Past, Present, and Future

Johnny came home from his errand and found Peter lying down on the couch taking a nap. He was surrounded by papers and his work laptop still open on his lap. Even though it was the weekend, he couldn't let one day go by without working on some aspect of Victor's case. Johnny smiled gently at his partner and carefully took the laptop out of Peter's hands and placed it on the coffee table. Then he took the throw blanket that was nearby and gingerly placed it over Peter.

Feeling the blanket cover him, Peter stirred a bit but settled quickly back into sleep. Johnny decided he could use some relaxation as well and went into the home theater to watch a movie. He also needed a distraction from his thoughts that were a mixture of nervousness and excitement. The plans he had put together for their evening had taken some planning and he just wanted everything to go smoothly.

The movie was half-way over when the door the theater opened and Peter walked in with a smile.

"When did you get home?," he asked.

Johnny gestured for Peter to sit down next to him after pausing the film. "About an hour ago," he answered. "You were dead to the world, so I figured I'd let you sleep."

"Thanks for that," Peter said, sitting down and giving Johnny a peck on the lips.

"Do you want to watch the rest of the movie with me?," Johnny asked. "It's that new action movie that got released a few weeks back with Keanu Steeves."

Peter shook his head, "I don't want to start in the middle of it. Besides, I still need to go shopping for tonight."

"I can come with you," Johnny suggested.

"That's okay. I want it to be a surprise. Since you won't tell me where we are going or what we are doing, I want to surprise you too in some way," Peter responded with a playful look in his eyes.

"You can't just let me have this one, huh?," Johnny teased.

Peter chuckled, "Nope. The least I can do is look good for my man." He started nuzzling Johnny's neck.

Johnny let out a long sigh and then moved Peter so that he was sitting in Johnny's lap. He kissed Peter, licking his bottom lip and then nibbling a bit on it. "Or we could just stay here and keep doing this," he breathed into Peter's ear.

Peter smiled, feeling butterflies tickling his heart. "Maybe just a little while," he acquiesced.

That afternoon, the little home theater ended up seeing some action in addition to what was on the screen. It was just on a milder scale.

Later, Peter went shopping and then went back to his place to get ready for their date. He was excited to see what surprises Johnny had in store this time. He loved how much thought Johnny always put into their dates as much as he loved the little moments just cuddling and watching TV.

Hearing a knock at his door, Peter went over to answer it. He knew it was Johnny since he had to buzz him in through the security gate. Taking a moment to breathe in and out before answering, Peter composed himself. "Why am I so nervous?," he thought to himself. Little did he know that the man standing on the other side of the door was feeling the same way and even more so.

When the door opened and Johnny first saw Peter, a big smile spread across his face and lit his usually stoic eyes. Peter was wearing a stunning dark purple suit with matching dress shoes and a black collared shirt. His hair was brushed to one side and there were literal sparkles in his raven eyes.

"You look amazing," Johnny remarked, holding out the white flower bouquet he had brought. The white snapdragons and white roses were delicately mixed in with green mini hydrangeas and various greeneries.

"That bouquet is even more amazing," Peter replied, taking the flowers and smelling them. "Come in. Let me get a vase." They kissed at the doorstep before Johnny went inside.

Peter smiled and said, "You don't look so bad yourself by the way," before heading over to a kitchen cupboard to select a vase.

Johnny was wearing a navy-blue suit with a dark grey collared shirt, which was unbuttoned to just under his collarbone. The undercut of his hair had grown out a bit but was still in direct contrast with the longer blonde hair on top, which was currently brushed to one side.

Once the flowers were taken care of, the couple headed out. At an intersection before getting on a freeway, Johnny handed Peter a blindfold and told him to put it on.

"Uhh, should I be scared?," Peter asked, warily, but with a smile that indicated he was up for the danger.

Johnny gave a low chuckle and replied, "I don't know. You can be the judge of that when we get there."

"Do I really have to wear this thing? It's a bit much, don't you think?," Peter held up the blindfold as if it was dirty underwear.

"It's part of the surprise. I don't want you to see where we are going," Johnny explained.

With a dramatic sigh, Peter put on the blindfold. About 10 minutes later, he asked, "Are we there yet?,"

Johnny shook his head and smiled even though Peter couldn't see him do so. "Not for a while, so relax."

Every 5 minutes or so, Peter would repeat the question, until finally Johnny said, "We have about 15 more minutes left to go so can you stop asking? Why don't we talk about something else to get your mind off of it?"

They proceeded to talk about random topics, jumping from one to the other easily, until they finally arrived at their destination.

Johnny parked the car and told Peter he would escort him out. When the door on Peter's side opened, he felt a cool breeze on his face.

"We're outside?," he asked.

"Yes, so watch your step," Johnny said instinctively before realizing what he'd said made no sense.

"Very funny," a still blind-folded Peter replied flatly.

Johnny led Peter by the elbow over to where he wanted him and then stopped. When he took the blind fold off, Peter squinted a bit before his eyes regained focus. He looked around at him in amazement, with his mouth wide open.

"Oh my God," he cried and placed a hand over his mouth. Johnny had taken him to the overlook where they had had their first kiss. The city lights shimmering below them were only matched by the dozens of candles flickering all around them. (They were electric candles, of course, since open fire was not allowed there.)

They were standing next to a table that had been set up with their dinner under silver plate covers to keep it warm. There was a small center piece made from the same flowers as the bouquet from earlier that evening.

Peter put his arms around Johnny and give him a kiss. "Thank you. This is unbelievable," he whispered.

Johnny kissed him back and then quietly said, "You're welcome. I wanted to make some more memories here."

Peter smiled, remembering their conversation about memories, which wasn't that long ago but felt like it was.

Once they were seated, he saw that even though they were out in the open, privacy had been created by using white curtains on some sort of frame that surrounded the area and blocked anyone driving by from seeing them. He motioned with his head at the curtains and said, "Nice touch."

"Thank you. I figured you wouldn't appreciate onlookers. I know I don't," Johnny replied.

"How did you manage to do all this?," Peter asked, motioning with his fork at the scene Johnny had created.

Johnny only smiled and when he didn't answer, Peter prodded with, "Ah, come on. I have to know."

Finally, Johnny answered, "I can't take all the credit, unfortunately. I had to ask some friends for help with the set-up part."

"Well, remind me to thank them later," Peter said.

They ate dinner, drank some wine, and conversed casually. Every time one of them would start talking about work, the other would remind them that it wasn't the time for that.

As they were finishing their meal, Johnny became quieter and quieter. It was obvious to Peter that something was on his partner's mind, so he finally asked, "What are you thinking so intently about?"

Johnny wiped his mouth with his napkin and then set it on the table. To Peter's surprise, he stood up and walked over to where Peter was sitting. He watched in curiosity as Johnny took a deep breath and let it out quickly. He put one hand on Peter's cheek and said, "This may be sudden, but please hear me out."

Then he took out a small jewelry box out of his jacket pocket and got on one knee in front of Peter. Johnny opened the box, revealing the white gold band it contained. It had three small square shaped diamonds that glittered in the candlelight.

Presenting the ring to Peter, Johnny began, "Peter, I never believed in soul mates, until I met you. Even saying that out loud sounds strange to my ears. I still don't know for sure if any of that's real, but what I do know is how I feel. Being with you makes me feel a contentment I haven't felt in quite a long time. I feel that we were meant to meet and that we are meant to spend our lives together. Would you do me the honor of becoming my husband? Will you marry me?"

Peter's eyes started welling up as soon as he saw the ring. Hearing Johnny's words only made them flow down in steady streams. He couldn't believe that this was happening, and he was sure Johnny could hear his heart pounding because it felt so loud to his ears. A million conflicting thoughts flashed through his mind at the speed of a bullet train. One thought cautioned that it was too soon while another was certain that love could not be constrained by such a triviality as time.

Seeing Johnny looking up at him with a face full of love and hope decided it for him. Peter wiped away the tears and placed his hands on Johnny's. He rose up from his seat, leading Johnny to stand up as well.

Taking a few deep breaths, Peter managed to respond to his partner's question with, "I'm so deeply touched by your words that I have none left myself,"

"Well, that would be a first," Johnny chuckled. Then he put one hand on the side of Peter's face and continued, "But there is just one word I'm hoping to hear tonight."

Peter looked at Johnny in surprise, "Didn't I already say yes?"

Johnny looked amused, "Maybe in your head? But not out loud to me."

Peter shook his head and laughed at himself, "Yes, of course, yes!" He gave Johnny a kiss and was rewarded with a tight embrace.

After a few moments of holding each other, they pulled apart and Johnny placed the ring on Peter's finger. Peter admired the ring as Johhny explained, "Oh I'm supposed to explain that the three diamonds represent out past, present, and future."

"Supposed to?," Peter inquired with a quizzical look on his face.

"Yes, the saleswoman said that the designer intended the diamonds to symbolize that," Johnny further explained.

"You're so funny," Peter laughed. He gave Johnny a quick peck before he continued, "But that's one of the many reasons I love you."

Johnny gave a lopsided smile, "It sounds very cringey when I say it, but it sounded good at the time."

"No, I love it," Peter quickly clarified. "I think it's sweet. But…wait up, how come you didn't get a ring for yourself?" he asked.

Shrugging, Johnny replied, "I don't know. I didn't think of it. I guess I could."

"No guessing needed," Peter cocked his head to one side. "Was there another one like this one we can go back and get?"

"I'm sure we can get one made. We can go tomorrow if you'd like," Johnny suggested.

Peter smiled, "Of course, I'd like that. I have to put a ring on your finger too. It's only fair. I want you to feel as happy as I do every time you look at it."

"I don't know if I'll ever feel as happy as I do in this moment," Johnny said.

"You just leave that up to me," Peter smiled and leaned up for a long kiss.