He went home to his condo after practice, but it felt immense, quiet, and lonely. It had only been half a day, but he missed Deanso much it actually hurt. His stomach churned, and there was an ache in his chest.
He sighed as he put his bag down in the bedroom and noticed a small envelope in the side pocket. How had he not seen it before?
He opened the envelope and found a small MP3 player inside, along with a note from Dean…
Colton,
Listen to this song. The lyrics perfectly describe my feelings.
Dean
He'd even written down the lyrics, so Colton could follow along with the song. He popped in the ear buds and pressed play…
The sounds of 'Magic' by Kylie Minogue thumped through the headphones as he read along.
“Magic” Kylie Minogue
I feel like anything could happen. The stars look different tonight.
They’re glowing all around me. It’s flowing through my body.
I can feel it, I can feel it.
Don’t know if I’m awake or dreaming. There must be something in the air.
The time is disappearing. This moment’s never leaving.
I can feel it, I can feel it.
You got me started. And nothing on earth can stop it.
It’s crazy, I’m falling. I don’t know what else to call it. Boy do you believe in magic?
As the last notes of the song faded away, tears stung Colton’s eyes and rolled down his cheeks.
Dean was absolutely right, the song perfectly described his feelings, their feelings.
Colton focused on one line of the song, "free falling, it’s a new emotion," and something clicked. He’d been free falling, enjoying their carefree times together. He’d had the most funand felt more alive and freer than he had his whole life. It had been amazing, eye-opening, and lately, fucking hot as hell!
But that was no longer true. He was no longer free falling.
He’d fallen…fallen hard for Dean. The realization consumed him, his heart four sizes too large for his chest, his smile so wide his head could barely contain it.
He read the chorus of the song once again…"boy, do you believe in magic? Do you?"
He did believe in magic. He believed in the magic of Dean.
Another line of the song jumped off the page and punched Colton square in the jaw.
"Don’t wanna keep this secret"
Colton’s smile dropped.
What an asshole he’d been, forcing Dean to hide, pushing him back into the closet. And for what? Because he was too chicken shit, too scared to stand up for what he wanted? Too scared to tell the truth to his team, his family, the whole world?
Wasn’t Dean worth telling everyone about? Worth bragging about? Fuck yeah, he was!
Dean was the kindest, sweetest, most devoted and beautiful man Colton had ever known. He deserved the very best, to be treated like a precious commodity. He deserved to be on the arm of someone who was completely proud and unashamed. He didn’t deserve to be held under someone’s thumb, to be pushed to the back, to be less than.
