Jared
"You ready for this?" I asked Matt with a smile as he returned his.
We were waiting for boarding to begin for the first leg of our trip to Australia. It was early February 2004. We'd taken many weekend and short trips together but this was our first major vacation since we first started dating.
"Aloha ladies and gentlemen, we will now begin preboarding for Hawaiian Airlines flight 19 with nonstop service to Honolulu. Any passengers traveling with children..." announced the gate agent and my heart started to warm.
Matt and I had been planning this trip for over a year and now it was finally here. We held hands as we stood in line to board when they called our zone and headed down the jetbridge. No matter whether I'm a passenger or a crewmember, nothing beats the rising feeling I get in my heart as I approach the bottom of the jetway and step onto the airplane.
"Hi, welcome aboard," said a middle-aged flight attendant with blonde hair.
"You're both together, go through this galley and straight down the aisle," she instructed after examining Matt's boarding pass.
We made our way to seats 15H and J, on the right side of the airplane. The 767 has two seats on each side and three seats in the middle with two aisles. That meant it was just the two of us. We first had a 5 hour and 15 minute journey across the Pacific from Sacramento to Honolulu. After an hour and 40 minute layover, we'd leave for Sydney at 1:00 PM and arrive about 10 hours later.
"Here I'll get that," Matt said offering to put my laptop bag in the overhead for me.
"Do you want the window seat?" he asked.
"No I'll take the aisle. You can have the window," I replied.
As we settled into our seats I felt a lot of pride. I'd worked really hard for this and now I was treating my man to the kind of vacation he deserved. I was so excited that I felt like a kid again and I couldn't wait for this adventure to start.
As we left the gate the safety video started playing on the overhead screens as we started to taxi to the runway. Matt and I held hands as the excitement built and within a few minutes we were speeding down the runway. As we lifted off the ground I watched through the windows of the other side of the plane as the city of Sacramento went by. Every time I fly out of SMF as a passenger I always try to look for our house based on where we are in relation to I-5.
After a few minutes we turned out over the Pacific and began the 2,539 mile journey to Honolulu. I had to keep reminding myself that we weren't staying there in Hawaii, much as I would have liked to before going onto Sydney.
After a while we arrived at our cruising altitude and the flight attendants came around to serve drinks. Afterwards a flight attendant returned to take our lunch order. It was a younger Asian woman who came with a notepad.
"Hi gentlemen, for our entree today we have teriyaki chicken with coconut rice or cheese lasagna. We'll start with a green salad with a roll and butter and for dessert we have pumpkin cheesecake."
"I'll have the lasagna," I said trying not to show my disgust at the other option. My tastes are kind of limited.
"Lasagna for me too," said Matt. That kind of surprised me, I figured as willing as he is to try new foods that he wouldn't go for the more local fare.
"Great thanks, we'll be serving lunch in a couple of hours," she replied as she moved onto the next row. The service helped break up the flight into parts, as we were served lunch about halfway through.
Another couple of hours went by and the seatbelt sign came on. We were beginning our descent into Honolulu.
"I wish we could spend the night here. I really don't feel like getting on another plane right after this," Matt said trying to stretch while still in his seat.
"Yeah me too. Just imagine how we're going to feel when we actually get to Sydney," I answered and we both chuckled.
As we descended closer and closer we both watched the view during the approach intently. First the island of Oahu came into view and soon afterwards we flew over some of the neighborhoods of the city of Honolulu. The flight attendant pointed out when we passed by Diamond Head and then we were flying by Waikiki. Just a couple of minutes later we touched down on runway 26L, the reef runway.
We turned off the runway and it wasn't more than a few minutes before we were at our gate. It didn't take too long to deplane and we made sure to take the chance to stretch our legs once we were inside the terminal.
It was a ten-hour trek but we arrived in the Emerald City right on time. They planned the flight time perfectly because you arrived at around 7:00 PM local time. By the time we got to our hotel we were both completely drained and we fell asleep almost as soon as our heads hit the pillow.
I woke up at 5:00 the next morning and headed outside to take a walk around and get some fresh air while I waited for Matt to wake up. Unfortunately there wasn't much more than other hotels around. After a couple blocks I turned around and headed back to the hotel and took the elevator up to our floor.
When I opened the door I found Matt still sound asleep in bed and I stopped for a second to take in the view of the city out the window from our room. We were lucky enough to get a suite. Aside from the bed there was a couch and coffee table in front of the TV in a different part of the room. It also had a kitchenette with a small stove, microwave, and sink. As I headed to sit down at the desk and start up my laptop Matt started stirring. I climbed back into bed and held him close wrapping my arms around his midsection.
"Morning handsome," I whispered in his ear.
"Hey," he whispered with grogginess in his voice. "What time is it?"
"Quarter after six," I half-whispered as he started to come to.
"AM or PM?" he asked as he rolled over to stretch his arms.
"AM silly," I said with a laugh. "Let's go have breakfast so we can figure out what we're going to do today."
"I've never been this jet lagged before," he moaned as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes.
"Drink lots of water," I suggested from experience.
Matt got out of bed to take a shower and once he was done we went downstairs for breakfast. We both drank four cups of coffee. Matt had an omelette and I went for the Belgian waffle. I hate eggs. I looked up at the TV on the wall which was turned to cable news and tried to make sense of Australian politics for a minute before I started thinking about something more relevant.
"What should we do today?" I asked.
"I kind of want to go to the beach," Matt replied. While it was winter back home it was summer in Australia because they're south of the equator. Mapquest said that we were only 9 kilometers from the famous Bondi Beach but there was one big problem: I needed a bathing suit. I'm not a beach person at all but I wasn't going to say no to Matt. After we were done eating we went downstairs to the front desk.
"How can I help you gentlemen," asked the attendant in that unmistakable accent.
"Is there someplace near here where I can get a bathing suit?"
"There's a mall about one and a half kilometers west of here and you can find one at Kmart or Target. Are you driving or walking?"
"We rented a car," I replied.
"Okay. Go out to Harbour Street and take that for a half-kilometer and then turn left onto Bay. There's a carpark right there on Bay."
"Great thanks," I said as we started to turn to leave but the attendant wasn't finished.
"If you're going straight to the beach from there you'll go back the way you came and turn right back onto William Henry until it turns into Pier. You'll make a left into the Cross City Tunnel. Once you come out of the tunnel follow that road until you get to Ocean Street, make a left onto Syd Einfeld until it becomes Bondi and then keep going on Bondi until you hit water," he said jovially. I had a little anxiety about driving on this trip because Australia drives on the left. Not only that, but the driver's seat is on the right side of the car.
"You sure you can do this?" Matt asked. "I'm not going to be much help here," I said and we both chuckled.
I backed out of the parking space and headed out to the street. I took a deep breath as I flipped on my right signal. The hotel was a half block from the intersection with Harbour and I turned on my left signal. The light turned green and we rounded the corner.
I kept my eyes intently on the left side of the street looking for Bay. Like an answered prayer there was a blue sign above the traffic light that said "The Broadway Shopping Centre." I turned onto Bay and sure enough, just as the front desk clerk had said, the entrance to the parking garage was right there on the right side of the road.
"God it's so good to have some real alone time with you," I said to Matt as we entered the mall. I'd been flying a lot lately to earn some spare money for this trip so it was really exciting to finally get to enjoy it.
"I can't wait for the tour of the Opera House," he replied.
We ventured into Australian Kmart since it was the closest store and I tried on a couple bathing suits in the fitting room. I had to choose between the black swim trunks that had flames shooting up from the knees or a white one with 3-D looking blue streaks.
"I think I like the white ones better," I said looking at both sides of myself in the mirror.
"I was hoping you'd go for the flames. You looked hilarious and sexy at the same time," he ribbed.
We headed to the counter to check out and then went back to the car and then set out for the beach. We swam for a little bit and then enjoyed some time hanging out in the sand. After that we headed over to the opera house for the tour we'd booked. We had dinner at one of the restaurants in the hotel before heading back upstairs to our room.
Once we were inside he brought me in close for a kiss and that's when things got rolling. Before I knew it we were closely intertwined. We kissed as we doubled over onto the bed and shed our clothes. He took the lead started lubing me up, which came as a surprise.
"My turn," he dictated with that damn mischevious smile. I lifted my legs as he positioned himself and he entered me slowly. I let out a sigh of pleasure as it had been a little while since the last time I bottomed.
Matt had his eyes squinted with pleasure as he thrusted in and out of me. He was going faster and faster and every now and then he'd slow down before pounding me even harder.
"Ah, uh, fuck," I let out as I death-gripped the sheets because the pleasure was really intense.
"Mmmmmm, mmmmmmmm, mmmmmmmmm," Matt let out closing his eyes really hard. I knew he was about to finish and that's when he pulled out and aimed.
"Ahhhhhh," he sighed as he nailed me in the face.
"Fuck dude," I said sitting up to reach for a Kleenex.
"Sorry I just had to," he replied with that damn mischevious smile.
"Stay right there," he said as he got down on his knees.
He took me in his mouth and I leaned back to thrust my hips forward as he sucked me to completion. He knew that I was ready to be done so he kept working my frenulum with his tongue. It was just a minute before I started to squirm. I sat there wide-eyed as my dick went from zero to liftoff in the span of a couple seconds. I groaned as I shot my load down his throat. It took a second to catch my breath but then I decided to get dressed.
"I'm going for a walk," I said to Matt as I put my shorts back on.
I made sure I had my hotel key as I headed out the door and went down the hall to the elevator. I went through the lobby and decided to walk a couple blocks in the other direction I had gone that morning.
"Hey mate what are you looking for?" said a guy sitting in an alley as I passed by. I was confused for a second but then I realized what he was asking.
"You got weed?" I asked figuring I'd see if I could give Matt a thrill.
"How about hash? Gram for a lobster," he said showing me a small bag.
"Lobster?" I asked with my American accent being a dead giveaway.
"Twenty dollars," he replied.
"Deal," I said fishing some cash out of my pocket.
"You Americans are always so predictable," he said as I walked away.
As I realized how completely stupid what I'd just done was I also realized that my mission wasn't over. Now I needed to find something to smoke this with and this is where my college days came in handy. I walked into a Korean market that was on the same block and bought a lighter and a can of Pepsi. I drank it as I walked back to the hotel and along the way I was lucky enough to find a nail on the ground. I took the elevator back up to our room hoping that Matt wouldn't react badly.
"Back so soon?" asked Matt. He was sitting on the couch flipping through the TV channels.
"Don't ask me how I got this but I got my hands on some hash for you to smoke. I just need to poke a hole in this can for you so you have something to smoke out of," I said as I pushed the nail through the side of the can making a small hole.
I poked another hole in the side to make a choke and pushed down to make a bowl for the first hole. I packed the hash into the makeshift piece and handed it to him as I motioned for him to head out onto our hotel balcony.
"This stuff is going to knock you on your ass," I said as I handed him the lighter. Obviously I couldn't partake in this but he most certainly could.
He took a hit and let it out and before I could stop him he took a second hit.
"Dude do you have any idea what you just did?" I asked him excitedly. He hadn't smoked weed in at least a year so I knew he had no tolerance.
"Bye Matt, have a good night," I said jokingly as it started to kick in.
"Dude my eyeballs are glowing," he said in his "just got out of bed at 6:00 AM" voice.
"Yep, that's hash. Have fun!" I said cheerily as he laid down on the bed. Matt was so high that he laid there looking catatonic for a couple hours. I wished with all my heart that I could have partaken with him. We had enough that he ended every night of the rest of our vacation with some hash.
We spent the next six days exploring and spending so much quality time together that we'd missed out on while I was at work. After our week was up it was finally time to return home.
As we entered Sydney International Airport for our 9:20 PM flight we decided we first needed to have some dinner. We settled on a steakhouse that was just before security.
"This sure beats what they'll be serving on the plane," Matt said as we sat down at our table.
"I don't know that I've ever seen you eat a steak," I said to him honestly.
"I never really learned how to cook one," he answered honestly.
"How are you gentlemen this evening?" asked the waiter as he handed us our menus.
"Pretty good. Just wish we could have stayed a few more days," I replied shooting Matt a glance. After we ordered our drinks we decided to get an appetizer before our main course.
"We'll have the mac and cheese bites," Matt decided as he flashed me that smile.
"After that I'll have the sirloin medium rare," I said as I watched the waiter make his notes.
"What for your two sides?" he continued.
"Fries and the baked potato soup," I decided.
"And for you?" he said turning to Matt.
"New York Strip medium rare with the Caesar salad and the vegetable beef soup," he ordered.
"Good choice," I said as the waiter took our menus away.
"I think we should do London next. It's been on my list since Sam went there," Matt suggested.
"And while we're there we should go to Ireland too," I added.
"That'll be a lot of fun," he said with an excited smile.
As we sat and ate Matt's demeanor started getting gloomier.
"What's on your mind?" I asked.
"Honestly I'm kind of afraid of turning 30 next year. It's a weird feeling not being young anymore. That's kind of been on my mind since we got here, like it felt like we were dating again but we're not those 22-year-old grad students anymore," he explained.
I hadn't really contemplated that yet. I'd kept myself busy with flying and commuting back and forth that the time just kind of zoomed by. I moved closer to him and put my arm around him.
"That's very true. We've got each other to get through it though," I said moving closer to him to put my hand on his shoulder. "It's just all part of the experience," I said and he smiled.
After our dinner we were stuffed and both ready for a nap. Hawaiian Airlines flight 22 would be taking us to Honolulu, where we'd be landing at 11:10 AM the following morning, an almost 11 hour journey. We stood in line to board for about ten minutes and just like before we took our seats right next to each other, though this time we were on the left side of the Boeing 767 and considerably further to the back of the plane.
I stole a quick kiss after we both got settled into our seats. We cuddled as best we could as we drifted off to half-sleep for the first few hours. I was surprised because I usually can't fall asleep on planes even when I'm a passenger. We woke up when the flight attendants started serving dinner. Three hours down, eight more to go.
Matt fell back asleep but I couldn't. I decided to order the roast beef sandwich in case I got hungry later in the flight. I pulled out my laptop bag and started working on some files. After long I found myself playing some of the CD-ROM games I'd bought from Kmart for this exact situation. After playing Wheel of Fortune and Monopoly for a few more hours the flight was about half over. Matt was still sleeping so I got up and took a walk up and down the aisle.
I finally was able nod off for a little bit and when I opened my eyes I could see the sunlight starting to peek up from the horizon. I knew we weren't that far off and I was going to survive. Between you and me I hate long flights. For my entire flying career I've mostly flown short, regional flights and that's what I like doing. I would never fly internationally or on long-haul flights as a pilot.
Finally we began our descent and got to enjoy that beautiful view of one of the most beautiful places in the world. Before long we were on our final approach and we were on the ground in Honolulu. We had two hours to kill before our flight back to Sacramento and we made use of almost all of it.
It took forever to get through customs and once we got our luggage rechecked we had ten minutes before boarding began. Hawaiian only flew one flight in each direction per day between Honolulu and Sacramento so if we didn't make it we were stuck.
"Oh thank god," Matt said when he saw that our gate was just around the corner. They had begun preboarding but the rest of the peasants hadn't been called yet. We were fine. Just like before we'd made sure to get seats together and as exhausted and fatigued as we were, home was only five hours away.
We got settled in and just like on the previous flight I immersed myself in mindless computer games to pass the time. This time I played Jeopardy and the CD game was hosted by Alex Trebek himself even though I was too tired to think. I set the difficulty to easy and romped over my two computer opponents to the tune of $40,000. Matt paid $5 for a headset to watch the movie they were showing.
The sun set as we rode across the Pacific, getting closer and closer to the California coast. It was nighttime when we flew over what I recognized as Santa Rosa before turning north to the Sacramento Valley. Those familiar phases of descent, approach, and touchdown went by in my head the same way they would if I was the one at the controls. It was a relief to see the spoilers go up the moment before we hit the runway with a firm bump. And just like that, we were almost home.
On every vacation I've ever been on the flight home was always bittersweet. I love flying and relish every opportunity but it still hurts that it's the end of your trip. Once it was our row's turn we stood up, gathered our carry-on luggage, and slowly made our way up the aisle to head up the jetbridge into the terminal. We held hands as we waited for our luggage at baggage claim and then headed out to the parking garage.
It was a quick half-hour drive home and we both collapsed into bed together. I think I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. When I woke up the sun was out and I quickly noticed Matt wasn't beside me.
"Matt?" I called out sitting up in bed. "Are you still here?"
"Yeah I am," he replied as he came into our bedroom. "Boy you're a lot more jet-lagged than I am."
"Holy shit what time is it?"
"Three in the afternoon."
"Shit," I said rubbing the sleep from my eyes.
"Good thing we took an extra day off work," he quipped.
"Can I make you some breakfast slash lunch slash afternoon snack?" he asked with that damn mischevious smile.
"Absolutely," I replied as I left our bedroom to go sit down on the couch. I flipped through channels for an hour until the earliest evening news came on at 4. I sure as hell wasn't expecting to see what turned out to be the lead story.
"First at four, gay marriage in San Francisco. Mayor Gavin Newsom has ordered the city to begin issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples," said the anchor before they talked about the other stories of the day.
"Matt, quick get in here!" I shouted. He was mixing pancake mix in the kitchen. He rushed over to look at the TV as they flashed to a female anchor inside City Hall.
"Thank you, today Mayor Newsom issued an order that says the Massachusetts Supreme Court's order legalizing same-sex marriage applies to California and City Hall is now issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples," she said before they cut away to footage of two guys getting married.
"Hundreds of same-sex couples lined up outside City Hall throughout the day waiting to get married and deputy marriage commissioners have been marrying couples all day long," the same anchor narrated.
"I've married about thirty couples today and they've been from all over the Bay Area," said an Asian man who came to City Hall to volunteer to marry gay couples.
"Now the courts here in California haven't explicitly ruled on this issue and it is expected that the courts will step in eventually because California state law defines marriage as between a man and a woman. Reporting live from San Francisco City Hall, Debra Barton, Action News."
"Holy fucking shit we are getting married while we can," I said to Matt in a dead serious voice.
"I'll call my parents and see if they can fly here," Matt said.
"I need to get ahold of my family too. I can use my family discount to fly them all out here," I said still being 100% serious.
"Jared will you marry me?" he asked playfully.
"Only if you'll let me ask you 'Matt will you marry me?'" I said with a beaming smile before we kissed and embraced each other.
"I didn't think this would be legal for a few years," I said perplexed at how sudden this all was.
Matt called his mom and dad on the cordless house phone while I tried to get ahold of my parents in Illinois on my cell phone.
"Hey Mom, can you and dad fly out here tomorrow? Jared will take care of the tickets. San Francisco is marrying gay couples right now and we want everyone to be there," I heard him say as my dad picked up.
"Hey Dad, are you doing anything these next couple days because I want to fly you and mom and Brady out here tomorrow. Matt and I are going to get married."
"What?" he said sounding very surprised.
"Yeah they just made it legal in San Francisco today so we want to go do it before the courts stop it but we want everyone here. I'll use my family discount and buy you guys tickets. Matt's parents will be on the same flight as you from Minneapolis," I said pretty confidently because I knew the schedule commuting on that route.
"I guess I don't have anything planned now. If we have to do anything it just got rescheduled," said my dad.
"Yes thank you so much Dad, I really wanted to have you guys here."
"My mom says they're coming even if she has to buy the ticket herself," Matt answered and I rejoiced that we were actually going to pull this off. The cool thing was that just out of pure luck we were going to be getting married on Valentine's Day, February 14, 2004.
I sat down at my computer in the spare bedroom I slept in when my body clock was messed up from work and headed to Northwest's website. What was a $460 last-minute fare per person became $46 per person. While Matt's parents were coming from Philadelphia and my family would be coming from Illinois, they would all be connecting in Minneapolis and flying on the same flight. We decided we'd get them all here, rent a minivan because Matt and I both drove sedans, pick up Sam from down the street, and drive to San Francisco the next day.
I don't think Matt and I got any sleep that night because we were way too excited. The next day we got calls early in the morning from our families letting us know they were on their way. I managed to get them all the same row so that our parents would have some time to meet before they got here.
The next day we rented the van and drove it to the airport so everyone could ride home together. We stood in the greeting area just outside security waiting and waiting as hordes of people we didn't know walked past after flight 397 arrived.
And then there they were. Brady pretty much bull rushed me and almost knocked me over before he hugged me tighter than he ever had before.
"Oh my God Jared I thought this would never happen," he said when he finally let go of me and had a big smile on his face.
"I want you to be my best man," I replied.
"No fucking shit?" he asked excitedly.
"Dude you were my first ally. You were always there when I needed you. Of course I want you to be my best man," I said straight from my heart.
"Brady it's been way too long," Matt said as he shared a hug with my brother while I moved onto my parents.
The next day was surreal. It began with an early wake up call and an almost two-hour drive along I-80. Our families got a good glimpse of the Sacramento Valley before we made it to the Bay Bridge to cross into San Francisco. We took the exit onto Harrison Street and then turned north onto Ninth Street. After a while we found ourselves on Larkin, but at the first light there was city hall on the left.
We found a place to park and we headed inside as a group. Matt and I decided we were going to wear suits and everyone else could wear whatever they wanted.
We headed inside to the window and filled out the form. The instructions said that you could put down your new last name if you wanted to.
"Are you going to change your last name?" Matt asked me.
"Are you?" was my reply.
"I didn't plan on it," he answered.
"Neither did I," I said looking him in the eye.
"Okay then," Matt said as he spelled out his full name, Matthew Joseph Graves.
After the form was done we had to wait a little while until someone was available to make it official. It was the same Asian guy we'd seen on the news. I was so excited and happy that it was him. Of all the things he could have been doing with his time, he cared enough to go to City Hall and volunteer to marry gay couples because he thought it was the right thing to do.
He had us stand under the rotunda holding hands. It had to be quick, but in that moment there was nowhere else in the world I would have rather been.
"Jared do you take Matt to be your lawfully wedded husband?" he asked shooting me a look in the eyes for emphasis on the "lawfully wedded" part?
"I do," I said figuring that's what my line would be.
"And do you Matt take Jared to be your lawfully wedded husband?"
"I do," he said nodding his head yes.
"By the power vested in me by the state of California, I now pronounce you husbands for life."
We leaned in to share a kiss and as soon as our lips met I fully appreciated in no uncertain terms just how much I loved Matt and the life we'd built together.
Hey guys, thanks so much for reading! This story was both challenging and a lot of fun to write and I want to thank each and every one of you, no matter where you are for reading my work.
This isn't the last you'll see of me on Nifty. I intend to start work on another story as soon as I settle on a plot now that this one is finished. If you want to keep up with what I'm working on, or just want to chat, send me an email at AlexCenturyErotica@yahoo.com. I'll let you know when I have my next story up on Nifty and I will also keep all the links to my stories in my email signature so if you're reading this story in the future hopefully I'll have more for you.
Again I really appreciate all the feedback and encouragement I've gotten since I started writing this story and it really means a lot to me how much the story meant to you guys. Thank you so much, and I'll see you around!