Ralph thought he was forgetting something, but he just didn't know what. He has been thinking about it since he ate breakfast, and it didn't go unnoticed by Kyle.
"You okay there?" he asked Ralph as he watched him think thoughtfully. He was sitting beside him in the dining room. "Is something bothering you?"
Ralph eased his facial features to send a smile toward his boyfriend. "I just feel like I'm forgetting something," he shrugged. "But I don't know what."
He had thought about it carefully about what it could be, but nothing came to his mind. It was starting to bother him, and it didn't sit quite well with him when something was bothering him and he couldn't figure out what it was.
Kyle smiled back at him. "You know what? Let's go out."
"Huh, why?"
"I think I know what you're forgetting. Come on,"
"Really?"
"Really,"
Ralph squinted at his boyfriend, curiosity kicking in as he stared at Kyle's handsome face. "Okay," he said, unsure. "I'll just take a shower then."
"Can I join you?" Kyle asked suggestively with a wink and a smirk.
"You're more than welcome to," Ralph chuckled, his eyes rolling from the obvious attempt at being sexy. He stood up from his seat—his phone in his hand, while the other was outstretched toward his boyfriend.
After an hour of shenanigans in the shower, Kyle was the first to get out—with only nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist. He was wearing a dreamy smile on his face and was seemingly out of breath, but he still managed to look breathtaking.
His hand came up and swiped his wet and disheveled hair backward. Beads of water were racing down his naked body—from his neck to his tattooed chest, six-pack abs, and slightly hairy legs.
He walked towards the closet and opened it to find something good to wear. He cleanly searched through the tidy set of clothes his boyfriend had as he hummed to himself, only stopping to look at the bathroom door when he heard it open with a creak.
"Is it just me or is my hair getting longer?" Ralph said as he stepped out, combing his drenched hair down to his face. Like his boyfriend, he only had a towel wrapped around his waist.
"Yeah, it is," Kyle replied as he untangled the towel from his waist. "Still looks good on you, baby."
Ralph smiled at him, nodding along as he stared at his boyfriend's body. "You look good."
"Don't look at me like that,"
"Like what?"
Kyle rolled his eyes. "Like you want to eat me,"
"And if I do, so what?"
"You just did," Kyle chuckled as he wore his boxer briefs. "In the shower earlier."
Once they were both ready and locked the apartment, they made their way to the elevator, holding hands. Going down in the elevator, Kyle already knew Ralph kept glancing at him—silently asking where they were going.
He loved his boyfriend, but he wanted to keep his stand today because once he realized what he forgot, it was going to be funny.
"Keys?" he asked, his palm outstretched.
"You're really not telling me?" Ralph said, hopeful as he handed Kyle his car keys.
Kyle answered him with a chaste kiss. "Nope. I think it's funny you forgot them."
"Them? As in, plural?" Ralph asked in horror, his eyes getting more confused as he thought about what it could be.
"Relax, babe,"
"Honestly, I don't think I can relax knowing you know what I'm forgetting,"
Kyle only grinned in response and held his boyfriend's hand tighter to drag him outside the parking lot after the elevator opened. He was excited to tease him once he found out what he was missing, and that confused look he had on his face right now was the icing on the cake.
He drove out of the city and to an uptown provincial area. It was almost an hour before they arrived at their destination.
There were a few people walking all around the blocks, unlike in the city where there were tons of people rushing on the sidewalks to get to wherever they were supposed to be. This was a change of pace of scenery than to what they were used to seeing.
Ralph had a frown on his face when he felt Kyle slowing down in a familiar place. He turned to look at his boyfriend, whose grin hasn't left his handsome face since they got out of their home.
"What's with that look?" Kyle asked with a deep chuckle and a mocking tone as he turned off the engine.
"Uh," Ralph stammered, not knowing what to say but managing to ask the right question. "What are we doing at my parents' house?"
"What else?" Kyle replied with a wink as if the answer was obvious.
Ralph let out a short laugh that seemed like a cry. "I'm confused."
"We're here because..."
"Because?"
"I'm here to ask them for your hand in marriage,"
Ralph was speechless for a moment. Kyle said that so seriously that he thought he was going to have a heart attack. He didn't know if he was kidding or not, but one thing was for sure, his heart was ready to burst any minute.
"A-are you joking?" was the first thing he had to ask in mind. His thoughts were getting the best of him, and if this was only a joke, then it was a bad one.
"I'm not joking, Raffy," Kyle said in the softest way possible, as he reached for his pocket in his pants and revealed a small, black box. "But I know it feels too soon, so I don't want to pressure you with whatever your answer might be."
"Do I even deserve it?" Ralph asked after a moment of silence fell upon them, his voice cracking slightly as silent tears fell from his eyes. He stared at his boyfriend lovingly and waited for an answer. He was happy with Kyle, there was no doubt about that, but deep down inside of him, it was himself that he was doubting.
Kyle scooted closer to him, his grin slowly disappearing from his face. "Babe," he started to say, placing his hands on either side of Ralph's face and wiping the tears away with his thumbs. "I should be the one asking myself that after everything, but you,"
"You deserve to be loved. In every fucking way. You can't question yourself like that because you deserve everything the world has to offer," he continued to say as his hands continued to caress his boyfriend's face.
"That's the problem," Ralph said with a heavy sigh, slowly placing his big hands on Kyle's waist. "I'm not sure I can accept everything from someone unless it's you."
"You don't know how hearing those words made me happy," Kyle said, a soft smile appearing on his face. "I love you so much, babe."
Ralph smiled in reply, gave Kyle a chaste kiss, and pulled him in for a tight hug. "I love you too, Kyle. So, I'm saying yes."
"What? Are you sure?" Kyle asked in shock, pulling away like he was struck by lightning. "Are you—oh shit, babe, I can give you a few days to think about it."
Ralph laughed softly, and it was music to Kyle's ears hearing him laugh.
"Did you want me to say no?"
"Of course, I want you to say yes, but—Jesus, I'm shaking."
"What's the problem?"
"I-I just want you to be sure,"
At that very moment, Ralph shut his boyfriend up by kissing him softly, which was effective because he kissed back and calmed down soon after. He pulled away ever so slightly, his forehead leaning against Kyle as he kissed his nose with a short laugh.
"I am sure. I'm very sure that it's you who I want to spend the rest of my life with,"
"Okay,"
"Okay?"
Another moment of silence fell upon them, but this time it wasn't so bad. They knew it, and to them, it felt magical. Was this what true happiness felt like? Like, it felt as if you won the lottery. If it was, then they didn't want it to end.
After a few minutes, Kyle decided to break the silence while he caressed his boyfriend's hand sweetly.
"Yeah, let's get your dogs from your parents. Come on,"
"My-my dogs are here?" Ralph asked, his face turning into a frown and shock as realization dawned on him. "Oh, my fucking God."