“Tell mewhy.”
Art couldn’t think of a reasonablereply.
“Art, you’ve carried too much on your own for too long. You deserve someone to be here for you, and I’m grateful it gets to be me. I told you, before I came here, I’d given up. I didn’t think I could ever feel deeply again. Then I met you, and you changed everything. You gave me a reason to be excited when I wake up in the morning. You’re the reason I want to get out of bed. You’re the reason I want to go out and have a good time, because I know I’ll be doing it with you. No matter what pain youthinkyou can cause me by being in my life, you cannot imagine the pain I would feel if you took away from me one of the only good things I have left in this world. I love you, and I know with everything in me from the life I’ve lived that you love me, and we both know we can’t flip a switch and turn if off any more than we could flip a switch and turn it on, so just give up, Art. Let me love you as you’ve always deserved to be loved. Let me savor every moment we have lefttogether.”
With his words, Wes broke through the fragile barriers Art had put up, and Art wrapped his arms around Wes, tears rushing down his face as he cried into Wes’s chest. Wes set his hand on the back of Art’s head, held him right there, letting him express all the pent-up emotion that it seemed his mind had kept from him when he’d spoken with thedoctor.
“So many regrets in my life, but not a one for any of the time I’ve spent being close to the ones I love,” Wes added. “I love you, Art, and I’ll love you forever and ever…if that’s about twenty or so moreyears.”
Art practically snorted as he laughed. He couldn’t help himself as he enjoyed how Wes was able to catch him off guard, but it didn’t stop him from crying. Wes was generous in allowing Art to continue crying for a few moments before Art pulled away, working to containhimself.
“I’m sorry for being this way,” Art said. “I guess I just had to believe something was going to go wrong. Something to pull you away from me. That at some point, I had to awaken from thisdream.”
“Why don’t you just enjoy it while you’re stillasleep?”
“That sounds like a lovely plan, but I’mscared.”
“I am too, but we don’t have to be scaredalone.”
Art knew he was right, and in that moment, he really understood how truly unconditional his and Wes’s love was for oneanother.
“I love you, WesBrenner.”
“I love you, Art Cromley. You’re my forever andever.”
Wes put his arms back around him, and they held each other in silence, Art appreciating the ease Wes had filled himwith.
