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Five inches of snow crunched heavily underneath boots made for accumulate weather as the slightly older male made way toward a cleared off porch, keys searched through to find the right one since it was such a late hour that surely a significant other would have called it a night. Stepping inside the dimly lit corridor there did not seem to be anything amiss as it appeared that lights had been left on as a courtesy, Murray startled at seeing an unrecognizable figure perched at the edge of a cream colored loveseat, sighing in relief once vision adjusted to the flickering flames from candles and a mantle alike.
“What’s all this, Sally?” he asked, approaching the other who stood up to greet him as inviting arms wrapped around a thin waist, “Figured you’d be in bed by now.”
“Wanted to surprise you.”
“Is there a specific reason?”
“Nah, thought our relationship could use a little quirkiness,” the younger one remarked, a small sneaky smile forming as he reached behind to turn on a prepared playlist of slow classical music as an overcoat was shed to reveal a pale blue button down, “May I have this dance?”
Taken aback by the sudden request that normally made him uncomfortable, James accepted as thin wrists wrapped behind a pre-tied mint green bow borrowed from an ever growing collection as a narrow chest rested against a matching vest as the two began to seamlessly sway. Foreheads barely brushing together the two were easily lost in each other as emerald and topaz irises unblinkingly stared with emotion that could only be expressed between perfectly paired souls.
“Never thought you’d wanna do something like this. What changed your mind?”
“Gotta get it down to an art for our special day.”
“Babe…” he mused, breath hitching as tears pricked against light lashes when full lips delicately dabbed away at the dew drops that threatened to interrupt the tender moment they were having, “You did this for us?”
“’Course I did. Nothin’ I wouldn’t do to prove how I feel for you.”
“As if I’d ever doubt that.”
Unable to form an argument against such feelings held mutually for years on end, they continued to get lost in the warmth that glowed from not only the fireplace, but both hearts beating stronger than whenever they were apart. The past few months had been hard on both since an extra job with late hours had been picked up when the show was on hiatus, which meant the couple hardly got to spend more than a few hours together except on rare occasions such as these when he came home before midnight.
“You know what tonight is, right?” Salvatore asked after a moment of transition to Fur Elise, a knowing glimmer in green orbs of sights at seeing the older one beam at hearing one of his favorite pieces.
“New Year’s Eve?”
“Besides that, dork.”
“Hmm…” Murr trailed off in thought when a piercing giggle was let out at seeing fake annoyance at pretending not to know, “Could it be the night we shared our first kiss?”
“You’d be correct, sir.”
“Shall we recreate that magical moment?”
“I was hoping you’d say that.”
Glancing upwards toward a higher than average ceiling, a cluster of mistletoe that had been missed from taking down most of the decorations could be seen dangling above them as mouths melded for a long moment that went by undocumented while time seemed to stand still. Reluctantly pulling apart from the romantic embrace, a patchy blush blotted pale, clean-shaven cheeks as a crescendo of piano keys clinked in the background before being escorted to take a seat upon a comfortable couch set up with plush, yet mismatched pillows.
“Please don’t say the evening’s over!”
“Oh, it’s only just begun,” his fiancé declared, excusing himself for a moment to bring back two flutes of champagne with a long rectangular box tucked underneath an arm, “Forgot to give you one last present.”
“Glad I’m not the only one who has a last minute gift.”
“Oh? Shall we exchange them at the same time?”
Nodding enthusiastically at the proposed idea the balding male dug into a khaki pocket to reveal a thick folded piece of paper held in a shaky palm replaced by the package brought into the den. An edge of tape picked at timidly the tissue was torn off to show a plain white box opened to reveal a glittering silver bow tie with a matching three piece suit, “It’s beautiful, baby.”
“I wanted to wait until our wedding, but I wanted to make sure you liked ‘em.”
“Can’t wait to wear the outfit, it’ll be hard not to until then though…”
“I have faith in you, my love.”
“As long as you do, I believe too.”
Nervously petting the silken fabric as he awaited the other’s reaction at a pricey investment that would be worth any financial woes that might be faced. His partner had expressed wanting to help contribute to collecting a comforting safety net of cash even though a former passion had been abandoned long ago until an establishment had gone on sale.
“You bought me a bar?” Sal asked in awe, eyes flitting between the signed deed and his betrothed before pulling the smaller person into his folded lap to press pecks against the gentle features of a welcoming face that produced high-pitched squeals at ticklishness that forced his chin to tuck downward protectively, “How can I ever repay you?”
“By being here, that’s all I ask of you.”
“Well, that’s kind of hard not to do since you popped the question.”
“You know what I mean…”
“I’d never be complete with anyone else, so you’re stuck with me I’m afraid.”
Nuzzling noses together in an Eskimo kiss the couple cuddled underneath a pile of thin blankets topped by a quilt knitted by a future mother-in-law once another log was added to the burning heap at their feet as the clock counted down closer to the dawn of a new year. Usually the thought was daunting at starting off with a clean slate, but when there was promise of becoming united under matrimony and starting a family of their own once the adoption process was sought after it did not seem so scary especially when both were looking forward to the changes to come.