The Reformed

James chuckled a little. “No, don’t,” he grinned. “It does, right?” He asked. “Oh yeah. We need to look at the places we were offered to go. I don’t want to miss out on taking a honeymoon just because I’m busy. I’ll be able to get the time off  work.” James didn’t remember the list of places they could go, but he did know they were all romantic locations. “Yeah, barbecue. My dad grills, but mom preps all the food. Dad is pretty useless in the kitchen, but he tries. Mom would grill, but she doesn’t want to get that close to fire,” he explained. “We can absolutely be ourselves. We can even think of the barbecue as a second reception. I’m sure they’ll put on music, and we can dance and have fun,” he grinned. “I love cuddling with you. You’re always nice and warm. It’s so nice.” It was one of the many things he liked about his husband. 

Kalani barked a laugh at James’s response but settled down soon enough. “Yeah. Let me take a look at the app and see because I don’t remember,” he admitted, shifting in his seat to pull his phone out from his back pocket. “Let’s see... We can go to Hawaii, The Dominican, Greece, Italy or Mexico.” He looked to James to gauge his reaction to their options and then said, “I kinda feel like we could eliminate Hawaii. I wanna go there with you sometime to visit family but all these other places are out of the country and would probably cost more for us to go on our own. Since they’re covering it, I say we go for one of those.” He knew James’s schedule wasn’t as flexible as his own; he had a far more important and demanding job than Kalani did. Whenever it would work out for him, Kalani would make it work for his own schedule. He smiled a bit hearing about his in-laws. “So you learned to cook from your mom, or did you mostly learn on your own?” He thought back to their first date and how they had done their own version of Chopped with a fondness. At the mention of them getting to approach the barbecue like a second reception, Kalani smiled all over again. “I like the sound of all that.” His smile turned a bit prideful at James’s next comment. “I’ve always run hot for some reason. And I’m happy to share that heat with you and steal some kisses while I’m at it.”

“That was very cheesy and sweet,” he grinned. James was glad his husband felt that way though. It would make the weekend easier if he didn’t have to spend a ton of time and effort trying to entertain. He was hoping to relax at least a little bit. James grinned and glanced over when Kalani kissed his knuckles. “Me, too. It’s going to be nice and relaxing. My family doesn’t really plan much. I know they’re doing a barbeque tomorrow with some extended family and friends. So you’ll get to meet people who weren’t able to make it to the wedding. Though nobody who would say anything because we’re married. My parents aren’t friends with homophobic assholes.” Just because it was a smaller town didn’t mean his parents tolerated that. “I figure we can go to the store and get flowers, head over to my parents’ house for a bit, then check into the hotel. We don’t have to stay super long at their house if you’re exhausted. I know long drives make me pretty tired.”

“Cheesy and sweet? Well now I have to change my opinion,” Kalani joked with a playful huff added. He soon threw a lop-sided smile James’s way and then looked out through the windshield at the road ahead of them. “Nice and relaxing sounds perfect. And speaking of those two things, we’ll have to figure out where we’re gonna go on the honeymoon Matched is offering us.” Thoughts about a honeymoon were quickly and momentarily forgotten however at the mention of a barbecue. “Well now I’m really excited. A barbecue? Hell yeah. Plus we’ll get to be ourselves which is always great.” He’d had an ex where that wasn’t the case. And there had been an incident that ended with Kalani having knocked said ex’s cousin out cold. But that was a story for another day--a day where he wasn’t on his way to formally meet and spend time with his new husband’s family. “Sounds good to me. I'm not all that tired but it’ll be nice to stretch my legs and get my cuddle on with you while you sleep.”

“Hopefully the town doesn’t bore you too much,” he grinned. He knew it wasn’t vibrant like the city was, but it was still home to James. “True. You have to say hello to so many people that you don’t have much time to talk to one person at a time.” It definitely felt rushed, but he was grateful they had the wedding they did have. “The rules there aren’t too strict. And I think that’s a dad thing - unless they’re the ones with the peculiarities.” He grinned a little when Kalani suggested they get flowers on the way to his parents’ house. “Oh, my mom would love that! The flowers that is. She won’t mind the swearing. She has a bit of a potty mouth herself,” he grinned. “I appreciate you coming with me, you know. A lot. This is going to be a nice, long weekend.”

“I don’t think it will. Besides, I’ll be there with you, so I don’t see myself getting bored.” He threw a smile in James’s direction; it didn’t seem likely that he wouldn’t enjoy some time away from the bigger city for a little while. Plus he could tell that getting to really meet and spend some time with the Mannings was important to James, and Kalani was actually looking forward to it, even with the bit of nervousness bubbling lightly inside of him. Talking about their wedding for a moment, James said exactly what he was thinking. He wouldn’t have changed a thing about their ceremony or the setup of their reception; the only thing that would have made that day even better than it was, would have been if they had a chance to really talk with others. He was glad that James liked the idea of getting flowers before they reached their parent’s house, and he laughed a bit, knowing his mom swore quite a bit too. That bit of knowledge did help him relax because Kalani wasn’t the best at censoring himself in that way. He reached for one of James’s hands and brought his husband’s knuckles to his lips. “I’m glad to be here. And to be taking this weekend away with you.” And after dropping a kiss to James’s knuckles, Kalani asked, “Is your family big on planning things for visits like this, or is it more lax, go with the flow in the Manning home?”

James laughed at the way Kalani sang along to “Living on a Prayer” and his air guitar playing was second to none. He couldn’t help chuckling and looking over every so often. It made him like his husband even more that he could mess around like that.

“They’re not the most fun stomping grounds, but I’ll show you all the same,” he grinned. “I know. Looking back at our wedding, not that it was very long ago, but we didn’t really have time to do much socializing. This will be good.” He reached over and grabbed a few pieces from the Chex Mix. “Oh god, no. Nothing like that. Definitely no bowing. Though they will have you take off your shoes. My mom is very particular about that. We’ll have to put the shoes on the shoe rack so they’re not in the middle of the entryway. That drives my mom nuts,” he rolled his eyes a little. “But other than that, you don’t have to worry about much. Um, use coasters on the wood table. Don’t leave cups sitting around after you’re done using it. Stuff like that. My parents’ house is tidy.”

Kalani just grinned at himself and his own entertainment tactics. And he was glad that James found it funny too. The two of them having a good, shared sense of humor was one of the reasons he was glad he and James had been matched. He liked road trips, even if he hadn’t taken too many of them in a while. Plus, a good playlist added to the fun of longer car rides and he thought he’d come up with a pretty decent one for them.

“Good. I wanna see what you’ve got to show me.” He’d meant that. He more than liked James already and just wanted to keep getting to know him in every way he was afforded. As his husband reached for snacks, Kalani tilted the bag in his direction while musing, “Yeah. Weddings are kinda weird like that when you’re the one that got married.” He listened, occasionally nodding and replied, “Got it,” as James rolled his eyes. He smirked a bit, hearing more about what his mother-in-law, and well, both of his parents-in-law were like. “That should be easy enough to remember. My mom’s like that--particular about some shit. My dad’s not but he pretends to be the same way whenever Mom’s around.” He chuckled at the thought and then abruptly stopped and groaned, “Dammit, I just thought about it... I probably should’ve brought something. Flowers or something. Think we can find a place to stop and get flowers before we get there? Also, I should probably lay off the swearing...”

Weekend Away || James & Kalani

James couldn’t say no when his parents asked him to come home for the weekend. If Kalani couldn’t get the time off work, he would have gone alone, but fortunately, Kalani was able to trade shifts with co-workers. The drive down wasn’t too bad. Only four and a half hours, which they could do on one tank of gas. And James offered to drive. He liked road trips and found them relaxing. Plus, he told Kalani he could be in charge of the music or audiobooks - whatever he wanted to listen to. Plus, he figured they would just chat for a bit. 

They were on the road, and he was driving in cruise control because he tended to go way above the speed limit during road trips. Between songs, he glanced over at his husband. “I’m really glad you are going to Medford with me. It’s no Portland, but it’s still a pretty cute place. I’ll have to show you where I went to school and hung out and stuff,” he grinned. “My parents and my sister are also looking forward to getting to know you better.”

Kalani sat in the passenger’s seat of James’s car, a bit reclined and relaxing. It had been a while since he’d been on a road trip and he was looking forward to getting to their destination. Along the way, Kalani had fiddled with a playlist on his phone to give them some music. He mildly entertained James with some playful falsetto singing to Bon Jovi’s “Living on a Prayer” and some air guitar and to Run DMC & Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way”.

When the music calmed down a bit, Kalani let his head fall back on the head rest; he looked to his husband when he spoke up and softly smiled. “Yeah, I wanna see your old stomping grounds--the whole Medford tour through your eyes.” Reaching into the snack-sized bag of Chex Mix in his lap, he then said, “I am too. I haven’t really seen them since the wedding and it was hard to be able to sit and talk with anyone for very long that night, but this’ll be great. Should I know anything before we get to your parents’ place? Taking my shoes off when I come in? Bowing, or curtsying to greet them?” At the bit of joking, he grinned but was genuinely interested in making a good impression while at his in-law’s home.

I don’t think you’d pass as my wife. Even if you cut off your beard. I prefer the word husband anyway.

Aww. I’m touched you don’t want me to change. Luckily I’m always gonna be your husband. Haha.

Yeah, I’m a lot better. I’m not a Zane-cicle. I’m not dead. I did not set the house on fire. Overall, I would say that I’m thriving. Plus I have a few gigs lined up that are gonna be cool. 

Well glory be that you’re not talking with me from the dead. Congrats on the gigs though. Are there any of them that you’re more excited about than the others?

It’s been exhausting. In a good way, but the two definitely wake each other up so I think that’s been the biggest challenge. But they’re adjusting to their schedule pretty decently. 

Yeah, I thought it would be. And there’s a lot of really cool programs out there, so he can pick the one he likes the best. And thanks, I really try to be. Especially since I had to do it myself with Sofia, so it’s been nice to have a partner in parenting. 

Aww I can imagine that that’s tough, having 2 that are waking each other up on a regular basis.

That’ll be exciting if he ends up wanting to do something like that. And it sounds like a positive adjustment there, not having to do things all yourself this time around, especially with double the diapers, haha. But your kids all sound lucky to have you in their lives.

You know it, babe.

If it helps, I could come with you to the gym and introduce myself as your wife sometime...

We do have names picked out, we decided to choose names that were important to us, and I think that they’re going to fit the twins pretty well. 

I still have to talk to Amber about this, but I’m thinking of signing him up for an engineering day camp so that he’ll still have some things similar to school and his interests. Plus he’s a social butterfly so he’ll be around kids all day which will be good for him. . 

My sister works with your wife’s doctor and told me you guys had your twins. Congratulations! How’s it been with newborns in the house?

Hey that’s cool. Sounds like it would be an all around win for him getting to learn and socialize, and you guys not having to think of ways to entertain him while being cooped up in the house all summer long. You guys sound like great parents.

Well OBVIOUSLY that soup’s going to be better, but we were in the middle of a BLIZZARD and can you imagine just like me all blanket burrito’ed up going in and getting soup? 

Actually don’t answer that, that’s sounds plausible. 

HA! I’m glad you said not to answer that because I was ready to. Anyway, now that the storm’s over, are you doing alright?

Scottish for myself actually, but we’re all just Celts and Picts in the end. I was born up in Inverness. Yeah, my brother decided it was about time I find someone, signed me right up for this. We shall see how it goes…

Oh, my bad. It’s funny, I haven’t heard about Inverness so much since my sister got into that show, Outlander. Wow, so you didn’t sign up yourself? Are you cool with that?

“Thanks for that,” they chuckled and grabbed a menu. “Yeah, Portland traffic sucks. People here don’t know how to drive. But it’s convenient for you that you ride a motorcycle and you can weave through it. Anyway, I’m so glad we were able to do this! I’ve been dying to try this place, and I’m pretty sure Aurora doesn’t like whiskey. Plus, it’s nice to be able to hang out with another person from the app.” Especially someone who doesn’t know my secret, they thought. “How have you been? Have things settled down for you since the snow melted?” they wondered.

“Yeah and it feels like it’s only getting worse over time,” Kalani sighed, knowing that Portland was steadily growing more populated. But he didn’t dwell on it in the moment and instead smiled a bit, “Yeah it’s nice to get out and chill. And I’m glad to finally get to check out this place.” He continued looking about their surroundings and the general atmosphere of the small bar--its “library”-esque setting and decor was something Kalani found admirable. But his eyes landed back on Maddie again. “I’ve been alright. I’m a lot better now that the cabin fever’s broken. I don’t like being forced to stay holed up in one place for too long, especially on my own. What about you? How are things going for you?”

I was at the gym today, and this lady was making heart eyes at me for like ten minutes. I was just trying to get some cardio in, and I showed her my left hand with the ring on it. Then she walked over to me and said “Your wife is a lucky woman.” I had to let her know she was barking up the wrong tree. Not even in the same forest.

Look at you, over there breaking hearts.

Shooting Whiskey || Maddie & Kalani

Maddie texted Kalani that they were on the way to the whiskey bar they both wanted to try, and they drove over there - hitting some traffic along the way. Maddie was really excited to be meeting a new friend for drinks, especially after things ended the way they did with Amber. They weren’t going to think about that though. They were just going to focus on making a new friend who they weren’t going to write about. When they heard about their wife meeting Amber while running errands, they felt more guilty. Maddie didn’t want to impact Aurora’s friendships. 

When they got to the restaurant and went inside, the host at the front told them that it was open seating, so Maddie looked around for Kalani. They spotted him sitting in a booth and sat down. “Hello! Looks like the first round is on me. I hope you didn’t have to wait too long. I hit some traffic on the way over.”

Kalani was just a short few blocks away from the Multnomah Whiskey Library when his bluetooth pinged from within his helmet where the text was read audibly to him. He didn’t text back until he’d parked his bike, at which point he told Maddie, “Just parked. I’ll find us a table. 😁” He got off of his motorcycle and pulled off his helmet, carrying it under his arm as he entered the bar. It wasn’t too crowded but there was definitely a buzz of chatter around the space. Kalani found a tall, circular bar table near the long, L-shaped bar, and then set his helmet off to the side. Peeling off his riding jacket, he made himself comfortable and then lifted a hand to wave when Maddie walked in, not too long after he did, or so it seemed.

“Hey,” he replied, softly smirking, “Yeah but don’t worry, I won’t stick you with the whole bill today. Traffic was...well.. you know, Portland traffic. But I tried weaving through as much of it as I could which honestly is probably why I got here first.”