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“Samesies.”
When it was time for bed, they retired to Ryan’s room, where Hayes headed to the bathroom to tackle his new nightly moisturizing routine after TK had busted his balls on FaceTime.
“You’re looking haggard. You got crow’s feet, baby. You’re too young for that shit. Better get on top of that.”
“Crow’s feet? For real?” He’d stared at himself in the FaceTime window, then winced. “Oh my God, I do! Teek: how the fuck am I supposed to fix that?”
“You gotta moisturize, baby. How you think I stay looking so fly?”
He leaned in, peering at himself from about two inches back from the mirror, squinting and cocking his head. “Crow’s feet my ass,” he muttered, capping his moisturizer and setting it down on the countertop, just as he heard a knock on the partially opened door. “Yeah?”
Ryan opened it, but didn’t enter. Instead, he leaned against the inside of the door frame, watching his boyfriend.
“I’m almost done, then it’s all yours. Teek said I have fuckin’ crow’s feet. Rook, do I…” He stopped talking as he glanced at Ryan in the mirror. He was holding a small box, the bottom of it lying flat in one hand and the top of it propped open with his other. His face was pale and he looked like he was going to vomit at any second. “Rook?”
“Marry me?”
Hayes turned slowly to face him, creeping over to where he was standing and stopping about a foot away. Inside the box was a dark metal ring. “Rook?”
“So, I, uh…dammit,” Ryan said, tears streaming down his cheeks as he laughed. “That didn’t take long. Anyway, I’ve had it for a while now. Here, look.” He lifted it out of the box, set the box down next to him, and turned it over to show Hayes the inside. “I had it inscribed with the date we first met at my apartment and our initials.”
Hayes, hardly able to breathe now, examined it, tilting his head and narrowing his eyes. “TAH. And R…R…B,” he read slowly. “What’s your middle name, Rook?”
“Um. You don’t…know my middle name?” he asked, incredulously.
“Clearly not, if I’m askin’. What’s mine then, eh?”
“Alexander,” he replied without missing a beat.
“Shit,” Hayes grumbled. “I guess you never told me. So, what is it?” Hayes asked, staring at the ring again. “Robert? Roman? Shit, is it actually Rook?”
“It’s, um, so it’s…Ronald.”
Hayes just looked at him, then scoffed, waving him off. “Fuck outta here. Ronald?”
“My middle name is Ronald. It was my mom’s father’s name.”
“Ryan Ronald Baylor.” Hayes nodded, smirking. “Can I call you Ronnie?”
Ryan rolled his eyes, picked up the ring box, and started to put it back inside. “OK, you know what? Nevermi…”
“Ryan, stop!” Hayes grabbed his arm. “I’m messin’ with you. You really…you mean it? After all this, you still wanna marry my dumb ass?”
“And then some,” Ryan said, grabbing Hayes’s right hand and slipping the ring onto his index finger. “Figured you could wear it on this hand until we’re married, then flip it over to the left. I looked up the rules for guys, but apparently it’s whatever you want, so…”
“I mean, I didn’t technically say ‘yes’, Rook…”
“Oh. My God! Why are you you?” Ryan threw his hands up, exasperated, as Hayes doubled over, squeaking with laughter.
“You’re too easy.” Hayes placed his hands on either of Ryan’s hips, facing him and staring deep into his blue eyes. “A thousand times yes, Ryan Ronald Baylor. A thousand million times yes.”
“Yeah?” Ryan asked, tears welling up again.
Hayes nodded, resting his head on Ryan’s shoulder as they embraced.
They stood there holding each other for a bit, when Hayes decided he needed to know. “What made you ask me right now? This weekend? Especially after all that went down last night.”
Ryan pulled away, grabbed both his hands, and looked at him. “Tonight. Our conversation at dinner was perfect, and then when it was just the two of us here together, doing absolutely nothing? Eating popcorn and watching a kid’s movie while you knitted a little animal…”
