The Merger – 45

 

With things back the way they had been for Mike and Josh, they returned to their normal routines—running on Sundays, eating dinner together if a job didn't interfere, sleeping in the same bed almost every night.

Hell, we might as well be living together, Josh had thought more than once. It was an idea he'd considered broaching with Mike, except he wasn't certain how it would be received. That they were friends and lovers was one thing. Sharing one apartment or a house was quite something else.

By the beginning of October, Josh had come to a decision. He'd promised Mike—that Saturday in late August when Mike had thought he was going to break off their relationship—that it was the last time he'd ever keep anything from him. And here I am, doing it again.

So, on a cool, crisp Sunday morning, after they'd finished their run and were getting ready to leave the path along the canal, Josh said, "Since we have the afternoon free, let's go for a walk in the park while we still can, without having to bundle up because it's snowing."

Mike quirked an eyebrow. "I don't think we have to worry about that quite yet, but what the hell, why not? It's too beautiful out to spend time cooped up inside."

"Exactly! We'll shower and change then I'll pick you up and we can go to lunch first."

Mike eyed him speculatively then nodded. "That works."

They did as Josh had suggested, eating at one of their go-to restaurants. Josh kept the conversation light, once again teasing Mike that—despite the fact his running had improved considerably since they'd first met—Josh still won two out of three of their weekly races most of the time.

"Hey," Mike protested, "last week I tied with you—twice."

"True…last week. This week?" Josh grinned.

"So I was off my pace. New shoes."

"That's your story and you're sticking to it."

"You bet."

When they finished lunch, they walked hand-in-hand to a park three blocks from where they'd left Josh's car. As could be expected, being a Sunday afternoon, it was filled with families, dog-walkers, and other couples. Still, they found an isolated bench under a tall oak tree that shaded them from the sun.

When they were seated, Mike said, "Now will you tell me what's going on with you?"

"You can read me too well," Josh replied with a smile. "All right. Here's the thing. Have you ever calculated how much gas we use when one of us drives to the other's apartment?"

"I can't say that I have. Probably more than we'd like to think about when it comes down to it."

"Add to that what we spend with each of us driving separately to the canal to run or to meet up somewhere to go to a movie or wherever."

Mike's lips curled up in a knowing grin. "Are you going somewhere with this?"

"Well…yeah. It would save us a lot of money if we lived in the same place—not only in gas but rent and utilities and all that, don't you think?"

Tapping his fingers together, Mike seemed to ponder what Josh was saying. "I can see the advantages to it. There's another thing that would save us money—" he paused a beat, "—on taxes. We could get married."

Josh was certain his jaw must have hit the ground for a second before he snapped it shut. "You want to get married? To me?"

"You bet." Mike took Josh's hands in his, grinning. "I don't see anyone else around I want to propose to."

"Oh. My. God. And here I was thinking I'd have to convince you that living together would be a good move." Pulling his hands free, Josh wrapped his arms around Mike's neck. "Yes! Yes, I'll marry you!"

That led, of course, to them kissing—more than once—while Josh got used to the idea that Mike cared about him enough to take the final step in cementing their relationship. "I never said it," he said eventually. "I mean, the actual words. I love you."

"I sort of guessed that, since you accepted." Mike kissed him softly. "I love you, too. Very much."

Giddy with happiness, Josh replied, "Only very much?"

"Extremely much?" Mike wrinkled his nose. "I don't think that's right. Tremendously much? Exceedingly much? Ugh. Forget the much. I love you enough that the thought you might have said no scared the hell out of me."

"So you've been planning this?"

"Nope. Thought about it? Sure. But saying the words out loud was purely impulse. Otherwise, I'd have bought a ring and taken you to some fancy place to dinner then dropped on one knee in the middle of the restaurant to propose."

Josh chortled. "Thereby embarrassing the hell out of me to the point that I'd have had to say yes."

"Yep. This way, I know you meant it when you did."

"Heart and soul, I meant it."

They kissed again, deeply, before Mike asked, "Do we want an apartment, a condo, a house?"

"Umm. A house…with a yard."

Mike laughed. "I think a yard is a prerequisite for a house. Where?"

"Let's go back to my place and figure that out, after we celebrate the fact you're going to," Josh winked, "make an honest man out of me."