KILL ME HEAL ME

Chapter 20

It took Great a full week to come to terms with everything. He spent most of the time at home, sorting through his thoughts and accepting the reality of his situation. He knew Tyme was by his side; he wasn't alone in this.

One evening, as he sat on the couch, he remembered a conversation he'd had with Tyme one night when he'd stayed over. He'd asked Tyme how many kids he wanted, and Tyme had been too shy to answer. Great chuckled to himself, recalling how Tyme had mentioned his grandma wanting grandkids someday. Now, it was happening-though unplanned, it felt strangely exciting.

Thinking it over, Great realized he hadn't even told his friend he was in a relationship. He decided it was time to tell his friend, Title. Rather than meeting up-since Title would probably suggest drinks, which didn't feel right at the moment-he chose to text him instead. They hadn't really caught up since that party Title had thrown a while back.

He texted, "Hey," and got an immediate response:

"Wait, you're still alive? Who would've guessed."

Great laughed, shaking his head. "Very funny, Tle. How've you been?"

"Same old, same old. I should be asking you, though. You've been mysterious lately. Are you already getting married to that dude?"

Great blinked, taken aback. How did Title know about Tyme?

"What dude?" he replied, trying to play it cool.

"Don't pretend now. I saw how you were all over him at the party-you even made out in front of my poor, innocent eyes."

"Oh." Great didn't quite know how to respond.

"So, are you getting married? Should I get a suit ready?"

"No, no, nothing like that. I actually just wanted to tell you about him, but I guess you already know."

"Nothing gets past me, you know."

The two continued catching up, chatting easily. Great didn't bring up the pregnancy, but he mentioned that Tyme was an enigma. Title was surprised at first, but only for a moment-he quickly brushed it off with a supportive "Do your thing."

The conversation left Great smiling, feeling a bit more at ease.

The next day, a quiet Sunday, Great finally felt ready to talk to Tyme. He missed him-this past week had been the longest they'd been apart since they started dating. Although they hadn't talked much, Tyme had sent him regular messages asking if he was okay, and Great would respond with brief replies. Tyme had even passed along his grandma's warm regards, saying she missed him too and couldn't wait to see him again.

After finishing breakfast, Great picked up his phone and sent Tyme a message: "Can we meet up?"

The reply came quickly: "Of course, on my way." Great smiled, imagining Tyme probably dropping everything to rush over. He couldn't wait to see him.

When Tyme arrived, he immediately pulled Great into a warm embrace. Great buried his head in Tyme's neck, feeling an overwhelming sense of comfort. He had missed this-missed him-and, for a moment, he felt a surge of emotion that almost brought him to tears, though he held it back.

"God, I missed you," Tyme murmured, gently running his fingers through Great's hair.

Great smiled, his heart feeling lighter. "I missed you too." They held each other for a long moment, neither wanting to let go.

As they sat together on the couch, Great didn't let go of Tyme's hands. He absentmindedly played with Tyme's fingers as he spoke, his thoughts weighing heavy.

"I've had some time to think this week, and....I can say I'm ready. It was sudden, unplanned, but... it's still an exiting thing," he said, his gaze focused on their intertwined hands.

"What's done is done, right?" He looked up at Tyme. "We can only hope everything goes well."

Tyme pulled him into another embrace, holding him close. "We'll figure it out together, okay? One step at a time. We don't need to have everything figured out right now." He paused, letting his words settle. "I just need you to trust me when I say I'm here for you."

Great closed his eyes for a moment, letting Tyme's words sink in. He really didn't want to cry but Tyme was making it harder. "I'm scared," he admitted quietly, "but I want to try. I want to be here. For the baby. For us."

Tyme pulled away slightly to look him in the eye, his smile soft and filled with warmth. "We'll make it work. We'll try together."

Great felt a weight lifted off his shoulders. The path ahead was uncertain, and the challenges were many, but with Tyme by his side, he felt like maybe-just maybe-everything will be okay.

The two of them sat there in a quiet, reassuring silence for a while longer. Tyme kept his arm around Great, letting him lean into the warmth of his embrace. They didn't need to say much more right then; being there for each other was enough.

Eventually, Tyme spoke up softly. "I think... my grandma might be planning a whole celebration already." He chuckled

Great laughed, shaking his head. "I can't even imagine. She'll probably start planning the baby's college fund if she hasn't already."

They shared a laugh, and in that laughter, Great felt something settle in his heart, a little less fear.
"Thank you, Tyme, for everything," Great finally said after a moment of silence.

"If anything, I should be the one thanking you," Tyme replied with a smile. "If you hadn't come into my life, I'd probably still be on track to become the world's oldest bachelor."

Great laughed at Tyme's attempt at humor; he wasn't very good at it, but it was endearing.

Tyme leaned in, pressing a gentle kiss to his forehead. "So don't thank me. I love you, Great. We're in this together, now and always."