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“Cheers for you, guys! You’ve made it!” someone exclaimed, raising the glass for the high school seniors.
The crowd roared. Сlicking of the glasses ran through the restaurant hall. They celebrated graduation today. The prisoners of exams and textbooks finally got released.
“Congratulations, honey!” Armie whispered in his boyfriend’s ear. The smile crept on his face.
“We did it!" replied Timothée, leaning to kiss Armie.
Suddenly, two pairs of arms hugged them. They were Timothée’s parents. Both seniors laughed, diving into the tight embrace. Tim’s mom rambled some sweet nothings to them. But Armie couldn’t care less - his mind was preoccupied with the other thing.
They had been dating since the sophomore year at school. The high school sweethearts who were an example for everyone. Girls got excited when they saw them. Boys offered to hang out, yet with a modicum of repulse.
Today, Armie wanted to move these relationships to the next level. A speech had been already prepared. The words were strongly imprinted in his memory. He even rehearsed how he would go down on his knee in front of a crowd with a promise ring.
First, he needed to get a blessing from Timothée’s dad. Marc never minded their relationships. He supported a lot when the things got difficult for them. That’s why Armie had no doubts the man would agree. However, the formality should’ve been served. Still, Marc had been an old-fashioned man.
After they released the hug, Armie sent Timothée’s father a meaningful look. Marc shook his head towards the exit. A little wave of shivering ran down Armie’s spine, but he sucked it up and followed the man.
“What’s up, Armie?” Marc asked with a smile.
Armie took a pack of cigarettes out of the pocket, picking one. Smoking was supposed to calm down his nerves .
“I wanted to talk to you about one important thing,” he said, breathing out the smoke. “It relates to Timmy.”
“Is there anything going on between you two?” Marc wondered, little concern in his voice.
“No, everything’s fabulous. Nothing to worry about. I just. . . I just wanted to ask for your blessing.”
The awkward steel silence settled for a minute. Marc peered at Armie, trying to wrap his brain around the words he heard.
“Did I get it right? You want my blessing for?..” the man wondered.
“For marrying your son. I love him so much, you know it. I trust him more than anyone else. Can I have him for the rest of my life? Will you let me?” Armie said, searching for approval in Tim’s dad eyes.
“Armie,” Marc started, putting a hand on Armie’s shoulder. “I love your relationships. I trust your love’s pure, and Timothée truly deserves it. That’s what I always wanted for my son - happiness. . .”
“But?” Armie asked deflated.
“But I can’t give you my blessing now. Don’t get me wrong - I just think it’s too early. I don’t want you to jump the gun and then regret your whole life. Marriage can always wait until it feels absolutely right.”
“But I feel this way now. Don’t you believe me?” Armie asked.
“You’re just enamored, my dear. I want you to wait for a while, get to know each other even better. Start with moving in together, okay? You’ll enter a new phase of life. I give my blessing for it, but not for marriage yet.”
Marc hugged Armie’s shoulders in a soothing gesture.
“Okay,” Armie sighed, putting out the cigarette. “I’ll talk to Tim about it.”
“Okay. Let’s go back inside and pretend that we’ve never had this conversation, alright? That’s your happy evening. You’re still so young, darling. Get your fun, you have the whole lifetime ahead!” Marc patted Armie’s back, leading them inside.
Armie’s next attempt happened two years later. It was a four-year anniversary of theirs. An ideal, much less cheesy moment to propose. The couple was about to make a small gathering with Tim’s family in the new apartment.
Following Marc’s advice, they moved in together as soon as the application approvals arrived. Packing was stressful, yet still fascinating. They had been dreaming about living alone since the beginning of the senior year. Having their own space, domesticity and chores meant getting liberty and independence.
It wasn’t smooth at first, as it happened with every couple, but they met the halfway. T-shirts moved from the floor and took place in a walk-in closet, printouts were neatly put on the desk, each pile sorted by majors. Dust could barely settle on any surfaces as it was generously swept every weekend.
“Armie, can you bring your ass here and grab the plates?” Timothée shouted from the kitchen.
Armie smiled, setting the table in the living room. Despite his exquisite appearance, his boyfriend’s behavior appeared absolutely opposite. Even impish. They saved their bantering manner since the high school. Their hot spice to keep the love piquant.
“On my way, sweetie!” said Armie, hearing an irritated groan.
Touché.
He glanced over the table, turned around, and opened a small drawer of a console. There was a little navy box laying under bills and flyers. A tiny pad kept a thin silver band safe and sound. Armie silently prayed that ring would take its place today.
The doorbell interrupted him.
“I’ll get it!” Armie said, heading to the hall.
When he opened the door, he was clutched into tight embraces of Timothée’s mother. She kissed both of his cheeks, praising him and wishing happy anniversary. Tim’s dad hugged him as well, but more reserved. Armie smirked and let them enter the apartment properly.
“Do you remember how I caught you two upstairs?” said Nicole with a grin. “Quite and humble like two little mice.”
“Mom!” Timothée whined and looked at Armie. “It was so long ago, we were kids. By the way, we weren’t doing anything indecent, were we?”
“Come on, Timmy, don’t be a pussy. Nicole, please, remind me what was going on there. I’m getting older, you know. It’s hard to remember everything.” Armie said slyly, leaning closer to Tim’s mother.
“No way you’re doing it, honey.” whispered Tim, acting exasperated.
“No worries, hubby. It’s fine,” Armie replied, but immediately halted.
The silence downed on the table. Armie realized what he had said quite fast. He didn’t even drink anything to curse the well-known phrase. Was it the right moment to ask? Probably not, considering how Tim’s father looked at him. They had no time to talk beforehand.
“What did you say?” Tim asked curiously.
“That will happen eventually, won’t it? I rushed a bit, my bad!” Armie replied, leaving a kiss on his temple. “I need to smoke. Will you excuse me?”
He got a small nod as an answer. Armie excused himself from the table and headed to the kitchen. He definitely needed a cigarette.
As soon as he lighted up the cigarette, he heard steps behind his back. They were quite heavy for Timothée. That was his dad.
“Armie, what was that?” Marc asked with poised voice.
“Just a mistake. No harm, no foul. I actually wanted to talk to you about it again.”
“No, Armie,” the man interrupted him.
Here we go again, Armie thought. He pondered the reason of denial, but couldn’t come up with anything.
“Why? Is there anything particular?” Armie asked imploringly.
“You’re not ready, Armie. Look at you two. You’re so young still. You have college, a new apartment to deal with. I don’t want my son being hurt when something won’t work as you two wished. Trust me, the ring makes things much complicated than you can imagine.”
“You know that I’ll never hurt your son. But if you think so, I don’t want to humiliate myself and plead,” Armie put out the cigarette. “Let’s go back, shall we?”
It took Armie all his strength to stay composed. The fire burned everything inside his chest. Not rage, but disappointment. He couldn’t show anything to Timothée. This day was supposed to be the happiest, and he would do everything to keep it this way. The ring could wait a bit longer.
“Nicole, what’s wrong? Doesn’t he trust me? I’ve already proved everything,” Armie said, circling the cup brim with an index finger.
“I don’t know, dear. He’s a bit protective of Timmy. He’s always been. However, he trusts your relationships. I tried to talk to him about it, but he cut it in the middle,” Nicole replied and sat closer to Armie. “I’ll do my best to soften him, okay?”
Armie nodded. Nicole was his only support in the engagement endeavor. He shared his intentions once and got a million of blessings. But it made nothing to the main problem solution. Thus, Armie came to Nicole quite frequently to get more spirit or ask her about Tim’s dad.
Nicole refilled their tea mugs, and the long discussion commenced. The warmth hugged Armie’s solar plexus. He sincerely loved this family and was honored to become a part of it. Armie could only dream about such bond with his close ones.
They brought up old times while Armie was waiting for Timothée’s call (the couple agreed to meet after Tim’s classes would be over). The laughter filled the room, set friendly atmosphere.
“What’s so funny, guys?” Marc asked.
He entered the room and stopped behind Armie’s back, putting palms on his muscular shoulders.
“We recalled some stories from school. When Armie and Timmy were little kids. Who knew that they would end up together,” Nicole answered and stood up to greet her husband.
“I see. Are you waiting Tim from college, Armie?” Marc wondered.
“Yes, he asked me to pick him up. So, I decided to come over while I’m around the block.”
Marc looked at Armie with an inquisitive look. Armie couldn’t meet his gaze as it would give out everything he was bearing in his thoughts.
“You’re quite preoccupied, Armie. Is there anything going on now?”
“You know what I’m thinking about. And you know what I want to ask you again. But I won’t, for obvious reasons,” Armie said, lifting his eyes on the man.
“You think absolutely right, Armie. I’m happy that we gained understanding in this field,” Marc said, patting Armie’s shoulder before leaving the room.
Armie sent a deflated gaze to Nicole and shrugged.
“It’s okay, sweetie. I’ll talk to him, I promise. Would you like some sweets? They’ll cheer you up,” Nicole whispered, hugging Armie from behind.
“I’d love to, thanks,” Armie replied, caressing the woman’s palm.
Armie kept all thoughts at bay while Timothée was rambling about the day on campus, his fails and wins. Focus on the lovely features helped to heal small cuts on his soul. His heart was swelling with the purest love he felt to Tim. Armie scratched Timothée’s scalp, brushing the curls away from his temples. A soft smile spread his lips.
Armie imagined their wedding since Timothée first caught his sight in the school corridor. The heart claimed Tim his only one. Now, with all struggles, his dream took a rain check further and further. Armie’s thoughts flew so far that he even thought about elopement. His dignity stopped them.
“Let’s order some food, shall we? I don’t feel like cooking today. Unless you want to do it, of course,” Timothée asked, lifting his gaze on Armie.
Armie swam out of his mind. Tim asked something about food, but big lump of sorrow wouldn’t let him have anything. Not today when the scratches were still bare.
“I’ll pass, Timmy. I’m sorry, I don’t feel good to eat anything. You can grab whatever you want, it’s on me,” he mumbled in Timothée’s curls and pressed a kiss.
Timothée peered at him with an unfathomable expression. He tried to understand what was happening with Armie. But he hid it so well - thanks to a drama class in his childhood years. No need to worry his lovely Timmy. Armie’s struggle was definitely not his business.
“When we’ve been to Colorado, we actually visited that resort you mentioned. Tim was made for all slopes there, ” Armie teased his boyfriend, looking at his mother.
“I’m sorry I’m not like you, Mister I-can-do-every-sport -on-this-planet. And fight a bear, I’m pretty sure you can,” Timothée grumbled yet smiled.
They had a small dinner with Tim’s parents since they came by their apartment. Such Saturday dinners became a custom. They gave enough time to share all news, remember old days, and solve problems.
“We have some photos printed if I’m not mistaken. Wait, I’ll find them,” Timothée said, standing from the table.
The man rushed to the console standing close to the wall. He clearly remembered that there were some photos kept. Still in the frames since the moving time. He rummaged through the stuffs, but ran into a small box instead. The navy velvet box. Timothée picked it and turned to the table.
Shiver ran down Armie’s spine. He absolutely forgot about the ring in this drawer. And he had never thought Tim would find it. But here he was - shocked, with the navy box in his palm.
“What is it, Armie?” Tim asked in a low voice.
“Um, it’s your birthday present. The early one, I guess,” Armie replied defensively, albeit soft.
Armie couldn’t find a proper excuse except Tim’s upcoming birthday. He watched how his boyfriend looked at the ring, how his eyes sparkled, but it put out within a second. Armie threw a look at Tim’s mother, who seemed as stunned as they were.
“You love rings, so I bought this one as soon as I saw this,” Armie stood up and came to Timothée.
“Thank you, it’s so beautiful!” Timothée said, leaning to plant a kiss on Armie’s lips. “What finger should I wear it on?”
“Whatever would suit, darling,” Armie said; his voice’s a bit distant.
He wanted to see the silver band on one particular finger, but the vicissitudes of fate acted differently. The couple stayed silent while Tim was properly looking at the ring. Suddenly, a voice from behind cracked the still.
“Yes, Armie. I say you ‘yes’ right now,” Tim’s father said.
“What?” Armie asked, turning around.
“I give you my blessing. You can marry my son. You were too convincing,” he explained, coming closer to them. Nicole followed him.
The phrase stroke Armie’s head. Yes! He got the desirable answer. Tim looked as astonished as his partner did; a total lack of understanding in his eyes.
“What’s going on here? Are we marrying?” Tim asked, moving his eyes back and forth between the family members.
Armie chuckled, pressed a kiss on the crown of Timothée’s head, and took the box from his palm. The man went down on his knee with the box in front of Tim. Now he could do it officially.
“Will you marry me, Timmy?” Armie almost whispered.
“Of course yes, Armie. It can’t be the other way. I’ve been bearing you for so long. What a loss to forsake you to die alone!” Timothée said through the laugh.
“Sure, that’s the only reason why you will,” Armie deadpanned, locking Timothée into tight embrace.
While keeping his fiancé close, Armie looked at his future father-in-law. He was smiling. Armie’s lips formed “thank you” and spread from ear to ear. He was on cloud nine.