Page 139 of Something Like Forever

“It counts,” Ben said,following suit. “Of course it does! That was our public wedding.This is our secret one. Sting had a song about that, youknow.”

“I don’t,” Tim said. “Singit to me.”

Ben did, or he started to,anyway. Tim picked up the pace, and when reaching him, swept Ben upinto his arms.

“Thismust be the spot,” Tim said, gently setting him downagain.

“Feelsright to me,” Ben agreed, smiling sheepishly. “So I guess we justgo for it. I didn’t write any vows. I figure we did that already,and what’s left to be said besides—”

“Wait,”Tim took a step back and patted his pockets. Then he pulled out aring and held it up.

Just the sight of it madeBen’s heart leap and his stomach sink. “That’s not the rightring.”

“It’sthe one Jace gave you, I know.” Tim held it out to him. “You nevershould have taken it off. I don’t need you to. I also won’t be theonly man to have married you. I know you were trying to motivateme, and it worked, but now that we’ve made it through, it’s time toinvite Jace back into our lives.”

Ourlives. That he included himself in this was enough to makeBen want to skip to the part where they kissed. But first he heldout his hand. Tim respectfully placed the ring in his palm. Beneyed the golden band, having missed it, and looked up. Tim smiledand nodded encouragingly, so Ben returned the ring to its rightfulplace on his left hand.

“Feel better?” Timasked.

“Yeah,”Ben admitted, his throat tight. “I still get to wear your ring too,right?”

“I surehope so! I also miss mine. It doesn’t feel right not wearing it.Are you ready to keep going?”

“Not yet,” Bensaid.

“Iunderstand. We can take a break, and when you’reready—”

“You’re just as good ashim,” Ben said, emotions rising. “You told me once that Jace wasthe better man and always would be, but you’re both equallywonderful. I’m so ridiculously lucky to have had you both in mylife. I just needed you to know that before wecontinue.”

“Thanks,” Tim said. Then a smile tugged athis lips. “But you have to admit, even with the chemo hair, thatI’m alittlebit hotter than him.”

Ben laughed. “Yes, andJace was a little bit classier! He never would have said such athing.”

Tim shrugged. “So I’vestill got a lot to learn. I’ll get there eventually. Depending onhow much time you’re willing to give me.”

Ben thought about itcarefully. “How about all of it? Every single day we have left onthis earth. I want to spend them all with you.”

“Ithought we agreed not to do vows,” Tim said, “but for what it’sworth, there’s nobody better than you. Jace and I, we were thelucky ones.” His silver eyes were shining. “I still can’t believethat I get to stand at your side. So even though there isn’t anyonehere to ask us if we’re sure, my answer is yes, I want more thananything to continue being your husband.”

“And Iswear with all of my heart to continue loving you from now untilforever.”

The power vested in themcame from the love they shared, and as they exchanged rings andtheir lips touched, Ben swore he could feel that power growing.Enough to ensure that this fairytale-come-true would never end.They would always have each other.

From now untilforever.

Epilogue

The world had moved on.Politically, culturally, and technologically. Especially that lastone. Ben was reminded of that today as he stood in his living roomand consulted with a New York cardiologist via his televisionscreen. Or data streamer, as they called them these days, but tohim it looked like a television screen and they could watch showson it, so that’s what he called it. Like most people his age, hehad opted for a unit with medical enhancements, which is whatallowed the doctor to scan him. All he had to do was stand stillfor a whopping twenty seconds. What amused him was just howold-fashioned even this was. He could have met the doctor in avirtual environment that for all intents and purposes perfectlyrecreated an office in Manhattan, but he was old-fashioned. No, hewas old.

Life definitely didn’tbegin at eighty. Nor did it get any better at eighty-eight. Still,it wasn’t all bad, and he felt fortunate to live far away from aworld he found increasingly exhausting. Austin had grown, like allcities tend to do. By the time the area around them began to bedeveloped, Tim had the foresight to buy up as much connecting landas they could. Their little house was still padded by trees, givingthem solitude and maintaining the illusion that nothing had changedafter all these years. Just two gay guys living out the rest oftheir years together. Ben had a feeling he was about to discoverjust how many years they had left.

“I have your results,” thedoctor told him. “Are you ready?”

“Just try and surpriseme,” Ben said. “I dare you.”

The doctor smiled. Helooked like he was twenty. Maybe he was. Or maybe he was forty.Aging could be slowed these days, at least externally, but by thetime that technology had been developed… Well, there was littlepoint in preserving a wrinkled old fruit like himself.

“The shortness of breathyou’ve been experiencing, paired with the chest pain, led me tobelieve you might be experiencing heart failure.”