Summer Loving

'Hey handsome,
I miss you... I'm sorry that I haven't written in awhile, but things out here have been intense. I wish that I was at home right now, chilling out with you in front of the television and watching one of those stupid sappy romance movies that you love so much.

We're moving out again shortly, so I'm going to have to keep this short and sweet. I can't wait to see you prince... please try not to worry too much about me and I hope to hear from you soon.

Your Soldier
Brett'

Reading the letter through a few times, Graham felt something loosen in his chest and smiled as he put the piece of paper back in its envelope. Reaching under the bed, he retrieved a shoe box and added the letter to the small collection he had saved.

Falling in love wasn't something Graham had planned on doing, but then in walked his prince charming wearing combat boots and a smile that made his heart melt. They had kept things casual for a while, but then Brett was deployed in Afghanistan and Graham quickly realized that he had fallen hard.

Hearing someone knocking loudly at his front door, Graham groaned at the idea of getting up again and hauled himself tiredly to his feet. Padding across the cold wood flooring, he yanked open the door and quickly found himself with an armful of his best friend, Melissa.

"To what do I owe the pleasure of your company at this godforsaken hour?" Graham grumbled as Melissa let herself into his house.

"It's nearly noon and I've come to take you out to lunch," Melissa replied matter of factly, turning to face him and smiling, "Plus, I'm dragging you to the funfair tonight and I don't want to hear any arguments... failure to comply will lead to physical harm."

"Charming."

"You love me anyway, now go get ready and don't take all day about it, I'm starving," Melissa ordered, pushing Graham towards his bedroom and slapping his butt playfully, "Mush."

Chuckling at her antics, Graham did as he was told and got ready. Heading to their usual lunch spot, Graham slid into an empty booth and pulled a menu towards him.

"I got a letter from Brett this morning," Graham told Melissa casually as they both scanned the menus in their hands.

"What did it say?" Melissa inquired, looking up at him momentarily and flashing him a smile.

"Not a lot," Graham replied sullenly, "His squad was moving out again, but he did say that he missed me and couldn't wait to see me."

"At least you know that he's okay."

"I know, I just wish that he was here," Graham added with a sigh, "This was supposed to be our summer."

"It sucks that Brett can't be here, but that doesn't mean that you can't still have an amazing summer," Melissa stated, "I have a feeling that this summer is going to be better than you think and it starts at the fair tonight, so stop your moping."

Ordering their food, Graham listened to Melissa tell him all about her latest disastrous date and rolled his eyes when the story ended with her going to see her ex. Finishing eating, Melissa dragged him to get a bottle of wine and they made their way back to Graham's to get ready.

It was six o'clock by the time they finally arrived at the gates of the fair, purchasing their wristbands and stepping into the crowded grounds. They spent the next hour moving from ride to ride, until Melissa announced that she was hungry and arranged to meet Graham at the Ferris wheel.

Making his way slowly through the crowds of people towards the big wheel, Graham was hit by the mingling scents of hamburgers, fried onions, candy floss and diesel fumes. Scanning the crowd for any sign of his best friends, Graham found that he had beat her there and stepped aside to wait. He had been waiting for nearly twenty minutes, when someone tapped him on the shoulder and he spun round.

Graham froze as he came face to face with Brett, feeling tears well in his eyes and roll down his cheeks. Moving forward, Brett smiled as he pulled Graham into a tight embrace and kissed the side of his head. Burying his face in Brett's neck, Graham inhaled the familiar aroma of his boyfriend's favorite deodorant and relaxed into the other man's warmth. He had missed the feeling of strong arms holding him... the sensation of Brett's solid body against his, reassuring him that he was home and safe.

"I missed you so damn much," Graham whispered in Brett's ear, "I'm glad you're home."

"I made you a promise that this would be our summer and I may have been away longer than we thought I would, but that promise still stands."

"I love you," Graham said, pulling back a little and ghosting his lips across Brett's.

"I love you too," Brett replied, kissing Graham quickly on the lips and looking up at the Ferris wheel, "What do you say we kick off our summer with a ride on the big wheel?"

"That sounds pretty good."

Settling in their seats, Graham smiled as Brett wrapped his arm around his shoulders and kissed his cheek. As they reached the highest point, they stared out over the beach that stretched for miles far below them and reveled at the sight of the moon reflecting off the seas choppy surface.

In that moment, Graham felt at peace and for the first time in fourteen long months, there was no crippling fear or anxiety threatening to pull him under. His soldier was home, his heart was whole and Melissa had been right as usual... this summer was going to be amazing.