"I love you."
I smile as I hear him say it. My eyes are closed, but I'm not asleep. I slowly open my eyes, expecting to find him sitting over me, but he's not. I look around, seeing him standing out on the balcony. A frown crosses my features. I open my mouth to speak, but before I can he begins to sing.
It's a slow song, a sad song. His voice is sad, longing. The words by themselves could mean 100 things, but I know what the song means.
As the last note fades from his lips, he lowers his head for a moment, as if suppressing tears. Then he turns and walks back into the room, closing the balcony doors behind him. I quickly close my eyes, feigning sleep as he crawls back into bed, his arms wrapping around me. His skin is cold from the chilly night air, yet somehow I don't mind. He seems different than usual, somehow more alive, more real.
I close my eyes, my mind beginning to drift into dreams.
"Where are we?"
He looks at me in confusion. "Our new home," I tell him, gesturing to the spacious yard surrounding us. The house is large enough to be comfortable, yet not too big for two people. Around us is nothing us nature, mile after mile of woods, fields, and life.
He stares at me, his eyes widening. "It's ours?"
I smile and nod, reaching into my pocket and pulling out the key. "All ours. I bought it for you."
He looks down at the key in his palm, then his eyes sweep across the yard. "How did you know?" he whispers.
I reach out a hand, gently caressing his cheek. "I could see it in your eyes," I tell him softly.
His hand clenched around the keys, his eyes shutting tightly. "It's too much," he whispers. "I can't accept this."
"If you don't want it, I suppose you don't have to come here," I say with a shrug, knowing he wants this more than anything.
"But - " He takes a deep breath, opening his eyes to look at me. "What about our apartment in the city?"
I shrug. "I've lived in a city all my life. I'm ready for a change."
The happiness that comes across his face can't compare with any looks I've seen before, on any person. It's like he wouldn't quite allow himself to believe that this is happening, and now he's realizing that it really is. He swallows hard, tears filling his eyes. He pulls me into a tight hug, burying his face in my shoulder. "I love you, Kurt," he whispers. "This is the best thing you could have ever done for me."
I smile, wrapping my arms around his back. He may not know it, but he just made every bit of this worth it. In all my life, there is nothing I have desired more than to love and be loved in return. I feel tears filling my eyes, and I can barely choke out my reply. "I love you too, Drew."
We stand there holding each other, content to just be together in this place. And I know, with no doubt in my mind, that I will remember this moment forever.
THE END