Thanks to all of you guys have been patient with me over the posting of the story. I've had some things going on in my life, and posting installments of my story hasn't been on the top of the priority list. I would like to also thank you guys for your continued comments and emails. If you have any questions or comments, though, please feel free to email me on thefuturecanadian@yahoo.ca (NOTE THE .CA!) Also, I have a yahoo group where I've posted all my stories to date, please feel free to also check it out. The address is http://ca.groups.yahoo.com/group/futurecanadiansgroup . (If there is a problem accessing it, please email me and let me know.)
Well. I guess I should say that the usual disclaimer applies here, and happy reading. For those of you who are interested, also, there will be an advance copy contest for chapter 16 of the story posted in the yahoo group. Chapter 16, incidentally, is also the final chapter of the story!!!
-David-
Paradise Chapter 15 "The Day Before Forever"
It was mid-afternoon by the time that the Royal Family arrived in Morovia. All across the country, people cheered and applauded as it felt like almost five decades of oppression and regression was finally coming to an end. As everyone climbed off the plane, ordinary Morovians, as different as they were, hugged each other in the streets. People kissed either their lovers or perfect strangers. Children who had been given a reprieve from school played games with friends in neighborhood parks as everyone celebrated the arrival of the small group of people who, in a sense, liberate them from tyranny.
Given the route the cars were taking to the palace, it took almost two hours. The whole time, JD and Tyler waved at people from the car that they were in. At the request of the guard, they stayed in the car until they reached the palace of the people, which was blocked by so many people who had assembled to get a glimpse of the man whose face would soon be printed on Morovian currency.
As they went into the palace gates, the entire house staff was standing outside. The butlers were dressed in tuxedos; the maids were dressed in black dresses with white aprons. The waiters were dressed in white coats and black pants; the chefs were dressed in chefs' coats and hats. JD tried to look each of them in the eye at least once as they entered the palace.
The first thing they came to was the massive Grand Foyer. Artists from all over the country recreated portraits of former monarchs and their consorts. Maxima and Lidia, who were emotional from the moment they entered the huge iron gates, were drawn to a portrait that was completed in 1960 of the entire Royal Family. Queen Caterina was seated in a chair; King David was standing behind her, with his hand on her shoulder. Maxima was lying in the floor, reading from a book while the baby, Lidia, was quietly sleeping in the Queen's arms.
Maxima reached out and touched the painting, as if it would somehow bring her parents back from the grave or something. The rest of them looked around at the portraits. Tyler's parents commented about just how much JD looked like a lot of them. In King Carlos III's smile, they saw JD's; they could see JD's chin in a portrait of his grandfather. In the long hall, there were two spaces empty. As Maxima and Lidia walked around, looking at the portraits and speaking to themselves, Zhola explained that those spots were reserved for the future king and his future consort. She winked at Tyler as he looked at a space where a large portrait of him would soon sit.
As everyone was talking and looking around, Maxima and Lidia slipped up the grand staircase. To their surprise, the place hadn't changed much since they were last there. Their hands clasped together, they walked down the long hallway that would eventually lead them back to where they were.
They came to two doors that were close to each other. Maxima turned the knob but didn't open the door. Looking at Lidia, who'd also found the door unlocked, she took a deep breath and entered the room.
She began balling as she looked at the room that she'd occupied as a child. It was as if nothing had moved. Everything was in the exact place she remembered leaving it. A book that she was reading the day before their departure was even sitting on the bed.
"Oh God," she said to herself as all the toys from her childhood were there, almost in the same place as where she'd left them. She thought of her last day in that room, about arguing with her mother. Even though she believed that JD had met her in the moments between life and death, she couldn't help but feel guilty again about saying what she said to her mother.
Just as she sat on the bed, crying, Tom walked in and stood in the doorway.
"Are you OK, Max?" he asked.
"I'm fine," she said as she looked up at him. Her eyes were red and puffy. Being there, again, in that place where she was born, was almost as horrifying an experience as a liberating one.
"You want me to go?" he questioned after a moment.
"I would rather you not," she answered him as he walked into the room, shutting the door behind him. "It's all the same, yet it's so different."
"How so?"
"All of my toys, all of my things are in the same place as they were the day I left," she answered. "I bet that if we open that door," she said as she pointed in front of her, "all the clothes that I didn't take with me would be there."
"Let's see," he said as he opened the door. Maxima cried even more.
"They didn't touch anything in here," she said. "Oh God!" she said as she stood and looked. "This was my baptismal dress," she said as she pulled out a white silk gown that was covered in plastic. "And this is dress that I wore when Papa and I cut the ribbon at a store downtown."
Tom wrapped his arms around her as she covered her face with her hands and cried. He knew that it was going to be a hard day for her, but he hadn't dreamed it would have been this bad. "Tom. She must have thought I was horrible."
"Who?"
"Mama," she said as she uncovered face.
"Why would she think you were horrible? I'm sure that she adored you almost as much as I do," Tom answered.
"You don't know what I said to her, though, on the day we left," Maxima responded.
"What did you tell her?" Tom said. She shook her head. "Come on. It'll do you good to tell me."
"No. It'll change your whole opinion of me," Maxima confessed.
"Baby," he said, turning her around so that he could look into her eyes and she could look into his, "you and I have known each other for almost five decades. We've been married for three and a half decades of them. We have a child together that is 25 years old."
"And he never once said to me what I said to her," she told him. It was almost as if, in her eyes, she was beginning him not to press the issue.
"Max. Do you trust me?"
"You know you don't need to ask me that," she said to him.
"Then you can trust me."
"On the day we left, I told her that I hated her because she wouldn't let me bring my toys with me. As we were climbing onto the boat," she went on through her tears, "all she wanted was a hug, but I was so angry with her that I wouldn't give her one. I just walked up the ramp. Oh God!" she cried as she fell into him.
"And you've been holding this in for almost fifty years?" Tom asked her.
"I'm a horrible person. I was a horrible daughter. I'm sure that, behind my back, JD hates me, and I wouldn't blame him one bit," she said.
"Maxima!" Tom said as he pulled himself off her. He put his hands on her face and pulled her so that they were looking at each other again.
"Mom?" JD said as he came into the room.
"Later JD," Tom barked as JD walked back out of the room and closed the door. "Maxima," he turned his attention back to his bride of 35 years, "I have loved you from the moment that I saw you for the first time. I knew, when we were eleven that you were the one for me, and that I would have you as my wife one day. You were the most beautiful bride on our wedding day, and you gave me the precious gift that is our son. You have been an amazing wife. You have been an amazing mother. You are an amazing attorney, and a statesman unlike any other on the face of the planet. You are the one and only woman with whom I have shared a bed, and you will be the only woman that I will ever share a bed with. You challenge me every day. You have lived a life that would make any mother proud. Hell, there are times that I think that my mom liked you more that she liked me, and you know how Mama felt about me."
"Yeah," she said.
"And I'm sorry that you've carried this with you for so long," he said, "but I KNOW...for a FACT, that if your mother were here today, she would be applauding you. She would be saying that she was so proud of you for all that you have accomplished." He took a pause to clear his own tears. "And I know that she would be proud that you have lived a life that most people only dream of. Do you remember the day we went bungee jumping?"
"Yeah," she answered.
"And you remember how scared your sister was to do it, but you did it, just to prove to her and to yourself that it could be done?"
"Yeah," she answered.
"I was so proud of you for doing that," he said to her. "It showed me that you were a crazy woman that would do anything, and could do anything, that you set your mind to. When JD came out, I wasn't sure that I could handle it. I mean, what guy wants his little boy to like other peoples' little boys, but you sat me down and told me that JD was JD, and that we would love him no matter what."
"Right."
"And I trusted you, and look where we're at. We have a son-in-law!" Tom said.
"I know. We need to get them something," Maxima said.
"We'll do that later!" Tom said. "I just want you to enjoy this day, and know that I will stand beside you, holding you hand, if you want, the whole time."
"You always have!" she responded. "I love you, Thomas Barrington."
"Ooh. Say it again..."
"Punk!" she said as she playfully swatted his chest. "We need to find you a gym!"
"I love you, too, Maxima," he said.
"Will you do me a favor?" she asked.
"Anything, dear."
"Don't tell anyone what I just told you? Lidia doesn't even know," she said.
"It's one of our secrets," Tom said, with a smile.
"Like that thing that you like to do when nobody's around."
"EXACTLY!" Tom said as his mind went into the gutter for a moment.
A while later, they stepped into Lidia's room, where everyone was marveling at the amount of toys that she'd had growing up. "Lidia!" Maxima said as she picked up a trinket from one of the shelves that lined the wall that the two rooms had in common.
"Oh my goodness! Where was that?"
"Right here," Maxima answered, pointing to where it was.
"What is it?" Lindsay asked.
"We were on a trip to Ebeza," Lidia started. "I guess I was four or so. And this man was playing this on a street corner, and I fell in love with it, mostly because it made noise. So he reached into his pocket and handed me another one. He explained that it was hand-carved from the wood of a specific tree on his property."
"I must have taken that away from you and hidden it a million times," Maxima answered.
"Bitch!" Lidia joked with a smile on her face. "All of my things that I remember are here."
"I know," Maxima said as she squeezed Tom's hand.
"Guil had the windows sealed shut and a wall placed in front of these rooms so that everything would be preserved just as it was," Zhola explained as they stood in Lidia's childhood domicile. "I think he knew that you would return one day."
"Is the library still the same?" Maxima asked.
"Unfortunately not, but all the king's books are still there," Zhola answered.
"Can we go in there for a moment?" Lidia countered.
"Sure," Zhola said as she walked from the room. The whole group followed her down the hall to one of the interior rooms of the house. As they entered, the walls were filled with books and globes and leather chairs, all the things associated with a huge library. Maxima walked over to a specific wall and grabbed a large book, bound in leather and filled with paper that was so old that the edges were yellow.
"JD. Do you remember telling me about reading the writings of Luca de la Plena?" she asked.
"How could I forget?" JD said, unenthusiastically.
"Well," she said, "this is the very manuscript."
"Holy shit!" JD said as he walked with his mother to a table. "From 1414?"
"Uh huh," Maxima said.
"Oh..." he said as he opened the book. The binding had been repaired hundreds of times, but it was still in Luca's original handwriting. "Ou! Morofia, terra de Deius, terra de mino reyi, de mino padere, de mina madere, de minos fixoe. Terra qe brilya maix brilyante dele solis su mino alnima."
"Kind of fitting for today, right?" Maxima said.
"Will someone translate?" Tyler asked.
"Oh! Morovia, land of God, land of my King, of my fathers, of my mothers, of my children. Land that shines more brightly than the sun on my very soul," Zhola translated with a smile. "It was the basis for the anthem of Luix IV, right?"
"Right," Maxima agreed.
From the library, Zhola showed them each to the suites that had been prepared for them, introducing them to the butler and maid that had been assigned to them. JD and Tyler were the last people come to their suites.
"And this one," she said as she opened the door to the suite, "is yours. Fitting place to spend your wedding night, right?"
"Who told you?"
"The rings," Zhola said. "And I talked to Maxima just before you left.
"I guess I'll have to have a talk with her," JD joked as they walked into the room.
"It's fine. In just a few weeks, it will be official here as well, though you'll have to register a foreign wedding with the Custodian of Public Records."
"We plan to do on the first morning we can," Tyler said as he looked at JD. The two smiled.
They walked into the main parlor of the room. It was huge, with high ceilings and antique furniture. Even though the room had been cleaned and freshened several times, the aroma left by two centuries of cigar smoking in that room was still there. It was the fragrance not only of Guil, but also several kings before him. The antiquity of the room, though, was mixed with modern invention. There was a lighted bar on one side and a large, flat screen TV above the fire place.
"And this is your bedroom," Zhola said as she opened another set of doors. It was the large royal bedchamber in which kings had slept for centuries. "There is a new mattress and sheets on the bed. The pillows are also new. And Tyler, we learned from an unnamed source that you liked JD's cologne to be sprayed on the pillows, so the maid has acquired a bottle and gently sprayed the pillows before putting them into the cases."
"Remind me to kick Jen's ass later," Tyler said as he looked at JD.
"I've had the bathroom redone, also," she said. "There's a tub in there large enough for two people."
"And remind me to do the same to Lindsay," JD commented as Tyler grinned evilly. "Thank you, ZhoZho."
"It's no problem, for my favorite nephew," she said.
"I'm your only nephew."
"So you're my favorite by default," she said with a wink.
After a moment, she took her leave. JD and Tyler talked for a little while as they walked around, inspecting everything. JD's clothes were there in that closet. They found Tyler's belongings in the closet of the second room attached to the suite.
"How did they know to bring my things here and not to my apartment?" Tyler asked.
"Will you forgive me if I tell you that I was sneaky about something?" JD asked.
"Maybe..." Tyler jokingly leered at him.
"I asked Zhola to have your things brought here. Tyler, I promise that I'd not thought about us getting married when I asked, but I need you to be here with me, close by."
"In case you get a middle of the night hard-on or something?"
"NO!" JD said with a smile. "Because I am so in love with you that I can't bear to be apart from you to for too long."
"What about when I was here for almost a month?"
"I hated every day of it," JD answered. "Every...single...day."
"You're sweet, JD. That's why I love you."
"I thought it was because I had the body of a god."
"That's only every now and again," Tyler winked.
As the afternoon passed, they all got ready for a special reception that Zhola had planned. The members of the Council of Ministers were there, along with their wives. Other national leaders were there as well. It was nice for JD, who wanted to meet the people that would be helping with the transition, even if only because Zhola told them to. He spent several minutes with each of the ministers, asking them what they did, how their ministries worked, how the Constitution was going to change, etc. Tyler, on the other hand, was talked to other people as he grew accustomed to even being there. At several points in the night, JD and Tyler stole glances at one another. Honestly, they were waiting for the day to end, so that they could enjoy their first night as a married couple.
That evening, they made love until nearly four in the morning. They would have continued, except for the fact that they both needed at least a couple hours of sleep before their tasks started the next morning. JD had meetings with other leaders that weren't at the party. He was also starting a tour of the ministries as they began transitioning for the 7 March transfer date.
Tyler and his father were going to meet a Farmers' Cooperative in Cali. It would be a couple of hours' drive to get there, and then the day as they met with farmers and toured lands. One of Zhola's assistants was going with him, to act as not only an assistant, but also a translator if necessary. Most Calians didn't speak English in those days, after all.
As the next couple of weeks passed for them, both JD and Tyler grew into the positions that they were inheriting. One group with which they met was the Talxiara Organization of Gay and Lesbian Morovians, or Grupo Talxarano de Gayes y Lesbianas in Morovian. In the Grand Foyer of the palace, they hosted an informal gathering. It upset a couple of groups that were quite vocal in their opposition to the meeting, but it had already been planned that the pair would meet with religious leaders and more Conservative leaders. Despite the appearance that it was planned after the protest of some people, JD's popularity still soared in the clouds. In one poll, Tyler's popularity even topped JD's. Of course, it was after Tyler made a trip to Murcia and spent the day reading to and playing with children.
Valentine's Day, which was celebrated so very differently in Morovia than in the United States, saw the couple going out on the town with Lindsay and Jen. At their invitation, Princess Margaret took a flight down to join them on the very first night that a club called "El Calor" opened in Talxiara's posh art district. Calor, which means `heat' in Morovian, was an extension of the club in Paradise called "The Heat". The same men that owned that club also owned The Heat. Talxiarans were intrigued more than anything as the dance music thumped through the speakers. On that first night it was open, though, only music by Morovian artists was played. DJ Nate, the deejay from The Heat had done a lot of special remixes just for the occasion. "Ready to Fly" by Ahmi Pernaso and Solero was remixed. The original had been released on the day of the Royal Family's arrival in Morovia.
The bar was filled with people wearing masks, as was the tradition in the Morovian celebration of the holiday. JD and Tyler danced and drank for hours, right among others who were there. At one point, they kissed right on the dance floor. It was one of those things that Morovians weren't used to seeing, but most people just saw it as two people in love. As they left, it was pointed out by someone that it would, more than likely be the last time they'd be able to go out as just JD and Tyler, if they were able to go out at all.
The next week started a grand tour for them. They left Talxiara the following Monday and spent a few days in Casteló. In Terraco, they were treated to fresh veggies and home cooked meals. JD and Tyler both relished talking to ordinary Morovians. From Terraco, they traveled to Murcia, spending days talking to business-people and local leaders. By the third of March, they had seen so much of the country and were able to return to Talxiara with a nation's worth of knowledge. The whole time, Margaret, Princess of Lorenzia and Lindsay were with them. Both of them were taking pictures, but Margaret's pictures were for a special project that she and Lindsay had come up with for the large televised concert that was being partially sponsored by Maxima and Tom. Part of the proceeds from ticket sales were going to benefit the Princess Lidia Foundation to support single mothers and victims of domestic abuse.
Every day to Friday, they had luncheons and dinners that everyone attended. They were usually lavish affairs with the finest Morovian wines, cheeses, and foods. They were really nice events, one of which was hosted by the CEO of Morovian Telecom Corporation, a private telecom firm that was anticipating significant investment from HiTelCo and the Lorenzian Telecommunications Corporation.
When JD woke up on Friday, Tyler was still peacefully sleeping on the bed. It felt like any other morning for him, until he realized that he was sleeping in the lavish Presidential Suite of the Palace of Talxiara. He sat up on the edge of the bed, still unable to completely wrap his mind around the fact that, in a little over 24 hours, he would become King of this land that he'd fallen in love with over the two months since his initial arrival.
He turned and watched as Tyler grabbed his pillow and wrapped it into his arms. A gentle smile wrapped across JD's face as he watched Tyler, blissfully unaware that the world was spinning around him. He stood up and walked, naked as the day he was born into the bathroom. A powerful piss brought relief from the night before, when he'd consumed a little too much champagne. It wasn't enough to make him stupid or anything, but it left him with a non-so-fresh feeling that morning.
He turned on the shower and waited for it to warm up before climbing in. Just as in Paradise, he washed himself twice, just to make sure that all the nasty that had settle on his body during sleep was gone from his body. The water felt so good as it ran against his skin.
"I really need to go to the gym," JD said as he ran his hand along his abs, abs that were beginning to fade a little bit since the almost fatal shooting the previous summer.
As quietly as he could, he continued getting ready for the day. From the bathroom, with just a towel wrapped around his waist, he walked toward the closet where all his things had been placed. He'd been walking in for almost two months, and it just hit him that he was walking into the same closet that his grandfather had walked into, that generations of monarchs had gone into to dress in the mornings.
He pulled out a drawer and looked through his underwear. "Hey JD?" Tyler called from the main part of the bed chamber.
"Did I wake you, sweetie?" JD asked as he stood in the doorway.
"No. You didn't. I realized that you weren't here, and it stirred me a little bit," Tyler answered.
"I'm sorry babe," JD said as he walked over, towel still wrapped around his waist, and reached down to kiss Tyler's forehead.
"Don't apologize," Tyler said as he blinked. "I'm gonna go back to sleep, but would you do me a favor?"
"What's that?"
"Wear the red jock strap that you wore the first night we met," Tyler said.
"Why is that?"
"Cause I'm feeling really, really horny, and knowing that you've got those on will just make it all the better for you tonight," Tyler grinned evilly.
"Yes sir," JD said.
He walked back into the closet and pulled on the red jock. After adjusting himself a little bit and making sure that all the straps were in the right places, he walked back out into the bedchamber.
"How do they look?"
"I'm already hard," Tyler said as he smiled and clinched the pillow a little bit harder.
JD smiled and walked back into the closet, pulling down a dark grey suit to wear that day. As he pulled the pants on, he could feel the light fabric against his ass. As he latched the pants closed and zipped them up, he felt around with his hand to make sure that everything was just the way it should be. He took a bright white shirt, freshly pressed from another part of the closet. He buttoned it up before unfastening his pants and tucking the shirt inside. He looked at his ties, but decided that he didn't want to wear one. He was the king-to-be after all and didn't have to wear one if he didn't want to. He pulled the suit's matching jacket and pulled it over his body before sitting momentarily to put on his socks and shoes.
As he emerged from the closet, he was dumbstruck by Tyler's sleeping beauty and grace. He'd knocked the covers off himself and was lying there, completely naked, the pillow wrapped between his arms. His goodies weren't visible because of the way his leg was positioned, so it was quite the artsy pose that he found Tyler in. It would have looked beautiful as a black and white photo in a posh coffee table book or something.
He slipped from the room only to find that the butler was standing inside fixing the morning coffee.
"I could get used to this," JD said to the man.
"I just hope that my services meet with your approval, sir," the man said with a smile.
"Of course they do," JD said as he waited on the coffee to finish brewing in the electronic pot. The butler poured the coffee for him quickly. "Would you have one with me?"
"It wouldn't be appropriate, sir," the man said.
"Ah!" JD responded. "So can I ask you what your story is?"
"My story sir?" the butler inquired.
"Yeah. Have you always worked at the palace?" JD asked as he sat on one of the sofas.
"I have worked for the palace for the last forty-seven years," the butler said.
"Always for the President?" JD asked.
"No sir. I was hired just after...the end of the war. My first responsibility was to His Majesty, King David and Her Majesty, Queen Caterina, during their captivity," he said.
"So you knew them?"
"Very well," he said.
"What did you think of him?" JD asked.
"To accurately answer that question, sir, I should tell you that I was a devout supporter of Mr. Santiago in those days. I didn't feel that the crown was there to support every Morovian and such. But it was in those days that I grew to admire and respect him. He was intelligent; he was incredibly attractive and masculine. He didn't let his captivity keep him from enjoying every moment of life."
"So you knew about Zhola?" JD asked.
"I did, but I never said anything simply because it wasn't my place, and I, like most people, grew to fear the regime," he answered.
"Oh," JD responded.
"May I speak freely, sir?" he asked. JD nodded his approval. "It has been a very long time since this suite has been filled with love, and I am honored to be present. I was going to retire this past fall, but when I found out that the monarchy would be restored, I asked to stay on and serve you as long as you required my services," he answered. "Given my relationship to Your Highness' grandparents, though, I would fully understand if I were to be sacked."
"It won't happen," JD answered.
"It is much appreciated, sir," he said with a smile. "Shall I call the kitchen and order breakfast?"
"What do they serve in the mornings?" JD asked.
"Anything Your Highness wishes," the butler answered.
"Could you have some pastries brought up?" JD asked.
"Certainly, sir," he said as he phoned the kitchen and ordered some things to be brought up. The butler handed JD the remote control to the TV, as he turned on to watch the news. Mostly, it was commentary about the following day's events.
"Excuse me," Lidia said as she gently rapped on the door and walked into the main chamber.
"Hey, Aunt Lid," JD said as he stood.
"Cup of coffee, Your Highness?" the butler asked her.
"Oh! That would be nice," Lidia answered. "Thank you."
"My pleasure, Highness," he said as he fixed her a cup.
"So I know that you're busy all day, but I was wondering if you had a little bit of time in your schedule to have lunch with an old lady," Lidia asked.
"I don't have time to have lunch with an old lady, but I do have time for you, Aunt Lid," JD said as the butler handed her a cup of coffee.
As they spoke, everything around the palace was getting underway. The day was almost as important as the next day would be, as everything was prepared for the lavish breakfast and the coronation. Jen, who had been put in charge of things, hadn't slept very much in a couple of days, claiming that that night, she would take a pill about six and sleep until the next morning. As she walked between the palace and the Palacio de Parlamento, making sure that everything was ready, she marveled at the fact that people were already setting up camp so that they would have a good place in the park. Television broadcasters were setting up along the plaza so as to bring those who couldn't be there all the excitement that went along with the transition from the past to the future with JD's coronation.
As she walked into the foyer, she took a moment to admire the beauty of the place. The floors were marble, with works of art hanging all over the place. The ceiling had been the influence for the design of the Lorenzian Parliament Building, with it's large window that hung over the foyer, allowing a wealth of natural light to illuminate the hall where JD would be entering the palace the coming morning.
The people working that morning were running around, setting up carpets and railings behind which people would be standing to enjoy their experiences of the history being made.
By eight, everyone was ready for the walk-through of the ceremony. By noon, Jen was happy enough with the way things were going that she declared the trial run a success. As everyone was leaving, she noticed JD and Lidia walking together and away from the palace. She smiled because even though JD was going to be a nation's Head of State in a short time, he still found the time to go for a walk with his aunt, a woman that everyone who met her respected so very much. She, herself, though, walked back to her apartment. If she was going to get any sleep, it was going to be that afternoon.
In the afternoon, JD met with several key members of the new Parliament in a reception that he and Tyler were hosting at the palace to celebrate their election and inauguration. Throughout the evening, JD and Tyler spoke to Parliamentarians and their spouses.
By the end of the night, though, the two retired to their suite to share their final evening before the coronation.
"So it's 12:01," Tyler announced as they disrobed, ready to climb into the bed.
"Is it?" JD asked, having lost all concept of time with all that had gone on that day.
"Yes sir," Tyler said as he walked around the bed, clad only in his boxers. "Happy Birthday," he said as he gave JD a kiss on the lips. It was a gentle peck, but at the same time, it was filled with passion and love between two men whose lives had been drastically changed by the other over the course of the months that they'd been together.
"So are you ready for tomorrow?" JD asked.
"I should be asking you that question, Majesty," Tyler grinned as JD wrapped his arms around him.
"Well," JD thought aloud. "I'm ready for tomorrow. I'm glad that you're gonna be there with me."
"Where else would I be?" Tyler asked.
"I dunno," JD said. "You might get mad at me in the morning and decide not to go."
"Yeah," Tyler said with a gentle giggle. "That's so not gonna happen!"
Being that they had to be up in four hours, the two of them climbed into bed. There was a little naughty playing between the two as they settled into their position for then night. Each of them dreamed sweetly. Never did a thought cross their mind that their lives would be irreversibly melded together in just a few hours. They just were doing what they felt appropriate, enjoying an evening of sleeping next to their respective partner.