Birthday Wishes

He gets up and brushes the stray grass from his knees. The kid runs off to his mom, laughing and shouting. He watches as she lifts him up and smiles at him. He suddenly misses his mom. It's not even that long since he's seen her, just past Christmas. But he misses her anyway. Misses that feeling of being safe he gets whenever he goes home. Misses the way things are so simple back home.

He turns around and finds BJ's eyes fixed on him. He's wearing his cap backwards and Dal wants to go and put it on the right way around. He's going to get burnt otherwise. All this summer sun is no good for skin like BJ's. BJ smiles, a small smile with a slightly distracted shake of the head and turns away. Dal feels his heart drop a little. Always this same feeling. Like he's so close to something that always steps further away whenever he even looks at it. He can't help it though. The way his heart would flutter when BJ looks at him.

He sighs and moves on to the next fan, another little boy with a no.12 jumper. He sighs again. Bloody Nick and his popularity with the kids. Not that Dal doesn't understand why, with his Nordic good looks and all that star quality. He kneels down to sign the back and tries not to think about how he's wasting his life on someone he'll never have.

---

"I think I'm in love with him"

Nick's head snaps up in surprise.

"What?"

BJ growls in frustration.

"Don't fucking pretend like you didn't know!"

Nick glares.

"Was I supposed to read your mind?" he snaps, "Are you going to do something about it?" he asks in a gentler voice.

BJ runs a nervous hand through his hair.

"I don't...I don't know what to do. How do I tell him?"

"Use words. That usually works" Nick chuckles.

"Shut up!"

Nick sighs.

"Jus tell him"

"I can't just tell him!" BJ exclaims and then realises he might be talking too loudly and looks around nervously. There's no one there. All the boys have gone home. Bar two.

Nick stands up.

"Tell. Him. Trust me, I know how this works. Just tell him and I promise everything will work out" he slings his bag over his shoulder, "I gotta go, Justin's waiting"

BJ nods, "Yeah, alright"

Nick grips BJ's shoulders with both hands, BJ looks up, dark circles under his eyes more emphatic so close up.

"Tell him. Before it kills you"

BJ laughs.

"Thanks"

---

The rest of the story is history really. Boy asks boy out on a date. Boy tries not to fall over in shock. Boys go out on a date. Boys realise they're in love. Boys turn up late for training, gets yelled at by the coach, gets knowing looks from everyone else and realise they should have done this a long time ago.

---

Dal opens his eyes. The sky is above him, cloudless and endlessly blue. Like the colour of BJ's eyes.
It is his birthday today. He is 28 years old. He turns his head to the right. BJ is asleep next to him. The left overs of their picnic abandoned beyond him. Dal smiles helplessly, reaching out a hand to touch BJ's hair. This is a place he thought he'd never be. That he is, only makes him even more incredulous at his life. He is 28 years old and he's happy.

BJ's eyes flicker open and he smiles sleepily at Dal.

There is a lot in his life that he is thankful for. But none more so than this. Watching BJ wake up next to him, to watch him smile, for a 28 year old, Dal knows he has it pretty damn good.

The end.

Happy birthday to the lovely Dal. I know this is really quite late. But better than never, right?