He drops the box and fumbles to catch it before it hits the floor.
What the hell?
Scratch everything he thought this afternoon. Even if their relationship isn’t starting from scratch, theyjustgot back together. They were apart for five years, for fuck’s sake. How can Skyler expect him to be ready for marriage so soon?
Marriage.
Trevor’s already been married. And it was like a bad joke.
Sure, it’d be different with Skyler, because it would be so much more real. But that’s the scary part.
Marriage.
It’s crazy, right?
He’s still standing there, stunned, underwear in one hand, jewelry box in the other, when a distressed squeak alerts him to Skyler’s presence.
“That’s not what it looks like.”
“Um.” Trevor glances down at the box and back up at Skyler. “It looks like an engagement ring.”
“Right. Well. It is. But it’s not for you.”
Trevor’s eyebrows shoot up.
Skyler shakes his head frantically. “No, wait! I mean. It’s, er, it’s not for younow.”
“Uh.” Even though he was shocked by the ring in the first place, Trevor’s heart pangs, wondering what he could have done to make Skyler change his mind already.
“Hold on, I can explain,” Skyler says, looking distressed as he steps closer. “Could you put that down?” He juts his head toward the ring box, and Trevor reluctantly sets it on the dresser. “And can you please, um, not be naked? It’s distracting.”
Trevor forces a wry smile before slipping into his boxers. He gives Skyler anis this betterlook, but Skyler gives a tiny shake of his head. So he opens one of the bottom dresser drawers, a little weary of what else he might find, and takes out a pair of joggers to put on. Then for good measure—or possibly to stall a bit longer because he’s afraid of what he’s about to hear—he goes into the closet and grabs the first shirt he can reach, one of Skyler’s old music tees. Tugging it over his head, he steps back into the bedroom and then crosses his arms.
Skyler shifts his weight from foot to foot. “So I’ve had the ring for years.”
“Years?”
“Yeah.” Skyler tugs on the end of one of his curls. “I bought it back then, when we were together the first time.”
Trevor tightens his arms across his chest as if he can prevent his wild heart from beating right out of it. Because that’s…
That isnotwhat he expected to hear.
Their conversation in New York about the photoshopped wedding picture comes back to him.I wanted it to be true as much as they did.
Apparently, Skyler really meant that.
“But—uh,” he stammers, trying to make sense of this. “But we were so young.”
“So?” Skyler shrugs as if he didn’t just fundamentally alter Trevor’s view of the past. “I didn’t need to be any older to know it was you. It’s always been you.”
His heart flutters gently at those words. But he needs to sit down. He moves past Skyler and sinks onto the edge of the bed.
Years ago, Skyler had gone out and bought him an engagement ring. Skyler had wanted to marry him. Maybe it shouldn’t be as shocking as it is. They used to talk about their future together as if it was a done deal. But still.
Back then, before things got really bad, Trevor knew Skyler was the one. Believed they’d last forever. And he always assumedhe’dbe the one to proposewhen the time came. But he hadn’t bought a ring. He hadn’t even considered the possibility that the time could be then.
But Skyler had.
