Wyatt Calloway – affectionate, bright, charming
Colton Beckett – arrogant, brilliant, compassionate
Wyatt had been packing for days. Not because he wanted to leave, but because the decision seemed to have already been made for him no matter how much he protested. Ten years of marriage, ten years of traditions, and in an instant, it had unraveled into plastic moving bins delivered by the moving company, folded shirts, and a sinking feeling in his stomach.
The apartment smelled the same—like the London Planetree they walked by as they held hands cutting through the park on their way to Brandy’s and the splash cologne Colton bought at the Renaissance Faire fifty-five days after he had proposed—cloves and earthy musk was all Wyatt smelled almost two months later ten years ago when he kissed Colton during their engagement photos, but today the air laden with the once comforting smell that reminded Wyatt so much of Colton now disquieted him. Everything felt unfamiliar, as if their home had overnight ceased being their sanctuary.
“I just want a moment to myself. You’re always here whenever I come home. I didn’t want to get married. You pressured me into getting married.” Colton had said that to Wyatt out of the blue. It was uncharacteristic of the man he loved to talk that way. It was even more uncharacteristic of him to lie. Of course, Wyatt was always there whenever Colton came home. It had been that way since he and Colton moved in with each other a year after they started dating. Colton had always been so eager to rush home to spend time together. Wyatt thought back to when Colton had asked him to get married. Wyatt had wanted to propose to Colton, but Colton insisted on being the one to propose. He remembered when Colton had planned their trip to Lake George. Wyatt had said half-jokingly “Oh swoon. I bet you’re going to propose to me there”, fully expecting Colton to flirt back. Colton responded seriously “How did you know? It was supposed to be a surprise.” Wyatt hadn’t known until Colton had said that.
He thought about that trip to Lake George. As he was closing the lid on a now filled moving bin, Wyatt was glad to have unwittingly ruined the surprise because Colton ended up proposing a month and half sooner in the most perfectly romantic way. Wyatt looked around at the bins waiting to be filled with the clothes and books scattered all over the living room, felt overwhelmed, sat down on the couch, and cried. He tried stifling the tears, but the more he tried to stop crying, the worse he felt until all his confusion gave way to heartache, and he allowed himself to sob freely with his head in his hands.
Wyatt didn’t even remember falling asleep as he stubbed a toe on a moving bin in the dark before he turned on the light. He silently thanked his body and mind and even the sobs for the much-needed unplanned nap. With some emotional fog dissipated, he focused on…