Almost Famous

By Ryan Bartlett

Chapter 19

Wiley returned to LA with a renewed sense of vigor and a lust for life. He’d worked a lot of things out in Vermont, and he was happy to return to the life he’d been pulled away from when he’d been injured. He threw himself into his photography, working with his mentor, Adam, to secure a few gigs, and when he wasn’t working he devoted his time to taking care of Cameron and the guys. He hardly spent any time at all at his apartment, preferring to be at Cameron’s, cooking for his chubby bunny.

While he was in the hospital, Wiley received nearly ten thousand cards and messages of support from Cameron’s subscribers. It was humbling to know that so many people he’d never met, likely would never meet, cared enough to think of him when he’d been hurt. He was determined to reply to each one of them, and Cameron helped him write a form letter to make the task more manageable, but Wiley insisted on writing a personal note on each before he signed them.

The boys spent their evenings under the covers, propped up against Cameron’s headboard. Wiley would write his notes then hand them off to Cameron, who would address the envelopes and get them ready for the mail.

“Emma, I can’t tell you how grateful I was to receive your note! Thank you for thinking of me and brightening my day. Your friend, Wiley Grace.” Wiley had a habit of reading his notes aloud when he started to get tired.

“Last one for the night?” asked Cameron as he wrote Emma’s address on an envelope.

“I think so,” said Wiley with a yawn.

While he waited for Cameron to finish with the last letter, Wiley took his arm out of its sling and stretched gently. He was still under doctor’s orders to move his shoulder as little as possible but he found if he didn’t stretch the arm a couple of times a day he ended up with terrible cramps.

“So, what’s on your agenda for tomorrow?” asked Cameron when his task was done.

“I have a meeting with that studio exec Doc set me up with, and then I’ve got some shopping to do.”

“More shopping?” Cameron exclaimed.

“Hey, Christmas will be here before you know it,” said Wiley.

“Yeah but you’ve been shopping every day for the last week,” said Cameron. “How many people are you buying for?”

“It’s a lot of people,” Wiley exclaimed. “There’s Doc and Jess, Benji, your mom, dad, and sisters, Bobby, Tucker, Nina, Adam…”

“And the rest of the known world?” Cameron teased.

“Truth be told I finished with pretty much everyone. I’m just looking for something special for someone special,” said Wiley as he reached over to tickle Cameron’s rib.

“Stop that!” Cameron giggled and gently pushed Wiley away, careful of his injured shoulder.

Wiley held up his hands as a sign of surrender then carefully slipped his arm back into the sling. Once he was comfortable, Cameron climbed up and straddled Wiley’s lap.

“You don’t have to get me anything special,” said Cameron, gently caressing his cheek. “I have you, I don’t need anything else.”

“Are you saying you don’t want me to get you anything for Christmas?” Wiley raised an eyebrow.

“No, no, it’s just, Wiley, I’m not sure how to explain this.” Cameron looked down, sighing in frustration.

“Hey,” said Wiley. He reached out to Cameron and gently tilted his chin up so their eyes met. “What’s up?”

“It’s just, since we got home from Vermont, you’ve been cooking and cleaning, taking care of me, the apartment, everyone.”

“I like taking care of you.” Wiley smiled.

“But you’re hurt. I’m the one who should be taking care of you. I just feel like you already do enough for me. You don’t have to get me anything special; you give me something special every day, you.”

“Cam, you know you give me something special every day too, right? It’s not a competition. I cook and clean because I need to do something to stay busy now that I’m not training, and I like taking care of you and the guys. It makes me feel good.”

“I just don’t want you to feel like you have to…”

“Oh, just shut up already.” Wiley laughed.

“Hey!”

“Cameron, I love you,” said Wiley.

“I love you too,” Cameron replied, then stretched out and leaned into Wiley, wrapping himself around his boyfriend. Wiley kissed the top of his head then they snuggled in silence.

The next morning Wiley got up early and headed out for coffee with Diana Blake. She was a studio executive, a patient of Doc’s, who wanted to talk to Wiley about having him shoot some still shots on the set of a movie she was producing. It would be a three week commitment that would require him to travel to Italy in January. If things went well she might have additional projects for him throughout the year. Wiley was excited about the prospects, the money was great and he loved to travel, and was glad the meeting had gone well.

When he and Diana finished their coffee, Wiley thanked her for her interest in his work and agreed to speak with her again in a few days. After that he set out on another day of shopping.

The voice in his head that started speaking to him in Vermont could not be silenced. It made its desire known to him Thanksgiving morning and when Wiley wasn’t working on the computer, or in the kitchen, he plotted. A plan began to take shape and he spent hours searching for the perfect Christmas gift for Cameron, but so far hadn’t turned up anything special enough to convey what was in his heart.

“We could customize it,” said the sales associate as Wiley looked into the jewelry case.

“I don’t know, don’t you think it looks a little feminine? I told you it was for a man,” said Wiley.

“You could always select a wider band,” said the sales associate, gesturing at another case. “I have a fine selection of…”

“No, I looked at those the last time I was here and I didn’t like any of them.” Wiley sighed.

“Sir, if I may, the piece, in and of itself isn’t special. It’s what you do with it, how you present it, that will make the memory.”

“I know, it’s just, I want him to know that when he puts it on…” Wiley trailed off.

“Sir?”

“I’ve got it,” Wiley exclaimed, bolting up from the jewelry counter.

“You see one you like?”

“No. No, thank you. I’m sorry I’ve wasted your time,” said Wiley as he all but ran from the store.

Wiley hurried out to his car and raced across town to his apartment. As he’d stood in the jewelry store and tried to explain what he wanted Cameron to feel, Wiley finally realized he’d had the perfect gift all along.

Wiley hadn’t been to his apartment in almost two weeks. Home was with Cameron now. He’d moved so much of his things into Cameron’s apartment that his own apartment had become more of a storage space. The room he and Cameron shared was comfortable, but with all of their stuff combined, Wiley was afraid his most treasured possessions might get lost in the jumble and had left them behind for safe keeping.

He walked up to the mantle and pulled the small box from its resting place. He looked at the shiny piece of gold, thought about where it had been, where it was going, and felt tears well up in his eyes. After a moment he wiped his eyes on the back of his sleeve, slipped the box into his pocket and looked up at the portrait of his parents.

“Thanks dad, I love you,” said Wiley before he locked up and headed back to Cam’s.

The boys returned to Vermont four days before Christmas. They spent their time finishing up the last of their shopping at the local mall, helping Nancy bake countless pies and cookies, and decorating for the big day. Wiley’s arm was no longer in a sling so he even managed to help Alex with the finishing touches on his outdoor light display.

“You’re pretty handy,” said Alex as Wiley finished stapling a string of twinkle lights to the eave.

“Well, at least I didn’t staple my sleeve this time,” Wiley chuckled.

“Ah, that happens to everyone at some point,” said Alex.

Wiley fixed him with a questioning gaze, his eyebrow slightly raised.

“Ok, maybe not everyone but hey, you seem to have the hang of it now and I’d never have gotten all those lights untangled without your help.” Alex laughed.

“That sounds more accurate.” Wiley laughed with him.

“Maybe so but you’ve earned yourself some hot cider. What say we go in and grab a cup? It’s freezing out here,” said Alex.

“Yeah, sure that would be great, but um, I’d like to talk to you about something first,” said Wiley, nervously.

“Sure kiddo, what’s on your mind?”

“Um, well…” Wiley started. He reached into his pocket, pulled out a small box and held it out to Alex.

“Is that what I think it is?”

“Yes, sir.” Wiley nodded.

“You’re aware what that means, the commitment?”

“I love him, Alex. I want to spend the rest of my life making him happy,” said Wiley.

“That’s good enough for me, son,” said Alex as he pulled Wiley in for a hug.

It started snowing early on Christmas Eve and Wiley delighted in celebrating an old fashioned family Christmas.

Nancy, with the help of her mother and mother-in-law, put on a turkey and all the trimmings for Christmas Eve dinner and after that they enjoyed their dessert with hot apple cider milled right there in Burlington. When the grandparents went home for the night, everyone put on their pajamas and gathered in the living room to watch “It’s a Wonderful Life.” As Wiley snuggled with Cameron under a heavy quilt he took in the scene around him. The snow was falling outside, there was a roaring fire on the hearth, and he was surrounded by the most loving family he’d ever met.

The scene couldn’t have been more perfect and he wondered if Cameron had any idea what was about to happen.

At midnight Alex turned off the TV and everyone went to their rooms to grab their presents and put them under the tree.

“Alright, who wants to present the first gift?” asked Alex when everyone had returned to the living room.

“I’d like to, if I may,” said Wiley.

“Go for it,” said Nancy. She traded a look with her husband and they both smiled. They were in on the plan. Alex had shared the conversion he’d had with Wiley. Nancy thought Wiley was charmingly old fashioned, asking the Parkers’ permission first.

“When I was sixteen years old I lost my parents. They were my world, and I never thought I could ever love anyone that much again. Then I met you and you turned my world upside down,” said Wiley. He leaned forward and took Cameron’s hand, then pulled a small box from his pocket with his free hand. “I can’t think of anyone I would rather share my life with than you or anyone that I would rather have wear this.”

Cameron’s hands were trembling as he accepted the box and opened it to find a simple gold band.

“Does this mean what I think it does?” Cameron smiled as tears began to well up in his eyes. It was funny how his words almost echoed his father’s when he’d first seen the ring.

“Cameron Parker, will you be my husband?”

“Yes, absolutely yes,” Cameron wept. “I love you. I love you so much.”

“I think I’m going to cry,” said Nancy, hugging her husband.

“You guys are adorable,” Erica gushed.

“This was my father’s ring,” said Wiley, taking it out of the box and slipping it onto Cameron’s finger. “It fell from the sky and was consumed by fire but emerged perfect and whole, just like my love for you.”

“I’ll never take it off.” Cameron smiled. He put his arms around Wiley and gave him the most powerful hug they’d ever shared but when he pulled back he grimaced.

“What’s the matter?” asked Wiley as he reached out to caress Cameron’s cheek.

“Nothing, this is a perfect moment, it’s just…I didn’t get you anything this wonderful.”

“Yes you did.” Wiley beamed. “You said yes.”

The End