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For Shane Hollander, the day had been a good one. Honestly, it had been a great day. But every day since he’d married his husband, Ilya Rozanov, had been one great day after another. It was summertime now and they were at their cottage, the place which had become their absolute favorite place. Shane had often thought of it as his favorite place on Earth before Ilya had ever visited. But it had never meant more to him as it did once he and Ilya spent their first summer there together. It would always be the place where they had said “I love you” and made the plan for their future- the future that they were now living. And even though some of those plans took a few unexpected turns along the way, Shane could not imagine a happier life than the one he was living now with the love of his life.
When he went to sleep that night, Shane looked forward to a good night’s rest that would have him fully refreshed for what was to be a very special next day. Special because the next day, July 10, was his and Ilya’s one year wedding anniversary. It was hard to really believe that a year had gone by, but it had and Shane was more than excited to celebrate it once the next day arrived. But he knew that for that next day to come, he would have to actually go to sleep first. And after some quality time with his husband and a relaxing shower, also with his husband, Shane did just that.
It didn’t take long either. He was well relaxed and sleepy enough after kissing Ilya good night.
“Good night, Ilya. I love you.”
“Good night, Shane. I love you even more.”
After their good nights, Shane went straight to sleep. And it was a good sleep, one in which he dreamed about Ilya. His life with Ilya. His marriage to Ilya. And his one year…
“Happy anniversary sweetheart,” Ilya whispered in Shane’s ear, although he had most definitely thought about shouting it out. But he wisely chose against that approach since his husband had been sleeping for a while and would likely have jumped out of his skin if he had. As a result, it took more than one whispered “Happy anniversary, sweetheart” to bring his husband out of his deepest sleep.
“Umm. Ilya… what’s going on? What are you doing?” Shane asked groggily before his eyes could even open.
A very pleased Ilya leaned back to whisper more in Shane’s ear. “It is exactly twelve midnight on July 10. So that, sweetheart, means that it is officially…”
“Our anniversary,” Shane finished for him in the softest of voices just as his eyes fully opened. And what they saw was Ilya with the widest of smiles on his face looking at him as if he was the only person in the world… which for Ilya, he truly was.
“Da, our anniversary. Now give me a kiss,” were Ilya’s words as his mouth met Shane’s for their first kiss of many kisses on that day.
In thinking about how to celebrate his first anniversary with Shane, Ilya assumed one thing: that his husband had likely been planning for quite some time exactly how they would spend their day together. So, he had to do something that Shane would not likely suspect. And for that he had decided that a midnight “Happy anniversary” wish and kiss would be just the type of romantic gesture that his beyond romantic husband would appreciate. The soft smile and the watery eyes he saw on Shane told Ilya that he surely did.
Within minutes after midnight and a few more kisses, Ilya was holding a once again sleeping Shane in his arms and soon following suit.
Shane, as usual, woke up way before his husband. And after the midnight surprise that Ilya delivered hours earlier, Shane was grateful for that. Not only was he excited about the day being their anniversary, Shane the fierce competitor, had to prove to Ilya that he was romantic, as well.
So, he slowly and carefully removed himself from Ilya’s arms and out of bed to begin a most special day. He showered and dressed and then set out to prepare Ilya’s first surprise of the day.
Even though he would probably have woken up earlier due to the “specialness” of the day, Ilya woke up earlier for a much more unexpected reason.
“Umm. That smell. I must still be dreaming,” Ilya thought as his nose sniffed a very pleasing and familiar aroma. It was too close to being real that his eyes began to flutter, as if to encourage him to wake fully. With his eyes now open, Ilya took another sniff of the smell that seemed to be getting stronger and closer. There was no doubt that it was the smell of one of his favorite things. But how?
And that’s when he heard “Happy anniversary, baby!” coming from Shane as he entered their bedroom carrying a tray.
“What is this?” Ilya asked, rubbing his hands together, not even trying to hide his absolute delight at what was obviously his husband bringing him breakfast in bed. And it wasn’t just any breakfast.
“As your nose and now your eyes have undoubtedly clued you in on, it’s your favorite McGriddles in bed because one year ago today you gave me the happiest day of my life,” Shane declared as he placed and secured the tray in front of Ilya. “I just had to start this special day off with a big thank you.”
“I love it, and I love you so much for getting it for me, especially knowing that they are definitely not what you usually want me to have for breakfast.”
Shane leaned in for a quick kiss before joining Ilya in bed beside him. His only want now was to simply watch his husband enjoy his breakfast. So, for the duration, there was a pleasant and comfortable silence that Shane and Ilya were able to accept and appreciate because that was one of the milestones of where they were as a couple.
“Finished?”
Ilya nodded. “It was a wonderful way to start our special day.”
“You mean a wonderful way to start our day AGAIN” Shane teasingly reminded him as he took up the tray from the bed and placed it on a nearby surface.
Then it was Ilya’s turn to kiss his husband.
“Have you eaten?”
“Yes, I had a smoothie a little while ago.”
Ilya’s mouth turned into a slight pout. “I wish I could have made it for you. But I’ll try to figure out another way to do something for you… soon.”
“Oh, I’m holding you to that. But before you do, I have something else for you,” Shane replied, as he handed Ilya what looked to be an envelope.
“It’s a paper envelope with a paper thank you note inside.”
“Ah, yes. The first anniversary being represented by paper. How clever my husband is,” Ilya remarked as he opened the note that simply read: “Thank you for being my husband, and happy one-year anniversary.”
Shane noticed that Ilya did not look up right away. He also had known his husband long enough to know that he was trying to keep something from him. Possibly the tears that were likely welling up in his eyes that he didn’t want Shane to see. But Shane actually loved it when Ilya allowed himself the chance to be so openly vulnerable like that. He saw that as both lovable and desirable. To Shane, a man unafraid to get to that point of openness was very sexy. And the sexy man who was his husband was having quite the effect on him as Shane edged closer to him for another longer and wetter kiss. A kiss that was followed by Shane extending his hand to Ilya, who allowed his own hand to be taken and himself to be led to the bathroom.
“Will you be joining me?” Ilya asked almost pleadingly, as Shane stopped just short of heading into the shower with him.
Even though he had already showered and dressed for the day, Shane knew that the chance to spend time alone with Ilya in the shower… again, was not one that he’d ever pass up.
“I couldn’t think of anything else I’d rather do.”
As Ilya had suspected, Shane had planned much of their day in advance. A lazy morning of playing that first video game they’d played years earlier with the newest version was next on the agenda, post- shower. That was followed by a walk outside where they held hands and just took in the joy of being there as husbands, with no thoughts about the times when that hadn’t been possible. There was also lunch with David and Yuna, who had loved and supported them every step of the way once they told them about their relationship. Even though they could have made the day all about alone time, Shane wanted him and Ilya to be able to celebrate part of their big day with their parents- for Ilya had truly become a second son to them. When they returned to the cottage from David and Yuna’s, they went to their bedroom with one set of plans that quickly turned into more of a naptime for them both. From the midnight surprise to the early morning breakfast, and everything after, Shane and Ilya’s tired bodies succumbed to the plushness of the king-sized mattress and the fresh scent of the sheets.
While falling asleep in his husband’s arms wasn’t on his schedule for that particular part of the day, Shane had enough wiggle room on it to accommodate such a treat.
For dinner, the plan was for them to cook together at the cottage so that it would be just the two of them. Cooking was something they both had come to love to do together. For them, it was often quite the intimate experience and that night was no different. They worked closely together, often offering one another a taste of whatever they were in charge of preparing or watching. And while that may have added time to the cooking process, neither would have wanted it any other way.
A beautiful table was set, lit by candlelight. A delicious meal was eaten, having been lovingly prepared together. A conversation filled with fond reflections and future hopes was enjoyed. And after they left the dining area and went outside to sit by the fire, they prepared themselves to share the vows that they didn’t make a year earlier. Something about saying them now, with no one else there besides them, just seemed right. Promises to each other that would be the foundation for the rest of their lives together needed to be shared with no one else. The outside world knew that they were married because they loved each other, and that was enough. Shane knew that when he married Ilya that he would always be there for him when things got dark, in the middle of all the light that they would share. Ilya knew that when he married Shane that he would live every moment being his safe space and his home when the world outside became a little too much. And the vows that they pledged to each other that night were made with those absolutes in mind.
After they made their vows to each other, neither man tried to hide the emotions they were feeling. Tears were absolutely shed and eventually wiped away. Tender embraces were held longer than they ever were before. The love made once they made their way back to their bedroom was the sweetest it had ever been. And as they made more passionate love throughout the rest of the night, Shane and Ilya could only imagine how wonderful every anniversary would be for them for the rest of their lives together. Lives bonded together forever by vows of love.