Chapter 61 ONE YEAR LATER
Alex
February 14th came again. One year since the first letter. One year since everything changed.
Alex woke up to Elias already awake. Watching him with soft eyes.
“Morning,” Elias said.
“Morning. You’re doing the staring thing again.”
“Can’t help it. You’re mine.”
“Cheesy.”
“You love it.”
Alex did. Loved waking up like this. Loved the routine they’d built and loved the life they’d made.
“One year,” Alex said.
“I know. Has it been good?”
“The best. And the worst. And everything in between.”
“Would you do it again? Knowing everything that happened?”
Alex thought about it. The harassment. The fear. The almost-breakups. The pain.
But also the love. They are fighting for each other. Surviving together.
“Yes. Every single time.”
Elias kissed him. “Good answer.”
They got up. Made breakfast. Coffee and toast and easy conversation.
“I have something for you,” Elias said.
“You didn’t have to get me anything.”
“I wanted to.”
He pulled out an envelope. Red. Heart-shaped. Just like the first one.
“You’re kidding,” Alex said.
“Open it.”
Inside was a letter. Handwritten. Elias’s careful script.
Dear Alex,
A year ago, you sent me a letter that changed everything. You saw me when I thought I was invisible. You loved me when I thought I was unlovable. You fought for us when I wanted to run.
I’m not good with words the way you are. But I wanted to say thank you. For choosing me. For staying. For building this life with me.
I love you. Not the way I loved before. Better. Steadier. Real.
Happy anniversary.
Yours always,
Elias
Alex’s eyes were wet. “I hate you for making me cry.”
“No you don’t.”
“No I don’t.”
They spent the day together. No grand plans. Just coffee at the café where they’d had their first date. Walk through campus past the library where Alex used to watch. Dinner at the Italian place that had become their spot.
Normal. Easy. Theirs.
At the rose arch, Alex stopped. “This is where I was supposed to meet you. The first time.”
“And you ran.”
“And I ran. Best and worst decision of my life.”
“Best because?”
“Because it made the actual meeting better. More real. More earned.”
“I like that. Earned.”
They took a photo at the arch. Kissing. Happy. Posted it with a simple caption: One year. Still choosing each other.
The responses were overwhelming. Support. Love. People are celebrating their survival.
No hate. No threats. Just happiness for them.
“Look at us,” Alex said. “Normal couple posting normal things.”
“Is that what we are now? Normal?”
“I hope so. I’m tired of being a story.”
That night they celebrated properly. Made love slowly. Carefully. Taking time with each touch. Each kiss. Each whispered promise.
After, lying tangled together, Elias said, “I want to ask you something.”
“Okay.”
“Not now. But soon. Something important.”
Alex’s heart jumped. “How soon?”
“When it feels right. When we’re ready.”
“Are we not ready now?”
“Almost. But not quite.”
Alex knew what he meant. Marriage. The future. Forever.
They’d talked about it. In abstract terms. Someday. Eventually. When Alex finished grad school. When Elias’s career was more stable.
But now someday felt closer. More real.
“Okay,” Alex said. “I’ll wait.”
“You’re not curious?”
“I’m terrified. But in a good way.”
March brought acceptance letters. Alex got into his top-choice program. Starting in the fall. Two years. Then he’d have his masters.
“I’m so proud of you,” Elias said.
“It’s just grad school.”
“It’s not just anything. You worked for this.”
They celebrated with Des and Sana. Drinks at the bar near campus. Laughing and talking and being young.
“Remember when you used to just watch him from the library?” Des asked.
“Please don’t remind me how creepy I was.”
“It wasn’t creepy. It was romantic. In a stalker-y way.”
“That’s literally the definition of creepy.”
“And yet it worked. You got the guy.”
Alex looked at Elias across the table. Talking to Sana about books. Laughing at something she said. Looking happy and healthy and safe.
“Yeah,” Alex said. “I got the guy.”
April came. The anniversary of Elias’s decision to stay. They didn’t celebrate this one. Just acknowledged it.
“Best choice I ever made,” Elias said.
“Even with everything that happened after?”
“Especially because of everything that happened after. It proved we could survive anything.”
“Can we though? Survive anything?”
“We already did.”
May brought Alex’s graduation. Cap and gown. Walking across the stage. Bachelor’s degree in literature.
Elias was in the crowd. Cheering loud enough to be embarrassing. Alex loved it.
After, his mom called. “I’m proud of you, sweetheart.”
“Thanks Mom.”
“And I’m glad you found someone. Elias seems good for you.”
“He is. The best.”
“Bring him to visit this summer. I want to meet him properly.”
Summer started slowly. Alex had a break before grad school. Elias had steady work. They spent lazy days at home. Long nights on the balcony. Talking about nothing and everything.
“What do you want?” Elias asked one night. “Long term. Five years from now.”
“This. Us. Maybe a house. Maybe a dog. Something stable and boring and perfect.”
“That sounds nice.”
“What do you want?”
“Same thing. You. A life we built together. Nothing fancy. Just real.”
June brought their first anniversary as official residents together. Not roommates. Not technically living together. But actually sharing a home.
“How’s it been?” Des asked. “Living with him for a year?”
“Harder than I expected. Easier than I feared.”
“That’s cryptic.”
“He leaves dishes in the sink. I hate that. But he also makes coffee every morning without being asked. I love that.”
“So it balances out?”
“Yeah. It does.”
July brought a trip to Oregon. Meeting Alex’s mom. Seeing where he grew up.
“She likes you,” Alex said after dinner.
“How do you know?”
“Because she told me. Said you’re good for me. That you make me happy.”
“Do I?”
“You know you do.”
August came fast. Grad school starting soon. Alex was nervous. Excited. Ready.
“You’re going to be great,” Elias said.
“How do you know?”
“Because I know you. You don’t give up. You fight for what you want.”
“I learned that from you.”
“No. You always had it. You just needed permission to show it.”
On August 31st, the night before classes started, they lay in bed talking.
“Are you scared?” Elias asked.
“A little. Grad school is harder. More intense.”
“You can handle it.”
“What if I can’t? What if I fail?”
“Then you try again. Or you don’t. Either way, I’m here.”
“Promise?”
“Yeah.”
September 1st. First day of grad school. Alex walked into class feeling confident. Ready.
And then he saw who was teaching.
Professor standing at the front. Young. Maybe thirty. Attractive in that academic way.
Writing his name on the board.
Professor James Reed.
Alex’s stomach dropped.
Reed. Same last name as Elias.
Couldn’t be related. Could it?
The professor turned around. Looked directly at Alex.
And smiled.
“Welcome to Contemporary Literary Theory. I’m Professor Reed. Some of you might know my brother, Elias. He speaks very highly of this program.”
Alex couldn’t breathe.
Elias had a brother.
Who was now Alex’s professor.
And nobody had mentioned this.
Not once.
In a whole year.