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"Nick, have you seen my reading glasses?" Charlie asks, turning his body from side to side as he scans his surroundings. He holds a book in his hand, one he's read countless times before.
Nick, who's sitting on the sofa beside him, looks over and chuckles warmly. "They're on top of your head, love." Nick gently removes the glasses, letting the curls at the front of Charlie's forehead bounce back into place. "Here."
"Thank you, darling." Charlie leans over to give Nick a kiss. Nick would guess that they've shared at least a hundred thousand kisses throughout their lifetime but for him, each one feels like the first time, butterflies and all. He used to wonder if the butterflies would ever fade but he's glad that they never did.
"I just love this book," Charlie says as he flips a page, then he smiles up at Nick.
"Yes, you do." Nick's hand settles on Charlie's thigh. This is Nick's favourite time of day, their afternoons spent together in their sitting room with the warm sunlight casting a golden hue. "Hazel is coming soon. In fifteen minutes."
"Oh," Charlie says, his brows scrunching together. "Did I know that?"
"Yeah," Nick says gently. "I told you earlier."
Charlie's forehead relaxes and his eyes light up. "I do love it when Hazel comes to visit. Should I bake something for her?" Charlie places his book on the coffee table, preparing to stand.
Nick's hand finds the small of Charlie's back, guiding him back down. "Everything is prepared, Charlie. We made biscuits this morning, remember? Peanut butter, her favourite."
"Mhm. Right." Charlie attempts a smile but his eyes flicker with uncertainty.
Charlie goes back to reading while Nick picks up a pencil and works on his book of daily brain teasers that he does to try to keep his mind sharp as they wait for their granddaughter to arrive.
Once Nick finishes one of the puzzles, a word scramble, he scoots his body closer to Charlie's, causing Charlie to giggle and say, "You're extra snuggly today."
Nick plants a kiss on Charlie's cheek. "What can I say? You're very cuddly."
"Nick…" Charlie blushes.
Nick marvels at the fact that, even at the age of 81, Charlie is stunning. He's aged like the finest of wine. The wrinkles around his eyes highlight their blueness. His hair glimmers with strands of silver. His jawline still as sharp as ever.
"I love you," Charlie says.
Hearing those three little words out of Charlie's precious lips still takes Nick's breath away.
"Char… I love you too, so very much."
Nick cups his husband's face, bringing him in for a kiss, just as they hear a soft knock at their front door.
"Hazel's here!" Charlie says as they pull apart, his cheeks a gorgeous shade of pink.
They welcome Hazel inside, settling back in the sitting room. Nick makes tea for the three of them and plates up the peanut butter biscuits.
Hazel sits, legs crossed, on an armchair across from the sofa. She's in her school uniform, her sandy blonde hair tied in a loose braid. It's her weekly Thursday afternoon visit.
"How was school today?" Nick asks as he hands her a cup of tea with a teaspoon of sugar, just the way she likes it.
"Fine." Then she blushes. "Winston said 'hi' to me in the corridor this morning as I was heading to maths."
"Winston?" Charlie asks.
"Oh, Winston is the boy Hazel fancies," Nick reminds Charlie.
Charlie smiles. "Oh, yeah, red hair, right?"
"Yeah," Hazel confirms, smiling at Charlie. "I showed you a picture of him before, Papa."
"I remember," Charlie says.
The fact that Hazel isn't shy to share with him and Charlie all aspects of her life, even the boys she is crushing on, makes Nick grateful that they have such a close relationship with her.
Charlie leans forward, elbows resting on his thighs. "You haven't kissed him, have you?"
"No, Papa!" Hazel giggles. "I wish!"
Nick and Charlie chuckle at the sweetness of their granddaughter.
"Speaking of," Hazel says, once their laughter subsides. "How old were you when you first kissed Grandad?"
Charlie looks to Nick, appearing uncertain.
"Uh," Nick steps in. "Your papa was 14, almost turning 15 when we kissed."
Hazel's eyes grow wide. "That's how old I'll be in two years!" Then she pauses. "What is it like, kissing? I kind of wonder sometimes. I've never had a kiss with anyone."
"Well." Nick smiles at Charlie. "For me, the first time kissing Papa felt like a million little fireworks going off inside me. Like, really amazing, but scary, too. Because I liked your papa so much and kissing him felt so right but things back then weren't like they are now. My mates all assumed I only liked girls."
Charlie takes Nick's hand in his, rubbing his thumb across Nick's skin.
"Yeah." Hazel sits back in her chair. "I'm glad people don't assume these things anymore."
"Me, too," Nick agrees.
"So… what happened after the kiss?"
It was a question Hazel had asked many times before but Nick never grew tired of telling their love story.
Charlie nods to Nick, encouraging him to continue on. "I can't say everything went smoothly at first but our feelings and affection for each other only grew stronger as time went on. I'm so thankful for your papa's patience with me. It took me time to gain the courage to come out. But he never pressured me or made me feel bad about it."
Charlie squeezes Nick's hand.
"Papa, you're very patient, that's for sure," Hazel says. "When you taught me how to ride a bike and I kept falling off, you never got upset. You just stayed beside me, helping me up each time."
"That's my Char," Nick says, leaning in to kiss his cheek.
"What else happened?" Hazel asks, kicking her feet up on the ottoman.
Nick went on. "We did a lot of fun stuff. I took him to the beach where we officially became boyfriends. We went to Paris on a school trip. We went to prom together."
"That does sound fun," Hazel says, reaching for a peanut butter cookie.
Nick continues to tell their life story to Hazel and to Charlie in the glow of the afternoon sun. The same story that gets told every Thursday afternoon. He talks about how university was a difficult choice to make, but how he ultimately chose Leeds. Away from Charlie. But in hindsight, it turned out to be the right choice. It gave Nick the ability to find himself. To become independent. They still visited each other as often as they could. And when they completed their degrees and moved in together right after, their reunion was that much sweeter.
Then Nick reminisces about how Charlie proposed shortly after uni. He always knew how to go after what he wanted. And he wanted Nick. For the rest of his life.
Then they married, travelling for a few years. Charlie played drums in a local band that toured around the UK.
Once they settled back in Kent, Nick started his career in teaching while Charlie started writing novels.
They adopted their son, Reid, Hazel's father. Nick recalls the joys of raising him.
Nick brings out an old photo album, the three of them huddling around pictures of Reid as a child.
Pictures of Nick, Charlie and Reid standing outside the school on his first day of kindergarten. Of the three of them having a picnic at the park. When they went on their first family vacation and it was Reid's first time on an airplane.
Then Nick brings out another album, this one filled with photos of when Hazel was born.
"We couldn't stop crying when we found out we had just become grandfathers," Nick says, wiping a tear that had formed in the corner of his eye.
"Sounds like us," Charlie says, as he stares down at a picture of baby Hazel. Then he looks at Nick, eyes squinting. "The whole story sounds quite familiar. Are you sure it's our story, Nick?"
"I'm very sure." Nick glances at Hazel, giving her a wink.
"Because everything you just said happened in my book, the book I was reading earlier."
Nick takes both of Charlie's hands gently in his.
"That's because that book is about us. About our lives. About our love. You wrote that book, my darling."
"Me? I wrote it?" Charlie's mouth drops open.
"You did. You gave it to me on our 50th wedding anniversary. It was the most beautiful gift."
Nick thinks back to that moment, when Charlie gave him the book, before his memory started slipping.
The worry of how things will progress with Charlie always sits at the back of Nick's mind, but he doesn't pay it much attention. Instead, he focuses on the present. He has Charlie here with him now. And he plans to cherish every moment they have left.
It was suggested that Charlie get moved into a facility, that way the transition will be easier later on, when things get worse for him, but Nick chooses to keep him at home. With Nick. Where he belongs. Nick has arranged for workers to come to their house multiple times a week to help Charlie. And if it gets bad enough that Charlie does need to move out, Nick plans to go with him.
Hazel, who sits in between them now on the sofa, wraps her arms around her grandfathers' shoulders. "I just love hearing your story."
"So do I," Charlie says, kissing the top of her head. "It really is a nice story, isn't it?"
"Mhm. My favourite part of the story is the love you have for each other," Hazel says.
"You're right, Hazel, that's my favourite part, too," Nick says.
Hazel mentions how she should get home to work on some homework and Nick and Charlie hug her goodbye.
"Say 'hi' to your dad and mum for us," Charlie says, waving to her as she leaves.
"I will. Love you!" She blows them kisses as she skips down the path.
"Love you more! See you next Thursday," Nick calls from the doorway.
The two of them stand side by side, arms around each other's waists as they watch her disappear once she turns down another street.
"I think our love is really special," Charlie says as he gazes at the clouds floating by.
"I believe it truly is." Nick kisses his temple as a breeze blows through their hair.
Right now, having Charlie know their story, at least in this very moment, means everything to him.