Two Years Later

“Ok class,” Josh Seevers said to the (very loud) group of seniors gathered in his history classroom. “I know it’s your last day of high school and it’s the last period of the day, but please try to keep it down,” he continued, unable to hold back his smile. The chatter picked up again, though not as loudly as before, and Josh sat at his desk listening and thinking about his own last day of high school in this very building with his best friends.

His reminiscence was interrupted a minute later when two students approached his desk. One of them was slender and very tall (about 6’3 Josh guessed) with dark hair that brushed their collar, dressed in ripped jean shorts and a tight-fitting red T-shirt. The other student was shorter (probably about 5’9) slightly broader and thicker set, with blonde hair shaved on the sides but longer on top, dressed in a black pleated skirt and a tight black t-shirt adorned with pink skulls.

“Hiya, Josh,” the tall student said as they slung their arm around the shoulders of the other one.

“Olly,” Josh said with a grin and a shake of the head, “I know we know each other outside of school, but here you still need to call me Mr. Seevers or Mr. S,” Josh gently reminded him. Olly laughed.

“I know, I just thought since it was the last day…” Olly said with a grin. Josh shook his head again.

“Sorry, Mr. S,” Jaden said. “I told him not to, but he doesn’t exactly listen to me,” they continued fondly, wrapping their arm around Olly’s waist.

“I can let it slide this once,” Josh said with a chuckle. “You two ready to graduate?”

“Heck yes!” Olly said.

“For sure!” Jaden said at the same time.

*rrrrriiiiinnnnggggg*

“Alright class, you can go,” Josh said over the cacophony of the students. “See you all at graduation on Saturday, and good luck!”

Josh was given high fives and kids were shouting “thanks Mr. S!” as they exited en masse. Josh sighed fondly as he watched Olly and Jaden join hands and leave as well, calling out that they’d see him on Saturday.

Josh sat back in his chair for a few minutes, recentering himself from the crazy day. This was the end of his second full year of teaching (and coaching), and he still found it both exhausting and exhilarating. Josh thought more about the last couple years as he looked around his now-empty classroom.

After Charlie and Nick graduated from college and moved to his hometown, he and Mark found a place to live, just the two of them, to finish out their last year of football (and school, though that was secondary to both of them). They both played amazingly, getting attention from NFL scouts throughout their season until the last game of the regular season.

Josh’s mind turned to his final game, the bitterness and anger now numbed to a low ache that he knew would always exist inside of him. It had been an extremely cold day and during the first half on a wet field, slippery with snow, Josh took the snap and dropped back into the pocket, looking for Mark who was running a route that took him into the end zone…

That’s the entirety of his memory until he woke up in the hospital the next day. From what he learned later, one of his blockers slipped in the snow and fell, letting through the defensive linemen who sacked Josh, wrapping his knees and causing Josh to hit his head on the hard ground, his helmet cracking due to the bitter cold. Josh ended up with a severe concussion and tore both his ACL and MCL in his left knee. And in the blink of an eye, his football days were over.

Looking back, Josh always wondered how people and the media didn’t figure out the true nature of his relationship with Mark, based on how he reacted to Josh’s injury. Josh had seen video clips of Mark after Josh had been carted off the field. The look of agony and devastation was very clear on his face, and he could be seen being held back as he tried to follow the medics carting Josh into the locker room. Their coach, unaware of his and Mark’s true relationship, put Mark back on the field until halftime when it was clear Mark was not mentally in the game.

Josh was told that at halftime, Mark was so distraught to find out that Josh had been taken to the hospital, he refused to go back onto the field. Eventually, the assistant coach stepped in on Mark’s behalf and Mark was allowed to leave.

Mark didn’t leave Josh’s bedside the entire time Josh was in the hospital (first in ICU, then in the orthopedic ward for his knee) and stayed with him, day in and day out, throughout his recovery.

“Josh, you’re still here?” Josh heard someone say from the doorway, pulling him out of his melancholy thoughts. “I figured you’d be long gone by now,” one of the other teachers, Nancy Guthmann said. Josh looked up and smiled. Mrs. Guthmann had taught Josh when he was a student here and was now one of his favorite colleagues, though he still had difficulty calling her by her first name.

“Oh, Nancy, hi. Yeah,” Josh said to her. “I just got lost in my thoughts but I’m getting ready to head out soon.”

“Have big plans for the summer?” she asked as Josh gathered his things. He still needed to clean out his classroom but would do that next week after graduation.

“Not really,” Josh said. “Just going to hang around here probably, maybe take a few short weekend trips to see friends.”

“That sounds relaxing,” Nancy said.

“What about you?” Josh asked politely, walking toward the door.

“My husband and I are taking a long-overdue vacation to England and France,” she said.

“Wow, that sounds like fun. Two of my best friends are from England, you want me to see if I can get some must-see recommendations?”

“Oh, Oliver Spring already gave me the rundown,” she said with a chuckle. Josh smiled.

“Sounds like Olly,” he said. “His brother and brother-in-law were who I was going to ask, so I guess that’s moot now,” Josh said with a laugh.

“I guess so!” she said as they walked through the hallway. “Have a good summer, Josh!” she said as they reached the outer door.

“You too, Nancy!”

***

Josh made the short drive to the home that he and Mark shared (which was very near where he grew up), his mind still on the past.

“Hey, J,” Mark said greeting him as he walked in the door. Josh hung up his bag then pulled Mark in for a kiss.

“Hi, M,” Josh said against his lips. “Missed you today.”

“Missed you too,” Mark said with a sigh. He kissed Josh again, then pulled away to look at the man he loved.

Mark thought Josh looked tired and a little bit sad, but still gorgeous of course. Josh was wearing tighter fitting chinos and a short-sleeved button up, his standard teacher garb, which Mark found unexpectedly sexy, especially when he paired it with a cardigan and his glasses (that he only just started needing after his concussion).

“You ok?” Mark asked. “You look sad.”

“Just been thinking about the last few years,” Josh said, leaning into Mark’s solid body. While Josh continued going to the gym regularly, his body wasn’t nearly as cut as it used to be, while Mark’s was even more defined with the rigors of playing professional football. This sometimes made Josh self-conscious, but Mark was always quick to assure him that he loved the way Josh looked, maybe even more now than he did a few years ago.

“I know it’s been rough, J,” Mark said softly, pulling Josh closer. “I love you, more each day, you know that, right?”

“Yeah, I do,” Josh said. “I’m just feeling melancholy, with it being the last day of school and things.”

“I think I know what I can do to cheer you up,” Mark said, waggling his eyebrows.

“Yeah?” Josh said with a small smile.

“Oh yeah,” Mark responded with a grin.

Later, Mark slowly got out of bed, trying not to wake Josh, who was laying half on top of him, face down on the bed, asleep. He quickly slipped his boxers on, then glanced back with a smile at Josh’s naked backside before slipping quietly out of the room.

Mark’s smile remained as he headed toward their kitchen to make them a snack. Mark hoped that he had helped Josh to forget about whatever was bothering him but would be there to talk about it if Josh wanted. As Mark put together a couple of sandwiches, he thought about the last couple of years himself.

After Josh’s injury, Mark felt helpless, unsure of what he could do to help his best friend and the love of his life get through the hardest challenge he’d probably ever faced. Mark knew Josh had struggled heavily and (with Nick and Mark, as well as his brother Jeremy’s encouragement) Josh finally agreed to therapy. He and Mark also did couple’s counseling (with a well-vetted counselor whom they were sure would protect their anonymity) which helped Mark to understand that Josh was grieving both his injury and the loss of the rest of what he’d planned out for his life. This helped them both navigate what came after, especially when Mark was drafted.

After the draft, Mark joined the Cougars organization and was almost an immediate success, fitting in better than he had thought. It helped that he and KT already had at least a tentative friendship, forged though their mutual connection with Nick, that flourished as they played together. Mark won the starting slot as a rookie and was expected to keep that position this coming year.

Also, during their couples therapy, Mark and Josh discussed the possibility of them being found out and the importance of being able to control how/when their romantic relationship went public. Mark had been adamant that he wanted to establish himself in the NFL before revealing his sexuality and their more-than-friendship to the world, and Josh supported this. It was not an unusual occurrence for rookies to have roommates and their long-time friendship was well-documented, so nobody batted an eye when they moved in together, especially considering Josh was from the area. 

Mark shook himself from his thoughts as he finished making the sandwiches. He was grabbing some bottles of water when he heard Josh pad into the kitchen, clad in his boxers and an old university t-shirt.

“Made you a sandwich,” Mark said, pushing it across the counter toward Josh.

“Thanks, M,” Josh said. “Sorry about earlier,” he said after a few bites. “I was just feeling a little down, but I’m better now.”

“You don’t need to apologize to me, J,” Mark said emphatically. “I love you, all parts of you, and if you’re feeling down, I want to help.”

“Oh, you definitely did that,” Josh said a small smile lighting his face.

“Good,” Mark said, smiling back. “So, I was thinking,” Mark said after he finished his sandwich.

“What?”

“Maybe we could go away this summer for a couple weeks, just the two of us?” Mark asked.

“That sounds awesome, M,” Josh said, a real smile crossing his face. “Where?”

“Um, maybe somewhere nobody knows us? Jamacia?”

“God that sounds amazing. When were you thinking?” Josh asked.

“I, uh, actually already booked the tickets,” Mark said tentatively. “We leave in two weeks if that works for you…”

“Fuck, Mark,” Josh said, pulling him into a hug. “Yes, that works perfectly! That gives me time to finish up my school stuff. You’re amazing,” Josh said, looking into Mark’s eyes.

“Nah,” Mark said shaking his head. “I just wanted to do something nice for us, something to help us forget about the stress of the last couple of years.”

“And that, my love, is amazing,” Josh said. “God I love you so much.”

“I love you too,” Mark said, kissing Josh again. As they kissed, Mark thought about the other reason he wanted to take Josh somewhere they wouldn’t be recognized, a place with privacy where he could drop to his knee, present him with the contents of the little velvet box currently residing in the bottom of an old gym bag in the back of his closet, and finally ask him the question that’d been on his mind for literally years.

***

The next day, Olly waited on the front steps for JJ to arrive so they could get to school for graduation practice. Olly’s impatience wasn’t because of any sort of desperate need to get to the practice, but really because he just wanted to see JJ. Even though he’d seen them just the night before, he still felt the almost uncontrollable need to be with them, for them to be in each other’s space. He’d had that feeling from the first day they met, and it hadn’t diminished at all over the last 2 ½ years…if anything, he felt it more strongly every day.

Finally, JJ pulled up in his new-to-him Jeep (a graduation gift from his father) and Olly ran out to the street, hopping into the passenger seat and leaning over to give his love a kiss.

“Hey,” Olly said, as he pulled back and buckled his seat belt.

“Hey, love,” JJ said with a grin. They shifted the jeep into gear and pulled away from the curb. It was a warm end-of-May day, so JJ had the top off, and the wind blew both of their hair around as they made the short drive to the school.

“This is going to be so boring. You want to do something after this?” JJ asked after they parked and were walking up to the school.

“What did you have in mind?” Olly asked, holding the door open for JJ.

“Well…” JJ said, wiggling their eyebrows up and down.

“Hmm,” Olly said, pretending to think about it for a moment. “I guess I could be persuaded,” he finally said as they walked into the gymnasium.

“Oh, could you?” JJ asked, their grin coy. “And what would that entail?”

“Just a kiss,” Olly said with an innocent smile. JJ smiled back and gave Olly a quick peck on the lips before walking away to find their seat. Olly watched them, his heart pitter-patting as it always did when he was around his JJ.

Olly thought JJ looked especially good today, wearing a summery, solid blue sundress with their black combat boots. At the beginning of this school year, JJ had taken the plunge and not only fully came out as nonbinary, but also ran for president of the Pride club (they won). They started dressing however they felt each day, and Olly could see how much happier they were because of it.

The practice seemed to take forever, and when they were finally released it was nearly noon. JJ found Olly in the crowd of kids trying to leave and grabbed his hand to keep together.

“You wanna grab lunch before we head back?” JJ asked.

“Yeah,” Olly said. “Pizza?” JJ nodded and they walked out to the parking lot to JJ’s jeep. JJ drove them to their favorite pizza place where they both ordered two slices and sodas. After scarfing down the food, they headed back to JJ’s house, where they planned to hang out for the rest of the afternoon, since there were guests staying at Olly’s, in town for the graduation.

When they got to JJ’s, they immediately headed upstairs hand-in-hand to JJ’s room shutting and locking the door behind them. They flopped on JJ’s bed where they happily stayed for the next couple hours until JJ’s dad arrived home.

***

Saturday morning in the Spring-Nelson household was a mad rush, trying to get everyone out the door on time to make it to the graduation ceremony. Sarah was staying with them, while Tori, Michael, and Archie had gotten a hotel.

“Come on, Ava, baby,” Charlie coaxed. “We have to get going soon,” he said to the pouting three-year-old.

“No daddy! Want Unca Olly to help,” Ava yelled.

“Uncle Olly left already sweetie. He had to go early with Jaden, remember?” Ava made her thinking face, which always reminded Charlie of the way Nick looked when he thought hard.

“Ok daddy. Where Papa?”

“Papa went to pick up Aunt Tori and Uncle Micheal and Archie.”

“Archie!! Want to see Archie!” Ava shouted.

“You will, but you have to get dressed first! Let’s get you out of your jimjams, ok? Do you want to wear the pink dress or the purple dress today?” Charlie asked, holding up the choices.

“Green shorts and pink shirt,” Ava said. Charlie sighed at his headstrong child, deciding that was a hill he wasn’t willing to die on. Despite not sharing any DNA with Ava, Charlie felt like there was a little bit of him in her, that streak of stubbornness that Nick certainly didn’t seem to have.

“Ok doll,” Charlie said, pulling out the clothes Ava requested. After another five minutes, Ava was dressed and playing in the living room just as Nick came in from the garage, Tori and family trailing behind him. Sarah was already seated at the island in the kitchen, sipping tea.

“Good morning, mon coeur,” Nick said, walking over to kiss Charlie. Tori joined them at the island as Michael took Archie over to Ava, watching them play. “How was monster this morning?” Nick asked Charlie fondly.

“Same as she’s been lately, stubborn,” Charlie said with a sigh. “I know this is a good thing, her testing her boundaries, but why does it have to be ALL THE TIME?” Charlie lamented quietly. Sarah overheard and chuckled.

“Sorry to say it’s going to get worse before it gets better,” Sarah said with a knowing smile.

“Was Nick this way?” Charlie asked.

“Oh, not as bad as David was, but yes. At Ava’s age, he was still pretty shy with others, but at home he certainly had his stubborn moments,” Sarah said fondly. “He had this favorite pair of wellies…”

“Ugh mum!” Nick exclaimed. “Not the wellie story!” Sarah smiled, then continued to tell Charlie and Tori about Nick’s insistence on wearing them everywhere, even to a wedding.

“At some point I just decided that wasn’t a battle I was going to win, so I just let him wear them. He looked so funny, yet adorable in his little tuxedo, bowtie, and bright red wellies.”

Nick hid his red face behind his hand as the others laughed.

“Please tell me you have a picture of that!” Charlie begged.

“I think I might somewhere,” Sarah said with a smile. Nick groaned again, his face now a dark burgundy behind his hands.

“But that phase doesn’t last forever,” Sarah assured them. “You blink and suddenly they’re grown with a baby of their own,” she said, giving Nick a loving look. Nick pulled his hands off his face and slung his arm over his mum’s shoulders, squeezing her to him.

“I know, I feel that,” Nick said. “I feel like Ava was just a little baby not long ago, and now she’s four. And it feels like Olly was just a gangly teenager and now he’s eighteen and graduating from secondary school…” Nick said with a sigh. Charlie gave him a hug, feeling exactly the same way.

“Speaking of graduating,” Tori said with a sip of her lemonade. “Don’t we need to leave now?”

***

After the ceremony, the families all gathered in the private room of a local restaurant to celebrate Olly and Jaden’s achievement. It felt like practically everyone Olly and JJ knew was there. Their families had come of course: JJ’s dad, Trav and their auntie Mariann and their cousins. Olly’s sister Tori, Michael, and his nibling Archie, and his ‘adopted mum’ Sarah. Olly’s honorary brothers, Josh and Mark, Josh’s parents and brother and sister and their significant others, and even Mark’s mom, Cherie had flown out. Other family friends had come to celebrate too: KT and his mum (Sam couldn’t make it, unfortunately), and even Charlie and Nick’s uni friends, Trinity and Mike, and Evelyn and Brendan all made it. And of course, Olly and JJ’s friends from school, filtering in and out as they party hopped.

“So, what are your plans for after high school?” JJ’s aunt Mariann asked JJ and Ollie.

“We’re both taking a gap year,” JJ responded, looping their arm around Olly’s waist.

“Neither of us know what we want to do yet,” Olly added.

“That’s nice. Do you know what you’ll do during that time?”

“Yeah, actually,” JJ said, explaining their plans.

When Olly and JJ talked to each other about life after high school, they both decided that regardless of what they did, they wanted to do it together. They talked about college, studying abroad perhaps, or even backpacking through Europe, but nothing seemed to fit. Olly talked to Charlie about his wanderlust and Charlie mentioned it to Sam in passing one day when she asked about their future plans.

This casual conversation ended up setting the course of JJ and Olly’s gap year. Sam offered to bring them onto her tour staff as roadies for the year, giving them a chance to travel the world and make a little money while they decided what they wanted to do afterward.

Even though it made all of their respective parental figures nervous, JJ and Olly were positively chuffed at the idea and immediately said yes. They were planning to leave for LA in two weeks in order to be trained by the time the tour started in a month.

“Wow, that’s an amazing opportunity,” Mariann said.

“It really is!” JJ said with a grin. “We are so excited!”

“I’ll bet!” she said before she wandered off to talk to Sarah.

“This next year is going to be amazing,” Olly said softly into JJ’s ear when they had a moment alone, taking the opportunity to pull them into his arms.

“It really will,” JJ said with a smile. “Though it wouldn’t really matter what we were doing, as long as we are together.”

“Agreed,” Olly said, placing a chaste kiss on JJ’s lips, his grin still wide. Olly couldn’t help but feel, again, the soul-deep happiness that he always felt when he was around JJ. Their future stretched out before them like an endless winding road, and Olly felt as though he could never have asked for a better partner for the journey.

“I love you forever JJ,” Olly said softly, looking into their hazel eyes, made more olive-colored by the dark green dress they wore.

“I love you too, Olly,” JJ said, “my love, my soulmate, my friend, forever and a day.”

***

“Whew, I’m exhausted,” Nick said as he collapsed onto the sofa the next evening.

“God, I know what you mean,” Charlie said, dropping down next to Nick. They had done a family day at the zoo with Ava, Sarah, Tori, Michael, Archie, Olly, Jaden, and Trav, then gone out to dinner. All the Englanders were heading back home on the red eye tonight, so afterward, they had been dropped off at the airport. Olly was spending the night at JJ’s, and the Seevers’s had offered to take Ava overnight to give Charlie and Nick a break.

“This week has been such a whirlwind,” Nick said, turning his head to look at his husband. “Who knew American graduations where such a to-do?”

“Yeah,” Charlie said, looking back at Nick. “But it’s been so nice to see everyone, and see Oliver succeed and be so happy,” he continued, taking Nick’s hand. Nick nodded.

“It’s hard to see them grow up, but I’m so proud of him, and Jaden too,” Nick said. “I love them both, they are becoming such amazing adults. Our kids are going to change the world, Char.” Charlie smiled.

“I have no doubt about that,” Charlie said, squeezing Nick’s hand. “Olly and Jaden and Ava, each one of them will leave an imprint on everyone they meet, change their life for the better.”

“I hope so,” Nick said softly. Nick and Charlie sat silently, looking into each other’s eyes for a long time. Eventually, Charlie broke the silence.

“Thank you for helping to raise my brother, I couldn’t have asked for a better father figure for him,” Charlie said softly.

“God, Char,” Nick said, tears coming to his eyes. “It was never not an option. I love that kid so much, he’s an amazing man. And thank you for helping to raise my daughter. You didn’t have to do that, you could have cut and run, and I’d have understood completely,” Nick said with emotion.

“No, I couldn’t have,” Charlie said quietly, his throat tight. “You and I…us…there’s no way I could have left, nothing you could have done or could ever do could push me away. I didn’t think we were ready for kids, but when Ava was thrust into our lives, there wasn’t any doubt in my mind that this was the way our lives were supposed to go,” Charlie said, openly crying now. They held each other as their tears flowed then slowed, the emotion of the week and the last few years coursing through them.

“Char,” Nick said after a while, pulling back to look into Charlie’s beautiful blue eyes. “I want more kids.” Charlie gazed at Nick, his eyes shining.

“I want that too,” Charlie said softly.

“Really?” Nick asked, his face lighting up.

“Really,” Charlie said with a grin.

“Tu es l'amour de ma vie. Je t'aimerai pour toujours, mon cœur, mon mari, mon âme sœur.”

“Ditto.”

THE REST OF THE STORY:

Mark proposed to Josh on a private beach in Jamacia, and Josh, of course said ‘yes’. They ended up taking a page out of Nick and Charlie’s book, eloping to Las Vegas as soon as they returned to the country. Luckily, Nick and Charlie were able to make the last-minute trip and were there to witness their best friends marrying each other.

Mark took the plunge and came out to his team first, then the world and was met with mostly positive reactions as the first out NFL player in the league. Other closeted athletes came out over the next few years, each one reaching out to Mark (sometimes publicly, sometimes privately) to thank him for paving the way.

Josh continued to work at his old high school, settling into his life as a teacher, coach, and husband of an NFL superstar. Josh was given the head football coaching position after a couple of years and coached his team to back-to-back state championships soon after. He was eventually offered a coaching position at one of the local colleges, however he decided he wanted to build players at the high school level, teaching and mentoring them to become both great athletes and well-rounded adults.

After Mark’s retirement, he returned to college to take a second degree in marketing and was eventually hired by the local semi-professional rugby team, the Otters to revamp their PR strategies and increase interest in rugby. Mark’s natural charm and his PR experience from the NFL served him well and he was part of the team that helped to expand the rugby league to three additional states.

Mark and Josh decided children were not in their future but became uncles many times over and adored and spoiled each and every one of their niblings. The two men lived and loved each other wholly for the rest of their lives.

***

Olly and JJ spent their gap year traveling with Samantha Taylor’s tour, doing roadie work and having a blast. After the year was up, Sam offered them a deal: go to college and get their degrees, then she’d bring them on as employees of the record label she was starting.

JJ and Olly agreed, and attended the same Uni that Nick, Charlie, Josh, and Mark had gone to, living together, first on campus, then in their own apartment. Right before they both graduated Olly proposed to JJ and they decided if Vegas was good enough for their brothers, it was good enough for them too.

The couple graduated with degrees in business and joined Sam’s record label, getting married on their way to LA before starting their jobs. Nick and Charlie (along with Trav) made yet another quick trip to Vegas to serve as (very blubbery) witnesses to their union.

Building on their music business knowledge that they’d absorbed during their gap year and learning from the best, JJ and Olly worked their way up to become executives more quickly than either of them would have predicted. They adopted an adorable calico cat and named it Bert and lived in LA, freely, openly, and happily.

After ten years, they decided to give up the music business and the crazy life of LA and moved back home to the Midwest. One evening shortly after he and JJ had relocated, Olly pulled Charlie and Nick aside after dinner.

“I just want to thank you two, properly,” Olly said seriously.

“For what, Olls?” Nick asked.

“For taking me in way back then, for loving me, for helping me become the man I am,” Olly said. “I’m so lucky to have you both.”

“Olly…Oliver,” Charlie said, “that’s utter nonsense. You don’t need to thank us for something like that. We love you, then and now. And we were honored to take you in. It was an absolute joy you came to live with us. We were the lucky ones.” Nick nodded in agreement and pulled them both into a three-person hug, their love and mutual respect for one another radiating from them like the sun.

After finding a home and trying to decide what they wanted to do next, Olly and JJ decided their lives were to be spent helping others the way Olly had been as a teen. They decided to become foster parents for kids and teens who’d been kicked out of their homes or abandoned by their parents for their sexual identities/orientation. In this way, they paid forward the love that they’d been shown, giving other kids/teens a chance at a loving home, eventually adopting five different children throughout their twenty-year stint as foster parents.

***

Nick became a full agent a year after he started working for Elite Sports Talent, taking Justine’s place after she was promoted, but staying under her tutelage. Mark was his first client. He and Justine made an excellent team and became known for the compassion and care they showed all of their clients. Eventually, after Mark came out as bisexual, they became the go-to agents for LGBTQIA+ athletes across all sports.

Charlie went on to complete his doctorate in statistics and taught at a local university for a few years, then committed his life to raising his and Nick’s children as a stay-at-home dad (and helped JJ and Olly raise their children too).

Nick and Charlie waited until Ava was five before starting the surrogacy process to have another child of their own. Using Charlie’s sperm, they became fathers again, this time to a set of fraternal twins, a boy and a girl they named Xander and Madeleine.

Ava grew from a sassy toddler to a self-assured woman, spreading her sunshiny personality and her passion for life like glitter onto everyone she met. She went to college and studied biology and French (made easier by the fact she was already fluent), then traveled the world as a French language interpreter, eventually going to medical school and joining the World Health Organization.

Charlie and Nick spent many evenings and weekends opening their home to their friends and family, often hosting parties and game nights. Their hearts were full to the brim hearing the laughter of their friends, their children, grandchildren, niblings and great niblings as everyone enjoyed whatever occasion they were celebrating (even if it was just a random Saturday night).

They remained close to Olly and Jaden as well as Mark and Josh, having them over several times a week when their schedules permitted.

Nick and Charlie grew old together and were married for over seventy years, loving each other a little bit more with each passing day before they were parted to meet again in their next lives.

***

Each couple faced down the world and the haters, the people who said they were too different…too well-known…too young…to make it. Each couple, in their own way, challenged those obstacles, and proved them wrong, living their lives and loving their soulmates to the best of their ability, to the end of time.

*“Like two sparrows in a hurricane
Trying to find their way
With a head full of dreams
And fate that can move anything

They've heard it's all uphill
But all they know is how they feel
The world says they'll never make it
But love says they will.”