Page 111 of Back to You

“Sounds like a plan.” Ethan fell back to the bed and looped his arm across Brandon’s chest. “Look at us talking like mature adults.”

“It’s about time, huh?”

They laid together in companionable silence for a while, brushing kisses against whatever body part they could reach and stroking gentle hands across each other.

“Thank you,” Brandon said suddenly.

“For what?”

“For all the work you’ve done, for all the changes you’ve made. I don’t know if I’ve thanked you for that yet. I know it wasn’t easy.”

“It was worth it,” Ethan said with a smile.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. I’d have done anything to get back to you.”

EPILOGUE

BRANDON WAS PISSED off. But that wasn’t an unusual occurrence.

He’d had plans, damn it.

He looked across the table at Ethan, who was laughing at something Nia said. They were back at their favorite restaurant, where they’d gone for both their first dates. Brandon had planned the whole evening as something special for Ethan, to celebrate the nine months since they’d gotten back together.

What he didn’t count on was them running into Nia and her date, and Ethan inviting the couple to join them.

“Grumpy baby, why are you so grumpy right now?” Nia said, looking at Brandon.

“This is just my face,” he said grumpily.

She shot him a puzzled look and turned to say something to her date.

Brandon knew he was pouting, not that he’d admit it to anyone. He reached into his pocket and patted the ring box there.

He’d just been hoping for something different this evening.

***

“Okay, this is a better plan,” Brandon said smugly.

He was putting the finishing touches on Ethan’s favorite dinner while waiting for him to get home from work. It was Ethan’s one late night a week, but he could generally be counted on to get home by 8.

The place was immaculate, Brandon having used his key to let himself in and get everything cleaned up. The table was set with flowers and candles. He’d changed the sheets on the bed. He had the ring burning a hole in his pocket.

Tonight was definitely the right time. Proposing at the restaurant wasn’t a good plan, he could see it now. He was glad Nia had inadvertently helped him avoid that. He would be asking Ethan to marry him in a place they both loved, just the two of them.

He hear the key in the lock and turned toward the door just as Ethan came through.

“Hey! I have dinner almost ready!”

Then Brandon got a good look at Ethan. He was pale and sweating, his tie loose, and his jacket off and over his arm. As soon as Brandon mentioned dinner, Ethan gagged and ran for the bathroom.

Brandon stared after him, nonplussed. That … was not what he expected.

He darted in to the bathroom where Ethan was hunched over the toilet, seemingly losing everything he’d ever eaten in his life.

“Oh no, what the hell happened?” Brandon said, grabbing a washcloth and running it under cold water.

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