To his extreme surprise, Nicholas resisted jet lag and joined him, still rubbing sleep out of his eyes, and agreed to train with him on the condition that they went out onto the beach rather than to the training ground. They drew strips with a stick in the white sand. Nicholas said he felt like a pirate.
“We’ll get up and do all the training exercises you learned here every day in Kings Row,” said Seiji.
Nicholas grinned. “Wouldn’t do it for anything except fencing. And you.”
Since this was their last day in France, Seiji was allowing them to have a match. They hadn’t fenced together since they’d come here. Though Seiji had appreciated fencing with different and more skilled fencers, he had oddly missed this. The chance to observe Nicholas, learning as lightning fast as he moved. The way Nicholas was enjoying himself, and so Seiji was learning to enjoy himself, too.
“More drills and fewer matches in future,” Seiji cautioned.
“Aw, Seiji,” Nicholas protested, voice light as the sound of blades chiming and birds over the sea. “That’s no fun, Seiji!”
“I’m no fun, Nicholas,” said Seiji calmly. “Haven’t you heard?”
“Everyone tells me,” said Nicholas. “But I don’t believe them.”
“What do you believe?”
“You’re my match,” said Nicholas. “You’re the match I’m going to win someday. The one I’m looking forward to the most.”
Just looking at Nicholas’s face, you could see how much he believed it, and it was almost enough to make Seiji believe it as well.
It had been wrong of Seiji not to trust him, but he would trust Nicholas from now on. He wouldn’t let his mind betray him, imagining similarities when there were none.
Nicholas was nothing like Jesse at all.
42 AIDEN
For the first time in his life, Aiden woke early, naturally, and sweetly. The electric lights of night were gone. The dawn threw soft, bright ribbons over water, sky, and cabin walls, so they were wrapped in rose and ivory and gold. Light poured over Harvard’s glowing dark skin and the silk sheets, and this day was already a gift.
“So this wasn’t all a cupcake-induced fever dream,” Aiden said romantically. Then he couldn’t stop himself from smiling. “I’m glad.”
He stretched luxuriously, lying in the warm curve of Harvard’s arm. He’d known for years that Harvard’s arms were strong. He’d glanced at them many times, thinking to himself, even objectively—which Aiden in no way was—wow, but there was a world of difference between admiration and having that strength used to hold you.
“I’m glad, too,” Harvard murmured in Aiden’s ear. “And I have a question.”
“Ask me anything.”
“Where did the freshmen go during my match and then at the beginning of the party? Something very suspicious is going on.”
“Oh, fine!” Aiden said, and confessed about helping the freshmen sneak out for a late-night fencing match.
Harvard listened with growing horror.
“Hey,” said Aiden, trying to recall Harvard to the important matters in life. “I love you.”
“I love you, too, Aiden Kane, but you’re the worst.” Harvard gave him a reproachful look. “We’re responsible for them.”
“Wow—watch that we. I want nothing to do with them. I’m not their captain-in-law,” Aiden grumbled.
Harvard tricked him by bending his head over the pillow where Aiden’s head lay, giving Aiden a slow kiss that spread warmth through him like sunlight. “No?”
Aiden skimmed his palms up the curves of those arms, then cupped Harvard’s head in one hand and brought him back down, ending their horrible separation of three seconds, for another kiss.
“No! You may have heard I’m irresponsible and high maintenance, and it’s all true. I have no responsibilities and many demands. Listen up, this is the most important demand. If you’re thinking that there’s a whole wide world of guys out there, too bad. You had your chance to play the field. Don’t you dare look at another guy. We’re dating now.”
“That’s funny. I don’t remember being asked out,” Harvard teased.
“That is funny,” Aiden agreed. “I asked you to the town fair twice and asked you out for milkshakes or the movies or anything else over and over. I sent you valentines every February. I would have done anything you wanted. I asked you out a hundred times, Harvard Lee. It’s not my fault you weren’t listening.”
Harvard’s kind face crumpled a little at the thought of Aiden suffering, his beautiful brown eyes warm with sympathy. Aiden felt this was only fair, considering how much he had gone through. A truly good person would’ve let it go, but there was only one truly good person in this relationship, and Aiden wasn’t him. Aiden was now planning to remind Harvard often of his tragic past of unrequited pining, in order to get his own way.
“I’m listening now,” Harvard promised, tucking his nose in against Aiden’s cheek.
Aiden couldn’t help smiling. “Are you, Captain?”
“Oh wait,” Harvard said. “Oh no. That can’t be a sexy thing. Nicholas calls me that. You can’t call me that when you’re using that voice, okay?”
Aiden let his smile turn wicked and mischievous. It stayed happy.
“Whatever you say,” Aiden whispered into Harvard’s mouth, “Captain.”
He nuzzled at Harvard’s jaw, then surged up against Harvard’s chest, both tumbling over each other, laughing, sighing, the silk sheets by day turned into a wonderful green sea. Aiden had all his attention now, the way he’d always wanted. Not just a teddy bear, not just friendship, but Harvard himself, Harvard to keep for his own.
By the light of the sun or the light of the moon, in any strange land or at home, this was the only truth he knew. Aiden loves Harvard, for far longer than a year and a day.
A long sun-drenched time later, Harvard and Aiden emerged from the yacht and walked down the sugar-white sand hand in hand, barefoot in wrecked formal wear. Aiden thought Harvard looked great like this. Harvard should look like this always.
“I think it’s my turn to ask you out on a date,” said Harvard.
“You could win me another bear, since I tossed out the last one you won me,” said Aiden, sharply regretting that rash action now.
“Actually…” said Harvard. “I took the bear out and kept it. You can have it back.”
Harvard had kept the souvenir from their date. The revelation made Aiden smile, delight far sharper than regret had ever been, gleeful as a kid thinking He likes me! Finally, finally, Harvard Lee liked him back.
“I’m kicked out of Kings Row, so you might have to mail me that bear,” Aiden reminded him. “Are you ready to conduct a courtship via letters? Also frequent texts.”
“My mom will have to teach me what the emojis mean,” said Harvard.
Harvard and Aiden’s romantic morning walk was brought to an early close when they came upon Nicholas and Seiji having a fencing match on the seashore. Because of course, what else would they be doing in their last moments in France?