WILLIAM RILLER knew that watching his boyfriend stuff mini cakes down his throat shouldn't have became the highlight of his life, but he felt like it was.
Every day after work, William drove to this bakery to pick up his beloved boyfriend and every day he went, he always stayed there much longer than needed.
The bakery was called "Golden Ridges", and William thought that the name of the bakery fit the place very well.
The minute William and Orion stepped into the gold-plated bakery, with a dark, and glimmery theme, William knew it was the perfect place for his lover. Other than the unique design, the second thing that stood out to him was how Orion's eyes shone, and his smile stretched when he went up to talk to the manager. And, the third thing that stood out to William, was how the pink-haired managerâwho they would soon learn was named Rolaâsmiled back at them.
It was a rather small bakery, but William knew that Orion would find a community there. Everyone was just so friendly and expressive, something William knew Orion had desired.
When Orion had been hired, neither Rola nor any of her staff judged Orion for his disadvantage in the social arena. He was still learning how to be "human", and although people often looked at Orion weirdly for his inane wonder and excitement, the Golden Ridges staff accepted Orion just as he was.
William's thoughts dissipated as Carlosâ Orion's closest friend and coworker, spoke to him.
"William, do you want some cake too? We have some leftovers and I don't want Orion to puke puppies and rainbows after eating them all by himself. "
Orion cringed. "Why would I puke rainbows? Or puppies? I don't eat puppies..", Orion looked at his friend skeptically, "Do you?"
Carlos feigned confusion, and William could detect the hint of mischief sparkling in his eyes.
"Most people do, out here in Seattle." Carlos shrugged, devoid of enthusiasm, "William never told you?"
Orion turned to his lover ready to freak out, and William shushed Carlos. After a life of listening to people's raw truths while wish-granting, Orion had moments when he displayed naivety, equating telling the truth with normalcy.
"Carl, stop playing with him," he chuckled and turned toward his boyfriend. "He's joking, sweetheart. Don't worry, I know how much you love puppies."
Orion nodded vigorously. He was still trying to convince William to get one.
Although Carlos could be annoying, one of the things William liked about him the most was that he treated Orion like a normal guy. He never asked questions as to why Orion seemed to be inexperienced in life or misunderstood common jokes or metaphors, because he seemed to not care too much about where Orion had been. Carlos lived in the present, and William knew that was the type of friend Orion needed in his life.
Most of the time. Sometimes, the antics that Carlos and Orion got up to were questionable.
"Anyway," William continued. "I'll take some cake. Are you still coming over tonight?"
Carlos sighed. "I would," he drawled, glaring in Rola's direction, "but someone won't let me leave before closing."
Orion winced, knowing exactly what was to come.
"I heard that, you brat!", Rola said from the storage room. "If you want to leave before your shift ends for the third time this week, you can. Just make sure you don't come back tomorrow."
Carlos stopped slouching and smiled at the couple. He wasn't ready to live on the streets of this city. "I mean," he said rather loudly, "I can't come over because I am extremely dedicated to this job, and have to help Rola out with closing!"
When Carlos heard no response from Rola in the storage room, he sighed in relief. He would get to keep his job and save up for another tattoo.
Carlos and Orion began their conversation again, and William observed. Orion used his hands while talking to convey his excitement, and Carlos nodded enthusiastically to ensure the excitement was returned.
William shook his head amusedly. Their friendship was a pleasant sight. Orion learned a lot from Carlos, even things that William couldn't teach because of his absence of a social life. Orion learned how to be the social butterfly he was destined to be whenever he was around the taller man. At this point, the only thing Orion hadn't adapted from the large man doused in tattoos and piercings, was his sarcasm.
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William smoothed his hands through Orion's hair. "And then what happened?"
Orion laughed, which caused jovial feelings to erupt within William's chest.
"I secretly gave the girl two apple strudels! Carlos told me that was stealing, but I just felt so bad for her! She said she only had enough money to buy one for herself, and not enough for Ralphie!"
"Who the hell is Ralphie?"
"Oh... I thought it was her little brother, but when she came back inside to say thank you, I realized Ralphie was her pomeranian.."
William giggled at that, and Orion ruffled his hair. William wasn't sure if Pomeranians could eat apple strudels, but he knew that Orion just wanted to help. "Don't worry, It's the thought that counts, love.... Buut, Carlos is right. You should have just bought one for her yourself instead of giving it away for free."
"I don't have any money."
"What?" William said incredulously, "Where did it all go?"
"Oh, I'm going to get tattoos next week. I booked an appointment already and paid in advance! It was a lot of money though, since the guy said it would be numerous sessions.."
William choked on his saliva. He knew that Orion had to stop spending his money like it was cash in Monopoly, but also didn't want to discourage his boyfriend from getting tattoos.
Besides that, all he could think about was how handsome Orion would look with a sleeve tattoo... and the fact that Orion would probably cry.
"That's nice baby. Just make sure you start small..a big tattoo will really hurt."
"Carlos told me it wouldn't hurt at all?"
William groaned. Carlos was such an idiot. "Carlos has tattoos all over his body, honey. That man wouldn't feel a thing, even if you kicked him in the nuts."
Orion hummed. "So I should change the appointment?"
"Probably.... maybe just get a small tattoo first and see how you like it."
Orion bobbed his head in agreement and muttered something about having to use the bathroom. As Orion descended off the bed and went to empty his bladder, William sat up against the headboard.
It was astonishing for him to think about how far he and Orion had come. It had been a little over a year since they had been dating, and it had been the happiest year William ever had.
William loved him.
He loved him so much that the gravity of his love was hard to put into words. Any love he had ever felt before was minuscule compared to what he felt for Orion. William now knew that true love was love that had you feeling alive, not dormant.
It was the kind of love that burns you up on the inside, but has you feeling prickly warm on the surface of your skin. It was more real than any other form of love. It wasn't just his mind that loved his boyfriend. His hands gravitated towards Orion at any moment they could. His mouth spoke of Orion whenever it was allowed to do so. His eyes followed Orion's movements whenever Orion was in his presence. Every part of William that made him who he was loved Orion, and that had to do with the raw feelings for him in his soul.
Of course, the man still felt anxiety once in a while. Fear, that Orion would stop loving him. Worry, that he wasn't loving Orion enough.
But all of these thoughts were simply just thoughts, which William had come to understand. These thoughts tended to be a permanent part of his life, so both William and Orion worked around it.
William felt like there was only one problem in his life left to solve. Somehow, he achieved a job with Nasa, and his boyfriend had gotten a job at a bakery. He started doing therapy to resolve experiences from the past that hindered his feelings in the present day, and Orion was learning to become more socially adept.
The only problem left to solve was the one that sat in a small box, hidden at the bottom of his drawer.
William knew that to solve it, he had to take the circular piece of metal out of its confinement and place it on his boyfriend's finger.
And, he planned to.