Chapter Twenty-Seven

Will Contemplates His Future

Friday, February 10, 2023

Will ate his lunch, dividing his time between his sandwich and his book. He hadn't seen Becca for a few days, but he knew she was rehearsing for a performance the following week. Besides, when she wasn't dancing or studying, she was with Kristen.

Will was surprised by how much he missed having her around.

Get used to it. There's a wedding coming, remember? They've got a lot to do.

He knew it wasn't just Becca's absence fueling his present melancholy state.

He missed Aiden so much it hurt.

They'd promised to visit each other, but what with Aiden's job and his studies, those promises seemed to have been put on the back burner. Plus there was his application to do his master's.

That meant two more years in Minnesota.

Two more years away from Aiden.

Becca doesn't know how lucky she is, having Kristen so close by.

Yeah, Will was depressed as fuck.

His phone vibrated, and seeing Aiden's name lifted his spirits a little.

Can you talk?

He clicked Call. "You on your lunch break?"

"Yeah. Sorry to call during the day, but—"

"Don't you ever apologize for calling me," Will ground out. "You have no idea how happy you just made me. I mean it."

There was a pause. "I miss you too."

That sent warmth rushing through him. "It's Valentine's Day on Tuesday."

"I know. Our first Valentine's, and we're apart." Aiden sighed. "I know there'll be others, but still…"

Will knew that too. It didn't improve the situation, however.

"What are Becca and Kristen doing to celebrate?"

Will snorted. "How would I know? I don't see much of her these days. And if I did, I wouldn't ask."

"Why not?"

His sigh matched Aiden's. "I guess I'm too jealous."

"Poor baby."

Will chuckled. "I hope you're not in the teachers' lounge."

"God forbid. I'm in my classroom." There was a moment's hesitation before Aiden spoke. "Want me to make it better?"

"And how are you going to do that?"

"You leave that part to me. So, what excitement do you have planned for this evening? What is there to do in Minnesota on a Friday night?"

Will laughed. "Grab a pizza, a couple of beers, and watch a movie. If I can tear myself away from my books." He glanced at the clock on the cafeteria wall. "Damn. I have to go. Got a class."

"Yeah, but one more class is one step closer to your degree, think of it that way."

Will smiled. "I prefer to think of it in terms of one step closer to spending time with you after May thirteenth."

"Is that when you graduate?"

"Yeah. Then I get a couple of months before I climb back on the carousel."

"Go to your class. I'll call you tonight, okay?"

"I look forward to that." Will lowered his voice. "Make it a late video call, and I'll look forward to it even more."

"Hey, Will?"

"Yes?"

Aiden's deep, resonant voice filled his ears. "Love you."

He let out a sigh. "That was the best thing you could have said right now. Love you too." He hung up, then deposited his debris in the trash.

Another class.

Another weekend looming without Aiden.

For the first time Will was getting tired of student life. He wanted what Becca and Kristen shared—the best of both worlds.

What wouldn't I give for that?

Will glanced at his phone. Nine forty-five, and still no call from Aiden.

Maybe I should call him. I did say two-way traffic, right?

He'd also told Aiden to make it a late call, and apparently Aiden was following his instructions to the letter.

Then his phone burst into life, and Will grabbed it. "I was beginning to think you'd forgotten me."

"Since we've known each other our entire lives, it's not likely I'd forget about you. Well, not really our entire lives—it just feels that way."

Will sighed. "Oh, Becca."

Her gasp filled his ears. "What do you mean, ‘oh, Becca'?"

"Sorry. I thought it might be Aiden."

"Then I'm sorry to disappoint you. Listen—"

His phone buzzed and this time he checked the screen. "I have to go. It's him!" And without another word, he disconnected.

He'd make it up to her later.

"Hey."

"Hey yourself. How was the pizza?"

"It was good. I didn't finish it, though. But wasn't it you who said leftover pizza was the breakfast of champions?"

Aiden laughed. "Yeah, I did. Which toppings did you go for?"

Will snorted. "You really want to waste a phone call on pizza toppings?"

"Hey, I'm an interested party. I want to know what I'm having for breakfast."

For…

Will froze. "Where are you?"

"Freezing my ass off, waiting by the main door for you to let me in."

Will's brain was on a go slow. "You… you're downstairs?"

"Didn't I just say that? I checked I'm at the right building. But if you leave me out here much longer, something vital is gonna get frostbite and drop off, so it's in your best interests to get down here and let me the fuck in."

"On my way." Will hung up. He didn't bother putting on shoes, but grabbed his keys and ran out of the apartment, almost flying down the stairs. When he reached the lobby, his heart skipped a beat to see Aiden standing on the other side of the glass, a bag slung over one shoulder.

Thank you, God.

Will opened the door and virtually dragged Aiden through it. Cold lips met his, and Will squealed when Aiden slid an icy hand under the waistband of his jeans.

"How long have you been outside?"

"Uber dropped me off about ten minutes ago. I've been walking around since, looking for the building. This place is huge."

Will flung his arms around Aiden and kissed him, not caring who saw them. A ripple of applause brought a chuckle from Aiden.

"Maybe we should sell tickets," he muttered.

Will took his hand and led him toward the stairs.

"What happened to the guided tour? Don't I get to see where you live?"

"Yes—in the morning."

Aiden laughed. "Eager much?"

Will didn't reply, but tugged him along the hallway. "This is mine." He opened the door and they went inside. Once he'd locked and bolted it, Will didn't hesitate. He pushed Aiden against the wall and kissed him hard on the mouth, pinning Aiden there. Aiden looped his arms around Will's neck, his tongue going deep, both of them feeding each other soft moans and grunts.

"I'm guessing you like my surprise," Aiden murmured, pausing to kiss Will's neck.

"How… how did you get here?"

"I was out of school two minutes after the bell," Aiden told him. "Made it to the airport in about fifteen minutes. I was booked on the five-twenty flight. Got in at nine." He gave a throaty chuckle. "And I'm all yours until about six-thirty on Sunday, which is when I fly home, so make the most of me."

Will grinned. "You didn't really want to see the sights tomorrow, did you?"

Aiden pulled him close. "The only thing I wanna see is the inside of these four walls." His breath tickled Will's neck. "Now, how about you show me which one of these doors leads to your bedroom?"

"Past the sink and turn right."

Aiden picked Will up in his arms. "Then what are we waiting for?"

"This looks like a good place to live," Aiden murmured into Will's hair. They lay beneath the comforter, Aiden curled around him, his hand over Will's heart, Will's hand covering his. Aiden had no idea of the time. He only knew they'd both seemed hellbent on making up for lost time—and lost opportunities.

Aiden doubted there was a drop of cum left in either of them.

"It is," Will said after a moment. "Which is just as well, because I'm going to be here for a while. Like, about seven years." Aiden reached over him to turn on the lamp, and Will blinked in the light that flooded the compact bedroom. "Something I said?"

"Yes. Well, something you wrote in a message last week, actually."

Will rolled to face him. "You'll have to remind me."

"You were talking about your master's. Have you sent in your application yet?"

"That's what my dad asked yesterday. It's on my To Do list for the weekend," Will told him.

Aiden heaved a sigh of relief. "I hoped that was the case."

Will gave him a puzzled glance. "What do you mean?" He stilled. "You know I can't get where I want to be without more studying, right?"

Aiden smiled. "I know. And I'm not here to ask you not to apply." He stroked Will's bare shoulder. "I'm here to suggest an alternative."

Will blinked. "Consider me hooked. What alternative?"

Aiden sat up and leaned against the pillows. "I can see why you'd want to stay here. Your family is here, after all. But …there's also the University of Wisconsin-Madison."

Will opened his mouth, but Aiden held his hand up.

"Just hear me out, okay? I've done a lot of research into this. UW-Madison is the flagship institution of our state, with a large, well-established astrophysics department."

"And how do you know that?" Will teased.

Aiden rolled his eyes. "Duh, I don't know. Because I can read , maybe? It's also got a healthy number of faculty members, not to mention research opportunities, and resources dedicated to the field. Plus, their Space, Science, and Engineering Center and the Department of Astronomy have got a really good rep for their research in various areas of astrophysics." Aiden cocked his head to one side. "Did you know that out of 4,665 institutions in the US, only one hundred forty-six are rated R1 for their research activity? That's the highest rating from the Carnegie Foundation. And in Wisconsin, both Madison and Milwaukee have R1 status."

Will smiled. "You have done your homework, haven't you? I hate to break it to you, but the University of Minnesota also has an R1 rating. That's why I was planning on continuing my studies here."

"I know. But I have one more important detail that might sway you to apply to Madison."

"And what's that?"

Aiden looked him in the eye. "According to Google Maps, it's one hour and twenty-two minutes—fastest route, at any rate—from UW-Madison to my front door. And any way you look at it, that's a damn sight better than five hours plus."

Will's pulse quickened. No kidding.

Aiden took Will's hand in his. "I'm not asking you to consider studying for your master's and your PHD at an inferior institution—Madison is definitely up there with the best."

He was preaching to the choir. Will had done his own research. "Then why—"

"I'm asking you to consider moving for purely selfish reasons. I don't think I'm cut out for a long-distance relationship. And while a five-hour drive might not seem all that much, that's before you factor in your studies and my job." Aiden stared at him. "What about you? Are you cut out for long-distance relationships?"

Will didn't even have to think about it. "No. I don't think so."

Aiden squared his shoulders. "My final point? There are high schools everywhere, even in Madison, believe it or not. If a vacancy turns up that I can apply for, you'd better believe my application will be winging its way before you can say Jack Robinson." Aiden frowned. "And while we're on the subject, just who the fuck is Jack Robinson anyhow?"

Will stared at their joined hands.

He'd be less than ninety minutes away.

We could see each other every weekend. Hell, maybe on school nights too.

He'd even move schools to be closer to me.

It really was a no-brainer.

Then logic kicked in.

He cleared his throat. "This assumes I could get a place. It's really tough to get into Madison. The acceptance rate for a master's is just over twenty-five percent."

Aiden's eyes twinkled. "So you have considered this already."

"Maybe? Plus, we're talking scoring a 1500 GRE."

"And are you on course to achieve that?" Aiden didn't break eye contact.

"Yes, I think so. But I'm sure the deadline for applications has passed."

"Then you apply for fall 2024, and we find you a job in the meantime, preferably one related to your field. By the way, Madison likes the idea of attending different institutions. They see it as an important way of widening your intellectual breadth, helping you to grow as a scientist—and a human being." Aiden grinned. "I read that somewhere."

Will shook his head. "You have all the answers, don't you?"

Aiden arched his eyebrows. "Just look at my incentives." He crooked his finger. "Come here."

Will shifted in the bed to straddle Aiden's hips, and Aiden cupped Will's nape, drawing him in for a slow, tender kiss. Their foreheads met in the way Will loved.

"You can do this," Aiden said in a low voice. "And I'll be there for you every step of the way."

"Hell of a time to be having such a deep conversation," Will observed.

Aiden glanced toward the window. "It's still dark out. How about we get under the covers and sleep?"

Will was too excited to sleep.

"I have a better idea."

Sunday, February 12

Aiden checked his phone. "Uber will be here in three minutes." Not that he wanted to go. Not having to share Will with anyone had been awesome.

If this is a taste of what life with him could be like? Bring it on.

"I'll see you at Easter," Will confirmed. "And after that…"

"I know. Full speed ahead to your finals."

"Will you come to my graduation? It'll be May thirteenth, at Huntington Bank Stadium."

Aiden's eyes shone. "I'll be here. I'll be the one with the huge sign."

Will stared at him in horror. "What sign?"

"I'm yanking your chain." He grinned. "Besides, they probably wouldn't let me into the stadium with a sign that says ‘ You did it! You graduated. Now you're like smart and stuff. '

Will narrowed his gaze. "I hope you're still yanking my chain."

"There's something else of yours I'd prefer to be yanking."

He rolled his eyes. "Seriously? After all the time we spent in bed this weekend?"

"Don't forget on the couch. In the shower. On the countertop."

Will snorted. "I won't forget that last one, that's for sure."

"Hey, who knew lube would make the surface slippery?"

Will gaped. "Er, hello? It's lube ? That's what it does."

Aiden bit his lip. "How's the bruise?"

"Oh, trust me. If you didn't have to leave right now, you'd be kissing it until it was gone."

"And if you weren't so sleep-deprived because we've spent every available minute fucking, you'd have realized you didn't have to ask me to your graduation. Because it's also Becca's graduation too, remember?"

Will chuckled. "I don't think either of us is her favorite person right now. First, I cut her off because you got here, and then you didn't even tell her you were here."

Aiden laughed. "Yeah, she was so pissed. She'll get over it. I'm guessing Kristen will help with that."

A car pulled up outside.

Damn it.

Aiden took Will in his arms for one last hug. "See you at Easter."

Will chuckled. "Shouldn't that be ‘See you tonight'?"

Video calls would have to do until Aiden had the real thing.

Will kissed him, and Aiden poured all his love into the embrace. Then he walked through the door and over to the waiting car.

May couldn't come fast enough.