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/We were both young when I first saw you
I close my eyes and the flashback starts
I'm standin' there
On a balcony in summer air/
Romeo remembered the first time he saw Specs. He was young, only 12, although most people would’ve guessed he was younger. Stupid shortness genes. He supposed that’s why when Specs walked in Romeo immediately spotted him. He’d always noticed people who were taller than they should be, especially when they were his age. Luckily, his ‘You’re too tall, Jerk’ glare was blocked from view by the curtains hanging over the glass doors leading out to the balcony. His parents would probably kill him if they knew he was hiding outside, but as much as loved to flirt and be the center of attention, sometimes even he was overwhelmed. Romeo suddenly realized he hadn’t taken his eyes off the new arrival.
/See the lights, see the party, the ball gowns
See you make your way through the crowd
And say, "Hello"
Little did I know/
These dumb summer parties his parents hosted sucked. Okay, sure, the first couple were okay, but it seemed like every other week there was another party. The guests almost never varied, mostly couples, although occasionally one of his friends would sneak in to see him. So to see a new kid, even though he was tall, was surprising. Romeo didn’t know why he continued to watch the boy. There were plenty of girls he would usually watch, their beautiful ball gowns sweeping across the dance floor. The suit the kid was wearing wasn’t even near the expensiveness that most people were wearing. Romeo did like his glasses though. They looked nice on him. Suddenly, he realized the boy was walking towards the balcony. Romeo stepped back, leaning against the railing, hoping he looked casual. Glasses Boy stepped out, shutting the doors behind him. He glanced towards Romeo, looking surprised.
“ Uh, Hello. I didn’t realize someone else was out here.” He scratched his neck.
“ No, you’re good. It ain’t my balcony is it?” Romeo paused, thinking, “ Well, actually, I guess since I live here, it technically is mine.”
“ Yeah, that would make sense.” He chuckled. “ Anyway, My name’s Specs.” He held out a hand. Romeo took it, shaking it lightly.
“ Specs, huh?”
“ Nickname.” He explained, pointing to his glasses.
“ My real name ain’t embarrassing or anything, I just find this suits me better.”
“ No judgin’ here. I go by Romeo.” Specs laughed, and suddenly Romeo wanted to make him laugh again.
“ I like it. I just moved here, and you’re the first person I’ve really talked to my age.”
“ Me too!” Romeo said excitedly, then realized that didn’t make any sense. “ At least tonight. These parties get boring after you’ve hosted hundreds.” They talked on and off for the rest of the night, and exchanged phone numbers by the end. And Romeo couldn’t explain why he felt so bubbly.
/That you were Romeo, you were throwin' pebbles
And my daddy said, "Stay away from Juliet"
And I was cryin' on the staircase
Beggin' you, "Please don't go, "/
The friendship between the two blossomed easily. Suddenly, Romeo’s moments alone were filled with Specs’ laughs, smiles, and random snippets of knowledge. Soon enough Specs was introduced to the rambunctious group of teenagers Romeo called his friends. Already Romeo’s parents weren’t big fans of the Newsies, as they called themselves, so to see that Romeo had made friends with another “ less than satisfactory” teenager, they were the opposite of happy. Okay, yes, sometimes the Newsies hangouts got a little crazy, but they were teenagers. But Specs was different. His parents didn’t care, or believe him, so Specs came at night. He would throw pebbles at his window, then climb up the ladder thrown down to him. They would talk for hours. This went on for almost 2 years. That was, until Romeo’s parents found out. It was one of the few times Specs had come around during the day. It hadn’t been pretty. His father had practically thrown the boy out, telling him to stay away from his son. Romeo couldn’t take it, he begged his parents not to, but he sat crying on the staircase as he watched his best friend walk away, head down.
/and I said, Romeo, take me somewhere we can be alone
I'll be waiting, all there's left to do is run
You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess
It's a love story, baby, just say, "Yes"/
He didn’t run away, no, Romeo just started to spend as much time as possible away from his house. He texted Specs to come get him, to take him somewhere they could be alone so they could talk. They had to, because something was happening between them, something that needed to be addressed. And if Romeo’s parents saw any evidence of them being together, it wouldn’t be pretty. The conversation was stressful, to say the least. They both liked each other, but to actually come out and say it, that was a different story. But in the end, it happened. Specs leaned forward and gave Romeo a kiss.
“ Yes, Romeo. Yes, I’ll be your boyfriend.”
/So I sneak out to the garden to see you
We keep quiet, 'cause we're dead if they knew
So close your eyes
Escape this town for a little while, oh oh/
It was pure bliss for almost 3 years after that. 3 years of Romeo having an absolutely amazing secret boyfriend. He was positive his parents wouldn’t accept the fact he was gay. They barely tolerated his theatre obsession and his singing. After all, those things weren’t exactly their idea of manly hobbies. So the dates and meet-ups were in secret. And Specs, being the perfect boyfriend, always planned the most amazing dates, Romeo’s favorite being the public gardens. He loved the romanticness of sneaking out to see Specs. They even did a date at Romeo’s during the night, when his parents were asleep. It was a risk, sure, but as long as they quiet it’d be fine.
“ Close your eyes.” Specs looked at him weirdly.
“ Uh, okay?” He closed his eyes, and Romeo placed an item in his hand.
“ Open.”
“ What’s this? A-“
“ A promise ring. I know it’s like, maybe a little early for it. But I wanted to give you something. And I put it on a necklace so you can wear it around your neck and hide it easily, in case someone asks about it and you don’t want to say anything. I mean-“
“ Romeo,” Specs said gently, “ I love it. And I love you.” He gave him a kiss. Romeo blushed, grinning.
“ I love you too.” The lay on the bed together, Romeo’s head on Spec’s chest. When they laid like this, in comfortable silence, it was almost like they were alone somewhere else, somewhere they could be themselves.
/'Cause you were Romeo, I was a scarlet letter
And my daddy said, "Stay away from Juliet"
But you were everything to me
I was beggin' you, "Please don't go, "/
Specs had it easy, well, easier than Romeo in opinion. That was actually a lie, Specs’ dad was in jail, and his mother struggled to pay rent and support her son. Romeo helped, as his family had more than enough money for three people. This made him a scarlet letter to his friend group, who all had harder lives than he did. He remembered going to a dance with Specs, the dance actually being a block party in the latter’s neighborhood. It was fun, being in a different atmosphere during a party, and he liked this one even better. At least until his dad found a photo from that night in Romeo’s room. There was a lot of yelling, and then an untimely visit from Specs at the window.
“ Stay away from my Son!” Romeo’s father yelled out, before slamming the window shut. Romeo raced over, struggling to unlock the window.
“ Specs! Please, SPECS! Don’t go!” He sobbed, sliding down his wall, “ You’re everything to me.”
/Romeo, save me, they're tryna tell me how to feel
This love is difficult, but it's real
Don't be afraid, we'll make it out of this mess
It's a love story, baby, just say, "Yes"/
Romeo should’ve been more careful. Now his parents knew he was gay. He sat on the couch in the living room, legs pulled up to his chest as they yelled at him.
“ Our son, gay? I can’t believe it.”
“ He’s spent too much time watching those queer theatre shows. They’ve corrupted him!”
“ Mom, Dad, I’m Bi. I like girls too.” Romeo whispered, pulling his legs closer to him. They either didn’t hear or pretended not too. He sighed, thinking of Specs. Specs would know what to say, he wouldn’t just sit here and take this grief. That night he sat in the corner, writing a letter. His parents had confiscated his phone, and so he had to improvise. Although, this was way more romantic.
‘Specs,
I wish you were here. Well, actually I guess I don’t. My father probably would have you arrested. But you would have known what to say, you could have saved me. They were trying to tell me how to feel. I’m grounded for pretty much ever now, or at least until I ‘turn back straight.’ Which will never happen. Look, I know our love is difficult, but it’s real. I don’t care what my parents say, I LOVE YOU. We’ll make it out of this mess, I promise. Just, say you still want to be my boyfriend.
Love,
Romeo’
Satisfied, Romeo folded the note into a paper airplane, and threw it out his window. One of the Newsies would’ve heard about what'd happened and would try to visit him. He woke up the next morning to a paper taped to the window. There was a large yes in all caps printed in Specs’ handwriting, a large heart doodled next to it. Romeo grinned, pulling the note off and flipping it over.
‘ Romeo,
You idiot. Of course I still want to be your boyfriend. And yes, we will make it out of this mess. I’m leaving town to find a job. I’ll make enough to support the both of us, and I’ll come back for you. Wait for me, Romeo.
Love,
Specs’
/I got tired of waiting
Wonderin' if you were ever comin' around
My faith in you was fading
When I met you on the outskirts of town,/
That was the last Romeo heard from Specs for almost a year. He knew they were just kids, that Specs would have a hard time getting enough money. Once he came back to get him though, Romeo would “borrow” some from his parents. They had more than enough after all. But Specs didn’t come. And Romeo got tired of waiting. He’d been kept pretty much under lock and key in his house. On the plus side, his parents had started to become more tolerant. But it was too late, Romeo was already wondering if Specs would come back. He had never doubted him, but now his faith in him was fading. He woke up one morning to find a note taped to his window. Eagerly he jumped out of bed and retrieved the note.
‘Meet me out at the Garden’
There wasn’t a name signed or more context for the Garden, but Romeo immediately knew it was Specs.
/and I said, Romeo, save me, I've been feeling so alone
I keep waiting for you, but you never come
Is this in my head? I don't know what to think/
Romeo found him sitting by the fountain. He silently walked up and sat next to him. They both stared at the water, neither speaking.
“ I’ve missed you.” Specs said, still staring at the water.
“ Me too. I’ve been feeling so alone, Specs.” Romeo sniffed, “ I kept waiting, like I said I would, but you never came. I started thinking, maybe all of this was in my head. That we weren’t going to make it.” Romeo was on the verge of tears now. All his bottled up emotions from the past year were spilling out. “ I didn’t know what to think anymore.”
Specs finally turned to Romeo. He held out his arms and Romeo flung himself into them. Specs gently ran his hands through Romeo’s hair as he cried. After he calmed down, Romeo pulled away, wiping his eyes. Specs smiled down at him.
“ I was coming back for you Romeo. I’ll always come back for you.”
/He knelt to the ground and pulled out a ring
And said, "Marry me, Juliet
You'll never have to be alone
I love you and that's all I really know
I talked to your dad, go pick out a white dress
It's a love story, baby, just say, "Yes"/
Specs knelt to the ground next the bench, slipping a ring out of his pocket. Romeo gasped. He recognized the ring. The promise ring, now with a glittering new gem.
“ Marry me Romeo. I promise that you’ll never have to be alone again. I love you, and that’s all I really know. I talked to your dad, and I told him what I’m telling you. I’ll work and work and work all day and all night to give you a life just as grand as what you live now. I already know as long as you’re in my life, I don’t need anything else.”
“ Specs, I- My parents,”
“ Your dad said yes, so go pick out your white suit. Because we’re getting married.”
“ Oh heck yes we are!” Romeo said, falling to his knees next to Specs. The latter slid the ring onto Romeo’s finger. They met in the middle for their kiss, short and sweet. They’d come a long way since Romeo had first seen Specs.
/'Cause we were both young when I first saw you/