Page 55 of Broken Halos
“Yours or mine?” I asked.
“Doesn’t matter. I only want to be with you.”
I ended up driving to my house where we could have the place to ourselves and make as much noise as we wanted. It turned out to be the best decision since neither of us was in the mood to stifle the joy we found in each other.
IDIDN’T BELIEVERYDER’S GESTUREcame without strings. I knew him too well. I’d told him my relationship with Ollie was serious, and he scoffed. He must’ve assumed Ollie was a virgin, or at least a letdown in bed when he implied I would soon get bored with the relationship and look for something more exciting. This was coming from a man who took cotton swabs and some sort of chemical to methodically and tediously remove hundreds of years’ worth of dirt and grime from antique paintings. Don’t get me wrong; I thought restoring art was a cool and rewarding job, and it took him to the most amazing museums in the world. In his mind, he was the Indiana Jones of the art world, but in reality, he was more like Mouth fromThe Goonies.
I realized during his visit to my office that he never really knew me. Ryder hadn’t taken the time to know my feelings on relationships, or he would’ve known I’d always wanted to find someone like Ollie with whom to grow old and share a life. I was desperate to belong to someone, and it led me to make horrible choices in men. I let myself believe hookups and clandestine relationships were all I could have—all I deserved. Even after gay marriage became legal nationwide, I wasn’t the kind of guy men wanted to bring home to mom and dad. I, and my desire to wear makeup and dress in drag, set the movement back. Blah. Blah. Blah. Then came Ollie, and I found the person God meant for me all along.
I tried to find a reasonable excuse for us to sit out the benefit, but it was wrong to ignore an event that would raise money for Ryan’s Place, and Ollie wanted to see me in a tux. Therefore, a few weeks later, I stood in the foyer looking in the mirror while adjusting my black bow tie for the tenth time in five minutes. Ollie was due to arrive any minute.
“Ohhhh,” Mamma said, waving her hands in front of her face. “You look so handsome in your tuxedo. I missed this when you refused to go to prom because of old heteropathic something or others.”
“Archaic heteronormative traditions,” I corrected. “It was true then, and it’s still true now. Don’t think we don’t have issues in the LBGTQ community. Homonormativity is also a thing,” I said. “Whenever the community is represented on a television show, it’s usually a white, gay male who fits in so perfectly with his straight, white neighbors or co-workers so viewers can all say ‘see, honey, they’re just like us.’ I understand we want straight people to see us as the same because we are just like them in the ways we dream, hope, love, succeed, and fail. However, it sets the movement back when we leave everyone else out of the conversation. Where are the black transwomen and the bisexual Asian men? I could go on, but you see my point.”
“I do,” she agreed, nodding her head. “I can also tell by your impassioned speech you’re nervous.” She had me there. “Why?”
“I don’t want Ryder causing trouble for Ollie and me. I don’t trust him or his motives.”
“My love, Ryder can’t ruin your relationship with Ollie unless you guys let him. It doesn’t matter what the man says or does, only how the two of you react. Ollie loves you and believes in you, and I see you feel the exact same way about him. How could Ryder destroy that?”
“Listen to your mother,” Esther said, joining us. “Ollie looks at you the way my Morty looked at me. There were plenty of bimbos who tried to lure my man away, but he only had eyes for me. That kind of love is a beautiful gift, so don’t waste precious time worrying someone will take it away from you when you could be enjoying the bounty.”
I heard a car pull up in front of the house followed by doors shutting. “They’re here.” Why was I so damn nervous? Was I worried the reality of me in a tuxedo wouldn’t live up to his fantasy? I didn’t have time to internally debate it any longer because Millie walked through the door with the love of my life following closely behind her.
My eyes roamed hungrily over Ollie decked out in his black tux which made his olive-toned skin look darker and his eyes warmer. “Wow, Golden Boy. You look…” My words trailed off because I couldn’t think of a good enough adjective to describe the way he looked.
“Breathtaking,” Ollie said breathlessly.
“Yes, you look breathtaking,” I agreed, nodding.
“I was talking about you, Arch. I’m not letting you out of my sight tonight.”
“I was just thinking the same about you.”
“Good God,” Henry said, coming down the stairs. “Are you guys heading to a gala or a GQ photo shoot?” I snorted, and Ollie laughed.
Mamma, Millie, and Esther continued to fuss, making us pose for pictures standing next to the staircase or sitting on it.
“These are looking like wedding photos,” Henry teased.
My breath caught in my throat when I saw how badly Ollie wanted Henry’s words to come true and knew he saw the same hope in my eyes. We would get there when the time was right. I was sure of it. Right then, I was going to enjoy showing off my gorgeous boyfriend at the event then later strip him out of his tuxedo and worship his body.
We hugged the ladies and Henry then headed out. I noticed Ollie was quieter than normal on the drive over. I looked over and saw his jaw looked clenched in the light from the dashboard.
“Is something wrong, Ollie?”
“Wrong? No, there’s nothing wrong.”
“You’re not worried about Ryder, are you? Esther reminded me tonight that he can’t come between us unless we allow it.”
“To be honest, I haven’t given Ryder another thought.”
“Then what’s with the white knuckles?”
Ollie glanced down at his hands on the steering wheel then forced himself to relax. “I have something to confess, and I should’ve done it before tonight.”
“I’m listening,” I said uneasily.