“Well, thattoo. ” Gabe made a little sound of disapproval, and Zack turned to him smiling. “Oh, c’mon baby, lighten up. You were standing in the moonlight when I first saw you, naked, splashing water on your luscious body. What did you expect? Then, of course, I got to know the real you. ”
“You did?”
“Uh-huh, and I loved you in spite of it. Ouch!” He yelled as Gabe gave him a punch on the arm. “I’m kidding. ”
Gabe stared out the window as they traveled down the mountain and got very quiet. Zack touched his arm. “I love you, Gabe. I have almost since the first minute I saw you. Not just lust. Love. ”
Gabe’s heart thumped in his chest, and he got a funny butterflies feeling in his stomach. Zack was saying it, justlike he’d wanted him to, but now the moment was here, it left him flustered. He wanted to say it back, but he was still afraid. Stalling for time, he laid a hand on Zack’s thigh. “I-I don’t know how I feel yet. I mean, I think I do, but I’d like to be sure before I say it. Is that all right for now?”
Zack squeezed his hand. “It’s okay. You’ll say it when you’re ready. Okay, where do you want to go? Clayton is the closest town to us. Is that all right?”
“So long as they have jewelry stores. ”
“Shit,” Zack said. “I knew this was going to cost me. ”
“I keep telling you I’m worth it, baby. ”
“Yeah and I keep telling you to prove it. ”
“I thought I proved it already. Guess I’ll have to remind you tonight. ”
“Or I could pull over now. ”
“No way. Take me to the jewelry store. We’re going to work on settling this collar thing once and for all. ”
Thirty minutes later, they arrived in Clayton and drove around looking for a jewelry store. Finally spotting one, Gabe made Zack pull in, and they went inside, Zack following Gabe around, a little puzzled as he passed by the chains and made straight for the wedding rings. He found one right away, a plain, white gold band, not too expensive. “Can we see this one, please?”
The store clerk got it out for them, looking back and forth between them. He seemed a little uncomfortable and out of his depth. Homophobe, Gabe thought, and decided to ignore him.
He held the ring out to Zack. “Try this on. ” When Zack slipped it on his finger, Gabe smiled. “I like it. Give us a minute, please,” he said to the clerk. Turning to Zack, he smiled shyly, choosing his words carefully, not making any promises. “I might agree to do this collar thing—I’d only be doing it to make you happy, not because I’m your possession or anything—if you do something for me. I’d give it more consideration if I had my mark on you too, with a wedding ring. ”
Zack smiled. “Of course, I’ll wear a wedding ring. I’ve told you, honey, you’re it for me. I’ll never even look at another person, male or female. If it makes you happy, then let’s do it. ”
Smiling, Gabe turned back and signaled to the store clerk. “We’ll take this one. ”
“Wait a minute. I didn’t say I liked this one. ” Zack handed the ring back to the clerk, and Gabe got a mutinous look on his face. “Show me this one. ” He indicated a yellow gold band with three rather large diamonds across it. The clerk pulled it out, and Zack slipped it on his finger. “Much better. ”
The clerk said, “These are called Forever Bands. The stones represent past, present, and future. ”
He looked Zack up and down, taking in his casual jeans and T-shirt. “This particular ring is rather expensive. We have cheaper ones. ”
“No, I think we’ll take two of these. One for me and one for him. Nothing is too expensive for my darlin’. ” He pulled out a credit card and gave it to the clerk, who took it and moved away to the register. “Close your mouth, darlin’,” he said to Gabe with a sideways glance.
They had two of the right sizes in stock and soon the clerk handed the rings over to Zack. Zack slipped them in his pocket and strolled down to another counter where gold, silver, and yellow gold chains were displayed. Picking out a heavy wide yellow gold collar, he told the clerk to charge it as well.
When they got outside to the truck, Zack took out the rings, handing his ring to Gabe. “Put this on me, sweetheart. ”
Not trusting himself to speak, Gabe wordlessly slipped the ring on Zack’s finger.
Zack took Gabe’s ring, kissed it tenderly, and slipped it on Gabe’s finger. “Forever, I like the sound of that. ”
Gabe nodded, tears standing in his eyes. It had been so long since he thought anyone cared if he lived or died. He hadn’t expected anything like this when he set out to test Zack.
Zack pulled out the yellow gold collar in its heavy box. “This is for you, whenever you decide. I’m going to give you a little more time to get used to the idea, because I’m such a good master. ”
Gabe punched Zack in the arm, but he laughed, and his eyes blurred with tears. He hadn’t fooled Zack a bit. Zack tilted his chin up to plant a kiss on his lips. “I love you, Gabriel. Please don’t doubt me, honey. ”
Hescooted over and tried his best to climb into Zack’s lap and cover his face with kisses.