Church bells rang as the crowd stood up in unison to look back at the blushing bride. Virginia was beautiful, with her brown hair curled tightly and white dress elaborately detailed with beads and lace sleeves. Isaac looked up at the altar, noticing Ethan wearing an uncomfortable suit and a stiff smile, beads of sweat peeking through his stressed and wrinkled forehead. His blond hair looked stiff from style grease as he fiddled with his coat buttons. Isaac was the only person that knew Ethan’s true feelings, the only person who could possibly give Ethan some sort of comfort during this unbearable process.
Ethan’s eyes locked with Isaac’s for a moment before taking his bride’s arm. All Isaac wanted to do was run to the front of the chapel, take Ethan’s arm, run away and never return. However, that couldn’t happen. Ethan had made his decision, and there was nothing Isaac could do. As the couple began to recite their vows, Isaac regretted ever coming to the service. He couldn’t bear to watch Ethan give his life away to this woman, so he got up to escape the heartbreak.
The ceremony dragged on minute after agonizing minute. As soon as Ethan replied with his “I do” and quickly gave the bride a peck on the lips, he anxiously walked down the aisle back outside the church with his new wife.
“Virginia, I have to go check on something. I’ll be back in a bit.” Ethan left his wife before she could say another word, yanked the reins from a passing stable boy, and used the steed to escape. As Ethan was riding, rain began to pour, making the path muddy and slippery for his horse. This storm brought him back to a cherished night with Isaac that Ethan would never forget.
It had been a brisk winter night, where the biting air stung your nose and the wind made your eyes water. Ethan and Isaac had been travelling from town when an incoming storm threatened their journey. They noticed a lonely and abandoned cabin in the distance tucked behind a few trees, and decided to camp there for the night.
After the men tied up their horses to some trees they cautiously entered the empty lodge. The roof was falling apart and the floor squeaked with every step. An old and tattered gray rug was in the center of the main room underneath an ancient, dusty red couch. This place must have been abandoned for at least ten years.
As the Ethan and Isaac began to take off their coats and get situated for the night, Ethan couldn’t help but notice how Isaac’s thick ruffled brown hair bounced as he tried to shake his coat dry. You could see his strong arms through the creases his muscles formed on his shirt with each harsh and quick movement. Ethan quickly looked away so Isaac didn’t notice him staring at Isaac, but he knew Ethan wasn’t exactly the conspicuous type.
“Looks like this is all we have for now,” Isaac set his coat down on a dusty wooden chair and looked around. “I’ll go check and see if there are any more places to sleep.”
As he left the room, Ethan managed to sneak another glance at Isaac. I have to tell him. I can’t keep this inside much longer. Ethan took off his coat and dusted off the tattered couch before sitting down. He rested his face in his hands and sighed. How on earth was he going to pull this off?
Isaac interrupted Ethan’s thoughts, “There’s an old bed near the back of the house, but it’s pretty worn out and dusty like the rest of the furniture.”
“Yeah, okay good to know.” Ethan sounded dazed. Should he tell Isaac? What if he didn’t feel the same way?
Isaac studied Ethan, “Are you alright?”
Ethan looked up. Immediately Isaac’s brown eyes caught him off guard. They glowed brilliantly in contrast to his pale skin. His strong chin clenched while waiting for Ethan’s response. There was no possible way he could keep this from his dear friend for much longer; it would only kill Ethan on the inside.
Ethan took a deep breath and ran his fingers through his hair, “Isaac, I have something I need to share with you. Something…important.”
Isaac’s thick eyebrows furrowed as he joined his friend on the couch. Ethan paused for a few seconds, gathering his thoughts. He had to say this exactly right.
“Isaac,” Ethan turned to face him on the couch. “We’ve been good friends since we met, right?”
“Yes, of course.”
“Well through these past few years of knowing each other, I think I like men…the way I should like women.” Ethan looked up and noticed Isaac sitting very still, not saying a word.
“And…” Ethan’s heart was pounding. “I’ve grown to love you in this different way.”
Isaac remained frozen, deep in thought. Ethan waited anxiously for a response, rubbing his sweaty hands together and fidgeting with his collar.
Finally after a few moments of silence, Isaac stood up and paced back and forth, “Are you completely positive this is how you feel?”
Ethan nodded truthfully, “I would never have brought it up if it were false.”
To Ethan’s surprise, Isaac gave him a small smile and chuckled to himself.
“What’s so funny?” Ethan cocked his head to one side.
Isaac chuckled again, “It’s just that…I thought I was the only one.”
Ethan froze. No way. Isaac feels that same?
Isaac walked back over to Ethan and sat back down, “I didn’t think it was possible for two men to actually like each other. I mean, I’ve heard stories in church about how the devil possesses certain men to participate in sin, but I never actually believed those stories were real. However when I met you and we began to get to know each other more, I began to develop these…odd feelings inside that I had never felt before. But now that I think about it, it makes sense. I’ve had meetings and arrangements with women but nothing has ever really…worked. Now since you told me how you feel, I am not afraid to admit my infatuation.”
Ethan’s heart started to pound as Isaac moved closer to him, “I love you too.”
Ethan could feel Isaac’s warm breath as he moved his face closer to Ethan’s. Ethan’s lips began to tingle as Isaac nearly brushed his thin lips on Ethan’s. They sat there cautiously, lips barely a breath apart, hearts pounding in synchronicity. Finally, Ethan leaned in and pressed his mouth on Isaac’s, sending an electric surge throughout his body. It took a few seconds before Isaac finally pulled away in shock. Both men were breathing heavily, trying to comprehend what had just happened.
Ethan broke the silence, “That…was incredible.”
Isaac nodded, still in disbelief. He felt it too.
“But...” Ethan slowly stood up. “What do we do now? We can’t go out in public like this, but I can’t go through more arrangements with women I will never be able to love.”
Isaac pondered for a moment, “What if we ran away?”
“Where would we go?” Ethan turned to face his mate.
“We can go to Canterbury. We can tell our parents we’ve decided to go to a university and continue our studies, and then we can tell them we found work out of town. This way they we wouldn’t technically disappear.” Isaac stood up and grabbed Ethan’s hands. “This way, we can be together.”
Ethan thought about Isaac’s brilliant idea. With this plan, he could finally end the painful meetings with Virginia; the woman Ethan’s parents were hoping he would marry. He’d find a job and a place once they moved, and tell their new friends they were just stepbrothers looking for somewhere to work out of town. It was perfect.
“Okay,” Ethan squeezed Isaac’s hands. “We’ll prepare and tell our parents this weekend. Let’s leave on Monday.”
Isaac smiled, “Perfect.”
After the men ironed out the smaller details in their plan, they finally decided to call it a night and go to sleep.
Thunder clapped as Ethan’s horse nearly stumbled over while trying to stop on the muddy road. His was shivering underneath his clothes, which were now completely soaked through. He quickly jumped off the mare and hurried inside their cabin. Ever since the night they discovered the abandoned place, Ethan noticed that Isaac had managed to tidy and repair much of the walls, furniture, and floorboards. Nearly half a year had passed since their night together. Tonight, Ethan could sense something extremely wrong as he stood still in the main room.
“Isaac?” He called while walking carefully through the kitchen and library. He paused for a moment to listen, but not a single sound was made. This wasn’t right.
“Isaac?” Ethan became more anxious as he began to rush back through the main room and towards the bedroom. The door was cracked open, and he could see candlelight flickering from the inside. Slowly, he pushed the door open with a slow creak. As he looked inside, Ethan jumped back with a gasp. There hanging from the ceiling panels, was Isaac’s dead body.
“No…” Ethan cautiously walked towards the corpse swinging gently from the breeze coming through the cracked window. “Isaac…no…”
Ethan’s entire body began to shake. How could this happen? He froze in terror: This was my entire fault. If Ethan’s father hadn’t convinced him into marrying Virginia so he could keep the family trade business…if he had stayed with Isaac and run away to Canterbury like they had planned…if Ethan had stayed in contact with his dear friend through these past months of torture from being apart from his true love…
Now Isaac was gone. Forever. Never coming back. Ethan crumpled to the floor in agony, screaming in pain. He could taste his own salty tears as they were streaming down his face. Only once did he look back up at Isaac’s corpse, burning the image of an expressionless, lifeless Isaac in his mind forever.
After a few minutes of self-hatred and pain, Ethan stood up and wiped his eyes. He needed to leave town. He couldn’t bear going back to Virginia now. Looking at her face each day would remind him of Isaac’s lifeless brown eyes forever fixed on the cold abyss of death.
Before he left, he looked around the room to see if there was anything he should take in memory of his beloved mate. He noticed a small piece of paper on the small bed under Isaac’s floating body. It was a note addressed to Ethan himself:
Ethan—
This world is obviously not made for people like you and me. I always, and will always love you. They say people like us will go to Hell. Whether in Heaven or Hell, I will be waiting for the day we can be together again.
Love,
Isaac.
I loved the story, I was hooked when it described Ethan's face and Issac's thoughts, because from then on, the story line got defined. 
Gender:
Points: 2721
Reviews: 73