Tim was excited to meet Henry again. He wanted to tell him everything and wished to have him back in his life any way he could. So after putting very little thought into it and going with his impulsive gut feeling for once, he called up Henry's assistant who always helped them plan their meets. At first she was hesitant but after checking in with Henry and making sure Tim was not a nuisance anymore, she decided to help him out.
She always had a soft spot for the two and often came up with ingenious scheduling changes for them to enjoy some time together. This time was going to be difficult since Henry's company did not want Tim around unless Henry was willing to let him back into his life. Tim was thankful when she managed to change a low-key vineyard tour schedule enough to fit in an hour of alone time which a very busy Henry would most certainly appreciate.
Tim arrived the day before and settled into his small room in an old hotel near the vineyard. He trusted her plan and waited impatiently for the next morning. Sleep had refused to come and the bags under his eyes looked far more puffy that the pillow he was laying on. Everytime he turned, the bed creaked and he felt a little less alone. It had been so long since he slept next to someone, anyone.
Tim arrived at the vineyard on time so he could join the VIP tour where his name was skillfully slipped in at the last moment. After half an hour of stressful fidgeting, he finally heard a faint familiar laugh. As he turned around, he could see Henry walking in with a bunch of execs and a lot of cameras refusing to stop clicking his pictures. Thankfully the press was not allowed into the private event and Henry could finally mellow his smile and rest his brows. He looked as beautiful as the first day they met. In fact Tim couldn't help but notice how he looked happier that he did with him in the later part of their relationship.
A fresh wave of regret and panic hit him and he started questioning if he should just leave before a hand held his shoulder and patted him. It was one of Henry's friend, the one who did not like him much. Tim was sure he would be escorted out immediately but to his surprise he was being welcomed with a warm smile.
They managed to stay away from Henry until he completed his obligatory engagement while Tim got to hear about how things went after they parted ways. Turns out, Henry was not at all as happy as he looked on screen. He struggled to move on and often wanted to fight his way back to Tim only to be reminded of Gretchen and their life together. Tim was hwartbroke to know how many times Henry drove past his office and his home just to catch a glimpse of the man he loved so deeply.
Before he could express how much he regretted everything that happened and how much he wanted to fix things, he could see Henry walking towards them, unbothered and unfazed by the fact that Tim decided to drop by unannounced.
They managed to share a polite smile as Henry hugged his friend before asking for some privacy. His friends tugged Tim in close and said "do not screw it up because we all know where you live". It may have sounded like a threat but Tim knew he meant him no harm. All his friends wanted was to see Henry happy and it was justified to feel protective about the younger in their group.
"Hey" said Tim with a shaky voice as he watches Henry fiddling with his glass of wine. "I can leave if you want".
"No, stay. I'm glad you're here." Henry sounded raw, more like the Henry who took control of things and made things work out for them.
"I watched your movie"
"Yeah?" asked Henry "How was it?".
"It was amazing." Tim was hesitant to say anything personal. It would be inappropriate to add the fact that watching the shirtless scene made him have flashbacks of some of the best times in his life.
"Did you miss me?" asked Henry, eyes still not meeting the man he once couldn't keep his eyes off.
"Everyday. What I did to you and Gretchen was not fair. I should have never left you. You both deserve better."
"How is she? Give her my love will you?" said Henry with a heavy heart, knowing he could never be what she is to Tim.
"We are not together anymore. She left a week after our last fight but thankfully our family ties saved us from a nasty divorce. She does own the house now. But at least that's something I can always build again. I wish I could build back the other things I lost in the way."
Tim watched Henry sigh and take a moment to process all that. He was suddenly regretting pouring all that information onto him at once.
"I'll be free tonight." said Henry "Would you like to join me for dinner?"
Tim did not hesitate for a second and said "Yes! Of course.".
The evening went better than expected. Tim joined Henry and a few of his friends at the Hotel where Henry was staying. The dinner was scrumptious and the ambiance was lively. It felt like the good old days again, friends sharing laughs and clanking their beer mugs at every silly joke they could mutually relate to. But Tim could see a hint of something in Henry's gaze that he couldn't fully understand. Maybe he was still resentful. He had every right to be mad at him. Maybe he was tired from all the appearances.
After they called it a night and Tim was back in his poorly lit old hotel room, he was just happy to have met Henry after so long. Even if they never met again, he was happy to feel his presence near him for one more time.
*the phone rings*
*Tim answers*
"There's a Black SUV downstairs waiting for you. Join me?" said Henry and Tim responded "I'll be there in a minute.".
*Henry hangs up*
Tim put his phone in his shirt pocket and walked out while shoving his room key in the back of his jeans. He was not sure how to process any of this but he refused to over think and ruin it again. A moment ago he was sure they would probably never meet again. And the next minute Henry's vehicle was waiting for him outside his tiny hotel off town at almost midnight. He wondered where they would take him to meet Henry but he trusted Henry so he knew he was safe in the hands of anyone that came to pick him up that night.
After refusing to let his fears and triggers take over him, he steadied his nerves and knocked on the passenger side of the vehicle. He was expecting to see one of the familiar faces from Henry's team but to his surprise it was Henry in the driving seat. Once he got in, they drove off further away from town.
"Why did you come here?" asked Henry, sounds a little confused and a lot annoyed.
Tim responded "I couldn't wait to meet you. I'm sorry. I should have told you I'll be here. It's not like old times. Surprises don't work the same with friends.".
"Are we friends now? That's why you came half way across the globe to meet me?"
"I can't ask for anything more from you ever again. I don't have that right anymore." said Tim with regrets pooling into his eyes and rolling down his cheeks in the form of little beads.
Henry parked in the middle of nowhere and said "What do you want from me Tim? Please, say something for once.".
Tim kept tearing up and choking in his own thoughts and fears as usual but to his relief he felt Henry lay a hand on lap just for a second before shying away.
So a now calm Tim said "I wish we could go back to the way things were. But that's not possible. I can't ask you to do that for me. I don't deserve it anymore. And frankly, you deserve so much better."
"I missed you too, you know. It was not easy for me just because I made it look like I didn't care and acted like I moved on." Henry's tone was lovingly angry. Like the way you argue with someone you expect too much from.
And then it hit him. Did Henry just say 'acted' like he move on? Did it mean he still had a chance?
"Are you over me?" asked Tim and Henry responded "I could never be over you. I bought a ring for you that you never saw. You were the one for me Tim, the only one I wanted to spend the rest of my life with."
"And now?" asked Tim and waited for the silence to fade away until Henry finally responded "I need time. I need you to be open with me. And I need us to stop having to hide things. But only if you want the same. I'm good at making myself unreachable if you want me to leave. You could never get a hold of me even if you tried.".
Tim nervously chuckled at the threat. He knew Henry enough to know that was definitely not a joke.
"Can we give it another try?" asked Tim and Henry said "I'll think about it when I'm back in LA".
After a fairly silent and enjoyable drive back, Tim thanked Henry and they parted ways for the night. Soon enough Tim was back at work and trying to forget what he asked Henry. He had a accept that they couldn't make it work unless Henry was willing to forget the past but it was hard to forget something so big. Tim knew forgiving him was going to be hard for Henry. So he waited. Days became weeks which became a month until one day there was a delivery for him at his office.
*clipboard passed around till it reached Tim*
*Tim signs in for the package*
*a huge bouquet of his favorite flowers are on his desk a few minutes later*
The card on the bouquet only had one word, "YES" and only Henry knew what it meant. He was seen jumping and celebrating in the staircase and joyfully screaming words of gratitude into his phone by colleagues who had never seen any emotion on his face other than anger or disappointment.
Tim and Henry spent the next couple of weeks meeting over coffee any chance they got. Eventuality Tim mustered the courage to ask Henry for dinner at his place and to his surprise when Henry accepted the offer.
That night was special and something was in the air other than the citrus room freshener wafting into the dining area from the hallway in Tim's apartment. After a home-cooked dinner that both of them thoroughly enjoyed, they decided to watch something on TV and sat on opposite sides of the sofa.
When the TV couldn't distract them anymore, when nothing could cover their inner thoughts, they inched closer together and Henry laid his head on Tim's shoulder. Tim could almost cry, overwhelmed with joy but he held back his tears and smiled.
After a while he felt soft lips on his jaw, a kiss on his cheek and Henry's eyes eventually looking into his and holding their gaze with bated breadth.
It was passionate that night. Every kiss felt more real and every touch more reassuring. It felt like a dream but every contact of skin on skin made them realize they were really together again.
The next morning Tim woke up to Henry still laying next to him, their clothes tossed around all over the room and the sheets clinging on for dear life on just one edge of the mattress.
Tim placed a soft kiss on Henry's forehead before he went into the kitchen to make breakfast for them. A very happy Henry woke up to the sound of sizzling bacon and stood near the dining table, still wrapping in the bedsheet. Tim couldn't help but walk up to him and kiss him again and again and again until Henry said "I'm hungry and you are just burning more calories. Stop before you burn the bacon too.".
They sat down and enjoyed the meal and Henry decided to take the day off since Tim was already off work for the day. They talked about how they were going to make it work and Tim was glad Henry made ground rules this time. It was the only way to hold him accountable and Henry deserved someone who put in as much effect as he did.
The day ended with Henry posting a picture of himself, just his feet perched on the coffee table to be exactly, while watching TV. His fans had never seen the image of his home so it didn't matter where he was. What did matter were the Two glasses of wine on the table. His Fandom went bonkers over the speculations while Tim and Henry, for the first did not feel the need to speculate or second guess their special bond.
A month later they both publicly announced that they were in a relationship. With a glowing Henry being the talk of the town and a much happier Tim slowly becoming everyone's favorite in his biz, the news of their relationship was wholehearted accepted and celebrated by everyone who mattered to them.
And some enough, Henry found himself re-opening the box where he stored the ring, thinking he should give it another shot. And this time, he imagined Tim saying YES.
THE END