The Rings of Saturn

Owen

The following June

We left my friends on our traditional ‘Gays Can Play’ summer cruise on a dock off of Hawaii on their way to the Isle of Kala. As much as I’d love to join them, I have other plans. I loaded Zak into a second boat, not nearly as big or luxurious, but still sleek and filled with fun things to do.

Better yet, it’s private. There’s just the two of us and the captain, who came highly recommended. But I chose this boat specifically because it’s named Beyond the Stars. It seemed fitting for what I have in mind.

Zak and I explore the boat for a while until we decide to lie on the deck in the sun. We remain there for the rest of the day, though it’s not a short ride to the island I rented. Captain Spiro expertly docks us at the small platform.

“I’ll be here if you need anything,” he says.

I nod, thanking him. Zak looks at him with amusement as I hand him his backpack. “He’s just going to stay there?” he asks as he walks away. “That sounds boring.”

“I’ve booked him for ten days,” I say.

“Oh,” he says and follows the path ahead.

The island consists primarily of trees and beaches. As far as I know, there’s only one permanent structure on the island and we’re hiking to it. The mountain doesn’t have a very steep grade so I think we should be fine. Glancing at the sun, I remind myself we’re on a deadline. I need to keep us moving so we’re where we need to be at the right time.

It takes far longer for us to scale the mountain than I thought it would. I don’t consider myself out of shape, but seriously, I’m winded. Zak hasn’t complained once and I’ve kept him in front of me to set the pace. I think he’s got more fucking stamina than I do, though. Hopefully the place is stocked as I asked it to be. I really need a drink. Hiking is more strenuous than I remember.

“What is this place?” Zak asks as we crest the hill and come face to face with an enormous dome.

“You’ll see,” I answer.

Finally, we reach the summit and Zak turns to look at the view of the ocean and other islands in the distance. On a clear day, we should be able to see for a couple of miles. Right now, the mountains in this direction look like alien landscapes lost within a fog line.

Especially since the sun is nearly down. It was a precarious bit of planning to get this just right. We needed enough light to see the path to get here, but I also wanted to time our arrival so we didn’t have to wait too long for nightfall. I had a very narrow window and thankfully, we made it in time.

Wrapping my arms around Zak’s shoulders, I stare out at the sea for a while with him. “It’s stunning,” he says. “How long are we staying here?”

“A few days.”

I planned this trip without his knowledge or input. All he knew was that he needed his passport and to dress for very warm weather. Also—bathing suits.

“Ready to see why I brought you here?” I ask.

Zak nods and turns for the enormous domed building. “Is that a planetarium?”

I grin. “No.” Although, I think there’s a projector in there to bring the Milky Way to us. Taking his hand in mine, we walk the rest of the path together. I’m momentarily caught wondering how they built this thing. There isn’t a road that leads to it. Maybe there had been at one point, but we haven’t seen a trace of one anymore.

Though there must be a less strenuous way to get here. I can’t imagine guys in lab coats hiking their way to this building.

There’s a lockbox and I use the code I was given to dig out the key. Then I let Zak in. It’s dark and I flick on a light. It’s not bright, so it doesn’t illuminate the entire place, but it’s enough that the long shadows take shape.

Zak’s eyes get as wide as saucers. “Is that… a telescope?”

I grin. “It is. Welcome to the Paradise Island Observatory.” He looks around in awe.

Pushing him gently inside, I pull his backpack from his shoulders and then take mine off and dump them by the door. Which I shut and lock. If there was a ‘do not disturb’ sign, I’d be hanging that bitch on the handle.

To the right, I spy a bed, a set of drawers and a small kitchenette. Otherwise, this place is built for observing the cosmos.

I follow Zak to the telescope, pulling out my phone as I do. I was emailed directions on how to see exactly what I brought us here to see. I find the button that opens the dome, bringing the entire ceiling down like a convertible top. As it opens, I flick the buttons that turn the telescope on. The computer blinks to life and a dozen screens turn blue.

More buttons have the platform we’re on rotating and the telescope itself shifting. When everything settles, I move to the small eyepiece and look out. It shows me exactly what I wanted to see. There’s no explanation needed so I step aside and motion for Zak to peer in.

He’s quiet for a moment. “Is that Saturn?” he asks.

I grin. “Yep. NASA refuses to sell it but I haven’t given up yet. In the meantime, I thought we could admire it together.”

“I’ve never seen anything like this,” Zak says. I take a step back as he talks about what he sees. “It’s breathtaking. The rings are so prominent. It looks so… enchanting.”

My smile doesn’t fade. I can feel his excitement radiate off him as he continues to talk about the planet. When he finally turns, his jaw drops, a hand coming up to cover his mouth as his eyes turn glassy. I grin up at him from where I’m kneeling.

I’ve been planning this for months. So many months. And yet, when it comes time to tell him how much I love him, words fail me. I don’t have a speech. There aren’t enough words in the English language to properly express how much I love him. There’s only one thing to say:

“Will you marry me, Zak?”

Tears are already streaking down his cheeks. He nods wildly. “Yes,” he exclaims. I slip the ring on his finger and stand to bring him in my arms. Zak laughs, but he’s shaking his head.

“What?” I ask.

He lets me go and crosses the room to his backpack. I watch, somewhat perplexed, as he digs around for something. When he returns, he grins at me as he sinks to the floor on a knee.

Yeah, I’m completely shocked.

“I used to pray to gods I don’t believe in, that they’d send someone to help me. Someone that I wouldn’t be able to push away. There’s no way I could’ve known that they’d send me one of their own. I didn’t know what love was. Truthfully, I didn’t think it existed. What evidence did I have of that?” He pauses to sniff. “I couldn’t believe in something that had turned its back on me so many times. But then you gave your love to me and I just… I’m always so overcome with how much I love you I don’t even know what to say sometimes. I love you, Owen. Pretty sure I’ve loved you since the day we met. I fell for you when you told me I was flawless and meant it. I don’t think it’s possible, but you manage to defy logic and make me fall in love with you every damn day. All I want is to spend my life with you. I never want to be without you. I even want to spend death with you.” He laughs as he says, “Will you be my husband?”

I’m completely speechless. All I can do is look at him and nod. He takes my hand and puts a ring on my finger. He gets to his feet and once more, I have him pressed against me. But it’s no longer enough.

Like a barbarian, I sling him over my shoulder. Zak laughs, his hands gripping my shirt tightly as I cross the space to throw him onto the bed. With my lips glued to his, I rip our clothes off. It’s not gentle nor pretty, but I don’t care in the least; I need him naked. I need his body. I need to be a part of him right now.

Reaching under the pillows, I hope these people followed every last request I sent them. A moment of triumph nearly makes me grin when my hand wraps around a bottle of lube. I might have if I were willing to stop kissing him.

There’s no finesse. No pacing myself. My need to be a part of him is far too great, so I work my new fiancé open until I’m confident I won’t tear him in two and then make myself at home in his body.

The entire time, I refuse to let go of his mouth. I swallow all the sounds. I grip him tightly with one arm under and around his back, the other tangling tightly in his hair. Zak’s body arches into me as he shivers, trying to accommodate my dick.

At long last, I’m seated inside him as deeply as I can get. I can’t catch my breath and am forced to stop kissing him, but I don’t take my mouth completely away from his. Being a part of his body is heaven. It’s exactly what I need. I’d still like to burrow into his chest and live there forever, but this will have to do for now.

“Say something,” Zak says.

“I can’t believe you were going to do the same thing,” I say.

He laughs, his fingertips feathering over my skin, leaving chills in their wake. “I didn’t know what you had planned for this trip, so I couldn’t exactly coordinate something like you did.” He shifts under me until I back away enough that we can look at each other. “I’ve been wanting to marry you for a long time. But I wasn’t sure if you were ready.”

“Zak.” But again, there just aren’t words. Nothing feels big enough to make him understand. To express what he’s done to me. How he’s changed my life. My soul.

He smiles, placing a hand on my cheek. The hand that has my ring on it. His eyes snag there. I wish there was more light for him to make out its details. It’s a set of seven thin bands of different colors. They wrap around a stone in the middle, creating rings around it. When they’re all stacked right and lined up properly, the little bumps and ridges spell out ‘you are my world.’

“You gave me Saturn’s rings,” he says, his voice sounding a bit watery.

I laugh. “Yeah. All seven.”

His eyes are glassy again as he looks at me. “Fuck, I love you.”

Grinning, I bring my mouth to his again as I move slowly inside him. This moment isn’t about pleasure or intimacy. It’s about being as close as I can possibly get. Being a single person without one person ending and the other beginning. I’d fucking fuse us together if I could right now.

It isn’t until later that I take a closer look at the ring on my finger. The metal is filled with all sorts of swirly patterns. It’s breathtaking, like nothing I’ve ever seen before.

I tuck myself back into him, sliding my not quite hard cock into his supple ass. He groans in his sleep, moaning. His arms tighten and he sighs. I’m never leaving his man. I’m never leaving his body again. This is where I live now. I will make sure there isn’t a day that goes by that he doesn’t hear how much he’s loved.