**Jack**
Toby wants to go to his ten year reunion, God, I don't know why. It's not like he's friends with anyone anymore. But I'll go with him, he confirmed his invitations a month ago without telling me. I can't believe it, typical of him and he even arranged with his boss for the following day off, so he was thinking in advance. So I guess he really wants to go.
I have to find something to wear, I want to at least look good on his arm if I'm going to go. I had a decision to make should I wear black or white pants. I have some really nice white Gucci ones, I know I paid an arm. Technically they are last seasons but the fit was to die for and I just had to have them. Toby hates when I do that, but I tell him I've to look good too, that I work with models all day. Plus it's my money, I should be able to do with it what I please. I could put a nice black V-neck shirt and a jacket on, I'll look wonderful. I think I've got just the jacket I need at Aspirations, I'll see if I can borrow it for a night.
Now I'll have to dress Toby, that's going to be the real chore. He hates getting dressed up. I asked what he was going to wear and he said jeans and a t-shirt nothing special. I was pissed with him that day so I had to walk away but the next day I came back with something else.
"Okay Toby, how about this. You can wear jeans but not a t-shirt."
Toby looked up at me from the couch, I could tell he was thinking, not this again. "What?"
I held up a black long sleeve button-up which he looks so great in it. It's not meant to be tucked in, it can be for the nerds, but it's shorter where you don't have to. "Before you ask, no you don't have to wear a tie, I wanted you to leave the top few buttons undone anyways.
"Can I at least wear my gym shoes?"
"Hell no!" God he's a heathen. "We paid a small ransom for your black boots and you're going to shine them."
"Oh God." Toby dropped his head. "Why did you have to be so fashion conscious?"
"Because, I'm Jack." I said as I walked out of the living room to retrieve his boots and the black polish.
**Toby**
I do love Jack but sometimes... I do wonder why. He knows how to infuriate me and lately it has been in overdrive. I had to actually walk out of the apartment last week, I wanted to hit him. I've never wanted to hit him before. Maybe this shits getting old, I don't know. But here I am shining my boots because he wants me to look my best, I don't care. Shit it's a reunion most of us will be shitfaced by nine.
When I finished shining my boots, Jack took them from me and placed them next to the dresser in the bedroom. When I came to bed, I noticed he had my best pair of jeans along with the black shirt hanging up on the outside of the closet. I didn't say anything, I just got ready for bed.
***
Walking into the hall there were already so many people there. Jack and I were directed to a table to sign in. They actually had us wearing name tags with our senior pictures attached, significant others or plus ones, whatever you want to call guests, just had name tags. When Jack and I walked into the actual hall itself they had a picture line, of course Jack wanted to get into it. The one that didn't want to come in the first place, I had to laugh.
I ran into old football buddies right away and we talked about old times, by then Jack had walked away. We were talking up a storm, some of their wives or girlfriends would interrupt but we continued to talk. Most of the guys have kids they couldn't believe I didn't, then they found out the reason when Jack came up and stood beside me. I could see the reaction on some of their faces, some already knew and it didn't even faze them.
Of course Todd had to be the dick he always was. "Toby you can't be serious?"
"What?"
"Man, come on. You're not?" He couldn't ever say it.
"Gay?" I looked at him and a few of the others. "Yeah, I am and Jack's been my boyfriend basically since we were set up as study partners in drama class. Do you have a problem with it?"
"No man." He backed down but I could see him eyeing Jack. "I just didn't know."
"Well, we all lost touch, in some ways." We started talking sports again, which bores Jack so he walked away again.
**Jack**
God this reunion is BORING, I walked up to Toby one time and oh boy, now he's out of the closet. Guess he had never told his football buddies, oops. I saw the shock on their faces when I came and stood beside Toby, I couldn't resist putting my arm around his waist. That is when it dawn on them that we were a couple and Todd spoke up. Toby had automatically put his arm around me and you know what happens when you put Toby down, he bites back. Which I'm still amazed about that.
**Toby**
I walked away from the football group for a bit, I couldn't find Jack but I'm sure he's holding his own. I've had God knows how many beers and I was feeling good. I stood off in the corner watching everyone, it was interesting the differences in the kids back than and the adults they are today. If you want to call some of them adults.
I could see someone in my peripheral vision and looked over and it was Caleb Forrester. Caleb was actually one of the smartest guys on the team, he didn't goof around as much as I did in school. "Hey Caleb."
"Hi." He smiled and handed me another beer. "How have you been?"
"Good and you?" I had to get close to him so I could hear him, the music was on the loud side and when the guys were talking we were pretty much shouting anyways.
"I'm doing great, thanks. Can we go somewhere to talk?"
I smiled. "Sure." I followed him out into the lobby and outside. There was a little seating area to the side of the building where we could talk. "I lost track of you after high school, I knew you went out of state for college but that is about it."
Caleb smiled, I think he liked I noticed him enough to know he went out of state for school. "Yeah, I didn't want to go anywhere around here. I wanted to get out from under my family you know."
"Actually I don't sadly." I responded. "Not that I still live with them." I quickly added because he looked at me kind of funny. "I didn't go away to college just went to community and became a cop, just for a year. I hated it and still lived at home until I had a stable job as a security guard."
"Well it's all in what you like. Right?" Caleb smiled, wow did he have a nice smile. I must be drunk.
"Yeah it is. How about you, what did you become?"
He laughed, "I'm a Traffic Engineer."
"A what?"
"I try to make traffic flow better, per se. Try to solve issues to free up the congestion, but to be honest it's always only a temporary solution. We can build new freeways, more roads or lanes and there is always going to be congestion. It will relieve it for a moment but then less carpooling or more people start driving and we're back to where were before we had the new lanes we didn't have the year or two before."
"So you get paid, in a sense to do nothing." I laughed.
He chuckled and sat his beer down between us. "Yeah you can say that." I'd finished mine and sat the bottle down between my legs.
"So, is there a Mrs. Forrester?"
He coughed, "No, I ahhh." He looked at me then down. "I don't know why I have a hard time telling you this, because you're definitely out of the closet. I'm gay."
"Oh, well then a want-a-be Mr. Forrester?" I smiled.
He hit my thigh when he picked up his beer, he was looking right at me and smiled. "Not yet, but I'm taking applications if you would like to apply." I just laughed.