1. Pete was notorious for sleeping around. He wasn’t particularly proud of it, but he just didn’t want to be tied down. Of course, being from a town as small as theirs, people talked. It looked bad that the high school principal’s son was gay, let alone a slut. So, being the good son that he was, despite his father insisting that all he needed to worry about was being happy and safe, Pete calmed down with it all. He stopped hooking up with guys, especially ones from town. When he saw Tommy standing there in that pink tux, he couldn’t help but flirt a little. Tommy was gorgeous without being all dressed up and Pete had been doomed. So he pulled him into a kiss and then a little more and it was only the beginning.
2. The kisses after that were frenzied and hidden. Sometimes they met up in various places around the school. Sometimes it was around town. Pete was careful not to be seen by too many people. It wasn’t that he was ashamed to be seen with Tommy, not even in the slightest. He was trying to protect his dad. Pete just wished he could explain that to Tommy better than the shitty attempts he had made. Besides, Tommy was the wordsmith, not him. All he could do was try and explain how much he liked Tommy by kissing him harder, softer, sweeter, more passionately. Each new kiss was a new way to tell Tommy Clark he cared.
3. Things progressed and neither was happy. Tommy didn’t want to hide in the shadows or janitor’s closet, the fun and excitement wearing off. Pete didn’t want to fall for Tommy more and more. He cared about Tommy more than he had anyone else had ever been with, and the thought terrified him. He loved people. He loved being with them and forging relationships and making people happy. He was the definition of an extrovert. But he didn’t do love. He didn't do that sort of thing because it always lead to heartbreak and he honestly didn’t know if he could do that. Pete worried he would suffocate whoever he was with because he loved too much. He was afraid he’d make them leave. So the kisses came less and less, the intimate moments far and few between. The last time before he ended things, Pete made sure to kiss Tommy extra sweetly, knowing it was selfish but taking that memory for himself. He pulled him close, his finger’s digging into Tommy’s hips, anchoring him there. Pete poured everything into that kiss. It was goodbye.
4. Had anyone said they would make their way back to each other, Pete would have scoffed. Tommy was way too smart to give a dumbass like him another chance. He would never deserve him. Pete had been the one to let him go. Still, they did find their way back, and it was the happiest Pete had ever been. While Pete loved the good morning kisses he shared with Pete everyday, his favorites where the good night kisses. Sometimes he would press them to Tommy’s shoulder. Sometimes it was his lips or his throat or his chest. No matter where, it was just Pete’s way of saying “I’m here. I love you. I’ll never leave you. Goodnight, my love.”
5. There is a moment in everyone’s life where they realize what they’re meant to do. For Pete that moment came when Tommy Clark was wearing a tux. The first time Tommy wore a pink tux, it had started it all. This time, it was just a new chapter. Pete looked at his Tommy, the one he was pledging the rest of his life to, the one he was meant to be with, the one he’d do anything for, and he just knew. This was exactly where he was supposed to be. With this man in this suit surrounded by these people. Without waiting for the right moment to do so, he pulled Tommy into a kiss, forgetting about vows and decrees and rings. This was his vow. In that kiss, he told Tommy everything he’d never been able to say in the decade since it all began. Sure, he felt a little bad for cutting off the judge, but Tommy didn’t seem to mind. Pete pulled back, grinning widely, unable to shake in deliriously happy mood. “Did I ever tell you that I love that tux?” he whispered to his husband.
Anna swallowed thickly. How could she say this? She was so afraid that she was trapping him, making her an obligation. She adored him. Everything about Gabe made her happy. Feeling her eyes sting, she just started talking. “I… you should stay because you want to. Because this is your home. Your family is here. You grew up here. You should stay because...” Because I can’t lose you . Because I’ve already lost so much and the thought of losing you makes me feel ill. Because you’re home to me. Because you’re my rock and without you I feel like I would slip away. You gave my life meaning. You make me happy. "...because I love you," she finally whispered.
She sighed. Working at the store, well it was great for now, but this wasn't what she wanted to do for the rest of her life. She was so close to finishing her degree before she left, and the school hadn't gotten back to her yet about finishing in Arcadia. At least the people here had been kind.
She was about to close the store for her break when she saw a familiar face. A very familiar face. A grin spread across her face and she felt incredibly happy. "Tomas? Is that really you? Oh my God," she said as she walked closer to him, needed a better look to know it was really him.
