Colin stood in front of the kitchen counter, his khaki pants and
light blue button-down
starkly clean beneath the overly messy apron he was wearing. His
hands worked quickly,
cutting the last of the broccoli that was on the cutting board.
He'd been cooking most of the day, passing the time while Ryan
was working. The show
would be taping again in a few days, and Ryan was back at the
production office, meeting
with Drew and Dan, preparing for the coming season.
Now it was early evening, and Colin was expecting his lover home
shortly. He'd already
lit candles on the dining room table, and was nearly finishing
preparing the stir fry he'd
planned for dinner when he heard the door close in the hall.
"Hey, you expecting someone?" he heard Ryan call, a
hint of teasing in that soft baritone.
Colin rushed to the doorway to block his companion's entrance.
"Not for another half hour, I wasn't," he answered.
"You'll have to stay out of the kitchen."
Colin moved to intercept Ryan as he tried to peek around; it
wasn't hard with the height
advantage he had, and Colin had to be a little tricky.
He wrapped his arms around Ryan's waist, looking up into those
hazel eyes. The curiosity
fell behind the desire, and Ryan leaned down to place a soft kiss
on the older man's lips.
When they parted, he had produced a single pink rose from behind
him.
"Happy Valentine's Day," he chirped, smiling when Colin
took the flower from his hand
and admired it.
"It's beautiful," he whispered, "and it'll look
lovely on the dining room table." He turned to
take the gift into the kitchen and place it in water, and caught
Ryan following him.
"So, whatcha' cooking?" he asked, once again taking a
glance around. Colin waved his
hands, looking amusingly domestic in his apron.
"Shoo!" he scolded. "You'll see in a few
minutes." He pushed Ryan back out into the dining
room, watching and waiting until he was satisfied there would be
no more interruptions.
Thirty minutes later, Ryan sat at the dinner table, now clad in
blue jeans and an old T-shirt.
He'd taken a shower, and now quietly admired the white candles as
they cast a soft glow
onto the delicate rose petals and into the water of the glass
vase.
Colin slid out of the kitchen doorway, his apron gone and his
hands full with two plates.
He set one down in front of Ryan, quickly placing the other in
front of the empty chair
before dashing out of the room.
When he returned, soft music was playing. He poured two glasses
of red wine and took
a seat, watching intently as Ryan shook his head.
"You went through all this trouble for me?" he asked, a
sparkle of affection in his eyes.
"This was no trouble at all," Colin replied. "Now
making the cheesecake, that was trouble."
His face lit with a grin at Ryan's typical deer-in-the-headlights
statement.
"You made cheesecake?" he asked hopefully. Colin merely
nodded, suddenly feeling a
little too flattered, and blushed slightly.
"No, it was nothing, really," he added humbly. "I
just know how much you like it." His
small, shy smile made Ryan melt, and he had no other desire at
that moment than to reach
out and caress his partner's cheek. Colin always knew how to use
that look to his
advantage.
They remained there in companionable silence for a time, enjoying
the comfort of each
other's presence. Several minutes later, Ryan looked up to see
Colin staring at him, a
faraway statement in his eyes.
"What are you thinking?" he asked curiously, and Colin
shook his head, as though
coming out of a daze.
"Oh, I was just remembering our first Valentine's Day
together," he explained. Ryan
smiled knowingly. "We decided to meet at a small, out of the
way club outside of LA.
At the time, I couldn't imagine why you didn't want to just go to
our regular night spot."
"Yeah, I was pretty nervous, and I hoped a neutral location
would help me out a bit,"
Ryan remembered, a fond nostalgia in his voice. "But I was
still anxious as hell."
"You ordered us a couple of beers, then stared into your
glass for about ten minutes.
I couldn't read you that night, which made me nervous too."
Colin sipped his wine,
watching his lover's reactions carefully.
"I couldn't think of anything to say. I'd gotten you that
far, and now I thought I was
gonna blow it." He wrung his hands, not meeting Colin's
eyes. "And then that song
came on."
"Yeah, I remember. It was 'Groovy Kind of Love,' the old
Mindbenders version I
used to hear at school dances. And you suddenly got up, and with
the strangest look,
held out your hand and asked me to dance."
"I guess I thought it would say what I didn't have the nerve
to," he confessed, looking up
to meet Colin's intense gaze. He immediately felt more at ease.
"I loved you so much, I
couldn't imagine putting it into words."
"You didn't have to," he replied sincerely. "I
hadn't realized it myself until that night, but
I'd always felt the same way about you. But even after knowing
you for more than ten
years, I still hadn't really acknowledged it." Colin shook
his head. "I'm so glad you saw
what I'd been missing."
"So am I," Ryan answered, reaching a hand across the
table. Colin covered it with his
own, caressing the palm with his thumb. "I guess we should
toast to fate for that one."
His smile was met equally by Colin, who grabbed his glass and
lifted it.
"All right then, to fate." They clinked glasses, each
finishing their wine, and were about
to get up with the dishes, when a familiar song came over the
radio.
"When I'm feeling blue,
All I have to do is take a look at you,
Then I'm not so blue..."
It was the newer version, Phil Collins, and the smoother tone
mirrored the more
relaxed feel of the evening. It was almost as if the melody had
matured to meet the
mood.
Ryan closed his eyes, matching intent with action, and stood,
holding out his hand. With
a shy look not unlike the one he had a few years before, Colin
took the offer, standing
and following as Ryan led him to an empty area of floor. Grasping
Colin's right hand in
his left, he reached around and pulled his partner close.
Colin wrapped his left arm around Ryan's waist, resting his hand
over the rear pocket
of those tight jeans, and leaning into the warmth of Ryan's
chest. He laid his head in the
crook of his lover's neck, sighing with pure contentment.
Ryan leaned his cheek against the side of Colin's head, closing
his eyes and swaying
lightly with the music. He felt that first night come back to
him, and a momentary nervous
flutter tickled his stomach. He tightened his hold just slightly,
grateful to have that moment
back again.
When the song faded away, they stopped, Ryan pulling back to look
deep into Colin's
eyes. He was met with the same passionate look he remembered
before; the one that
had drove him to kiss his friend for the first time. That look
still had the same effect on
him now.
Without a moment's hesitation, he cupped Colin's face in his
hands and leaned in to
brush his lips with a light kiss. The moment was chaste at first,
as though it was the first
time all over again, but what started out as soft became suddenly
consuming.
Colin wrapped his arms around Ryan, running his hands along the
taller man's back.
He could feel the pure affection in those lingering kisses, and
the taste made his head
swim. When they finally pulled away, what may have been hours
later for all they
cared, they quickly read each other's expressions.
"You go make the bed," Colin whispered, a devilish
smile tugging at his lips, "and I'll
get the cheesecake."
Ryan nodded, running a finger down Colin's jaw line. As he went
to the bedroom,
he mused at his good fortune.
"My two favorite dishes, and tonight, they're both in
bed."
END
****************
When I'm feeling blue,
All I have to do
Is take a look at you,
Then I'm not so blue.
When you're close to me,
I can feel your heartbeat,
I can hear you breathing in my ear.
Wouldn't you agree,
Baby you and me got a groovy kind of love.
Anytime you want to,
You can turn me on to
Anything you want to,
Anytime at all.
When I kiss your lips,
Ooo I start to shiver,
Can't control the quivering inside.
Wouldn't you agree,
Baby you and me got a groovy kind of love.
When I'm feeling blue,
All I have to do
Is take a look at you,
Then I'm not so blue.
When I'm in your arms,
Nothing seems to matter,
My whole world could shatter
I don't care...
Wouldn't you agree,
Baby you and me got a groovy kind of love.
We've got a groovy kind of love...