Joshua couldn’t believe how far he and James had come. They had been living together for several weeks now, and here they were in a fabulous bedroom in Hawaii, taking a well-deserved vacation for a whole week. They had traveled in style, too, courtesy of Tobias’s private jet. In fact, all six of his best friends and their respective romantic partners were in Hawaii with them. They got to stay at Tobias’s mansion in Hawaii. There were more than enough bedrooms for all seven couples. He was staring out the window at the beautiful garden when he was startled by a pair of arms snaking around his waist and the moist, wet lips kissing his neck. He chuckled a little and turned to face James.
“Hey.”
“Hey, babe,” James responded with before pressing a gentle peck on Joshua’s forehead. “What are you thinking about?”
“Us.”
“What about us?”
“Everything we’ve been through so far.”
“And?”
Joshua shrugged. “And nothing. Just taking a trip down memory lane. I’ve been learning more about the Chinese culture.”
“Why?”
Joshua snickered. “I like being with you, and I hope we get to have many more blissful days in the future. I also need to make sure I don’t make a blunder in the days ahead. Remember what I wanted to give your dad for his seventieth birthday?”
James chortled. “Yeah. The towel and handkerchiefs will be hard to forget.”
Joshua stuck his tongue out at James even though he realized it would make him appear childish. “I’m much better now. I always do my research whenever I have to attend an event related to your culture.”
James nodded. “Thank you for trying. I appreciate it.”
Joshua embraced James and put his head down on his lover’s right shoulder. “You’re welcome. Anyway, what’s the plan for tonight?”
James shrugged. “The guys wanted to take a nap after the flight.”
Joshua snorted. “Haven’t they slept enough on the plane?”
“I guess not.”
“Okay then. What about after?”
“Dinner in the garden. I had a chat with Toby during the flight, and he agreed it would be an excellent idea.”
Joshua grinned. “Same for me. We will be here for a week. We have plenty of time to explore and do some sight-seeing.”
“Or after dinner later. That’s always an option.”
“True. In the meantime, should we take a short nap? I guess I’m more exhausted than I thought.”
“No time for a quickie?”
Joshua smirked. “Nope. You’ll have to wait for tonight.”
James beamed at Joshua. “Fine. You better rest well. You’ll need plenty of energy once we get started.”
“Bring it on, old man.”
James laughed. “Fuck you. We will see who the old man is later. You’ll be begging for mercy when I’m through with you.”
“Promises, promises.”
“Just wait, babe.”
A few minutes later, Joshua was snuggling close to James. Naturally, both of them were naked from head to toe. He had discovered soon after moving in with James that he was able to sleep better if he could feel his lover’s bare, warm skin against his own.
In fact, he had such a wonderful nap, he was astonished to notice how dark it was outside when he woke up. James was probably asleep for about five to ten minutes longer than him. Not that he counted. He was content to cuddle with his lover, so he didn’t check on the time at all. They knew they couldn’t stay in bed for much longer, though. After all, he was certain their friends would be waiting for them. They took a quick shower together and exited the bedroom hand in hand.
Dinner was a raucous affair. They gathered around a long table as their dinner was placed in the center from one end to the other. There were a few types of fishes, grilled shrimps and lobsters, and some salad, as well. Everyone was in high spirits, and the food was delicious. The conversations were confusing, to say the least. Everyone was talking over everyone else, but they still managed to keep up and have a lot of fun chatting with one another throughout dinner.
Joshua was enjoying himself so much, he jumped in surprise at the sound of fireworks blasting off in the air. He, along with everyone else, got up and watched as the fireworks continued to blast across the evening sky one after the other. A particularly impressive burst of multiple fireworks made him glance around, searching for James. He gasped when James appeared right next to him before getting down on one knee.
“James, what are you doing? All our friends are staring at us.”
“The first time we met, I thought you were the most attractive man on this planet, but several months passed by, and neither of us had the courage to make the first move. I had honestly almost given up on getting the chance to date you. You were always so cool and calm around me, so I figured you didn’t feel the same way about me. When we finally got together, I ended up pinching myself many times because I couldn’t believe you were willing to give me a chance. I still feel that way sometimes,” James said before chuckling softly, and Joshua followed suit. “Now that we’re living together, my life feels much more complete because I have you in my arms from the moment we fall asleep until the moment we wake up, and I can’t imagine the rest of my life without you by my side.”
Joshua’s eyes grew blurry as the tears began to overflow. “James…”
James beamed at Joshua before pulling out a velvet box. There was a golden ring nestled within the cushion inside the box. Several glittering small diamonds adorned the top of the ring, and Joshua could feel his heart beating even faster at the incredible sight. His lips felt dry as his nervousness kept on mounting.
“I hope to spend the rest of my life making you as happy as you’ve made me. Joshua Wallace, will you do me the honor of marrying me? Please?”
Joshua chuckled while nodding his head. “Yes. Fucking yes. I’ll marry you.”
James laughed while sliding the ring into Joshua’s finger before getting up and pressing their lips together. Joshua could hear their friends clapping and howling in the background, along with the explosion of the fireworks in the sky, but he was more focused on James at the moment. When they broke apart, he lifted his hand and gazed at the ring.
“Do you like it?”
Joshua nodded. “I love it. How long have you been planning this?”
“About six weeks. I bought the ring before I asked your parents for their permission. Then my family was next.”
“What did they say?”
“Your dad cried a little, I think. He looked really emotional when I video-called him. Both of your parents seemed delighted, though. My parents were relieved. They had been worrying about me and that I would remain single forever.”
Joshua snickered. “Must have taken a load off their minds.”
James nodded. “My brothers and sisters-in-law were excited.”
“What about these fireworks?” Joshua asked while gesturing at the fireworks in the sky. “Did you plan them, as well?”
“Yeah. It took me a while to work things out with Toby, including this dinner.”
Joshua grinned. “Thank you for doing all this for me.”
James shook his head. “I’m doing it for us. I love you, Josh.”
“I love you, too, James.”
They were about to lean in for another kiss when David shouted loudly, startling them both.
“Okay, you two. Break it up already. You can have all the sex in the privacy of your bedroom.”
Vincent chortled. “Hear, hear. Let’s have a toast instead.”
“I second that,” Pablo yelled loudly before heading toward the table to open the first bottle of champagne while Keenan did the same to the second bottle.
It took a few minutes for everyone to have their wine glasses filled about halfway. Once they were ready, Tobias lifted his wine glass.
“I propose a toast to James and Joshua. Be it for richer or poorer, in sickness or in health, may all your ups and downs come only in the bedroom.”
Everyone laughed as they raised their glasses.
“Cheers.”
Joshua clinked his wine glass against James’s before they both sipped on their champagne as they continued to look into each other’s eyes. It was a loving gaze, full of shared promises and love. He might not know what the future might bring, but he was certain he and James could work through anything as long as they got to spend the rest of their days together side by side. He gulped down all of the champagne and showed his empty wine glass to James, who simply grinned at him in return.
The fireworks were still going off in the background, but nothing could be more beautiful than the sight of his handsome fiancé smiling back at him. He couldn’t wait for them to get married and start on a brand-new adventure together. Their relationship had been a whirlwind of hilarity and joy right from the beginning, and he had no doubt their future was going to be an equally epic ride.
THE END