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Oliver watched from across the room as Darren and Daniel giggled together, unaware of his distant presence.
(Such a happy and perfect couple.) He thought. (Wonder what made them realize that they were meant to be together?)
"Meant to be together." He whispered to himself.
(What really determines who you're meant to be with for the rest of your life? What determined who was your soul mate?)
"Meant to be together." He whispered again.
(What had really brought Darren and Daniel together? What went off in their heads to make them see what they had together?)
With a deep sigh, he turned away from them and left the room, Darren and Daniel still never aware that he was ever there.
"Darren?"
"Yes, Daniel?"
"Was someone in the room with us?"
"What do you mean? Just *now*?"
"Ya, I thought I heard someone open and close the door..."
"Daniel love, I think you're hearing things, I never heard anything."
"Maybe you're right, maybe I need some sleep..."
"Alright Dan, sleep well, I'll be downstairs if you need me."
With light steps, Darren left the room, slowly walking downstairs to sit down and read a book. The kitchen smelled of warm and fresh coffee.
(That's odd, neither Daniel nor I turned on the machine to make coffee this morning.) He thought as he flicked the brewing appliance off. (Maybe Daniel was right - maybe someone *was* here but *who*? It couldn't have been Leonie... she was still back in New York... it definitely couldn't have been Colby! Maybe it was Michelle but she would've called before she came here, she always does...) Darren wondered as he sat down, picking up his newly bought novel. (Could someone have broken in? Why would they have turned on the coffee machine and not stolen anything? It doesn't make sense...)
Too confused, Darren decided to let his mind succumb to the wonderful world of novel reading, quickly opening up his book to the page where he last left off.
Daniel came down to the kitchen a couple of hours later.
Darren glanced at his watch, realizing how long he had been reading his book. "Well hello, sleeping beauty."
Daniel smiled tiredly. "Hey Daz, what are you reading?"
"Oh, the new Anne Rice novel..."
"What else could I have expected?"
"I don't know... it's good so far."
"Ya? Any really raunchy scenes so far?"
Darren bunched up his face. "No, not yet... that's *not* why I read them, you know."
"Sure Dazzy, I know why you read them..."
"Whatever." He replied with a laugh. "Make me some toast, I'm hungry."
"Yes master, anything else?" He asked, making a face.
"No, that'll be all for now." He replied, going back to his book.
Oliver flopped onto his bed lazily, tossing around the thoughts of the morning. (I wonder if Darren or Darren ever realized or heard that I was there...?) He wondered as he opened his cupboard, looking for a clean shirt to wear. (They couldn't have, they would've called me by now to ask me if I had gone there this morning...)
Satisfied, he found a shirt and slipped it on.
The phone rang in the kitchen.
"I'll get it." Daniel said, walking over to it. "Hello?"
"Hey Dan, how are you?"
"Oli? I'm good, and you?"
Darren looked up from his novel.
"I'm doing good, too. Listen, can I see you?"
"See me?"
"Ya, today maybe?"
"Sure. Why?"
"Uh, I have something I wanna talk about."
"Ok, and it can't be talked about on the phone?"
"I would prefer to talk in person"
"Alright bro, where and when?"
"Um my place in an hour?"
"Sure. See ya then, bye."
Hanging up the phone, he glanced over at Darren who was looking at him curiously.
"Was that your brother?" Darren asked.
"Ya, it was Oliver... he said he wants to see me in an hour"
"To see you? Is it urgent?"
"I don't know... he just told me that he wants to talk to me about something"
"Hmm, I hope it's nothing bad."
"Me too Daz, I'm just curious what it could be about."
"Well, go see him and let me know what happens, ok?"
"Alright, I'm gonna go shower now."
Daniel left the house after his shower. It took him about 15 minutes to get over to Oliver's house.
He rang the doorbell quickly. After 2 minutes, Oliver opened the door.
"Sorry it took me so long, I was in the shower..."
"That's alright." Daniel answered, stepping into his brother's house.
"Would you like something to drink?" Oliver asked politely.
"Uh no, I'll be fine."
"Whoa, Dan doesn't want a drink... that's a first!"
Daniel laughed. "Well, I don't drink *that* much."
"No comment."
Sitting down on the navy blue couch in the living room, Daniel leaned back a little. "So you wanted to talk?"
"Uh ya, but just let me get some decent pants on, alright?"
Daniel smirked. "Ya, please do." He replied, eyeing Oliver's boxers.
Slightly embarrassed, Oliver left and soon returned with a pair of jeans on.
Daniel fiddled with a long thread that was coming out of one of the couch pillows. "So, what do you want to talk about?"
"Oh yes... but I don't know how to go about asking you this..."
"Is it a bad thing?"
"A bad thing? No, just a question that I've been meaning to ask you for awhile..."
Daniel thought for a moment. "Oli, if you're about to ask me out, I'm gonna smack you."
Oliver laughed. "God, no! What do you think I am?!"
Daniel also laughed. "Ok, just wanted to make sure that it wasn't anything like *that*."
Oliver shook his head amusedly. "I can't believe you think that I would ask you something like that..."
"Well, you never know."
"I suppose. Anyhow, about my *real* question..."
Daniel tried to suppress a laugh. "Yes?"
"God, I don't know how to ask you this... I feel like an idiot already!"
"Oli, don't feel like an idiot I'm here for you man, what is it?"
"Ok. You know how you and Darren are together?"
Daniel blushed. "Ya, in what way?"
"Well, I mean the way you found each other and how you're kinda going out with him... like a boyfriend type thing?"
"Oh ya?"
"Well, I wanted to know how you found out about each other? What made you both realize that what you had was real and worth going for?"
Daniel sat back pensively. "You know, that's a good question, bro..."
Oliver nodded and waited for an answer.
"I really don't know..." He said with a smile. "We just both somehow knew that it was alright..."
"Ok... what made you think that it was ok to love another man?"
Daniel was stunned. "What made me think it was *alright*?"
Oliver nodded.
"Geez... well the thing is, Darren didn't seem like a man to me..."
"Did you think he was a woman?" Oliver asked with a soft laugh.
"No, I don't mean that... I mean, his gender never really crossed my mind I just knew that I loved him, regardless of what his gender was..."
"Really? You never stopped and thought 'whoa, I'm in love with another man'?"
Daniel shook his head slowly. "No, I never did. Even to this day, I still don't really think of it like that."
"That's interesting..."
"How so?"
"I mean, just the concept of the gender factor being left out"
"Being left out? I *know* he's man, Oli..."
"I know that, I just mean how you're both almost oblivious to the fact that you're in love with a member of the same sex..."
"We both *know* that we love a member of the same sex."
"Really? Then, why doesn't it bother you?"
"Why *would* it bother me? Should it?"
"I don't know... weren't we brought up to think and believe that being a homosexual or bisexual was wrong?"
"Ya, when we were children and didn't know any better..."
"Then, what changed you, Daniel?"
Daniel looked down at his feet. "...Darren..." He answered almost sheepishly.
"*One* man could change your beliefs that easily, hmm?"
"Oliver, are you interrogating me?"
"No, just analyzing you."
"Well, why do I feel as though you're questioning my love for Darren?"
"I'm not asking whether or not you love him... I *know* you do, I'm just wondering why you thought it was right or ok to just love another man like that...?"
"I told you, his gender never really crossed my mind... I just loved him for who he was."
"That's a very strong love, isn't it?"
"Yes, it is..."
"Youre a very lucky person, Dan... to have already found your soulmate."
"I guess I am." He said with a smile.
"People would kill to be in your position..."
"Would they? You mean, to be with Darren?"
"No, I mean to have a person in their life that they were certain they would have to hold and to love forever..."
"Oliver, are you referring to *yourself* when you say 'people'?"
"Maybe I am..."
"Hmm, so what was the whole point to this conversation?"
"Why? Do you feel as though it was a waste of time?"
"No, I was just wondering why you called me over here to talk about this and ask me all those questions..."
"Because I think *'I'm* in love with another man, Daniel..."
Daniel's eyes widened. "*You*?!"
Oliver nodded. "That's why I was asking you about your love for Darren, and now I know that's it real and it *can* happen..."
"And that it's *alright* for it to happen..."
"Yes. I'm glad we had this talk, Daniel."
Daniel smiled, still surprised at his brother's sudden revelation. "Me too."
On his way back home, Daniel smiled to himself, thinking back to the conversation that he just had. (I can't believe that because of my relationship with Darren, I helped someone out)
When he got home, Darren greeted him with a hug. "I missed you, Daniel."
"Likewise."
"So, what did Oliver have to say?"
Daniel smiled. "Let's just say that he needed some words of experience to help him decide something."
Darren hugged him again. "And you helped him, didn't you?"
"I did... and you know what? He also helped *me* realize something."
"What's that?" Darren asked, smiling.
"That you really *are* my soulmate and that I'm gonna love you forever and that it's perfectly alright..."
Darren kissed him lightly on the lips. "Daniel, I love you too and I'm glad that you're absolutely sure about us too..."
"Always, Darren, always.."
~finis~
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