• Stay with me while we grow old…

    Alix stared into the refrigerator, a slight twitch coming to his eye. The fridge. His worst nightmare. So much food, but all of it uncooked. His stomach rumbled, as if annoyed with all the temptation.

    He shut the door with a growl. He would cook, but he couldn’t. That was Cole’s territory. He cleaned, Cole cooked. Oh, sure, Alix defended his cooking whenever Cole felt it to remind him how bad it was, but the truth was, he couldn’t cook, and he knew it.

    “Where is he?” Alix muttered. He glanced at the clock. It was almost seven o’ clock. Cole’s photo shoot had ended around five, and Alix did the math. He should have been home by now, even if he got stuck in traffic or something. Besides, Cole would have called if he knew he was going to be late.

    A bolt of fear ran through Alix’s chest, quick as lightning, and then disappeared. Nah, he probably just stopped somewhere to pick something up, Alix reasoned to himself. Dismissing any bad thoughts, he threw some popcorn in the microwave and popped in a movie.
    Half an hour into the film, there was still no Cole, and Alix was starting to grow uneasy. He took out his cell phone, about to call him, when it rang.

    “Hello?”

    “Good evening, is this Alix Renotta?”

    “Yes, who is this?”

    “My name is Dr. Patrick Despari, from Brookdale Hospital. I’m calling to let you know that Cole Blackwell has been involved in a fatal accident—”

    The phone dropped from his hand as Alix snatched his keys and sprinted out the door.


    He was already sobbing by the time he reached the hospital.

    “Wh-where is he?” Alix barely stuttered out to the nurse at the desk in the trauma center. “I ne-need to see him!”

    “Please, sir, calm down and tell me who you’re looking for,” the nurse said softly, reaching out to place a comforting hand on his arm.

    Alix tried to say his name, but he couldn’t force the words out of his mouth. Instead, he cried harder and collapsed into one of the reception chairs.

    The nurse was heartbroken. She stepped out from behind her desk and sat beside Alix, holding him in a hug and patting his head. “There, there,” she said, “easy now. All I need you to tell me is the name of the doctor. Can you tell me that?”

    “Duh-Doctor De-Despari cuh-called me,” he said, stumbling over the words. “He said Cuh-co—” Alix broke down in tears again.

    “Don’t worry,” the nurse said, “I’ll go page Dr. Despari right now and we’ll get this sorted out.”

    “No need,” a man in scrubs and a lab coat said as he strode into the reception area. “Mr. Renotta?”

    Alix shot out of his seat. “Doctor, I-I-I just need t-to see him, please—”

    Dr. Despari held up a hand. “I understand. Come with me,” he said sternly.

    The entire elevator ride Alix felt as if someone had cut away all of his internal organs and replaced them with burning acid. He couldn’t stop the tears from flowing as they traveled until they reached the ICU.

    “Wait, Doctor,” Alix said as they walked off the elevator. “I thought you said Co—” His breath hitched, but he went on. “I thought you said h-he was involved in a fatal accident.”

    The doctor looked over his shoulder with a smile. “I’m afraid you misunderstood me over the phone, Mr. Renotta. You didn’t let me finish.”

    They arrived at Cole’s room. “Had you listened to the rest of the conversation, you would have heard that Cole was involved in a fatal car accident, but he suffered only minor injuries. A broken leg, a broken arm, and a concussion.”

    Alix was speechless. “He-he’s fine?” he said, eyes open wide with incredulous belief.

    Dr. Despari nodded. “According to the witnesses, he was on his motorcycle crossing an intersection when a car came flying through the red light. That car smashed into Cole, and then was run over by a truck. He was lucky the car hit him full on. Otherwise, that truck might have gotten him.”

    “What-what about the other driver?” Alix asked.

    “He had a brain aneurysm behind the wheel. He was dead before the truck hit him,” Dr. Despari explained. “Cole’s fine.”

    “Really?”

    Dr. Despari nodded again. “Yes, I promise you. He personally told me to call you here. He refused to take any pain medicine until he saw you, but he really needs it, so if you don’t mind?” He opened the door to the room and nudged Alix in. “I’ll give you your privacy,” Dr. Despari said, closing the door behind him.

    Alix carefully walked over to Cole’s bed, where he lay with his left leg completely in a cast, his right arm encased from wrist to elbow, and his head wrapped in bandages. He lightly caressed his face and cried quietly, happy to hear the hum and beep of the various machines that proved Cole was alive.

    Cole awakened at the sound of his lover’s soft crying. “Alix?” he said, his voice slightly slurred under the effect of the leftover anesthesia and not enough rest.

    Alix gave a small gasp. “Cole?”

    Cole stared at Alix. “No, this is George,” he said seriously.

    Alix hesitated.

    “Yes, it’s Cole, you dumbass,” Cole said. “Now give me a kiss and stop ******** crying. It’s so gay.”

    Alix laughed and gave Cole the best hug he could, minding his broken arm and leg. Cole grabbed Alix’s head with his good arm and maneuvered his face closer to his, where he gave Alix a kiss that ensured him that he was going to be just fine.

    “Jesus, Alix,” Cole murmured as tears streamed down Alix’s face, “you really don’t have to cry so much over me. I’ve been hurt worse than this in high school. I’ll be fine, I promise.”

    Alix shook his head. “Doesn’t matter. What matters is you staying with me. Stay with me forever. Stay with me when I start acting gay. Stay with me when I’m being a b***h. Stay with me when I cook dinner. Stay with me while we grow old. Just stay.”

    Cole thought about his boyfriend’s heartfelt declaration, and answered, “Okay on everything else, but I sure as hell ain’t staying if you cook dinner.”

    Alix beamed as his stomach grumbled. They both laughed.

    “Case in point,” said Cole, lying back down on his bed. “Now get me my ******** drugs.”