It was May, and they were just heading back to Ryan’s place after having seen Iron Man 3 in cinemas. Ryan was giving him a bit of a history lesson on the characters, getting into the differences between the comics and the movie. It was cute listening him drone on, even if Nick didn’t understand half of the history Ryan was getting into.
“But what did you think of the movie?” Nick finally asked when he had a chance to interject.
“It was alright — not bad for what it was.” Ryan admitted as they pulled up in front of his house. He looked at the house and sighed. “Do I have to leave?”
“Yea. You know their rules.” Nick said, though, he understood why Ryan didn’t want to go home.
“Can you at least help me bring in what I bought?” Ryan asked.
Nick nodded, and stepped out of the truck his Dad had given him when he turned sixteen just a few days before. Ryan didn’t have much, and could have carried it himself, but he also understood just how bad Ryan had it at home, and didn’t mind giving him the extra courage. They walked up the path to the front of the house, and Nick handed over the bags — mostly comics — to Ryan.
“I’m sorry.” he said, keeping his voice low in an effort to keep the risk of being overheard to a minimum.
Ryan shrugged. “Two more years, right?”
“Two years too long.” Nick scoffed.
Abruptly, Ryan leaned forward and planted a kiss on Nick’s lips. “Good night.” he said, and quickly made his way inside. Nick stood there a moment, looking startled, before heading back to the truck. He’d known Ryan was gay — all their friend group did. He hadn’t realized Ryan was interested in him. He headed home in a daze, mulling everything over in his head, sorting through his feelings.
~
It was November, six months since that first kiss. Since then, Nick and Ryan had talked, and had begun dating, conspiring with friends to ensure Ryan’s parents didn’t find out. Tonight, they were all separating ways after having gone to the movies for Ryan’s birthday. Knowing what a nerd he was for comics, they’d chosen to taken him to see Thor: Dark World opening weekend.
“Dinner?” Nick asked Ryan with a smile as they parted ways with Ned and Rick.
“Would love to, but I can’t. Curfew, remember?” he sighed, then reached for Nick’s hand. Nick took it, giving it a squeeze as they headed toward the truck in silence. They both climbed into the truck, and Nick took a leisurely route back to Ryan’s place, to try to make their time together last. Rather than turn on the radio, Nick began to hum, and then to sing as he drove.
Ryan smiled. He knew Nick didn’t realize he was doing it, and he loved this little insights into him as a person. It was akin to when he wore headphones — you could almost time when he’d start singing along. He found that his gaze had been lingering overly long, when suddenly they were pulling to a stop in front of his house. Where had the time gone?
Nick put the truck into park, and let the engine idle. He looked over at Ryan, sadness in his eyes. “Two years is too long.” he said, adding to Ryan’s wordless statement.
Ryan looked over at Nick and managed a smile. “Being with you helps.” he admitted. He glanced over at the house a moment before unbuckling his seatbelt. He turned to face Nick to say a final goodbye for the evening, but instead found the other boy’s lips. Nick had unbuckled as well, and had leaned over to give Ryan a kiss.
They didn’t kiss often yet, but when they did, it was like heaven for Ryan. He felt safe, loved, and above all, accepted for who he was. They were both lost in the moment, when the kiss was abruptly broken by the driver side door getting roughly jerked open, and a figure roughly grabbing Nick by his jacket, yanking him out of the car.
“Nick!” Ryan yelled, trying to reach for him. His side was opened just then, and someone was pulling him out of the passenger seat. Ryan tried to fight against them, but the other person was too strong. He looked over to see his captor, and it was his father’s brother, Uncle Ted. He was dragged him back toward the house, and he watched with horror at the scene that lay before him.
His father was yelling slurs and obscenities at Nick, and although he couldn’t be sure, believed he may have hit him as well. He struggled harder in an effort to run to Nick, but his uncle held him tight, and managed to get him into the house. After what seemed like ages, he heard the truck start up and drive away. He realized his mother was crying in the other room. And soon… soon his father would be back. There would be hell to pay.
~
Nick pulled over a few blocks away. He could feel the blood dripping down his face, and he needed to wipe it up before he kept driving. He fumbled through the glove box for some napkins, using those and the time needed to get his nose to stop bleeding. Once it had stopped, he cleaned the rest of his face as well as he could before heading home, hoping no one would be around when he got there, or that at least Liv would be in bed.
Lights were still on when he pulled into the driveway, though the house itself were relatively quiet, it seemed. Now only to figure out who was awake.
“Truck sounds like -“ his dad began, stopping short when he saw his son.
“Are you alright? What the hell happened?” he said, immediately wandering away to the bathroom to get a towel, as Nick had started bleeding again.
“Got into a fight.” Nick muttered, gratefully taking the towel from his dad.
“With Ryan?” Kevin asked, looking over his son.
“No.” he mumbled through the towel.
“Son, tell me what happened. Is Ryan ok?” Kevin queried.
“Last I saw him.” Nick said, leaning forward to staunch the blood the remainder of the way.
“Who hurt you?” Kevin said softly, indicating he was angry.
“Captain Walker.” Nick finally admitted.
“Ryan’s Dad?” Kevin queried, making sure he heard correctly.
Nick nodded, and handed the towel back. “Ryan and I had been kissing. Next thing I know, I’m being pulled from the truck and yelled at. Tried to push past him to make sure Ryan was okay, and he hit me. Told me to stay away.” he buried his face in the clean part of the towel for a moment. “What if something happened to Ryan after I left?”
“We’ll worry about Ryan in a minute. Right now, we have to worry about you.” Kevin gently chided.
“Dad, I’m fine.” Nick insisted.
“Nick, you look like a wreck. We need to handle this the right way, ok?” Kevin said
“Alright. What do you want me to do?” Nick asked.
“I’m going to make a call to the police, and we’re going to file a report, for starters.” Kevin replied, pulling out his cell phone.
“Won’t it just be my word versus his?” Nick wondered aloud.
Kevin paused, thinking for a moment. “Did you have your dashcam on?”
Nick thought for a moment and then nodded.
“Good. Go get the SD card while I call.” he paused after he dialed. “I’ll have to wake your mother.”
“Yea, I know.” Nick said, heading out the door to grab the SD card from the dashcam, trying not to worry about Ryan. By the time he got back inside, his mother was away, and fussing over him. Rather than protest, he put up with it for now, knowing it would make her feel better.
The cops arrived in their own time, and took a statement from Nick, verifying that he wanted to press charges. They took a look at the evidence, and took it with them to the station. It was a wonder Liv didn’t wake up during the commotion, he thought. It wasn’t until after he learned that Liv had gone to stay overnight at a friend’s place. Once the police were gone, Nick took to his phone, attempting to contact Ryan, but received no answer.
“He’s not answering.” Nick fretted, pacing back and forth.
“Calm down.” Kevin said. “Maybe he’s just asleep.”
“Maybe.” Nick admitted, though he didn’t believe it.
“Honey, you should get some sleep yourself.” Amber said. “Your father and I are going to see what options we have in order to check on Ryan, but you need sleep.”
“But mom…” Nick protested.
“No buts. Off to bed, unless you want me to fuss over you more.” she stated.
Nick threw his hands up in defeat, hugged his parents goodnight, and headed up to his room to try to sleep.
~
Ryan wasn’t in school on Monday, and hadn’t answered anyone’s calls or texts. Nick, Ned, and Rick were all worried, but there wasn’t much they could do. By the end of the week, he still hadn’t made and appearance, and Nick was to the point of being unable to focus. He wanted to drive out there, to see for himself if Ryan was alright, but his Dad stopped him.
“It’s a bad idea, Nick.” he said.
“I need to know he’s ok.” Nick pleaded. “You don’t understand.”
“Explain it to me then.” Kevin said, trying to be patient with his son.
Nick looked at his Dad before sighing and sitting down. “Ryan’s parents are Christian, and extremely conservative. Hell, they’re practically Fundamentalists.” he grumbled. “They’re really strict with him, and he’s been terrified of them finding out he’s gay.”
“And now they know.” Kevin completed.
“Now they know.” Nick echoed. “That’s why I’ve been so worried. He hasn’t been in school all week, either, and he hasn’t been answering anyone’s calls or texts. I don’t know what to do.”
“Your mother or I can make a call to social services, and explain the situation. After what happened to you, they might do something. He’s old enough, he might be able to leave home and have a judge side with him.” Kevin explained.
“Then what?” Nick asked. “Where will he go?”
“Here.” Kevin said.
“Here? For real?” Nick said, looking hopeful.
“Of course here. Ryan’s a good kid, and he needs a safe environment. If he doesn’t have anywhere else, I’ll advocate for him coming here. So will your mother.” Kevin promised.
Nick got up and hugged his Dad tightly. “Thank you.” he said, near tears.
~
It was now April, five months after the incident that had set everything off. The process of getting Ryan out of his parents’ place on a permanent basis had been arduous, but it had finally been proven to what extent Ryan feared his family, and he was in therapy for it. Now that he was out of there, and had taken over the guest room at Nick’s place, he was discovering who he really was. Nick’s birthday, as well as Prom season was coming up, and Ryan couldn’t be happier and more relaxed.
They were at school, just finishing lunch and largely ignoring everything but their own friend group. On their way out, they passed a table that was occupied by a representative from the Army recruiting office. Nick stopped to listen to the rehearsed speech, and pick up a pamphlet. Ryan grabbed his arm tightly and pulled him away.
“Don’t.” he said.
“Don’t what?” Nick asked.
“Don’t sign up. I’m begging you.” Ryan pleaded.
Nick studied Ryan’s face for a long moment, seeing the fear and panic in his eyes. “Alright.” he said finally, and tossed the pamphlet after they moved out of the cafeteria.
Ryan relaxed a little, but he was still nervous. Still afraid Nick might sign up. Afraid the military would turn him into a monster like his father. He was broken out of his thoughts by Nick putting an arm around his shoulders.
“It really bothers you, doesn’t it?” he asked.
Ryan nodded. “It scares me.” he responded, his voice choked.
Nick leaned in and kissed Ryan’s temple. “Don’t let it worry you anymore. We’ll focus on university instead.” he replied, pulling Ryan in close for a moment.
Still anxious about the situation, Ryan went over his concerns in therapy, and strove to help Nick with his admission papers to attend UNLV in the fall with him. For Nick’s birthday in May, he made arrangements with the Jackson’s to have the basement rec room to themselves, having a night of movies together. Nothing extravagant, just small and intimate. Rick and Ned were there to celebrate for a while as well, but they left when it got late. That night, for the first time, he and Nick slept in the same bed. Nothing else happened — just a sharing of the sleeper sofa, but it was nice to be held as he fell asleep, Ryan felt.
Later that same month was prom, which, while it had its hiccups (such as Jenna hovering, hoping to spend time with Nick), turned out to be a lot of fun for he and Nick. Their friend group had made arrangements to go camping after, but unbeknownst to the couple, Ned and Rick had conspired to ‘forget’, and give their friends alone time together.
It was a night neither of them were likely to forget — Ryan knew he wouldn’t. They spent time together relaxing, dancing under the stars, watching the sky, and, when the time came for sleep, since no one was around to interrupt or overhear, they had sex for the first time.
In June, they graduated, set to start university in the fall. Rather than spend the summer doing nothing, they opted to get jobs. Nick had found work at his Dad’s construction company for the summer, and Ryan continued working at his favorite comic store, a place he’d been working since moving in with the Jackson’s.
As often as possible that summer, they got together with Ned and Rick to go camping, hiking, or just hang out, with Ned’s older brother being all too willing to get beer for the group and pretend to chaperone. As far as any of them were aware, no one suspected their underage drinking, and they didn’t over indulge — for the most part.
In the fall, they had less time to spend together on extended trips, though they still made an effort to hang out. School was in full swing, with everyone working hard on their respective majors. Ryan continued to work at the comics store when he wasn’t in class, and Nick got hired at Sixx Gun Music, giving music lessons and working retail. Occasionally, he’d work as a history tutor for high schoolers.
~
Nick sighed as his mother teared up, and his sister, hugged him tightly. She was twelve now, so it was a little awkward, though not much. He hugged her back, then reached to hug his mom. Liv wasn’t letting him move, however, so Ryan hugged Amber instead.
“I can’t believe you’re leaving.” Amber sniffed.
“You knew this was going to happen sooner or later, Amber.” Kevin said, putting an arm around his wife after she let go of Ryan.
“But did it have to be so soon?” she complained.
“Amber, the boys are twenty years old now. We should be celebrating them getting an apartment, not mourning them moving out.” he pointed out.
Nick put a hand on Liv’s head. “I’ll still visit, Squirt.”
“Promise?” she said, looking up at him.
“Promise. I’ve still got work and school, so it won’t be all the time, okay?”
“Okay.” she pouted, finally letting go.
Once everyone was calmed down, Nick and Ryan worked on moving out the remainder of their things out of the house and into the truck. There was a certain sense of relief mixed with excitement as they drove further away from the house, and closer to their apartment. It was just a one bedroom, but it was their space — a place they could be alone together, and not have to worry about intrusion.
“Pinch me.” Ryan asked, after they’d gotten everything into the apartment finally.
“Why?” Nick asked.
“Because I can hardly believe this is real.” he flopped onto the sofa they’d just finished moving in.
“Believe it, Ry. We’re on our own now.” Nick said, watching his partner bask in his newfound freedom.
“Yea, but that’s not what’s most important.” Ryan said.
“Then what is?” Nick asked.
Ryan reached for Nick’s hand, and pulled him close. “Being here with you.”
~
“You need anything before I head to work?” Ryan asked.
Nick grunted, waving a hand dismissively as he pored over his laptop, papers, and books spread out on the table before him. Ryan sighed a little, smiled, and gave him a quick kiss before leaving. It had been two years since they’d moved in together, and he knew Nick had been working hard on getting his Masters degrees in music and history. School and work took up a lot of his free time, and while Ryan knew it was important, it saddened him a little that Nick’s free time seemed so little these days. Still, Nick did what he could to remind Ryan that he was still an important part of his life, and the money he made as a casino valet certainly helped them live comfortably.
For his own part, he’d turned to working full-time after obtaining his Bachelors. He still worked at the same store, and the owner had recently been discussing selling the property, feeling he was too old to manage it any longer. That day, Ryan decided he was going to talk to the owner, and offer to take over the managing of the store for him. He didn’t expect there to be issues, but he was still nervous about the prospect.
What he didn’t expect was to come away with an offer to buy the place and run it the way he saw fit. The idea of owning his own comic shop excited him, and he couldn’t wait until he got home to talk to Nick about it. When he did get home, Nick was yawning, and working on some dinner for the both of them.
“I love that you cook, you know that?” Ryan said, greeting Nick with a kiss.
“And I love that you do the dishes.” Nick said with a grin before yawning.
“Not sleeping well?” he asked.
“Not the last couple of nights. Long hours.” was the reply.
“Work or school keeping you up?” Ryan inquired further.
“School mostly.” Nick said, finishing up before serving up their food.
They began to eat, but Nick spoke before Ryan could. “Something’s got you buzzed. What’s up?”
“Frank’s retiring. He’s going to sell the store.” Ryan admitted.
“Shit. You gonna be okay?” Nick asked.
“Yea. He offered to sell it to me.” Ryan continued.
“To you. Wow…that’s great. What did you tell him?” Nick questioned.
“That I would look into it. I wanted to talk it over with you. I’d have to take out a loan, and it’d be a big expense on both of us.” Ryan said, concerned.
Nick waved dismissively. “We can figure it out. I make good money, and Ned has solidly invested a portion of our money — we’re doing good off of just that, to be honest.”
“Yea, but wouldn’t the mortgage for the store put a drain on that?” Ryan wondered.
“Maybe. Look into the loan. Have Ned run the numbers if he’s willing. I think we’ll be fine.” Nick said. “You’ve got a business degree; between you and Ned, you should be able to figure out if this is a viable option.”
“Thanks. My head’s been a jumble of thoughts since Frank made the offer.” Ryan said.
“I aim to clarify.” Nick said, returning to his food.
“I thought you aimed to misbehave?” Ryan grinned.
“That too. Nerd.” Nick smiled.
Within the next few days, Ryan got together with Ned, and he went over options with various banks, before finally getting approved for a loan. He bought the business from Frank, and with the leftover funds, changed the name of the store and updated the appearance slightly. It was work, but it was in a job that coincided with his hobby, and he loved it. Comments from some regulars gave him pause to consider an expansion of the store, if business did warrant it. The idea brought to his attention was that of a friendly local gaming store for board and role-playing games. The regulars that mentioned this talked about creating a safe-space for LGBT geeks and nerds, and he was seriously considering it.
~
Nick had been busy working on his final project for school. The professor had assigned them to make an album, based around a theme. Since it was that time of year, they had to commit to love songs, though the underlying theme could be whatever he wanted. The class was small, and he knew one girl was going to do nothing but break-up or getting over him songs, having just gone through a bad breakup herself. When asked, he gave her some ideas, and in turn she suggested some things to him.
Others in the class, he wasn’t sure about, but he paid enough attention to get the ideas of some of what they were going to include. His own theme was Music Through the Decades, and he worked hard at choosing songs, some decades proving to be more difficult than others, such as the ‘70s, and he decided to stop his list in the 2010s, as the project wasn’t supposed to have more than ten songs anyway. Adding to the complications was the fact he wanted to select songs he felt others might overlook.
He used how he felt about Ryan as inspiration, and eventually came up with a list.
Ben E. King – Stand By Me 1962
Elvis Presley – Can’t Help Falling In Love 1961
Elton John – Your Song 1970
Seals and Crofts – Summer Breeze 1977
Daryl Hall & John Oates – Kiss On My List 1980
Bryan Adams – Heaven 1983
Paula Abdul – Rush Rush 1990
Savage Garden – Truly Madly Deeply 1997
The Corrs – Breathless 2000
Vanessa Carlton – A Thousand Miles 2002
Selena Gomez – Love You Like A Love Song 2011
Ellie Goulding – Love Me Like You Do 2018
By the end of the semester, he’d gotten a good grade, and was set to graduate, not only with his degree in Music, but in History as well, with certifications for Music Technology. It was a happy time, though he knew that finding work with his degrees would be difficult. Still, now he could focus on writing his own music, playing gigs, and maybe, just maybe, cutting a demo some day. He wasn’t guaranteeing dreams of making it big, but he was hoping on making it somewhere with his music.
~
Two years later, Nick was making plans, and his sixteen-year-old sister happened to overhear him talking about them with his Dad.
“You have to let me help!” she said, bursting into the room.
“What? No.” Nick said.
“Why not?” she pouted.
“Because. But you can plan a party for later, if Dad says it’s ok.” Nick commented.
“Of course it’s ok, Princess.” Kevin said to his daughter. “But keep things a secret for now, okay?”
Liv nodded, making a motion of zipping her lips shut, before excitedly racing up to her room. Nick sighed, while Kevin smiled.
“So when’s it happening?” Kevin asked.
“Tonight. I managed to convince Ryan to take some time off.” Nick replied.
“The business is doing well.” Kevin commented.
“Yea, especially after the expansion. Ryan’s over the moon that so many consider it a safe-haven. He doesn’t tolerate assholes, either.” Nick said.
“Good.” Kevin replied.
After the brief meeting with his Dad, Nick left to pick up Ryan at the store. The sun was just setting, and Nick patiently waited for the nerd talk to take a lull before he butted into the group Ryan was talking to.
“Excuse me people, I need to steal my boyfriend now.” he said, and pulled Ryan away amidst some laughter, before the conversation resumed.
“You didn’t have to pull me away.” Ryan pouted.
“I did, and you know it, and then before you know it the store’s closed, and we’ve missed dinner.” Nick gently pointed out.
“Alright, alright. I’m going.” he pretended to grumble, then gave his employee last-minute instructions for closing up later.
The pair headed out to a nice restaurant, celebrating Ryan’s business success, before catching a movie. Once they’d left the cinema, Ryan yawned a little.
“Home?” he asked, wanting nothing more than to cuddle close to Nick.
“Not yet. One more place before we go home. Is that alright?” Nick answered
Ryan nodded, and Nick headed out of the city, into the desert where they could be alone, unbothered by anyone. He parked the truck, and got out, Ryan following.
“What are we doing out here?” he asked.
“You’ll see.” Nick responded, heading around to the back of the vehicle. Once back there, he unsnapped the cloth cover to the bed of his truck and rolled it up, before pulling down the tailgate. Lying there, taking up the bulk of the bed, was an air mattress, just big enough for the both of them to lie and look at the stars.
Ryan took a look and smiled. “Well, we haven’t star watched in a while.” he admitted.
“No, and I thought you’d appreciate it as a nice cap to the evening.” Nick stated, climbing into the back of the truck before offering Ryan a hand up.
“Well, you thought right.” Ryan said, accepting the hand.
Once they were both in the bed of the truck, they lay and look at the stars, content to be together and quiet, only occasionally speaking their thoughts. They lay there in relative silence for about an hour, until Nick heard Ryan begin to doze. Gently, he nudged him awake.
“You fell asleep.” he smiled.
“I did?” Ryan yawned. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. Look, why don’t we get up, maybe have a dance before we leave?” he said, sounding hopeful.
“How can I say no to that look?” Ryan said with a smile.
They both climbed out of the back of the truck, and Nick leaned in, putting the vehicle in accessory mode, turning the stereo up just enough that they could hear it through the open window. Paired with his phone, the radio began to play slower songs to dance to.
“I like this.” Ryan said, after a couple of songs had passed.
“Dancing?” Nick asked.
“Being close to you.” Ryan explained.
The song switched over to Ellie Goulding’s ‘Love Me Like You Do’, and as it played, Nick steadied his nerves, and pulled away.
“Ryan…” he began, taking a deep breath, letting it out slowly.
“I’ve been thinking about this moment for a long time—what I’d say, how I’d say it. But standing here with you now, under this sky, just us… “ he trailed off, looking up for a moment, before looking back into Ryan’s eyes.
“We’ve known each other since we were kids. We’ve grown up together, and somewhere along the way, you became my safe place, my favorite person. You’ve always had this incredible way of making the ordinary feel magical — you make everything better just by being you.
“I love your heart, your mind, your laugh. But I think what I love most… is your nerdiness.” he said with a smile.
“Hey…” Ryan began, but Nick shushed him with a kiss and then a finger to Ryan’s lips. “Let me finish.”
“The way you dive deep into the things you love, how excited you get when you explain something to me, even when I pretend to roll my eyes. It’s you. All of it. So, Ryan… here in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by stars—” he began, reaching into his pocket, before getting down on a knee, one arm stretched out to Ryan, the closed hand containing a simple ring.
“Will you marry me? Will you let me be your person, now and always?” he asked.
Ryan stared in shock, and didn’t speak for a moment.
“Is this real? Am I dreaming?” he finally managed to say.
“It’s very real. Definitely not a dream.” Nick responded.
“A thousand times, yes.” Ryan responded enthusiastically. Nick stood, putting the ring onto Ryan.
“Had me worried for a minute that you might say no.”
“Dummy.” Ryan said. “I love you. I always have. I know things get rough sometimes but… I wouldn’t have any other person.”
~
Summer the following year was the wedding. Ryan had asked Nick if they could eschew a typical wedding, and have a hand fasting instead. Nick confessed he hadn’t been keen on the idea of a traditional wedding, and had wanted one as well.
Opting to have a destination wedding, after careful consideration, they chose Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. It was a five-hour flight from Las Vegas, but was closer and cheaper than anywhere else they were looking at. As a bonus, there was a lot of English speaking there, and Nick spoke Spanish if it was needed.
Hours of planning together, with Liv giving input where she could, and things were set up. It wasn’t meant to be very large. There was no one on Ryan’s side of the family to invite, what with him having gone no contact with his parents years ago. It was primarily Nick’s family, and their closest friends. They chose a small, serene venue nestled in the mountains, surrounded by a jungle ecological reserve. Lodgings for everyone were set up at a nearby hotel, and the night before the wedding, Nick and Ryan went over things with their officiant. The day of came,
and prior to the ceremony, the officiant (a friend from Nick’s pagan circle) cast a circle, and called to the directions.
“Spirits of Air, bless this couple with clarity, communication, and joyful breath.”
“Spirits of Fire, bless them with passion, creativity, and courage.”
“Spirits of Water, bless them with love, compassion, and emotional depth.”
“Spirits of Earth, bless them with stability, strength, and grounding.”
“The circle is cast. We stand between the worlds — where love is the law, and love is the bond.”
Both Nick and Ryan were anxious, however this was calmed when they saw that neither had backed down from the ceremony. Selene, the priestess performing the ceremony, began to speak.
“Welcome, beloved friends and honored spirits. We gather under the watchful eyes of the old gods and the turning Wheel of the Year to witness the union of Nick and Ryan. Marriage isn’t something to be entered into lightly. The uniting of two paths into a single journey asks us to be thoughtful, intentional, and honest. Marriage brings with it a deep realization of our responsibility and commitment to our partner, and the understanding that love, loyalty, compassion, and compromise are the foundations of a happy and enduring home.”
Selene then turned to Nick. “Do you come here of your own free will, to be joined in heart, mind, body, and spirit?”
Nick nodded. “I do.”
She then turned to Ryan. “Do you come here of your own free will, to be joined in heart, mind, body, and spirit?”
Ryan smiled. “I do.”
Selene continued. “Ancient ones, kindred spirits, divine powers — we invite you to witness this union and bless it with your presence.” she looked at the couple, and smiled. “Repeat after me: I vow to walk beside you through all seasons of life — to honor your spirit, to tend the flame of our love, and to be your equal in all things.”
As they repeated after Selene, eyes only for one another, they joined hands, right to right. She smiled, and collected the cords, beautifully made and designed by Liv, with careful consideration to the couple. Selene began to bind them together, and spoke.
“With the first cord, I bind you in trust — that your words be true, and your hearts be open.”
“With the second cord, I bind you in strength — that you may support and uphold one another.”
“With the third cord, I bind you in passion — that desire and joy may be ever present in your union.”
“These cords do not bind you, but remind you: You are willingly bound by love.”
Selene then looked first and Nick, then at Ryan. “You may exchange your tokens.”
With a Smile, Nick reached into his pocket with his left hand, and pulled out a ring, carefully placing it on Ryan’s hand. “With this ring, I honor the divine in you, and pledge myself to your path.”
Ryan’s heart was beating rapidly, and he fumbled a minute before reaching into his pocket for the other ring, placing it onto Nick’s finger with a shaky hand. “With this ring, I honor the divine in you, and pledge myself to your path.”
Selene looked at the assembled group. “By the turning of the seasons, by the spirits of land and sky, by your vows and your love, I now declare you handfasted — partners in heart, in spirit, in life, as long as love shall last. May the gods light your path, may the moon guide your dreams, and may the fire of love burn ever bright between you. You may now seal your vows with a kiss, under the blessings of all that is sacred!”
Ryan and Nick both smiled at one another, before leaning in to kiss, which was met with applause, and some whooping and hollering from their closest friends, Rick and Ned. When they broke away, Selene moved about, opening the circle.
“The circle is open, but never broken. Merry meet, and merry part, and merry meet again.”
They spent the evening celebrating with their loved ones. In the evening, then they were alone in their room, as the light of the setting sun shone through their window, they kissed.
“I love you, Nick.”
“I love you, too.”