SEBASTIAN
I barely make it back to my dressing room, dripping with sweat and buzzing with adrenaline, when the door bursts open and in storms Remi, red-faced and breathless, like he’s just run a marathon, which is more or less what he must have done to get here so quickly.
I don’t even have time to say a word before my boyfriend sweeps me up in his arms and crashes his lips onto mine.
As always, the moment we touch, fireworks go off.
Remi holds me tightly, hands pressed against my back, while his tongue slips possessively into my mouth.
My lips part eagerly for him and I jump up, wrapping my legs around his waist and clinging to him like a koala, while his hands slide down to grab my arse.
We try to stay upright, but we end up stumbling and slamming into the wall. Still, our mouths don’t part until we’re both completely breathless.
It’s become clear that post-concert adrenaline has quite the effect on Remi, too, and I can’t say I mind. On the contrary.
Something about watching me play stirs up some primal instinct in my boyfriend, and I’m more than happy to indulge it.
He moves from my mouth to my jaw, then to my neck, kissing and nibbling with that hungry intensity that drives me wild, like he wants to devour me, like he’ll never get enough of me. And honestly, the way his unrestrained desire fuels mine is intoxicating.
“You were… incredible, baby…” he pants, pulling back just long enough to lock the door behind us.
“And what exactly are you planning to do?” I tease, feigning innocence. “We’re supposed to be joining everyone at the reception…”
He presses a finger to my lips and grins devilishly. “Change of plan, baby…”
I narrow my eyes at that mischievous glint in his gaze. “What do you mean, Remi? They’re all waiting for us…”
“Not exactly. Friends and family are heading to the reception, yes, but we won’t be there. Don’t you remember what day it is today?”
I pretend to hesitate, but he bites my neck, just enough to make me squirm, and I lift my hands in surrender. “Alright, alright! I was only joking. As if I could forget that two years ago today we shared our first kiss.”
“Baby…” he purrs, kissing his way down my neck and jawline, “…I’ve arranged a little romantic dinner to celebrate, and… the others know. They’re not expecting us.”
He groans against me as our erections rub together through the thin fabric of our dress trousers.
“Then I have… a suggestion,” I whisper in his ear, burning with the need to have him.
“I’m listening…” he rasps, just as desperate as I am.
“Maybe… maybe we could reverse the courses and… start with dessert.”
He doesn’t need to be asked twice. In a few swift steps, Remi moves towards the marble table in the centre of the room and, with one decisive sweep, knocks everything off it.
Then, with great care, he lays me down on the cold surface.
Instantly, goosebumps ripple across my skin, not just from the chill, but from the heat of his hands moving beneath my clothes.
He leans over me, fingers trembling slightly as he begins to unbutton my silk shirt and loosen my trousers. His breath leaves a trail of fire in its wake as he slowly makes his way down my body, and I let out a quiet moan, unable to contain it.
“Good boy…” he murmurs as he finally slips my trousers off, gently spreading my legs and placing the soles of my feet against the table’s edge. I stare at him, wide-eyed.
I’m in the most vulnerable position a person could be in, and yet with Remi, I feel completely safe. In his eyes, along with that overwhelming desire, I see a love so intense it borders on reverence. And I know that no one will ever make me feel safer or more protected than he does.
“Seb, baby, are you alright?” he whispers against my lips, checking in as always before taking the next step. That he still asks for my consent, despite knowing me inside out, only deepens my love and longing for him.
“I’m perfect, my love,” I reply, reaching down to his belt, “But there’s still something missing…” I whisper as I undo his fly. “I want to feel you inside me, Remi. I… I need you… really need you…” I gasp as he pulls a sachet of lube from his trouser pocket and starts preparing me.
“I love you, Seb…” he says simply. “More than my own life, baby… If only you knew how much I need you too…” And with a soft groan of relief, he slowly enters me, filling me with a delicious pressure that makes me feel whole in a way nothing else ever could.
Remi gives me time to adjust, and once I signal that I’m ready, he starts moving slowly. I meet him thrust for thrust, losing myself in the overwhelming sensation of being completely connected to the person I love.
Everything else fades away. It’s just us, floating in a world of our own where nothing can touch us, consuming one another like an unquenchable fire. The tension builds and builds, reaching an unbearable peak, until we both fall over the edge together, clinging to each other as one.
When we finally pull apart, sweaty and breathless, our eyes meet, speaking volumes without a single word. Remi runs a hand through my damp, tousled hair, smoothing it back before pressing a feather-light kiss to my forehead.
“You’re so beautiful…” he says, his voice thick with emotion. “Even after all this time, I still can’t believe you’re mine…”
These rare moments of vulnerability, when Remi lets me see all of him, are so precious they etch themselves into my heart, each one a reminder of how lucky I am to have someone like him, someone who loves me exactly as I am, and whom I love just the same.
“You know I’m yours, Remi… I always have been, from the moment I first saw you. Even if I didn’t know it yet, you’d already stolen my heart… and my pink suitcase, apparently, just to make sure we’d never be apart.”
We both burst out laughing, thinking back to our first meeting, and the infamous fuchsia trolley that’s still faithfully travelling with us on every trip.
After cleaning ourselves up and making ourselves as presentable as possible, we leave the dressing room cautiously, hoping not to bump into anyone, though I’m fairly certain one look at us would give away exactly what we’ve been up to.
Luckily, most of the audience, including our friends and family, have already made their way to the reception upstairs, so Remi and I head for the foyer, grab our coats, and slip out of Wigmore Hall almost unnoticed.
“Well, Mr Elliott,” I tease, lacing my fingers with his as we walk, “I must say I thoroughly enjoyed dessert… but where exactly do you plan on taking me for dinner?”
“Mr Arnette,” he replies, grinning as he kisses the back of my hand, “as I mentioned, it’s a surprise, just trust me.”
We’re only a few steps away from the entrance to Regent’s Park and, as I suspected, Remi’s leading me right there.
“Ah, reliving our greatest hits, are we?” I say with a smile. “Wigmore Hall and Regent’s Park, classic combo. Brought us good luck last time, didn’t it?”
“Exactly,” he replies, without offering further explanation. Still smiling, he guides me down a familiar path, retracing the steps of that fateful night two years ago.
We arrive at the same secluded bench where we shared our first kiss.
Remi stops and makes a courtly gesture, inviting me to sit.
The evening is mild and clear, just like it was back then.
Intrigued, I settle onto the bench, but instead of joining me, he walks behind it and heads straight for a large bush, starting to rummage through the dense foliage as if searching for something.
Just as I begin to suspect he’s lost his mind, he emerges with his blond hair even more ruffled than usual, and a wicker picnic basket in his hands.
I can’t help laughing. “Remi, what on earth? Did you seriously hide a picnic basket in Regent’s Park?”
He immediately pulls a mock-offended face, which I find unbearably adorable. “Laugh all you want, Seb, but I had a romantic gesture in mind. I had a gourmet picnic prepared, just for you…”
“Let’s hope the squirrels didn’t get to it first,” I giggle, still breathless from laughing.
“They’d better not have! My mum and Maude came by earlier to hide it just before the concert started.”
“Oh, so you had accomplices!” I shoot him a cheeky wink, my heart melting. “You’re too sweet, you know that? Everyone thinks you’re all gruff and prickly, but really you’re the softest man I’ve ever met. How am I supposed to resist you, Remi?”
“You’re not meant to,” he replies firmly, finally sitting beside me. After placing the basket between us, he cups my face in his hands and kisses me again, as if we hadn’t just made love only minutes ago.
I melt into the kiss with just as much urgency, but after a moment, Remi pulls back with a sheepish chuckle.
“You’re addictive, baby… If I don’t pace myself, we’ll skip the actual dinner and go straight to round two.”
“You’re not planning anything indecent in public, are you?” I ask, feigning shock.
“I think your dressing room antics were quite enough… for now. But don’t think we’re done, once we get home, I have very specific plans for how I’d like to end the evening.”
“In that case, let’s eat quickly!” I grin, fully on board with whatever those plans may be.
I open the basket to find not only food containers, but also a bottle of champagne, ceramic plates, silver cutlery, two crystal flutes, and a picnic blanket.
“It’s beautiful!” I gasp as Remi helps me lay the blanket down and arrange the meal: fresh oysters and Catalan-style sturgeon as starters, followed by a lobster and crab salad for the main.
And the dessert, an exquisite Charlotte aux Framboises, is so delicately presented that I almost feel guilty about eating it.
“How did you know this was my favourite dessert when I lived in France?” I ask, overwhelmed with emotion.
“I did my research…” he replies, evasively. Then, with a proud little smile: “So… do you like the menu?”
“I love it, Remi. Honestly, everything’s perfect. I don’t know how to thank you, this is more than I could’ve ever dreamed of for our anniversary.”
His face glows with joy as he reaches for the corkscrew and begins opening a bottle of Armand de Brignac Gold. “Well, I think this calls for a toast, sweetheart!”
I nod eagerly, handing him the flutes, but Remi gently moves my hand aside, fills the glasses himself with precision, and passes one to me.
“To your magnificent concert tonight,” he begins, his voice thick with emotion, “and to all the ones yet to come…
To us, Sebastian. To the road we’ve travelled and the much longer one still ahead. I can’t wait to discover what the future holds, but most of all, I can’t wait to discover it with you, baby.”
I raise my flute, heart bursting, and clink it softly against his. My throat tight with emotion, I take a sip, savouring the aroma, when suddenly I see Remi’s face contort with panic.
“Wait, baby! Don’t swallow!”
I freeze, confused, and then I feel it. A small metallic object on my tongue.
“Spit it out!” he commands, and I do, cupping my hands under my mouth, I carefully ease it out. Sitting in my champagne-drenched palms is a stunning white gold ring with a square-cut diamond gleaming in the moonlight.
Still in shock, I look up at him as he gently plucks the ring from my hands, chuckling nervously. “Okay… So maybe I went a bit too far with the romance. I didn’t exactly think through the risk of you, uh… drinking the engagement ring.”
Oh my God. Is this what I think it is?
My mind goes blank. “Re… Remi…?” I manage to stammer, dumbfounded.
He looks worried now. “I hope I haven’t messed this up…”
He takes my left hand and kisses it gently, his eyes never leaving mine. Then, without a word, he slips the ring onto my finger. And before he can say a thing, I launch myself at him and throw my arms around his neck.
“Yes!!” I sob into his ear, tears streaming freely now, unable to hold them back.
He hugs me tightly, resting his chin on my shoulder, breathing in the scent of my hair. “I didn’t even get to ask you the question…” he mutters, his hand lovingly stroking my back.
Once I’ve calmed down, he dabs my face with a napkin and cups it in his hands, finally saying what’s clearly been burning on his lips all evening.
“I know you already said yes… but you were kind of overwhelmed at the time.” I roll my eyes at him as he continues, grinning.
“So let me ask properly: will you marry me, Sebastian Arnette? Will you build a life, a family, with me, my beautiful, beloved pianist?”
The sparkle in his hazel eyes is dazzling. I cradle his face in my hands, the face of the man I love more than anything in this world, and whisper:
“Yes, of course I will. My hopelessly romantic professor… Who’d have thought a scientist could be such a softie?”
“Shut up,” he says, unable to stop the satisfied smile spreading across his face. Then he pulls me in for another kiss like it’s the first, like it’ll never be the last.
By the time we break apart, the sky above us is a deep velvet, spangled with a thousand stars, each one glittering like a tiny firework. I turn to look at Remi, dishevelled, his shirt crumpled, and his eyes alight with joy, and I know he’s never looked more beautiful.
“Let’s go home,” he whispers, brushing his fingers against my cheek.
“In a bit, sweetheart,” I murmur, leaning into his touch. “First, I’d like to eat, if you don’t mind. It would be a crime to let all this amazing food go to waste, and to be honest, I’m actually starving.”
“We could take the basket home and finish the meal there,” he suggests, but I have other plans.
“I think we’re better off eating here. Trust me…” I say with a mischievous smile. “Because once we get back, I have something else in mind entirely.
Come to think of it, we still haven’t properly christened my new grand piano…”
Remi catches on instantly, of course, he does. “In that case, baby, I’m happy to oblige… But we’d better eat quickly.”
So we settle in side by side on our blanket, wrapped in warmth and love, and begin our anniversary dinner beneath the stars.