Page 57 of Winging It with You

Theo

Two months later

Asher Bennett and Theo Fernandez

Chicago, Illinois

“Is that the last of them?” I shout over the mountain of boxes we’ve somehow accumulated.

After hours of arranging our belongings, I’m ready to be done. To officially settle into our new home and start this next chapter for both of us.

I think back to that last time at the airport. The second Asher walked through those airport doors, I had to fight the urge to run after him. Question after question bounced around my skull: What if he changed his mind? Should I have gone with him? What if he had just stayed?

But he had loose ends to tie up. We both did.

So, I went through the motions of my life those first few weeks without him, trying to return to some sense of normalcy. On more than one occasion, I had to remind myself it would all be worth it in the end.

That he was worth it.

We spoke every day. Most days, Asher enthusiastically told me about every detail of his work.

We’d argue over who missed the other more and make a running list of the things we wanted to do when we saw each other.

We exchanged an infinite number of selfies, both clothed and, well, not, and when someone would tag us in a #Thasher picture, it was a race to see who could send it to the other first.

He usually won.

Nighttime was the hardest.

I had gotten so used to curling myself around Asher, the feeling of his soft skin pressed against mine. The way our curves and edges lined up so seamlessly without even trying. On those nights when I couldn’t sleep, I reminded myself that soon, I’d be able to reach my hand out and feel his waiting.

So now, standing together in our Chicago town house, knowing that everything we’ve quietly been waiting for has finally arrived, it’s nearly impossible to contain the excitement that has been building.

We spent the first couple of days waiting for our things to arrive, marveling at the view of Lake Michigan and the newness of each other, the novelty of never having to say goodbye again.

I’m pretty sure I kissed every inch of Asher’s skin, twice, to ensure I knew every trace of him.

Every perfect little detail of the man I loved.

We ate Thai food and drank wine—which Asher ordered from that little place in Italy we’d stumbled upon—in our underwear on a thick blanket on the floor listening to legends like Gipsy Kings and the Cranberries and, of course, Ashley Tisdale.

I just might make a fan out of him yet.

But isn’t that what you do when you’re madly in love?

Throw yourself headfirst into each other with everything you’ve got?

Diving headfirst into Asher feels like coming home, and our home, with his things and my things and our things, has quickly become my favorite place in the world.

“I think that’s it,” Asher says from behind me, setting down the box he carried up the steps onto the kitchen island.

“Are you excited for tomorrow?” I ask, closing the short distance between us and joining him in the kitchen.

“And nervous,” Asher quietly admits, his gaze remaining on the plates he’s begun unwrapping one by one and neatly placing in the kitchen cabinet above the stove.

His new job at the research lab starts tomorrow and despite my insistence that everyone on his team is going to love him, the first-day jitters are getting to him.

Moving in together is a big step for both of us.

But this chapter feels like a much larger one for Asher.

Even without winning the prize money, our online popularity garnered a lot of attention from potential investors who expressed interest in funding his Own Voices in STEM program.

After weighing his options and a lot of intense back-and-forth on Asher’s part, his program ultimately found its home with the University of Chicago’s Knapp Center for Biomedical Discovery, where he will serve as the newest project manager.

I could not be prouder. His drive and work ethic are some of the most impressive things about him, but it’s his devotion to the training and empowerment of future LGBTQIA+ biomedical engineers that leaves me standing in awe of the man before me.

“You’re going to change the world, Asher Bennett,” I whisper against his temple after pulling him away from the box he was unpacking.

“How can you be so sure?” he asks, dipping his hands into my back pockets, pulling me even closer.

“Because I love you, obviously. I know these things,” I say matter-of-factly, letting my lips brush against his hair. Those three little words still make me giddy. Even more so when they’re accompanied by a blushing Asher Bennett. “Besides, you’ve already changed mine, so you’re already winning.”

He laughs, but it’s the truth.

Meeting him in the airport opened my eyes to a life I hadn’t even realized I was missing out on.

What started off as a mutually beneficial ruse turned into one of the most significant life lessons for me.

After the competition, I was quickly able to get back in the cockpit.

The social media frenzy that followed us was more than enough proof that I had in fact taken the necessary steps toward a healthier work-life balance.

Diving headfirst into work was no way to live.

At least not in a healthy way, and it’s definitely not how I want to live anymore.

Mark was right, as always. There is more to life than work. He and Amelia kept me company, and sane, until Asher got here, and I couldn’t help but notice they seemed lighter, happier, than the last time I saw them. They’ll tell me when they’re ready, whatever it is.

I’ve also started giving flying lessons as a way to share my passion for aviation with others.

Asher doesn’t know it yet, but we’ve got a day trip up to Madison this weekend.

Elise said the kids have been incessantly asking when they were going to see us again, so we figured now would be as good a time as any to rent a twin engine and fly up to see everyone before Asher’s schedule gets too complicated.

It’s the benefit of being this close, something I will never take for granted again.

Asher pushes a box of carefully wrapped glassware in my direction, which I make quick work of unpacking and putting away. Standing side by side in our kitchen, amid a growing pile of discarded packing tape and Bubble Wrap, it’s easy to envision what this life could look like.

A life spent loving him and being loved by him.

But an unexpected knock at the door pulls me away from my thoughts.

We shrug at each other, and Asher plants a kiss on my jaw before sauntering off to the front door to see who it is. He returns with a grin on his face and a welcome sight—

Jo.

“Hi, friends,” she says quietly, a nervous edge to her voice. She’s holding a potted money tree in one hand and a bottle of champagne in the other. We haven’t seen each other since I stormed off the show’s set, but I’ve never blamed Jo for anything. Not for a second.

We go in for a hug awkwardly, her hands still full, but she wraps her arms around my waist regardless, seemingly relaxing like she’s been unsure of how her reunion with us would go.

“Your sister gave me your address,” she says, handing the gifts to Asher and hopping up on the kitchen counter, making herself right at home.

Asher laughs. “Of course she did.”

I’m going to need to have a conversation with Elise about boundaries. But in this case, I am deeply appreciative of how much she takes care of me.

Even if she goes about it in the most interesting of ways.

“While I’d love to chitchat…we want you back,” Jo blurts out. Right to business in typical Jo Bishop fashion.

Asher and I exchange confused looks.

“I’m not following.” I move from where I was leaning against the kitchen island to stand next to Asher.

Jo reaches over the counter to snag the bottle of champagne she’d brought and begins opening it. “The show,” she says. “We want the two of you back. For real this time.”

The pop of the champagne cork makes Asher jump against me.

“I know it’s a lot. Trust me, no one would blame you if you wanted to kick me out of here right now and tell me to shove off,” she says, setting the cork down beside her.

Asher rummages through a random box on the counter, procuring a coffee mug, a wineglass, and a tumbler that’s missing its lid, shrugging when Jo raises an eyebrow at our drinkware selection.

“But hear me out,” she says, generously pouring the champagne into the glasses. “Everyone is dying to know what #Thasher is up to. Our socials have been incessantly blowing up about you two idiots since everything went down. What Dalton did…” she says, her voice trailing off.

It was impossible to tune out the news that Dalton had been let go from the show. Good riddance. “Well, let’s just say things would be different this time. The entire Epic Trek family is on your side, so if there’s any part of you that’s at all interested, we’d love to have you.”

Her sincerity is touching.

But what she’s asking is a lot to take in.

“What do you think, babe?” I ask, squeezing Asher a little tighter against my chest. I have no idea where his head’s at with all this, but I’m sure he’ll surprise me. He always does. “Do you want to wing it again?”

A smile grows across his face, slow at first and then all at once, and I’m pretty sure there isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for him just to keep him smiling like this.

“With you? Always.”