Aiden snapped a few photos of the ocean. He could see Oliver out in the distance, swimming. His tanned shoulders stuck out from the water and Aiden fought his worry about him being so deep. He watched Oliver through the camera lens. He snapped a few photos of him in the water, diving under the waves as they approached him.

Aiden looked up. The sun was huge and bright and hot above them. It was the perfect day. The sand beneath his feet was warm, soaking his feet deep with every step. The waves were small close to shore, but quite big out to sea. Aiden had never been a fan of huge waves after being dunked under many times as a child. He did love the ocean though, and he stood just at the water's edge where his toes would get pushed under the water with every tiny wave that made it to shore.

Aiden started walking around the water's edge, taking more photos. He kept his eye on Oliver. He felt his phone vibrate in the pocket of his shorts and he pulled it out. Chase's smiling face was on the screen.

"Hello, Chase."

"Hello birthday boy."

Aiden watched Oliver in the distance. "Yesterday was my birthday."

"It's your birthday weekend! It still counts!"

Aiden laughed. "Sure. Anyway, you will not believe the view from where I am standing."

"Are you on the balcony?" Chase asked.

"How do you know that there's a balcony?"

"I did help plan this, you know," Chase reminded him. "Oliver showed me photos of the place."

Aiden laughed. "So you two had some kind of secret meeting about this?"

"We had many secret meetings," Chase replied.

Aiden smiled into the phone. "You two are so sneaky. I can't believe I didn't know."

"Anyway, where are you?"

"On the beach. Oliver is swimming almost neck deep and I'm taking photos."

"That sounds like you," Chase replied. "I would be worried if you weren't taking photos."

"And you would have good reason to." Aiden wandered up and down the beach. "How was your date with Emerson last night?"

"I think I'm in love," Chase told him.

"You're beginning to sound like Mary!" Aiden laughed. "Which photo of the two of you did you plant in her kitchen?"

"Oh hardy-ha!" Chase sounded unamused.

"What ever happened to your love is dead attitude?"

"My what?" Chase asked.

"That whole love isn't real spiel you were going on and on about a few weeks back."

He heard Chase sigh. "Oh that. Well, my perspective has changed."

"Has it now?"

"Yes."

"Emerson must be a special person to flip your ideals so much."

Aiden was actually quite surprised that Chase had gone from his sulking mood a few weeks back to this. It was good for Chase, who had been so heartbroken over Mary. It was good for Chase to move on. Aiden had hated seeing him so upset.

Chase paused for a second. "She is. We've been friends for so long that we just fit together so easily as a couple."

"I'm happy for you, Chase."

"What do you think of the beach house?"

Aiden turned so that he could see the beach house in the distance. He could see the porch that he and Oliver had spent hours on the night before, talking and drinking wine that Oliver had brought. "It's perfect. I couldn't think of a more perfect getaway."

"Thank-god. It took us ages to settle on the idea."

Aiden heard his name being called. He saw Oliver walking towards him. He was soaking wet, his skin shining under the bright sun above them.

"I have to go, Oliver is coming over."

"Have a great day, I'll see you tomorrow night."

"See you then."

Aiden started walking towards Oliver. Aiden didn't think that Oliver could get sexier, but with his hair pushed back and his board shorts hanging low on his hips, he looked like a god. The sand and water in the background only made him look better, like he was some kind of model.

"Who was that? Your secret boyfriend?" Oliver asked with a wink.

Aiden feigned shock. "How did you know!?"

Oliver ran the distance between them, a huge smile on his lips. "You'll pay for this!"

Aiden only had a second to pick up his camera from around his neck and slip his phone into his shorts pocket before he was tipped upside down. Oliver had picked him up and was balancing him over his shoulder. Aiden squealed and tried to keep his camera as far away from Oliver's wet body as possible. He laughed so hard that he almost dropped the camera.

"What are you doing?" he screamed out.

Oliver gently put him on the ground. Aiden ran away from Oliver, looking back at him. Oliver chased after him just as quickly and tackled him to the ground. Aiden was suddenly looking up at the sky with hot sand pressed to his back.

"Careful of the camera," he said as he held the camera out.

"Sorry," Oliver said. Once he had looked over the camera and was sure it was okay, Oliver pressed his lips against Aiden's.

Aiden kissed him back. He hoped that Oliver wouldn't hear the camera click. Instead, he was pretty sure he captured a photo of Oliver scowling at his camera.

"Did you just try to take a selfie of us?" Oliver laughed, his eyes still on the camera.

"Maybe," Aiden admitted.

Oliver got to his feet and pulled Aiden up with him. "Do you want to come for a swim?"

"Soon," Aiden said. "I want to take a few more photos."

Oliver kissed his nose. "Of course you do."

"Are you going back out?" Aiden asked.

"Yeah," Oliver told him.

"Can you stay closer to shore?"

"Why?"

Aiden looked out at the horizon. "It's really far out there. I don't want a shark to eat you."

Oliver reached over and pushed a few strands of Aiden's dark hair behind his ear. "You are so cute."

"What?"

Oliver's smile was huge. There was a light in his eyes that made Aiden blush. "You're worried about me."

"No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are."

Aiden folded his arms across his chest. "You can get eaten by a shark for all I care."

Oliver shook his head. "You're so worried about me."

Aiden took a few steps back towards the beach house. "Do whatever you want, I don't care."

Aiden heard Oliver's laugh behind him. "Meet me in the water when you're ready."

Aiden bit at his lip to stop a smile from forming. He walked around the water for a while, trying to get more photos. He eventually decided that he wanted to get in the water. He walked back to the beach house to lock away the camera and his phone. He had just walked through the door of the house when his phone beeped. He saw that he had a message from Ava. How are you enjoying your holiday?

It's incredible, he replied.

She replied with, I told Oliver that you would love it. Enjoy! Message me when you guys are free, we should hang out.

Aiden smiled down at his phone. He had never had many friends. He liked Ava, and he loved the fact that he and Oliver had friends as a couple. Shared friends. Friends that you can go on double dates with and spend weekends with. He wanted that. He finally felt like he was somewhere in his life that he belonged.

As he walked down towards the water, Aiden noticed that Oliver was only knee deep in the water. He couldn't keep the smile off of his face.

A few hours later and they were sitting out on the porch. Aiden's hair had just dried and his skin smelt like salt water. They were sitting a big outdoor lounge, Aiden's feet resting on Oliver's lap as they both soaked in the sun.

"My mother called me last week," Oliver said.

Aiden looked at him. Oliver never talked about his family. To be honest, Aiden wasn't even sure that he had a mother. "Does she call you much?" he asked. He wanted to ask a thousand questions but the rational part of his mind forced him to settle on just a few.

"Every couple of months. We don't talk all that much," Oliver admitted.

"Do you talk to anyone from your family very much?" Aiden asked.

"Just my sister."

Aiden wanted to ask if he could meet her, but he wasn't sure if that was crossing a line. "What's she like?"

"Rosie is very smart, she tops her class in almost everything. Not only that, but she's the only kind person in my family. She's the only one I could never cut out of my life."

"How old is she?"

"Fourteen."

Aiden thought about Oliver being a big brother. He knew how good he would be at it. "Do you see her often?"

Oliver shook his head. "Not since I moved away."

"Oh."

"Do you want to meet her?" Oliver asked.

Aiden was surprised. "Yes, I would."

"Well, in that phone call I was talking about, my mother invited me on a family vacation."

"A vacation?" Aiden asked.

"Yeah."

"What did you say?"

"I said no, but if I had you with me, then I could reconsider."

Aiden knew this was a huge step for them. "I would love to meet your family, but only if that's what you want."

Oliver reached for Aiden's hand. "I couldn't do it without you."

Aiden sat up straighter on the lounge chair. "That isn't answering my question."

"I do want you to meet them," Oliver replied. "I'm just nervous about it."

"Why?" Aiden asked. "Why don't you get along with your parents?"

"You won't understand unless you meet them. My family is very complicated," Oliver told him.

Aiden understood what Oliver meant. "Are you sure that you want us to go? I don't ever have to meet them if that's what's best for you."

Oliver shook his head. "They are my family. As much as they make my life harder, I do still love them. They should meet you."

"This seems like a pretty big step for us," Aiden said. "Meeting the family."

"It is important. Let's just hope we both survive the vacation."

"I'm sure we will," Aiden told him.

Oliver laughed. "You haven't met my parents. They aren't exactly the nicest people."

Aiden didn't laugh. "How mean are they?"

"Not that mean," Oliver assured him. "You don't need to worry. We just don't get along. My parents and I have very different ideas about almost everything."

"Oh," Aiden replied. It reminded him of his relationship with his own family. He felt a pang of jealousy that Oliver's sister was old enough to keep in contact with him, he wasn't sure if he would ever speak to his brothers again.

"So do you want to know where we are going?"

Aiden hadn't even thought about the destination of this trip. He felt silly for not giving it a thought. "Yes," Aiden replied. "So where is this family vacation?"

"New York."

"We are going to New York?" Aiden asked. "I can't afford-"

"Don't worry about that," Oliver replied.

"Oliver-"

"It's the least I can do for you putting up with my family for a week."

Aiden wanted to refuse, but he knew how important this was for Oliver. He had to go. "Okay," he said. He hated to swallow his pride, but he would do it for Oliver. "When do we leave?"

"Two weeks," Oliver told him.

"They planned their trip two weeks in advance?" Aiden asked sarcastically.

"My mother may have asked me to go a couple of months ago. I just kept saying no."

"What made you change your mind?" Aiden wondered.

"You," Oliver said. He squeezed Aiden's hand. "My family and I might have our troubles, but they deserve to meet the man that I plan on marrying one day."

Aiden was too stunned to speak. "Wh-"

"I shouldn't have said that. I've probably freaked you out."

Aiden didn't know what to say. Oliver's words had shocked him. Oliver was such a slow mover in this relationship, and suddenly he was talking about marriage. Aiden couldn't express with words how happy it made him. He couldn't explain the warm feeling that he felt in his chest or the reason why his heart started to beat faster.

Aiden kissed him. He pulled Oliver close and pressed their lips together quickly and passionately. He loved Oliver. He felt it like a truck hitting him at full speed, but also like it had always been there, beneath the surface. "I love you, Oliver."

Oliver's eyes widened. Aiden thought he would hesitate, but instead Oliver replied instantly. "I love you, too."

Aiden rested his head against Oliver's shoulder. He looked out at the beach, the sound of the wind loud in his ears and the hot sun warm on his skin. He watched the waves hitting the shore and thought about how lucky he was to have Oliver. He felt like the pieces of his life were finally falling into place. All he had to do was survive the family vacation.

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