Promises [coda series]

anything more than that, and another six weeks for me to accept what those feelings meant. Nonetheless, the anniversary of the day we met seemed like as good a day as any.
    Except that day turned out to be Zach’s birthday.
    Whether they liked it or not, Zach and Angelo had officially been adopted as part of our family. Lizzy invited everybody to her house for dinner to celebrate. After nearly nine months in Coda, Angelo had finally learned to relax a little around Lizzy, Susan, and my mother. I even caught him smiling at my mom once. Everyone was having a great time.
    Everyone except me.
    I wasn’t faking it well, either. Jared was watching me out of the corner of his eye, and Angelo looked suspicious. I couldn’t stop being nervous. I had the rings in my pocket. I had no idea what I was waiting for...a perfect moment, or a sign from heaven.
    I was in the kitchen trying to decide how to proceed when Angelo came in. He leaned against the counter next to me and elbowed me in the ribs. “What the hell’s your problem?” he asked in a tone that would have set anybody who didn’t know him on the defensive.
    I did know him, better than Zach even, in some ways. Normally I wouldn’t have fallen for it. But tonight I did. “Nothing!” I snapped.

    His eyes got a little bigger, but he just grinned at me. “Okay, man. Don’t freak out.”

    Angelo was the person I cared about most in the world, second only to Jared. He knew that. He just stood there next to me, waiting me out. I finally reached into my pocket and pulled out the rings. I opened my hand so he could see them.

    He looked at them for just a second, then grinned up at me. “Gee, Matt. Didn’t know you felt that way ‘bout me.”

    I started to laugh, but right then Zach and Jared walked into the kitchen. I cut my laugh short and quickly stuck the rings back in my pocket. I could feel myself blushing. I knew I looked guilty, and Jared was looking at me suspiciously.

    Angelo grabbed Zach’s arm and steered him back toward the door. “Wait,” Zach started to say, “I came to get....”

    “Later,” I heard Ang say to him as the door swung shut behind them, and Jared and I were left alone in the kitchen. He turned to face me, standing in front of me, only a foot away, but not touching me.

    “What were you and Angelo talking about?”

    “Nothing,” I said, trying to sound casual.

    He looked at the floor for a minute while he decided what to say, but finally looked up at me again. “Tell me what’s wrong.”

    “Nothing’s wrong.”
    He was smiling at me, but it was a strained smile. “You’ve been acting funny the last couple of weeks, and it’s worse tonight.” He stepped closer, but he still didn’t touch me. I looked into his eyes, and I hated what I saw there. Because I saw fear, and a hint of panic. His voice shook a little, but he said, “Are you unhappy?”
    “No!” And this was exactly why I wanted to do this. I didn’t want him to worry that I would leave. I wanted him to know how much I loved him. “No,” I said again, and pulled him close to me. I grabbed a handful of his hair and pulled his head back so that he was looking up into my eyes. “I’ve never been happier.”
He relaxed a little, and his smile finally made it all the way to his blue eyes. “Then what is it?”
    This was it. I wished it was a better moment. I wished I had thought it through more. I wished we weren’t in Lizzy’s kitchen, with a sink full of dirty dishes behind me. Still, I felt like it was now or never.

    “Do you realize we met exactly two years ago today?” I asked him.

    He looked at me in surprise. “I knew it was this month.” Of course he was smiling. “I can’t believe you remembered the day.”

    “Impressive, isn’t it?”

    “It is, actually.”

    I leaned down and kissed neck, then confessed. “I cheated. It was on the title to the Jeep.”

    He laughed. “I’m still impressed. I wouldn’t have thought of that.”
    I reached into my pocket and took out the rings. I took his hand, and placed both rings in it, but closed his fingers over them before he could see what I had given him. I held his hand closed. He was looking at me in amusement, his head cocked a little to the side, smiling like always.
    “I thought about what you said Jared, and you’re right. Whether we do it or not, it doesn’t change the way I feel. But,” I had to stop and take a deep breath, “I wanted you to have something. I wanted to