it this way. Tomorrow we’re flying to Hawaii. By the time we’re back, you’ll have your loan and this will all be a bad, silly little nightmare.” Kirk had then kissed Lance, his boyfriend, on the lips in the middle of the street for the whole world to see.
And finally, there was Kirk’s work. It had been the same week of their fight, when Kirk had learned that he’d been selected to speak at the Symposium in Hawaii. It had taken him by complete surprise. And then some.
What he later found out, was that his being chosen was because of a presentation he'd given nearly a year ago on Alexander the Great. They loved it so much, they wanted him to replicate it in his very own forum. That was twice now the ancient general had pulled through for Kirk.
A lot had changed in Kirk’s life in the past month. That was the long and short of it. And because of it, Kirk was the happiest he had been in a very long time.
“Hey...” Kirk said out the corner of his mouth to Lance.
Lance was lying on his back, eyes closed, turning golden in the sun. “Hey, you,” Lance said back without looking.
Kirk reached across and took his hand. “I just wanted to say... thanks.”
Lance half-sat up, frowning at Kirk. “For what?”
“Everything.”
Lance kissed Kirk on the back of the hand. “If you want that blowy just let me know.”
Kirk pulled his hand free and pretend to slap at Lance. “Don’t worry, I know exactly where you’re staying... so maybe later.”
“I knew it. Just doing my part to save the world.” Lance chuckled to himself as he lay back down, and somehow spread himself out ever further in a bid to get more sun.
As for Kirk? He remained half-sitting, looking at his boyfriend with a sense of admiration that he was beginning to know only too well. A lot had changed for Kirk over the past month. But again, it had to be said that the biggest change was just how fucking happy he was. In the moment, on this beach in Hawaii, it seemed that Kirk would never not be happy again. Surely, this was going to last forever. How could it not?
Chapter Sixteen
“I’m so proud of you, by the way.” Lance lay back on the bed, watching as his boyfriend slipped into a pair of freshly-pressed suit pants. He’d had to buy a brand-new suit for the occasion on account of his only other one being a shabby pile of rags, and it being too small for his new physique.
“Is that right?” Kirk stammered as he struggled to get his second leg into his pants. He was hopping back on the spot, so very close to falling over and making a fool of himself. A part of Lance really wanted to push and see him fall, just for the laughs.
“Aren’t you? Proud, I mean.”
“Nervous, maybe. I’ll be proud later.” Pants on, Kirk straightened himself up, acting like he hadn’t almost just fallen flat on his face. He then went for his shirt.
Lance was off the bed and quick to stand behind Kirk. He grabbed his boyfriend by the arms and forced him to look at himself in the mirror. “You’ll be proud now,” he demanded.
“What are you—?” Kirk tried to pull his arms free, but Lance refused to budge.
“Look at yourself.” Lance pointed at the reflection in the mirror. “What do you see?”
“I see a Cool Runnings rip-off is what I – ow! Did you just pinch me?”
“I did. Now, come on. What do you see?”
Kirk smirked. “Well, behind me I see the sexiest man in all of Hawaii... maybe the entire southern hemisphere.” He winked at Lance, but Lance remained stern. “Fine,” Kirk sighed. “I see me. Happy?”
“Wrong!” Lance declared proudly. “You see the new you. The you with abs. The you with an actual chest and biceps! The you that was gifted the chance to speak in front of a room of your peers, purely because they know you have something new and interesting to offer them. It’s you that’s going to march down to that forum and tear the fucking place apart. And when you’re done, I’m dragging you up here and fucking you so damn hard you won’t be able to walk for a week. That’s what you see.”
Kirk frowned. “How long have you been working on that speech for?”
This time, Lance threw his head back and laughed. “Oh, shut up and get dressed already.