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David and Patrick married in September.
In early November they closed on their cottage on the outskirts of town, and as soon as a few small projects best done in an empty house were complete, they were able to move in by Thanksgiving. It had been too tight of a time frame to host their own holiday feast, so they spent it with Marcy and Clint in Patrick’s childhood home instead. David had been somewhat overwhelmed by the number of Brewer cousins set on telling him every embarrassing story from Patrick’s childhood and adolescence they could manage, but the spread of food and warm acceptance had more that made up for it. Not to mention the look on Patrick’s face, glowing with pride and delight every time he took David’s hand and introduced him to someone as his husband.
By the time Christmas rolled around, David and Patrick were ready to host their own celebration. Moira, Johnny and Alexis all flew in, and Patrick’s parents drove up for the whole week between Christmas and New Year’s Eve. The Apothecary was closed after a record-setting holiday season, so they settled in to enjoy the longest time yet with their newly formed family. Stevie was there more often than not, and their New Year’s Eve bash was attended by most of Schitt’s Creek, spilling into the backyard around the fire pit despite the frigid temperatures.
After everyone was gone, Patrick and David settled into a comfortable, blissful routine. Mail orders and stocking the Rose Motel Group’s properties easily replaced a fair amount of foot traffic normally seen during warmer seasons, allowing them to keep the store open half the usual hours and spend the rest fixing up their house and having sex on every available surface not actively being renovated.
Summer always seemed to come early to Schitt’s Creek and stay long past it’s usual expiry date. Before Memorial Day weekend had landed temperatures were well into the 80’s, and one humid evening Patrick found David on their small back deck, gazing at the wide, flat expanse of their backyard longingly.
Patrick hooked his chin over David’s shoulder. “Deep thoughts?” he asked.
“I was just thinking…it’s so hot and just the beginning of the summer. What if we put in a pool?”
“A pool?”
“Our house in the Hamptons had the most glorious pool. It was installed before infinity pools were a thing, but it was still gorgeous.”
Patrick raised his eyebrows. “Hon, pools are very expensive. Expensive to install and expensive to maintain.”
David frowned. “Not anything like we had back then. Just a nice little kidney shaped pool we could cool off in, maybe 6 feet in the deep end. We wouldn’t even need a diving board.”
It wasn’t the worst idea David had ever had, in Patrick’s experience. He had to admit that the idea of jumping into a pool after a sweaty baseball game or mowing their gigantic lawn was appealing. It was beyond impractical though, and totally out of their budget for improvements to the house.
“David, it would be thousands of dollars. Even if we did an above-ground” – he smirked at David’s wince – “that’s still around two grand. We don’t have that kind of money right now.”
“But-“
“Pools are also a lot of work. My aunt and uncle had one, and I’d hear them complaining to my parents about it every summer. You have to skim, vacuum, clean the filter, keep the chemicals in just the right balance so it doesn’t turn green. Between the busy season at the store ramping up and the Rosebud Motel Group orders, I think it might be too much to take on, even aside from the cost of it all.”
David sighed. “You’re right. It was a silly idea.”
“No, not at all,” said Patrick, not liking how dejected his husband’s expression had become. “It’s a great yard for a pool someday. We just have to be patient and save for it if it’s something you really want. We can add it to the five year plan.”
David’s face brightened a little. Even when Patrick had to gently shoot down one of David’s ideas, he knew that making it clear that he was hearing David and taking him seriously went a long way to soothing any hurt feelings.
“I like that idea,” David said. He looked out at the yard again, looking more wistful than sad.
“What is it?” Patrick wrapped his arms around David.
“I wouldn’t want to trade my life now for what I used to have, not for anything. But sometimes I just wish I’d appreciated some of the things I had back then a little more. I never thought about how much work the groundskeepers must have done to keep the pool clear, or how much money Dad and Mom must have spent installing it. It was just…there, cool and clean and perfect whenever I wanted to swim. I wasn’t grateful for it, not a single time I ever used it.”
Patrick’s throat tightened. It never failed to move him, how far David had come from the self-described spoiled, angry and petulant man he’d been before. How he still kept growing, his hard edges gradually dulling into gentle curves. Patrick felt incredibly lucky to be the person who got to see it happen firsthand. He cleared his throat, attempting to lighten the mood before David could see the tears starting to form in his eyes.
“Well, I for one am very glad you wouldn’t trade me in for a pool in the Hamptons.”
David turned around, smiling so fondly it made Patrick’s heart clutch. “Did I mention there was a built-in hot tub as well?”
“In that case, I’m even more touched.”
Patrick kissed David, but in the back of his mind he was already wondering if he could find a way to give his husband at least a taste of what he’d lost.
~*~
To say that David was irritated on Patrick’s day off from the store was an understatement.
The day had started hot and humid at sunrise and only gotten worse from there. The store’s air conditioning struggled to keep up with the constant door openings, and within a couple of hours after the first customer of the day David was sweating profusely in his Dior Homme sweatshirt. He was exhausted from both the steady stream of customers and having to do all the closing tasks by himself, and had worked up a pretty good head of steam as soon as he walked in the door.
“Hey babe, how was the store?” asked Patrick, wandering in from the kitchen, looking annoyingly cool and relaxed in a tank top and jorts. He sipped from a beer bottle dripping with condensation.
“Hot. Tiring.” David cringed inwardly at how mean and pointed his tone was, but he just couldn’t seem to shake off his funk. “I’m going to take a shower, try to cool off a little.”
“Can I show you something in the backyard first?”
David’s temper boiled over. “No.” Likely Patrick had started a tomato or pepper plant that he wanted David to gush over, but he wasn’t in the mood. “I would like a shower and a drink and some dinner, in that order please.”
Patrick visibly deflated. “Oh, sure. Sorry, I’ll just…meet you out there, I guess.” He turned and walked out of the living room swiftly.
All at once, David’s frustration collapsed. It had been a crappy day, but that wasn’t Patrick’s fault. He shouldn’t have taken his bad mood out on him.
“I’m sorry,” he said, but the whooshing of the sliding glass door to the backyard closing made it clear Patrick hadn’t heard him.
David breathed in and out slowly, trying to calm himself. Running out to apologize to Patrick while his emotions were still chaotic felt selfish and needy. Instead he went upstairs to their bedroom and exchanged his work clothes for a much more sensible pair of drop crotch shorts and one of Patrick’s old, faded sportsball t-shirts. He splashed cold water from the master bathroom on his face and neck before going downstairs to try and make things right.
The moment David stepped onto the deck he realized exactly what Patrick had wanted him to see.
A medium sized inflatable pool sat just off to the side, a bit bigger than a kiddie pool but still large enough for two adult men to lounge in. There were tiki torches set up around the perimeter, and a cooler filled with ice, a bottle of rosé and several beers.
“I know it’s not much.”
David whirled around. Patrick shrugged, smiling shyly from the side of the deck. He gestured weakly at the oasis he’d created for David on his one precious day off from the store.
His breath hitched. How had he gotten so lucky? “It’s perfect.”
“I know it’s not like, a real pool. But I used a cloth to filter out the minerals from the well water, and I got this chlorine bobber thing so we can keep the water for multiple days without it getting gross. It’s honestly not that bad once you get in.”
“Patrick.” David dove into his arms, hugging him close and nuzzling into the crook of his neck. “It’s the best pool I’ve ever seen.”
“I don’t know about that.” Patrick’s voice turned wry and teasing. “I thought I heard you had a house in the Hamptons with a much better one.”
Smiling, David pulled his head out of Patrick’s neck and took his face in his hands. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” He kissed Patrick soundly, until they were both breathless.
“So, how about a dip?” asked Patrick, once they came up for air.
“I would love to, but I really do need to eat something first. Maybe just something simple like sandwiches?”
They had some leftover rotisserie chicken and turned it into a quick chicken salad, which they ate on sourdough bread with tomatoes and lettuce from the farmer’s market in Elmdale. David even compromised and allowed Patrick to use the tacky paper plates he insisted on keeping on hand, so cleaning up after would be easier. Once they’d eaten they went to the bedroom, hand in hand, to change into their swimsuits.
The pool water was clear and cold as David lowered himself in, with just the faintest scent of chlorine. Patrick passed him a glass of wine before grabbing another beer for himself out of the cooler and joined him, throwing an arm around his shoulder as they relaxed against the side of the pool.
“This is so lovely,” David said. “Thank you.”
“I know it’s not-“
David cut him off. “What it’s not isn’t important. I’m thanking you for what it is.”
Patrick grinned. “My apologies. Please continue.”
“This was a very kind and thoughtful thing that you did for me. I would rather be here with you like this in our backyard than in the most elaborate pool in any of the exotic places I used to go. Those pools may have been bigger, with more amenities and a better view. But you were never there, so comparatively speaking? Super lame.”
“I’m glad this made you happy, David. I always want to make you happy, if there’s any way I possibly can. After all, I did promise to.”
“You did, and you do. You make me so happy, Patrick, the happiest I’ve ever been.”
“So does this mean we can cross a built-in pool off the five year plan?”
David kissed Patrick’s shoulder and clinked his glass against Patrick’s beer bottle. “Let’s not be hasty.”
Patrick’s answering laughter rang through their yard.