Homecoming (Lesbian)

CHAPTER 13

Faye and I went back home for good after graduation. We were twenty one. I got a job working for Mr. Burton, he needed help with the bigger things of the third floor he was building. On lunch time, we sat on the stairs while eating sandwiches and singing Can't help falling in love with you. Faye dedicated herself to her art, selling a few paintings here and there with friends or local galleries. She didn't make much out of it, but she enjoyed it. We started talking about marriage. Saving for a year to get the down payment for a nice little apartment downtown, a couple of dogs named Jack and Duke and, eventually, maybe even children. We had it all figured out, everything; except for one tiny little thing.

Life doesn't give a shit about what your plans are.

I remember we talked about how our wedding would be like while we were lying down on her bed one afternoon, with our eyes on the ceiling. She didn't want to wear the classic white dress. In her words...

"Traditions are stupid. I'll wear whatever the hell I want on my wedding."

I laughed "I thought you'd say something like that. And what am I wearing?"

"Whatever you want. If you want to wear a killer clown custom... I'm marrying someone else. But a part from that, pretty much anything you want."

I laughed "Alright, everything except killer clown customs. Got it. What if I wear a suit?"

"Oh! We should both wear suits. It would be awesome!"

"And who are we going to invite?"

"Well, the guys, of course."

"Of course."

"My parents, your parents... only if they wanna go."

"My mom would, she's being great. My dad... not sure. But Connor has to be there."

"Right. What are we going to do with our last names?"

"What do you mean?"

"Riley, I'm not taking your name. I'm sorry, those women who change their names... I don't understand them. I'm Faye Burton... I can't imagine being someone else."

"It's a sign of commitment to their partner," I commented.

"No, it isn't," Faye retorted "It's a stupid tradition. If it were, guys would change their names, too. Plus, a name is not what's going to make a couple more or less committed to one another."

I sighed "Guess you're right. What if I take your name?"

"Honey, you don't have to. We can just be Mrs. and Mrs. Brenan-Burton."

I repeated that sentence in my head. Mrs. and Mrs. Brenan-Burton. I would've had no problem changing my name to Faye's, but she's right, it's a stupid tradition, and if she doesn't like the white dress, the walking down the altar and the something new, something blue and something borrowed, she was probably not going to go for 'I'm giving up my family name.' So that was it. We had all figured out.

I kissed Faye and hugged her like she would be taken away from me. It's something I always did, I hugged her like it was the last time I'd hugged her. While she held me and I felt her breathing against mine, I was complete, happy, content. Life couldn't be better. I had everything I could want, and the few things I didn't, I would.

Or at least I thought I would.

That night, with Mr. Burton's help, we started looking for apartments; cheap, cozy places we could afford. We found a couple that had nice pictures on the web, and made a mental note to call them the next day.