chandeliers of hope | tradley

hope it would change

24th December, 1984

Christmas Eve

Thompsett's house   

Christmas is known for being a joyful time of the year. Every heart is filled with hope, generosity and good wishes. Some like to say that hate is inexistent during this time of the year because of the friendly feelings going on.

Brad wished it was true. He wished from the bottom of his heart it was true. But he, more than anyone else around him, knew it wasn't that easy to extinguish hate.

Tonight we find our charismatic fella sitting on a quite comfortable chair at the ball room of the Thompsett's mansion. He glances around the room seeing who is there and who is not, already knowing the main guess list of every year. 

Avery Thompsett likes to show off his wealth and fortune during the holidays and every year invites his friends and business partners to a huge celebration at his house. Bradley has been going there for three years now and every time he finds himself at the same situation he is now. While everybody laughs and dances, he remains quiet at the table reserved for his family.

Most of the faces have become familiar within the years; there are always the same families invited plus no more than five new ones each year. Talking to them wasn't that difficult, after all they wouldn't want to talk with a teenager about the subjects that interested them, so it was a short conversation.

Many of the young folks that go to these parties find a way to sneak out the room to get something more interesting than wine or champagne. But not Bradley Simpson. The only thing that really did bring joy to him was now on the dance floor with a wide smile in his face dancing to a Muddy Waters' song with his mom.

Tristan Evans started talking with Bradley at that same party three yeas ago. The blond frequented that party way longer than the younger. His father was friends with Avery and worked at the administration of his company. Seeing the curly-haired boy sitting alone at the table didn't pleased him, after all a party like that was made to be enjoyed.

After dancing with his mom as he always did at those parties, Tris saw the boy sitting there once again. So he simply sat in a chair next to him and started talking. Bradley was a little shy in the beginning, but after a while he forgot the tall guy sat next to him was a complete stranger half an hour before.

They kept talking after the event. Sometimes they went to a club or a snack bar, but mostly they walked around the town and stopped to sit on a wooden bench of a square and watched people around them, talking about whatever topic popped up in their minds.

It was quite weird for both of them find out they were gay, after all it wasn't acceptable, but they were. They fancied each other and there were times when they accidentally (at least they said so) hold hands for a few moments before letting go with an embarassed grin.

The couple started dating during February this year. It wasn't easy to have moments as couple, after all they had to be alone for it. Pretend they were just friends in front of everyone was unconfortable, principally because of the fact they had to talk about girls and be "manly".

The fact of Tristan's blue eyes lightening up every time they land on Brad and the beautiful smile in the smaller boy's face every time the blond was around kept them strong to carry on with their relationship.

This night when the music ended, the taller didn't bother sitting beside him at the table. He hold his hand and guided him to outside the doors of the ball room and through the many corridors of the mansion before opening a door to a empty room.

Bradley glanced around before being pulled into Tris' arms for a thight hug. When he looked up in to those blues that smile was back in his lips. The younger hold the collar of Tristan's blazer as the taller cupped his face with one hand, rubbing his thumb on his cheek.

Their lips were together the next moment in a calm but passionate kiss.

Brad felt the urge to cry with the many thoughs that lately used to fill up his mind coming back. When he was alone he used to think about this whole crazy situation he put himself into. But it was christmas and people say during christmas you should hope for the best. So he hoped. They hoped.

Bradley, just as Tristan, hoped that one day people would just accept the love of a homosexual couple, that people could go out in public and hold each other or even kiss, that the words "fag" and "gay" weren't a bad thing, that society could understand that love shouldn't have barriers, that gays weren't afraid of being themselves, that they didn't had to hide from the world, that they weren't spanked or hated, that being gay it's just fine because gays aren't freaks, they are people like every straight person. They also hoped they would be alive to see it happening.

They knew their love was cursed, but they would fight for it till the day it wasn't possible anymore. The couple was happy being together and nothing anyone could say would change that.

Brad looked up when the kiss was over and saw a mistletoe. Tristan, who grinned, had brough him there to kiss under a mistletoe.

"Merry Christmas, love." The blond said with a wide smile.

The brown eyed boy smiled, but didn't answer. He was looking at the mistletoe hanging from the chandelier, thinking of how that little branch symbolized love during Christmas time.

Love for Bradley from now on was a synonym of hope and that small branch of mistletoe was a little chandelier of hope blooming upon their heads.