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Rhett shoots a text to Link while sitting in terminal A, waiting on his flight.
My vacation’s ending, I’m coming home late.
The weather was fine and the ocean was great.
Bo, I can’t wait to see you again.
Rhett smiles as he pockets his phone standing in line to board his plane.
Link reads the text with a roll of his eyes and an exasperated sigh. He shoots a message back to Rhett.
No one here cares if you come home or not, Rhett.
I barely even noticed that you were away.
I’ll see you or I won’t, whatever.
Link hits send and stares at the message until it shows it's been delivered. He feels a twinge of guilt but pockets his phone anyways. He sits on his couch and stares at the ceiling. Link knows his anger toward Rhett is uncalled for, but it's there and it's fueling his every action.
He gets up and starts pacing the living room. His phone feels hot in his pocket. He wants to write another message apologizing. Link wants to tell Rhett how much he’s missed him, and how he can’t wait to hold him in his arms again. Rhett said he needed to get out of their small town for a while. He asked, no, he begged Link to come. Like a petulant child, Link refused. He took Rhett wanting to leave as Rhett wanting to leave him.
Link had pouted everyday up until Rhett’s departure. Being the ever patient man he is, Rhett wasn’t phased. He doted on his lover; he’d bring him home flowers after work or take him on surprise dates to the drive in movies. He would sing him to sleep some nights, while on others he would spend hours worshipping Links body. Link would be an unintelligible mess before Rhett would finally make love to him. Link would often cry on those nights, when the overwhelming feeling of being so loved was too much.
Still, Link was angry at Rhett- he couldn’t shake the feeling of being abandoned. Rhett was finally coming home to him and his anger was spoiling what should be happiness. Needing to clear his mind, Link decides to take a drive into town. He grabs his keys and wallet and heads out the door. Link parks his car on main street. Exiting his car, Link makes his way down main street.
Link keeps his head up as he walks. He greets everyone, stranger or not, with a nod. The town loner is sitting on the corner of main and 7th holding out a cup for loose change. Link sees how the people of his small town walk by the man without so much as a glance in his general direction. The brunette has never understood peoples aversion to the loners, drifters, and homeless of the world. His momma always taught him that those people are exactly that- people. She said treat them with kindness and help if you can.
Those words always stuck with Link. So with his head high he makes his way to the familiar face on the corner. Link crouches down to be at eye level with the man, and sticks his hand out for the other to shake. The loner takes his hand with wide shocked eyes.
“Names Link, nice to meet ya sir” He says with a genuine smile.
Still shaking Link’s hand the man answers,
“Likewise Link. You can call me Jack.”
“Well Jack it's nice to finally put a name to the face.”
“You too kid,” Jack says with a smile. “I see you around all the time with that tall fella.”
Link huffs out a laugh, “Ya know, I’m not short! But yeah my husband Rhett might be a giant.”
Jack just nods his head.
Link raises to his full height and reaches in his front pocket for the five dollar bill he stuck in there earlier this morning. He hands the bill to Jack with a wink and starts to walk away. Jack yells out a watery ‘Thank you’, and Link just turns and salutes the man and continues his walk, his destination clear in his mind. The place in mind is an old mechanics shop two blocks up, but the owner sells moonshine out the back. Link knows this because he’s bought it here almost twice a week since Rhett has been gone. He makes his purchase and heads back towards his car.
……..
Rhett’s plane finally lands after what feels like days in the skies. After retrieving his suitcase, Rhett makes his way to the pickup lot outside. He finds one of the empty metal benches and takes a seat. It's a beautiful evening in North Carolina and he breathes it in. He is so happy to be home, but even more than that, he’s thrilled to hold his lover in his arms again.
Rhett missed Link like crazy, but he needed to see what else the world had to offer. He needed to know what existed beyond their tiny town with 4 stop lights and one gas station. He had begged Link to come with him, made sure he knew that this was a journey for his soul not a journey to find another person. Link was his best friend, the love of his life and his soulmate.
When Rhett had boarded his plane it was with anguish and elation. He told himself that this was the right thing to do, even though the image of Links tear streaked face was burned into his mind. He told himself that he wasn’t abandoning Link, it was the 21st century and FaceTime is a viable tool. Rhett had promised to text, call, and video chat everyday, and he truly meant it. Somedays Link was so excited to talk Rhett couldn’t get a word in edgewise, others the brunette was so angry he would just sit and listen to Rhett tell about his day.
Rhett finally snaps back to the present, sitting on a bench outside of the airport. He hadn’t asked Link to pick him up, because he wanted time to think and compose a speech for when he saw him again. And by speech he one hundred percent means an apology. It took him entirely too long to realize leaving his
husband to run across the country to ‘find himself’ was, to put it plainly, selfish. He owns that now. He pulls out his phone to call an Uber, he finds a text from Link waiting for him.
The message from Link was meant to sting, and sting it did. Rhett wasn’t angry or upset with him. He hurt his husband. Link had every right to lash out. He just hoped that Link would find it in his heart to forgive him. The blonde was determined to spend everyday righting his wrongs. Leaving was moronic, but it did help Rhett see that Link irrevocably was his everything.
Rhett opens the Uber app on his phone and types in his address. The app informs him that his driver, Vicky, is ten minutes away. Rhett takes in a big breath and holds it for a beat, then he lets it go. People mess up all of the time, and those wronged forgive. He’s genuinely sorry and once Link understand that, they will work this out. Rhett spends the last minutes before his ride arrives repeating these positive mantras.
When the well worn honda pulls up Rhett knows it’s his ride. It’s the kind of car the Vicky in the profile picture would drive. He walks to the passenger window which is rolled down for him, “Ya here to pick up Rhett?”
Vicky nods, “ Get in son, let me get those bags for ya.”
Rhett doesn’t have it in him to protest so he gets in the back seat like he’s told.
When she’s finished, Vicky gets back in the driver's seat and puts the car in drive.
Looking in the rearview mirror Vicky asks, “long trip? You seem tired baby.”
Rhett can’t help but smile at her soothing southern drawl. It reminds him of his momma and he has to take a moment to keep his tears at bay. Rhett must stay silent for too long, because his driver clears her throat.
“Yes ma’am,” Rhett answers not wanting to be rude. “I’ve been gone for far too long, and I'm anxious to get to my person,” he continues.
Vicky’s smile is so big, it almost looks painful to Rhett. Her smile is contagious though, and Rhett can’t help to answer it with one of his own.
“Love is all over you sugar, I could see it from a mile away. You’re also giving off loads of sadness. Now I know I'm an old lady talking nonsense, but I reckon you could use an ear to listen?”
Rhett wants to say no, but he feels himself nodding a yes to the woman as the tears roll down his face.
Rhett takes his time to give Vicky the whole story. He makes sure to include it all, even when saying it out loud really highlights how wrong he was. She never interrupts, only nodding her head at the right points to make sure Rhett knows she is still following. Rhett never breaks into a full sob, but the tears stay steadily streaming down his cheeks into his beard. At one point Vicky reaches her hand back for Rhett to hold. The kindness of this complete stranger punches him in the gut, and he has to swallow his emotions down with a hiccup. When he finishes Vicky squeezes his hand before pulling it back to the steering wheel.
“Listen to me baby, and listen well,” She says while eyeing him in the rearview mirror.
“You’re right, you messed up real bad.” Rhett can’t help but grimace at her truth, and he nods for her to continue.
“But honey, you’re already past the hardest part. You realized how stupid you were,” she says with a chuckle.
“You’re right about that,” Rhett answers with a puff of air through his nose.
Vicky winks at him and continues, “You realized and you’re ready to lay yourself bare in order to apologize. Admittedly I don’t know your Link, but i have no doubt he will see your heart and how truly sorry you are. You haven’t lost him baby. This is merely a hiccup in your story.”
Unsurprisingly the tears start back and all Rhett can do is shake his head in agreement.
They pull up to his home a few minutes later. Vicky reaches for her door before Rhett stops her with a hand on her shoulder.
“I'll get my bags ma’am. You’ve done more than enough for me tonight.” He squeezes her shoulder in thanks, and opens his car door. After retrieving his bags from the trunk Rhett shuts it and gives a double tap to let his driver know its ok to leave. He turns and starts walking towards the front door. The honk only scares him a little, but he turns around to see what his driver may need. Vicky has the passenger window down again, and her hands are cupped around her mouth.
“Go get your man baby and continue this love story,” she yells. Vicky gives him a wink and pulls away. Rhett chuckles and shakes his head as he unlocks the front door.
………
Back in town, Link bought his moonshine and was making his way back to the car. The brunette checks his watch, Rhett should be home in the next hour or so. That gives him a little more time to kill. He decides to head up to the lookout point off cobbler drive. It gives a great view of their sleepy town. Back in Rhett’s and his hay-day it was a popular ‘make out’ spot for the kids. Link remembers with a smile that he and Rhett were frequent visitors.
Link parks his car facing out over the cliff. He cuts the engine and gets out. Link hops up on the hood of his car, and leans back on the windshield. Usually Link would be immediately lost looking at the vast beauty of the night sky, but tonight he pays them no regard. He lazily sips on his mason jar of clear liquid. With every gulp Links anger dissipates. Did Rhett's actions hurt him? Yes. Does he know his husbands heart? He does and he knows this wasn’t malicious. ‘This would have been great to realize a month ago’, he thinks to himself.
Frankly Link knows when he finishes the last of his jar that he shouldn’t drive, but his need for Rhett is stronger than his rational brain. He slides off his hood and shakes out his loose body. His brain is definitely floating, but he decides he’s been drunker and driven further. With a small prayer he starts his car and heads for his home. Link arrives home lucky to be alive. All of the roads from the lookout to their tiny neighborhood are windy and dark. He sends up a silent thank you before exiting the car.
Rhett had been home for an hour or so before he hears the familiar slam of their car door. The blonde hadn’t expected for Link to be there when he got home, so he sat at the kitchen table patiently waiting. After 30 minutes Rhett had started to worry, just wanting a phone call or some kind of sign. A sign that the one that he loves most will make it home soon, and back into his arms. The front door opens and Rhett’s heart slams against his chest.
“Hey bo, I’m in the kitchen” He says with an unsteady voice.
Link stumbles forward through the doorway. Weary head hung down, eyes on the floor. Without even lifting his head, he says
“Rhett, I'm sorry.”
Rhett rushes forward and frames Links faces with gentle hands. The action forces the brunette to look at him. Links watery eyes pull at Rhett's heartstrings. He leans in and assaults the shorter mans face with tiny soft kisses.
“Oh honey, what for?” It's a rhetorical question, which he’s grateful Link understands.
“I should not have been gone for so long. I’m yours and that’s it, forever. You’re mine and that’s it, forever.”
“Forever!” Link repeats.
Rhett knows it's a statement and not a question. He can’t stop the tears that start, and frankly he wouldn’t given the choice. Here in Links arms, he is home. A fact that for the rest of his days he won’t ever forget. Rhett tightens the grip on his husband and nuzzles his face into Links warm neck. They stand there for a while breathing each other in. Before too long Link remembers how drunk he truly is.
Link expresses his want and need to just be horizontal with Rhett and they make their way to the bedroom. Rhett deposits his lover on the king sized mattress and begins to undress him. The smaller man puts up no fight, he missed this too much. Rhett always takes such good care of him, so tonight he revels in it.
Once Rhett has them both down to just boxer briefs, he turns down the cover and crawls in. Tonight he needs to be the big spoon, and thankfully Link agrees. He positions them to his liking. Face buried in Links silver streaked hair, god he’s missed the smell of his Link. Arms wound tight around his slim waist, and legs a tangled mess. A problem for future them. Both boys sigh with relief almost simultaneously, the rightness of it all easing their heavy hearts.
Forever, Rhett thinks as sleep takes him over.