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It’s the first time David’s been back to New York since his life was upended and he lost everything he thought he needed to be happy.
He misses it sometimes. No, not the life he used to have. He is much happier in Schitt’s Creek with Patrick, now that he knows what true happiness feels like. But New York was a city with a personality of its own. And maybe in a small way, the city itself was the best friend David never had back then, as sad as that is to admit.
He misses the wonder of walking aimlessly down the streets with no real destination in sight, just taking in the rush of the world around him. The excitement of discovering new places he didn’t know existed before. The food. Oh how he misses the food. Even Elmdale’s finest pales in comparison to the shittiest hole in the wall places that usually became David’s favorites.
But what he misses the most, were those quiet nights alone in his penthouse apartment, sitting on the balcony, just watching the world below him. Because for as chaotic as New York City can be from ground level, from up above it had a sort of calm and peacefulness about it that David found beautiful. A feeling, not all that different from how every day with Patrick has felt in the three years since they met. David is excited to get to share this with Patrick. And hopefully, replace some of those old painful memories from his past with new ones he can hold onto forever of this place he will always love.
It’s Patrick’s first ever trip to New York so they have a lot to cram into the three day weekend. David has some plans to show Patrick the tourist spots, but mostly he wants to show Patrick his New York.
After they land, they check into their hotel. They are staying downtown in TriBeCa because David refuses to stay anywhere remotely close to Times Square. After dropping off their bags, freshening up, and grabbing a quick lunch, David leads Patrick to the subway and they are off to their first stop.
It’s a quick ride from Chambers Street to Christopher Street, which is where they get off. David won’t tell Patrick where they are going but he had a sly look on his face like he can’t wait to share his excitement with Patrick. David does a quick scan once they are above ground to orient himself, then picks a direction to walk in. That’s when Patrick sees their destination. He instinctively knows before David even tells him. The window is adorned with a giant unicorn licking a rainbow ice cream cone with the words “Big Gay Ice Cream”. Patrick lets out a chuckle. Only in New York would a place like this exist, he thinks to himself, but he also loves that David wanted to take him to a place like this that is so loud and proud. Not that they haven’t always been open and accepted in Schitt’s Creek, but New York City is a whole other ball field and Patrick hasn’t really had much experience immersing himself in the broader queer community.
“This is the best ice cream in New York,” David says. “I highly recommend the Salty Pimp.”
If Patrick had been sipping a drink he would have spit it out right there. “The what?” he asks.
“The Salty Pimp,” David says again, seemingly unaware of any other meaning to those words. “It’s a vanilla cone with caramel and sea salt dipped in chocolate. Best thing here by far!” From the giddy way David is describing the ice cream, Patrick cannot find it in him to tease David about the double entendre. Jokes can only go so far with David when food is involved.
They order their ice creams (two Salty Pimps) and sit on the bench outside to eat them, but not before posing for some selfies. David’s favorite ends up being one of himself smiling wide at the camera, ice cream in hand, as Patrick turned to kiss him on the cheek. It’s a photo they later print and frame to display in their home.
While in the West Village, the make a stop at The Stonewall Inn after. Patrick knows about the history and the significance of the place, but also listens as David recounts secondhand stories from people he’s met throughout the years who were there in the thick of it all. To lighten the mood, they then spend the rest of the day leisurely walking the High Line, taking in the views, with plenty of stops along the way.
Once the sun sets, David leads them east. This is the part of the trip he’s been looking forward to the most, but is also the most anxious about. He might not be able to show Patrick the view from his old penthouse apartment anymore but there was one place that would give a similar view.
“Wow,” Patrick says looking out the windows at the top of the Empire State Building down on Manhattan below. The city was glowing with the lights of the buildings and the cars.
“I know,” David replies from beside him. “This was always my favorite view. Well not this view specifically, but the view from my balcony at night. I used to sit up there with a glass of wine and just watch the lights below. It was therapeutic, calming. The way everything looked so neat and tidy from way up high when life was a real fine mess down below.” Patrick has turned to watch him now instead of the view. David continues, “I guess I think in a way I was like that. Looking nice an attractive from afar, but the closer you get the more you just see what a mess I am which is why no one stuck around. And then I met you and you none of this,” David waves a hand over himself in a circling gesture, “seemed to phase you.”
“It took me a while to recognize it, but that serenity I’d feel stories up in the air watching the world below is the same serenity I feel with you every single day. Except now I get to feel it while I’m surrounded by loved ones instead of all alone on my balcony.
“So I wanted to bring you here to show you this and thank you for being my Manhattan from the sky. And...” David reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small black velvet box, then drops to one knee. “I just thought this would be the perfect place to ask you to marry me.”
Patrick chokes back a laugh that might also be a sob at David’s callback to his own proposal. But then David is opening the ring box and the image before him takes Patrick’s breathe away.
The ring is simple, but elegant. Something Patrick definitely wouldn’t have picked for himself, but also instantly knows this ring was meant for him.
“I had it custom made,” David says. “I knew you wouldn’t want anything too elaborate, but everything I was seeing was too boring.”
The ring is a rose gold band with blue tungsten embellishment that almost makes it look like the two metals are woven together.
“David,” Patrick voices in a tone so heavy with emotion it almost comes out as a whisper. Tears tracking down his cheeks.
“Is that a yes?” David asks with a shit eating grin again calling back to Patrick’s proposal which causes Patrick to let out another one of those laugh-sobs but then schools himself and gives the sass right back to David.
“Ehh I have to think about it. You did just spring this on me out of nowhere.” David rolls his eyes but is smiling that pleased half smile where his lips just scrunch to the side of his face and then Patrick is pulling him into a bruising kiss. “Of course it’s a yes, David. We are literally already engage and like 87% of the way through planning our wedding.”
“I know. I just wanted my own proposal. Not that I didn’t love yours, though I could have done without the stick, and actually the whole hiking thing too, but it just kind of feels full circle for me, probably in the way climbing that fucking mountain was full circle for you.”
They don’t actually finish with viewing the rest of the observatory, instead opting to head back to their hotel and spend the rest of the night celebrating their engagement much like they celebrated the first time around.