Meh

Robert laughed.

The sound filled the suite effortlessly, warm, and heartfelt.

Finally giving up on pretending to read, he snapped the brochure shut and tossed it onto the wrinkled sheets beside them.

“SDN was generous with our honeymoon leave,” he said, reaching up to wind one of Chad's thick curls around his finger, “but not that generous.”

The dark curl bounced free when he released it.

“There’s no way we’ll have enough time to do everything before we go back.”

For the first time in several minutes, Chad pulled away.

Not far enough for Robert to stop feeling his warmth. Just enough to look properly into his eyes again.

The distance couldn't have been more than a few inches, but suddenly Robert found himself staring directly into those familiar amber eyes.

The same eyes he had watched walking toward him at the altar.

The same eyes that had gone glassy with tears during the vows.

The same eyes that now held such overwhelming softness that Robert immediately suspected he might actually pass out from emotional overload.

Chad smiled.

Not one of his usual teasing grins.

Not the mischievous expression that normally came before a pick-up line.

Just something small, affectionate, and incredibly sincere.

“We’ve got way more than those three weeks, Bob Bob.”

The nickname alone nearly made Robert groan. How could something he'd heard for years somehow sound even more attractive now?

Then Chad reached up and brushed a thumb across Robert’s cheek.

"We've got our whole lives now."

The words struck Robert directly in the chest with devastating precision.

Robert stared at him for one second. Two. Three.

It felt as though his brain had completely forgotten how language worked. How was he supposed to speak again? Or even react?

Because the truth was, the wedding had been days ago.

Days.

And somehow, the reality still hadn't fully settled in.

Every morning, he woke up and remembered.

Every time Chad smiled at him, he remembered.

Every time he looked at the ring on his hand, he remembered.

Whenever someone referred to Chad as his husband, he remembered.

And every single time, it felt brand new all over again.

The butterflies in his stomach hadn't gone away. If anything, they'd gotten worse.

His chest tightened with that ridiculous, overwhelming warmth that had been ambushing him since the ceremony. His eyes stung.

“Oh, come on baby,” Chad murmured weakly, his smile widening.

Robert could feel himself losing the battle. Again.

The heat that rushed into his face was immediate and impossible to hide.

“No.” Chad's grin widened into a soft laugh. “Don’t cry.”

Apparently, that was enough to break whatever spell had left Robert frozen.

“Shut up.”

Despite the tears gathering in his eyes, Robert pressed his palm against Chad’s forehead and pushed him back a few inches.

“I won’t. I've cried enough since the wedding. Just... don’t make me even more emotional...”

Chad laughed harder, his chest shaking warmly against Robert’s.

Robert immediately ruined the effect of the shove by grabbing Chad’s shoulders, pulling him right back into his space, and wrapping him in an embrace.

Chad settled against his husband's chest, still wearing that dreamy smile that hadn't left his face since hearing Robert say, "I do."

Robert covered his face with one hand, but he couldn't stop smiling anyway.

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

They simply lay there together, tangled up in each other, listening to the waves crashing beyond the balcony.

The curtains swayed in the breeze. Wind whistled through the open doors, making the wooden frames rattle softly.

Somewhere far below, distant music drifted up from the beach.

Chad reached over and gently took Robert’s left hand.

The wedding band caught the orange glow of the setting sun.

Both of them looked at it automatically.

Robert felt Chad’s thumb brush over the ring. In return, he planted a kiss to the top of his husband's head.

From the outside, it might have seemed simple. Ordinary.

But for them, that small gesture somehow carried the weight of everything that had happened, and everything still to come.

The years before. The wedding. The future. All of it.

Everything known, and everything waiting to be discovered.

When Chad looked up again, Robert was already watching him.

They kept looking at each other as though the other had become the most important thing in the world.

And, to Robert’s embarrassment, that almost made him cry again.

“So that's a yes?” Chad asked softly, pressing a kiss against Robert’s knuckle, right over the wedding band.

“A yes to what?” Robert asked, smiling back at the perfect sight before him.

“Doing everything.”

Robert rolled his eyes, laughing now. “You’re impossible.”

“So that's a yes.”

Robert glanced toward the abandoned brochure.

Toward the endless list of excursions.

Boat tours. Island hikes. Scuba lessons. Sunset cruises. Rock climbing. Museum visits. Cooking classes. Dance classes.

Dozens of experiences waiting for them beyond the hotel walls.

Robert considered it.

Then he looked back at Chad.

At the curls sticking out in every direction.

At the bright smile.

At the hand still holding his.

At his husband.

The word still felt unreal. Wonderful. But unreal.

Robert sighed dramatically. “Fine.”

Chad’s face lit up instantly. “Awesome. We can try.”

“Try?” Robert frowned.

“Yeah. We definitely aren't making it very far down that list.”

“Why not?”

Chad gestured vaguely at the bed.

At themselves.

At the fact that they'd barely managed to leave the room all day.

Robert followed the gesture.

Then looked back at Chad.

A slow smile spread across his face.

“Oh.”

“Yeah.” Chad grinned mischievously.

“Fair point.”

Robert lifted a hand and gently stroked the back of Chad’s neck.

For several seconds, they simply stared at each other.

Then both of them started laughing.

And somewhere beneath that lovely sound, beneath the teasing and warmth and the ridiculous butterflies still fluttering through Robert’s chest, there was the quiet certainty that Chad was right.

Three weeks wasn't the point.

They had time.