“The rings are in the room,” Neil said. “But Joshua Stouder, I’ve loved you for two lifetimes, and—”
Joshua put his hand over Neil’s mouth, and he got down on his knees, too. A few ‘awwws’ and excited whispers started around them. “Dr. Neil Green, I love you—past and present and future—even when you’re a total ass. Will you be my husband?”
“Will you marry me?” Neil asked when Joshua moved his hand away so that Neil could answer. “Yes, Joshua, I’ll marry you.”
Joshua leaned in, pressed a kiss to his lips, and said, “Yes, I’ll marry you, too.”
There was a spatter of applause as they kissed, and Joshua let Neil help him up, before they kissed again. As they pulled apart, Joshua grabbed the ring box from his pocket and brought it out.
“Do you want to wear it now? Or when it’s official?” Joshua asked.
“Now,” Neil said, letting Joshua slide the ring on his finger. “Not bad, Mr. Stouder,” he intoned, looking at the band in the light of the platform. “Not bad at all. They’re almost identical to the ones I bought.”
Joshua felt a mix of joy and satisfied anticipation. When another American tourist walked by and clapped Joshua on the shoulder, saying, “Congratulations,” before moving off, Joshua glanced around at the happy expressions of their impromptu audience. “I think everyone’s glad you said yes.”
“Nah, they’re thinking, ‘Those drama queens deserve each other,’” Neil said, looking at everyone with suspicion.
Joshua laughed. He had to agree.
As they walked back to the hotel, joy rose in Joshua that couldn’t be denied. He held Neil’s hand tightly and fairly floated.
“You know what I want?” Neil asked.
“What?”
“A puppy.”
Joshua laughed. “You do?”
“Yeah, I’ve wanted one since I was a kid, and it’s about time I had another one. Magic was a long time ago.”
“What kind are you thinking of?” Joshua’s heart sang.
“Oh, I don’t know. A big black one.”
“Neil…”
“What?” he asked coyly.
“Don’t you think that’s tempting fate?”
“It’s not like we’d name her Magic.” Neil squeezed his hand and grinned. “We’d name her something totally different. Like Abracadabra.”
Joshua turned and grabbed Neil, nearly lifting him off the sidewalk, and then kissed him, passionately, desperately, happily. The entire past and present and future wrapped over and through him, piercing him and surrounding him with so much love and happiness that he couldn’t contain it.
Joshua broke the kiss first, his back against the wall of a random café, and Neil pressed solidly against him. “You’re the only one, Neil,” he whispered. “God only knows how you got here, how it is that you’re here with me. But you’re everything to me.”
Neil took Joshua’s chin in his gloved fingers, the leather cold against Joshua’s skin. “No, you’ve got that backwards. You’re the one who’s everything. I wouldn’t have come back to this miserable earthly plane for anyone else.”
Joshua laughed, giddy. “I don’t know why you feel that way, but I’m glad you do.”
Neil’s eyes were warm as he gazed at Joshua, always greedy, always with a hint of gratitude underlying it all. “There’s nothing in this world—not my work, not nanites, not a single human being—who is what you are to me. You’re the reason for my existence. Joshua, you’re my everything. I’ll find you in any given lifetime. Never forget that.”
“Neil,” Joshua started, overwhelmed by the truth. Sometimes it still hit him hard all over again. Neil had come back for him. He’d loved him that much. Even now, he wondered how it could be true.
“Save it for our vows. Because, Joshua, I think just being here with you should prove beyond a shadow of a doubt the depth of my commitment to you.”
Tears rose, and Joshua blinked them away.
