Chapter 20 I'm a Fiancé but...?
Jason
Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (or LGBT) rights in Sweden have been regarded as some of the most progressive in Europe and in the world, Jason read.
He felt since now he was engaged to a Prince from a country he hardly knew enough about, he might as well start now. He continued to read off the Wikipedia on his brand new cellphone, courtesy of the Queen herself. At first Jason treated the object like it was bomb ready to detonate at any moment, but his curiosity got the better of him.
It was addicting. Now Jason had a better understanding about all the fuss of online social media's that he couldn't stop himself from looking at. Caitlin had to help him out, to help him better understand the working of things called Apps. Jason was walking through the school hallways, his chin almost glued to his chest as he scanned the article.
Same-sex sexual activity was legalized in 1944 and the age of consent was equalized in 1972. Homosexuality was declassified as a mental illness in 1979. Sweden also became the first country in the world to allow transsexuals to change their legal gender post-sex reassignment surgery in 1972, whilst transvestism was declassified as an illness.
"Our country is really behind in the times," Jason mused too low for anyone to hear. He couldn't help but feel like he was becoming a part of an advanced species. Jason was fully aware the same-sex marriage was legalized through the states but that didn't mean the idiots that prowled the streets were kicked out of the country. As if anyone would take them.
Jason had to remember to look up what transvestism meant because he kept thinking Rocky Horror Picture Show. He kept on reading that transsexuality was declassified as a mental illness in 2008. That meant transsexuals could change their legal gender without hormone replacement therapy. Gender reassignment surgery was passed in 2013.
Same-sex could register for partner benefits in 1995 and same-sex marriage legalized countrywide in 2009. Discrimination on basis of sexual orientation, gender identity and expression was banned since 1987. Jason only felt more enlightened as he read while avoiding walking into people or inanimate objects. Sweden was recognized as one of the most socially liberal countries in the world. Recent polls indicated that a large majority of Swedes support LGBT rights.
Jason had to stop reading and acknowledge a greeting from a teacher Jason never had. A short blonde haired woman who taught English Literature. Any other day, he was sure this woman and he would co-exist without acknowledging each other. Since word got around fast, that meant Jason could hardly lay low anymore.
It had been two weeks and three days to be precise. Since that day when Jason somewhat accepted Caleb's dramatic proposal. For a fiancé, a man who was supposed to be engaged, Jason didn't feel like he was. In fact, Caleb suddenly seemed more withdrawn than normal. Jason halfway wondered if he should have confronted Caleb and demand an answer, or give him his space.
So for the past two weeks and three days, Jason still felt... like himself. Minus the fact that he had more people pulling him to the side to talk to him, and he could feel Lucas drifting from shadow to shadow in the background. Jason was considered to be like royalty. Not to surprisingly, there were a few Sophomores who bowed to him in the hallway just the other day. Jason resisted to show his humiliation after they laughed and walked out of his sight. He found himself looking straight ahead, wondering where Caleb would be, what he would have said, how he could have handled a situation like that, but there was no fiancé in sight. No one ever asked about the alleged proposal, not to his face at least and Jason never bothered to bring it up. Jason had mostly carried on like he always had.
Jason was thoroughly tired of wondering where he went wrong. He knew he knew needed to confront the problem and understood that there was no subtle way about it. Life otherwise went about as normal as normal for royalty as it could get. Nicklaus and Caitlin were shocked once Jason got back to tell them the news. Caitlin went silent, never a good sign, but Nicklaus appeared supportive of the ordeal. Jason avoided Caitlin's eyes and she did the same for the rest of that day.
It was later that week in the first day back to school, that Caitlin hugged Jason.
"I knew something was off about that guy but I wasn't expecting you to come back engaged." She said. "Don't get me wrong, I'm still angry with him but for a different reason this time. He didn't have to drag you down into his problems like that."
Jason could hug back, happy that he still had her as his best friend.
"None of this was his fault. I think it would have happened eventually." Nicklaus as usual, always had Jason's back.
"I wish you would have told me what was going on before this all happened." She went on, ignoring Nicklaus, but Jason knew better. She always listened to Nicklaus, just as he listened to her.
"Believe me, I wanted to." He found himself hugging her fiercely while her arms wrapped around him protectively in response. "I really did. But I had literally just found minutes before you did, at least, come into terms of accepting it. I actually thought it was one hell of a prank at first."
Later that day, Jasper continued to tease Jason like he always had but he wasn't as touchy feely. Jason tried to point out that he didn't mind, but Jasper sadly pointed out, "I feel like I'm losing you."
"You won't." Jason had a hard time keeping a straight face.
Jasper kept walking down the school hallway, his head hanging low as he turned a corner.
Karrishea was probably the only person that never changed towards Jason. It was always the same greetings of a hello and a goodbye. Jason could never tell if they could have been good friends or not. The girl was always reading. Today she was reading something from Kyra Cross. A boy pulling a shirt over his head wasn't hard to miss with title and name directly above it.
Jason's mom continued to leave encouraging notes but he couldn't miss what appeared to be tear drops on a note or two. He read them anyway and his mom found more time to be at home. Jason silently wished she wouldn't because it made him feel like his execution date was looming. Speaking of dates, there was no wedding day to speak of, let alone a ring.
The paparazzi were... insane. They were always just off the school grounds snapping pictures like their lives depended on it. Lucas, along with a few extra bodyguards were very good at their job, so Jason didn't have to worry about any of them getting too close. Jason also had a whole new wardrobe. He felt like he was dressed suitable for a private school. It was a different outfit for him every day. At least that gave the paparazzi less to talk about, but they were always there. Looking for a story that wasn't there.
Lucas suggested that Jason should ignore them, or it would make things worse. They kept shouting questions and Jason remembered to smile. Sometimes he greeted them a 'good morning', just to keep them at bay. They still made traveling hard for Jason. He couldn't ride his bike anymore, but at least he had a new book bag. It was leather and a bit stiff for his liking. Jason could tell it was going to be awhile before breaking it in.
Jason was wondering about this when it was time for gym. That would also mean... Caleb, his fiancé, would be there. Since gym class had carried on the way it had a couple weeks ago, Jason took his chance shortly after changing back into his normal clothes. Well, his gym uniform.
Then he spotted Caleb upstairs surrounded by people Jason didn't know very well, but that didn't stop him.
"Caleb a word?" Jason kept walking in a direction that would take them someplace private. Behind the bleachers across the gym over the boys old locker room. Jason could hear if anyone so much as tried eavesdropping since the area was bare, and the sound easily bounced anywhere. It was still quite a distance and maybe more than a little slightly unnecessary. They had to make a right to take a short staircase up and kept walking towards a wall.
There was a lot of unused equipment consisting of volleyball nets and other useless junk. A gate blocked off the rest of the portion. Sometimes a gym teacher would take a class there to play ping pong. Jason was awful at it. Like a knee jerk reaction, he found himself hitting the ball harder each time it came his way. The ball shot of control and hit more than a couple fellow classmates, from a couple of shoulders, to someone's head and to a gym teachers jaw.
Jason had to exit quietly, and never attempted ping pong again.
Caleb wordlessly followed. Jason tried not to feel bad judging by the way Caleb hung his head and followed. It was like they were turning into one of those kind of couples. The kind Jason never understood and dreaded being in. Jason had always been the observer.
There was no sign of Lucas, not that it mattered at the time.
Jason made an effort to plant his feet but could not meet Caleb's eyes. It seemed Caleb had the same problem.
"You know, you could always call this whole thing off. No one is making you do this." Jason said this making sure to plant his feet firmly in place, but his knees locked up.
"What's that supposed to mean?" For the first time, Jason saw anger glint in Caleb's eyes.
In turn, Jason felt the flame match up to Caleb's. "I mean exactly what I just said! I don't expect you to find me as your cup of tea. I highly doubted if you were into guys. That I would ever be your type!"
Caleb's jaws spread wide reminding Jason of a dragon. He almost took a step back.
Almost.
"And who are you to presume?"
"What's that supposed to mean?" Jason squawked back. He wasn't trying to use Caleb's own words against him.
Caleb was undeterred. "How would you know what I'm into and what I'm not into?"
Jason was now feeling perturbed. Had he assumed too much?
"How am I supposed to know? It's not like you tell me much."
"Then maybe you should have asked me!"
Their voices were starting to get too loud, soon, the class would able to hear despite the distance.
Jason laughed without humor. "Oh yeah? Is that any of that my business?" This time heavy with sarcasm as he bobbed his head from side to side, "Let's see now, yo Caleb, or should I say Trent, you into sucking-"
"No!" Jason could see that he was pushing Caleb more than a tad too close to the edge. He needed to stop, but all Jason could feel at that very moment, was how much he wanted to cry. What had he done to deserve getting a guy he started to fall for, resulting him falling into a position he clearly didn't want to be in? Did he ever have a choice in his life?
Caleb's face was red and puffy. His ears were bright red, like steam could shoot out at any moment. His chest was inaudibly heaving. Jason was about to apologize and split into another direction but Caleb must have caught on to that.
Jason wasn't sure if Caleb was about to hit him, but Jason wasn't going to allow that. He found himself ready, his fists and feet in a fighter's stance. Months of training with Nicklaus came to mind, and Jason was ready to put those skills to good use. Unfortunately, Caleb might have had the same training. Caleb ducked and weaved under Jason's attempts to block any blow that might come his way.
Caleb was furious, Jason could feel it radiating off his body in waves but that brought a different heat out of Jason. Before he realized it, Jason's arms wrapped around Caleb's neck and Caleb wrapped his own arms around Jason's lower back. Jason felt his whole body go numb and found himself no longer caring.
"Go ahead and hit me." Jason hated how easily he'd given up and how weak he sounded. His face angled upwards at the high ceiling. Weeks and months of training down the drain. For nothing.
"I'm not going to hit you Jason!"
Jason found himself bracing for the first blow anyway, even though this wasn't the proper position for a fight to take place. He let his feet give way, ready to take whatever came his way. He couldn't bring himself to hit Caleb, despite the fact that Caleb might hit him. Jason was tired of fighting, always fighting, always defending in one way or another.
Jason found himself gently being lifted and he had to squeeze his eyes shut. Heat was surging all around Jason from head to toe as his legs were pulled to wrap around Caleb's waist. He barely felt his butt hit a pile of mats against a gate, but he knew they crashed into it. The sound was loud enough to jostle Jason into opening his eyes again.
Jason found himself being held like a lover. The lights from above seemed to shine over Caleb's head making it look like had a halo. His glacial gaze burned with something else. Jason was on the brink of figuring it out when he whimpered, "What do you want from me?"
He kissed Jason to point he felt his knees start to wobble, even when sitting down. Caleb must have noticed because he pulled Jason closer to his body, his lips never relented. Jason found himself bending to Caleb's will despite how much he tried to fight it. By bending his will, he felt himself leaning back while Caleb held his arms around Jason for support. Caleb was leaning in, deepening the kiss beyond Jason's imagination.
It burned Jason from the inside out, in a good way. It was transformative.
"Don't you know what you're doing?" Jason managed to ask once he was able to get some air. Their faces were less than an inch apart making Jason's thoughts feel scattered all over the place.
"No." He leaned in for another kiss, which Jason responded to unwillingly.
Caleb lingered closer, his face shifting every time Jason shifted, but they were like magnets, inevitably drawn to each other. Jason didn't realize his breathing had hitched, and Caleb's was evenly matched.
"Mm." Jason felt the vibration as their lips briefly met again.
He went in for another.
And then another, their fingers intertwining.