Chanthony - Losing You

Part Twelve: The End

THURSDAY, 9:12 AM (6 WEEKS AND 3 DAYS LATER)

The season hadn't turned. It was still a warm California summer, even though more than a month had passed. Most things remained the same, actually. The sun still spilled through their window in the morning. Their room was still messy, and they woke up in the same house with the same people, had the same mindless fun, got the same income, ate the same food, went to the same gym. Chance's foot was pretty much healed. They still did everything together. Everything was the same, except they were no longer in California.

They weren't in Ohio, either. They were waking up in a private resort in Mexico, a semi-spontaneous trip, a fantastic one, too. One filled with beaches and being alone and cocktails; a trip free of others, just for them. A trip that tasted like the future, and the future tasted amazing.

Tony was asleep; Chance laid next to him, staring at his face, not wanting to break his sleep but wishing he'd wake up. In his mind, he rewrote his vows over and over, because even after a week, the corniness of the situation had not worn off. While Tony slept, Chance whispered them aloud. He didn't want to say it them front of anyone else, so he hadn't. But now he could say them every day to Tony.

Jake had come back ten days earlier, much more relaxed, flitting in and out of the house; they'd spent some time with him, time that felt much more akin to the friendship they'd had in Ohio: comfortable, safe.

Everything felt comfortable, safe. Their days and nights spilled over with happiness. It felt like their friendship was being reborn in a new light; their love grew out of control and unmaintained. Words were exchanged more honestly than they'd ever been before, from both sides, leading to the usually-silent Tony saying things that led Chance into a goofy euphoria, like "I'm the happiest I've been in my whole life" or using the word boyfriend to describe him- not to others, of course. Team 10 didn't know. They had no intentions of letting them know, either, not yet. They didn't have to act any differently regardless. They'd kissed in the kitchen and absolutely no one had noticed or cared.

Mornings were the best, waking up gently and slowly and all tangled up. A week earlier, the morning had felt cozy, well-lit, alone in a personal heaven.

"What do you feel like doing today, Toner?" Chance had said quietly, too close to his face to be loud.

"I want to get married," Tony had said sleepily, stroking Chance's hair.

"Okay," Chance had replied. "Let's do that, then."

So unknown to anyone else, they'd gotten the papers, called the officiant; by 8 pm that night, they were married. It was dumb. It was spontaneous. Neither of them bothered to attempt to justify it. By all means and ends, this was one of the dumber things they'd done. Their families didn't know, their friends didn't know, and yet they wanted this golden bubble to last forever, and they felt like it would, if they got married then. And as Chance stared at Tony's face, reflecting, he decided that the golden bubble would, indeed, last forever. Just because they knew each other so well. Just because they loved each other so honestly. There was nothing that forced them to be with each other, just that they wanted to be. I want to be with you forever, Chance had thought so fiercely over the years, and now they were going to be. They were going to be. He let himself sink into the bed at the thought, physically reacting to the joy of it.

"What do you want to do now?" Chance had asked after the post-wedding sex. They'd gotten married in Cavs jerseys and tuxedo pants and Yeezys. They both had been dressed terribly. That was okay. It was theirs, not anyone else's.

"I don't know," Tony whispered. "I want to go somewhere. I feel like flying."

So Chance grabbed his laptop and by the next afternoon, they were honeymooning in the Riviera Maya. A real honeymoon. Not Cleveland. It was expensive, but that didn't matter. They had enough. They'd make more money later. They were free. Maybe someday, they'd do another one, in a place they dreamed of going, after a real wedding with rings and an aisle and their families and friends there. But this also felt real enough, with the breeze in the air, with the world at their feet. This is ours.

They didn't know what the future held. They didn't know, and they didn't care. They'd never had to. They always had known one simple thing, ever since they were teenagers: they wanted to do anything, and do it together. So they were.

"All that matters is us," Chance mumbled, looking at Tony.

"God, you're so cheesy, dude," Tony replied, eyes closed.

"Have you been listening the whole time?" Chance asked loudly, bashfully.

"Why, what else have you said?" Tony said, pulling him closer, wrapping his arms around him. The wind fluttered against the white curtains. Chance inhaled it like he was inhaling love, but he already had so much he felt like he could burst.

All that mattered was them and the world, posing a grand spectacle for them to watch. They loved every part of it. They loved their families and their homes, those in Ohio and those in California. They loved their roots. They loved the music, the laughter, the noise, the merch, the donuts, the paintball, the stupidity, the fun, everything that made them who they were. They loved themselves, they loved each other.

My lucky number is two as well. I didn't know we had the same one.

Two people, two hearts; that was all that mattered. They burst into stars, they rocketed into space. Maybe one day they'd leave L.A., or maybe they'd stay forever. Maybe they'd adopt new careers, or move out of the house. Maybe their lives would change. Maybe they'd lose all their money. Maybe they'd keep their wealth. None of it mattered.

They knew what it meant to be together. They knew what it meant to be loved.