In the grand scheme of Life, there are certain things I never, ever expected myself to do. Situations I never imagined finding myself in. Partaking in affairs I never expected to play out. One of them is right now.

We wrapped up the tour in London. Scott has an estate (yes, an estate) in the English countryside. It's...Surreal. Like something out of a movie. 

It's an old regal mansion, sprawling lawns, gravel pathways. It's all so--so--well, English. The entire estate is steeped in this historical feel. Your mind is immediately transported to times of huge gowns and powdered wigs.

And honestly? I kinda low-key love it.

But that's not the thing I never imagined. No--that thing is inside Scott's estate. Currently I'm in his ballroom. His grand ballroom. In my honor, for a job well done on this tour (he's a sweetheart), he's thrown a masquerade ball. I'm dressed as The Phantom, dancing a traveling waltz.

Since I've been sober I've had a lot of time on my hands. So, I may or may not have taken up ballroom dancing. And, I may or may not have become obsessed. So here I am, dancing in Scott's ballroom, performing a partner-changing, lead and follow waltz.

Yup! Orion Bauwens likes partaking in waltzes. Go figure.

I really dig the masquerade aspect of this. I've never done this before. I know there are people here I'm friends with...But where are they?

Hell if I know. I occasionally catch a glimpse of Cindy, one of my stylists, because she's wearing a Mardi Gras-style mask that just covers her eyes. Everyone else? I either don't know them, or their face is completely obscured which means I might know them.

This is a Jack and Jill type dance--meaning, a man and a woman. So you can imagine my surprise when the next switching of partners comes and I spin, finding myself suddenly in a Pat and Chris format (meaning, man and man). Immediately I take the lead position.

It would be poor form to stop and interrupt the entire dance, so I scan my eyes around the crowd. If this was a mistake, no one else seems to have been affected by it. So I focus my eyes back on my new partner. I give a slight nod to acknowledge them and let them know that we'll continue the dance, even if he's broken form.

It's...strange, but I'm immediately attracted to this man that I'm dancing with. His chest and arms are firm. We're the same height.

He's dressed pretty ridiculously, and I fight the urge to laugh; he's a penguin, the mask on his face having an over-sized beak. Honestly it reminds me of what Brian May wore in the Queen music video, I'm Going Slightly Mad. I fall in love with the costume because of that association in my head; it makes me that much more crazy about the mystery man that's behind it.

Then something else surprising happens. Whoever this is is giving signals to hijack! That means he's trying to take the lead. For a while we silently fight, eyes intensely staring at one another, gently pressing against each other with our fingertips, fighting for dominance.

Assertively he takes dominance, switching our hand position. Placing his white gloved hand on my back, right below the shoulder blade, he makes our fingertips touch lightly with our other hand. To my slight annoyance he then shifts his body, changing how our hips are aligned, gently pressing against each other.

We reset, using clear recovery steps and go into the promenade position, falling into this new lead-and-follow setup. Then we continue dancing as though nothing happened. It's fluid, as though we've been dancing with each other forever and we're used to one another.

I love how our hips press against each other. It feels exciting, electric. The more we dance, the more relaxed I become. I find myself no longer caring that I've lost the lead.

Whoever this is, he is going to be my final partner for this particular dance. It makes me really, really sad. I don't want this dance to end. I don't want our bodies to stop touching, not ever.

If I could just spend the rest of my days here, in this ballroom, with this ridiculous penguin-man in long coattails, I would. I almost feel in love. How can you fall in love with someone's body?

But then it all makes sense when the music ends. We bow to one another, and as my partner sweeps back up he's taking off his mask, and fuck me.

"T-Tristan?"

He grins. "Hey, Orio."

I literally don't know what to do. A year or two ago I would've burst into tears. But I'm--thankfully--past my weepy phase. So instead I just stand there as people get into position for the next dance.

"Wanna keep dancing?" he asks, perfect grin never leaving his perfect face.

All I can manage is a shake of my head.

"Wanna talk?"

I nod. So he takes my hand into his own and leads me to the balcony.

This specific balcony faces the west gardens. There are lovely rolling hills, the outer edge lined in trees to signal the perimeter of the estate. The sun set awhile ago, the first twinkling stars starting to peek out, the sky changing from a deep blue to a deep, deep black.

I hop up onto the stone railing and swing my feet over, dangling them off the side. Tristan joins me, but with a bit more caution. I can't help but chuckle, putting my hand on his shoulder.

"You alright?"

He peers over the edge. "Yeah, we're just...high up."

"Scott and I sit like this when I'm here. We sit, and smoke, and talk."

"Do you come here often?"

I shake my head. "This is only my third time."

"Ah."

Comfortable silence. I'm surprised how, even after all this time, our silence is still comfortable. Especially after everything we've been through.

"Do you like my costume?" Tristan asks suddenly.

I can't help but smile fondly. "Yeah. I love it. You remembered I love Queen."

"I'm happy you understood the reference."

I shake my head. "I can't believe you remember that music video."

"Of course, Orio. Why wouldn't I? We watched it together, and it's so you."

My breath hitches at my old nickname. I look at him, narrowing my eyes. It's not in a mean way, I'm just studying his face. God, I've missed his face...

"I had no idea you ballroom dance."

"There's a lot you never got to know about me, Orio."

That makes me frown. It's true. I look at my hands.

"What're you doing here, Tristan?"

He rubs his hands together, looking out at the field. "Scott invited me."

I look at him. "How do you know Scott?"

He rubs the back of his neck a bit sheepishly. "It's kinda a long story..."

"I have all night."

He meets my gaze then. "S-so, I took up a job in New York and I've been living there awhile."

I don't know if I've ever seen him look so nervous before. It honestly breaks my heart. I resist the urge to hold his hand.

"Well...out of morbid curiosity, I watched that live stream you did before the concert you performed in Madison Square Garden."

Oh, fuck me.

"A-and when it was done, well...I wanted to see you. But your concert that night was sold out. S-so, um..." He's rubbing his hands together again. "Uh, IkindacalledupJaketoseeifhecoulddoanything?"

I laugh. He deflates and closes his eyes. "Oh thank God you're not angry."

I nudge his shoulder with my own. "Angry? Why would I be angry?"

"Because I still keep in contact with Jake? Because it's weird I went to your concert?"

"Naw," I say, gently nudging his shoulder again. "I knew you were a creepy stalker since day one, when you were loading up the amp on the bus..."

We're looking at each other as I trail off. I had meant it as a joke, but neither of us are laughing. I want to kiss him.

By the look in his eyes I'm pretty sure he wants to press his perfect, soft lips against mine, too. But we don't. I've never felt more isolated and desolate in my entire life.

"I heard your song," he tells me in a whisper.

Now a tear drops out of my right eye. I'm wearing my contacts on account of my mask. Tristan wipes the tear away with his thumb gingerly, his hand resting on my cheek. It takes everything in my power not to nuzzle his palm. God, I've missed him.

"W-what're you doing here, Tristan?"

He starts to lean in slowly. "I needed to see if I still feel the same way about you."

He pulls my hips to him and we kiss. Another tear drips out of my eye, but that's it. I've never been so happy in my entire life.

I don't feel alone anymore. If he stays here with me, I'll never feel alone again. I'll do anything, anything to keep him here. I'll be good for him--I'll be good for myself. I only hope he lets me prove that to him.

He pulls away, looking peaceful. I can't break my eyes away from his own glittering, perfect caramel orbs. I swallow thickly and when I speak, my voice shakes.

"A-and?"

Tristan smiles. "I do."

                                                       THE END.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hi! If you're reading this, PLEASE COMMENT! Tell me what you think! Likes, dislikes, what you loved, what you think I could've done better...Who is your favorite character? Which character DIDN'T you like? *chants* Feedback, feedback, feedback!

I also want to say, THANK YOU. If you've been a loyal reader, THANK YOU. If you just found this, THANK YOU. If you voted on this, THANK YOU!!! This story has the most votes out of anything I've written so far, and that's really exciting. If you've stuck with it and got this far, T-H-A-N-K Y-O-U!

I wrote this...Well, I'm not really sure why I wrote this. This was one of those stories that just kinda wrote itself. And I immediately fell in love with Orion, and his and Tristan's story isn't done yet. There's a lot of little bits and pieces I wanted to include, but this story would've been over 100,000 words then...That's too long! So, eventually, a sequel is coming...

I digress. . .If you're reading this, I appreciate YOU. Yes, you! Thank you so much for believing in me and following Orion, Tristan, and myself to the end, even though it was a bumpy ride. I had to give Orion a happy ending though--he deserves it.

<3,

QueenStarbuck