that went on until they were both gasping for breath. "Wow. That was unexpected."
"It's a beautiful day, and we're here where our only concern today is whether or not we're going to leave this room."
"I think you mean 'leave this bed'."
Tim laughed. "I was thinking that a shower would be in order at some point, maybe a soak in the Jacuzzi tub, but if you want to laze in bed all day…"
"All of those options sound amazing." Matt couldn't stop smiling as he sat up and looked over at the table. "Breakfast in bed?"
"It's after ten. I guess they thought we weren't coming down."
"Is that coffee?" Matt pushed himself up, shrugged into a robe, and made his way to the table. Tim had to shove his hands in the pockets of his own robe to keep from reaching out to help. Matt's ankle had healed, and he was moving around well, but that didn't stop Tim for worrying about the next slip or fall. "Tim? Earth to Tim?"
He blinked and smiled at his boyfriend. "Sorry. What were you saying?"
"I just wanted to see if you wanted to eat before that shower."
"That's probably a good idea. Let's eat."
They sat across from each other and playfully stole food off each other's plates. Matt had somehow gotten an extra slice of bacon, but Tim's plate had more scrambled eggs. There were also grits and triangles of toast that they both smeared with butter and jam.
The conversation was light and fun as they discussed the book drive that Matt was planning on hosting at his store and the next time that Alexandra was going to be visiting. She was going to need to start looking at colleges soon, and Tim had a list of ones of the New York area that he wanted her to see.
The plates were picked clean and the coffee was long gone when they headed into the oversized bathroom. It was a handicap accessible room, so there was plenty of floor space and a walk-in shower with a seat and multiple handles like the ones at home. Matt got the water going and stepped in under the spray while Tim was figuring out how to turn on the towel warmer.
He gave a whoop of triumph and then slipped into the shower too. Matt was standing with his feet apart while rubbing shampoo through his hair when Tim moved in behind him, hugging him so that one hand was pressed against Matt's flat abs while the other made its way even further south.
~~!!~~
By the afternoon, Matt needed to get out and walk around. His legs had started cramping in the middle of a nap, which was probably an effect of skipping his exercises that morning… and of the positions he'd taken during their long, steamy shower.
There was a small town nearby filled with specialty shops, so they set out to explore at least one side of Main Street. They shared a caramel apple cupcake from the bakery and got coffee at a place with a sign outside that read "Happiness you can eat". Tim bought handmade scarves for Tiffani and Alexandra, and Matt picked up a few books from local authors. If they were good, he would talk to them about getting some copies for Have Book Will Travel.
The last store on their side of the street was an antique shop, and they parted ways at the door to explore on their own. Matt was drawn to the large glass display cases that surrounded the cash register at the center of the store. Several baseball cards were on display, and Matt knew that Tim had a collection of them that he still added to when he found a good card. With Tim's birthday coming up this month, Matt was on the lookout for the perfect present.
"Bomes!"
Matt's head jerked up when he heard the nickname that he hadn't heard in years. Decades, almost. Sure, enough, Taylor freaking Kitsch was grinning at him from across the store. Matt stared at him, dumbstruck, as Taylor headed in his direction, making his way down an aisle and around the display case.
Taylor's smile faltered when he saw Matt in full length view, and he couldn't take his eyes off the crutches for a long moment. "Shit, man," he finally said. "You okay?"
Matt shook himself and smiled as broadly as he could. "Hey, Taylor. It's been a long time."
"Yeah," Taylor replied absentmindedly as he walked closer and raised his arms as if to give Matt a hug. He froze in mid-motion though, as if he wasn't sure if it was okay to follow through.
"I'm okay. You can hug me."
He was gentle about it, but he did it. Matt wasn't surprised; Taylor had always been handsy.
"What happened?"
"It's a long story. Do you have time for a cup of coffee?"
Taylor nodded immediately. "Of course, man. Of course."
"Let me just… One minute." Matt maneuvered around him and went to find Tim. When he did, he explained that he'd met up with an old friend and that they were heading down to the coffee shop for a little while.
'Old friend' wasn't really the right term, but Matt couldn't explain it all to Tim right then. He'd met Taylor at college, back when he was really exploring his homosexuality for the first time. They were both athletic, intelligent, and ran in the same crowds, so they'd become friends almost instantly. Taylor had been his first long-term boyfriend and his first love.
Both Matt and Taylor were quiet until they got their coffee and found seats outside and in the furthest corner from the other patrons. Matt started talking right away, not going into too much detail, but explaining the crutches and the injuries.
"Shit," Taylor said when he was done. He stared into his empty coffee cup and looked like he wished they'd gone drinking instead. "That's intense, man."
Matt shrugged and drained his own cup. "Now that you've heard my story, what have you been doing these last… sixteen years?"
"Well, long story short, I blew my knee out in a game about six months after we… While I was rehabbing it, I got really interested in sports medicine. Switched my major and now I do PT."
"No way. That's great!" Matt reached over and patted his shoulder. "You like it?"
"I love it. I work with a lot of the professional teams in New York, and I volunteer as an assistant coach and trainer at one of the high schools."
Matt smiled and nodded. "That's really great. I'm glad you found your thing."
It had been a constant source of conversation for them when they were together. Neither had any idea what they wanted to do with their lives, and they were always frustrated by it.
"And you. You always did like books. I never understood it," Taylor teased.
They both laughed. "Yeah, well, I had to do something with myself after," he patted his crutches. "Reading was pretty much the only thing I could do for a long time."
Taylor bit his lip and looked away. "I wish I'd known. I would have… I don't know. Been there, I guess."
"I wouldn't have wanted you there. I didn't really want anyone there. It was pretty awful for a while, but it got better."
"What do the doctors say about walking now?"
Matt shrugged. "This is as good as it's going to get. I can walk short distances without the crutches, but it's not pretty and it's tiring."
Taylor pulled a business card from his pocket and slid it across the table. "Come by some time, and we'll see about all that."
"It's been thirteen years," Matt said. "Unless you can work miracles-"
"You've always been a fighter, Matt."
That rankled. Matt sat up straight and crossed his arms over his chest. "And I fought to get here. When I woke up in the hospital, they told me I'd never get out of a chair. That I would be lucky to live on my own and take care of myself. I worked hard to get here. Don't think for a second that you can fix me! There's nothing to fix. I'm fine, I'm happy, and I don't need this."
"Whoa!" Taylor put his hands up in a placating gesture. "I didn't mean to insult you. I was just… There have been a lot of advancements in the last several years, and I get the most cutting edge equipment because of the athletes. I'm trying to help here, Matt. I swear."
Taylor put his hand on Matt's shoulder and kneaded at the tense muscle there like he'd done when they'd had fights as a couple. Matt scrubbed his hands through his hair and took a deep breath to calm down. "Sorry. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have blown up at you. It's just that you're not the first person to say that, and eventually you just can't hear it anymore."
"I get that. Just think about it, okay? Come by any time."
Matt pocketed the card and nodded. "Yeah, okay."
"Cool. Now, do you know that guy? Because he's been eyeing us for a couple of minutes, and it looked like he was going to take my head off earlier."
Matt looked up and saw Tim standing a discreet distance away, glaring at Taylor. He waved his boyfriend over to make introductions. Tim looked less than impressed, while Taylor looked surprised and then something else… Envious.
Once Tim joined them, the conversation was tense. Thankfully, Matt's phone beeped an alarm after just a few minutes. "I'm sorry about this," he said, getting up, "but I left my medication back at the bed and breakfast and that's the reminder."
"It was great to catch up, man," Taylor said, also standing and then pulling Matt into another hug. "I meant what I said earlier. Come by any time."
"Thanks. I'll think about it. It was good to see you."
~~!!~~
Tim was quiet all the way back to the B&B, and he went out on the balcony to sit when they got back to their room. Matt took his pills and then joined him, pushing a chair closer so that they could sit side by side.
"Is something wrong?" Matt asked, after several minutes of silence.
"Who was that guy? I'm not buying the 'just an old friend' thing."
Matt sighed. "Taylor was my first boyfriend. We met in college, but we were too young and too undecided about life to make it work."
"And now?"
"And now what?"
"You two were pretty close at the coffee shop."
Tilting his head to the side, Matt gave Tim a wry grin. "Are you jealous?"
"No!" Tim looked away and ran his fingers through his hair. "Maybe a little…"
"There's no need. Taylor and I were together a long time ago, and we're very different people now. I love you. Nothing's going to change that."
Tim turned his head and met his boyfriend's eyes. Matt winked and then smiled brightly. "I'm sorry. I feel silly now."
"It's okay." Matt pulled him into a kiss. "I understand."
Tim returned the kiss, and they spent the next several minutes making out on their Adirondack chairs. Eventually Matt's back protested the positioning, and they moved inside to properly make up on the nice comfortable bed.
Afterward, they lay together in each other's arms, limbs tangled together amid the sweaty sheets. Tim was stroking his fingertips up and down Matt's arm when he asked, "Do you ever think about marriage or kids?"
Matt raised his head and blinked. "Umm? Where did that come from?"
"I've been thinking about it. I love you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I think you feel the same way."
"I do," Matt interjected. "I do."
"Then, do you think marriage might be something you'll want one day?"
Matt considered it for a minute. He hadn't allowed himself the luxury of thinking about things like that since his time in the hospital. Once the asshole had broken up with him, Matt didn't know if he'd ever find someone who wanted to be with him.
"Matt?"
"Yes, yes, I would like that very much." His voice was soft but firm, and he took a deep breath to stave off his emotions.
"Me too," Tim said as he pressed a kiss to the top of Matt's head.
Matt moved so that they could trade kisses on the lips. "You said something about kids too. Do you want to have more kids?"
Tim nodded. "If you want to, I was thinking that we could maybe adopt a child or two. I'm not opposed to having a kid of our own, but there are so many children out there that need good homes, and I think that you will be a great dad."
"I don't know about that."
"I do. I've seen you with the kids that come to storytime at the bookstore, and I saw you with Alexandra. You're great with all of them."
"Thanks, but I haven't spent much time around kids." He glanced over at his crutches propped up against the wall on his side of the bed. "And I don't know…"
"Hey, we would figure it out. People with crutches and spinal injuries have kids all the time." Tim took Matt's chin in his hand and gently turned his face until they were eye to eye. "Don't let that be the reason that you don’t become a dad, if you want to be one."
Matt nodded and dipped his head so that he could nuzzle Tim's palm. "I'll think about it."
"Good." Tim smiled. "That's all I ask."
~End