Jason & Aiden, Always & Forever!

Kaeah heard her phone ringing from across the room. Groaning, she moped over to it and answered. 

“Can you keep a secret?” The caller asked.

“Not if you’re a serial killer,” she quipped. “Who are you?”

“It’s Jason! And no, I’m not a serial killer. Why did your mind GO there?!”

Kaeah shrugged, knowing full well he couldn’t see. “I dunno. What’s up, and why are you acting like a serial killer?”

Jason’s withering glare was so powerful she could see it through the phone.

Kaeah laughed. “Don’t make it so easy to troll you all the time.”

“Or you could maybe, just maybe, not irritate me for once in your life?”

Grinning, Kaeah flipped her dark brown braid behind her back again. “No can do. It’s just too fun! Anyway, let’s FaceTime so I can truly experience your eyerolls!”

Jason’s smirking face appeared onscreen. “As you wish,” he said, mockingly bowing.

Kaeah’s expression lit up. “Did you—did you just make a Princess Bride movie reference?!” She clapped her hands and giggled with (slightly creepy) glee. “Did you like it? Did you like it? Obviously you liked it, right? The Princess Bride is AMAZING!!!”

Jason raised his eyebrow. “If I tell you whether I liked it, will you finally stop fangirling about it every two seconds?”

“Yeah? Well, maybe. No promises. How about every ten seconds?”

Grumbling something about how ‘the girl never listens,’ Jason begrudgingly told his friend, “Of course I liked it.”

Squealing, Kaeah shouted, “AIR HUG!” She stretched out her milky chocolate-brown skin, flashing her signature smile.

“Ugh, I hate it when you do that,” Jason mumbled, reaching his pale, freckled arms out toward his phone. “It makes me feel like a bad friend whenever I don’t hug you back.”

“Exactly!” Kaea grinned. “I’m glad it’s working!”

After exchanging a few rounds of eyerolls, the pair got down to business. 

“So what’d you call me about?” Kaeah asked.

“Right! Yes! So, y’know how it’s Aiden’s birthday tomorrow and our 5th dating anniversary?”

Kaeah shot him a look. “Yeah. You keep telling me about it.”

“He’s my boyfriend! I gotta give him something really heartfelt!”

“So…whaddaya have in mind?”

Jason smiled sheepishly, twisting an auburn curl around his pinky. He did that whenever he was feeling shy.

“I think I’m going to ask him to marry me.”

“WHAT?” Kaeah exploded. “Seriously?”

Jason nodded and gave a small smile. “Seriously.”

Suddenly, Kaeah was full of energy. “We have to have rose petals! We have to have a tuxedo! We have to have a nice dinner! With chocolate cake! And candles! And gifts! And you have got to let me help plan the wedding—”

“If he says yes, you mean.”

“—oh he better say yes. Watch out, Aiden, cuz this party-plannin’ machine has a punishment mode!”

Jason chuckled, then quieted when he saw Kaeah’s dead-serious face. “You’re not actually going to hurt him if he says no, right?”

Kaeah didn’t answer.

Smiling nervously, Jason said, “Well, then…let’s start the planning?”

Jason hadn’t meant this as an excuse for Kaeah to boss him around, but he certainly didn’t confront her about her orders. Her threat of the punishment mode still hung in the air.

Three hours later...

“WHERE ARE THE BALLOONS?!” Kaeah screeched at Jason. “And WHY AREN’T YOU IN YOUR SUIT YET?! We sent him the invitation at one o’clock! He’s gonna come in less than one hour! Get those balloons and PUT ON YOUR DANG TUXEDO!”

Kaeah had gone from excited to worked up to full-on crazed since the day before. Her usually-neat braid was scraggly and messy, and her brown skin was smeared with icing from the beautiful red-and-gold cake that she’d helped make.

Jason dutifully instructed the other friends he’d asked to help to blow up the heart balloons. He changed into his sleek black tuxedo and marched back to Kaeah.

The proposal party was going to be on Baycliff Beach, where Jason and Aiden had first met. There was a beautiful view of the sparkling bay from where the table was set up, and in the invitation they’d mentioned to bring a swimsuit. The proposal was going to be at the end of the party. They would cut the cake, revealing the proposal message inside the cake. There were red heart sprinkles in the center and hopefully they would cascade out. 

Suddenly, Jason spotted his mother running up the beach with an envelope in hand.

When she approached the party area, she motioned for her son to come closer. Panting, she said, “This was addressed to you. From Aiden.”

Jason ripped it open to find a glittering gold card. “It’s…an invitation,” he concluded, studying it. “4 o’clock today, Baycliff Beach, bring a swimsuit…” Jason looked up. “He’s throwing a party too!”

Kaeah padded across the white-gold sand to the small group. “What’re you guys powwowing for? We have a party to set up and not much time to do it!”

Jason thrust the card in his friend’s face. “Aiden’s throwing a party too!”

Kaeah snatched the invitation. “But we’re at Baycliff Beach—where are they?”

Scanning the horizon, her eyes locked on a small table set up about 200-300 feet away. “There!”

While the others squinted into the sun at Aiden’s booth, Kaeah checked her watch. She bit her lip. “It’s three fifty. Almost party time. If Aiden comes. Does he know we’re planning a party over here?”

“Go find out!” Jason exclaimed.

“Oh, all right.” Kaeah trudged over to Aiden’s table. He picked out Aiden from the other people. His friend was chatting with his boyfriend. Jason waited two minutes. He motioned for Kaeah to come back, but she didn’t notice. Five minutes. He frantically waved his arms, to no avail. Finally, after eight minutes, he shouted, “KAEAH! Come back!” That seemingly got her attention. She excused herself and jogged back. 

“Come on!” Kaeah giggled. “We’re moving over there!”

It was a quarter past four when the party finally started. Jason chatted with Aiden, they wished each other a happy anniversary and Aiden a happy birthday, and drank lots of punch. Soon, it was time to cut the cake.

“Cut yours first,” Jason prodded.

“No yours!” 

“Seriously, Aiden, I mean it. Yours goes first.”

“Seriously, Jason, I mean it. Yours goes first.”

Aiden burst into a fit of laughter while Jason just sat there rolling his eyes dramatically. 

“Fine,” Aiden agreed. “Mine first.”

Aiden’s cake was a triple-layer vanilla creation, with swirls of gold and red icing and little peach and pink fondant flowers. 

Kaeah appeared with a knife. She carefully sliced a big, fat piece. Inside it was luscious, moist vanilla cake. There were letters inside, too. Letters that spelled out a message:

WILL YOU MARRY ME?

Jason stood, gobsmacked, staring at the cake. He turned to find Aiden on one knee beside him, holding up a golden ring with a single shining diamond rimmed with a dozen beautiful aquamarine and amethyst crystals.

He discreetly blew his blond bangs from his face. Grinning, he said, “You are the most wonderful person I’ve ever met and I’d feel blessed to spend the rest of my life with you. Jason Sannally, will you marry me?” There were tears in both boys’ eyes. 

“Kaeah,” Jason whispered. “Cut the cake.”

Kaeah nodded and went to Jason’s sweet treat—a gold-trimmed chocolate fudge cake with red icing hearts and a big fondant rose. She cut another not-so-slim piece so Aiden could see the message.

Aiden’s jaw hit the sand. He turned in time to see Jason sink to one knee. 

Smiling through tears, he managed, “You are the most wonderful person I’ve ever met, and I’d feel blessed to spend the rest of my life with you. Aiden Morrels, will you marry me?”

“Y’know, it’s not very nice to copy someone’s speech,” Aiden remarked. “But of course, my answer is…” 

Everyone drummer on their knees.

“YES!” Boyfriend and boyfriend shouted. Everyone cheered.

Kaeah rushed to the boys and held up their ring-ridden hands. “JASON & AIDEN, ALWAYS & FOREVER!”