The Chess Set
THEO & LAURIE
Theo
“There, all done. Look how pretty it is now!” I slotted the last of the temporary tattoo colour markers back into their packet and admired my handiwork.
I’d spent the last hour colouring in Laurie’s butterfly tattoo while he watched some boring historical documentary, and now it was a beautiful mix of orange, pink, yellow and red instead of it’s normal dull black and white.
“It’s beautiful,” Laurie said, smiling at me in a way that made my stomach flip. He reached out his hand for me, gently drawing me up his body until I was lying on top of him. Then he kissed me, running his tongue along my lower lip in a way that made me melt. “Thank you, darling.”
“You’re welcome.”
He kissed me again. It was deep and languid, like he had all the time in the world and I was the sole focus of his life.
And since it was late on Saturday night, he really didn’t have anything else to do except spoil me rotten.
“I have a present for you,” he said, his words caressing my lips.
“A present?” I frowned, trying to think if I’d missed something that required presents. It was still a few weeks until Christmas, Laurie’s birthday had been on the first of November and mine wasn’t until June. It couldn’t be an anniversary either.
“Yes, a present.” Laurie gently rolled me off him and into the cushions at the back of the sofa.
“Why?”
“Because you’re my boyfriend and I love you and I wanted to get you a present.
” He sat up and swung his legs onto the floor, not bothering to reach for his shirt which was still in a crumpled heap on the carpet where I’d ceremoniously dumped it when I’d made Laurie strip off. “Stay here, I’ll be back in a second.”
I watched him walk towards our room, sitting up and straining my ears, trying to work out what he was opening. It definitely sounded like the wardrobe, and then some boxes. But not the wooden box he kept his ropes in. So it had to be something different.
I wiggled in place, delight and anticipation squirming in my stomach.
Laurie reappeared holding a large, rectangular box, wrapped in pink paper and tied with a black ribbon. He held it out to me as he reached the sofa. “Careful, it’s heavier than it looks.”
“Thank you,” I said, taking the box out of his hands and resting it on my lap. It was a lot heavier than I’d imagined. “Can I open it?”
“Of course,” Laurie said as he sat down beside me. “First though, I have to say, it’s not just from me. It’s from me, and all our friends. Apparently, they wanted to repay your kindness for their housewarming presents.”
My eyes widened and hands shook as I reached for the ribbon. I’d bought every single one of our friends a piece of taxidermy when they’d moved in or settled down with their new beau, because what was a house without an animal friend to talk to!
Lane and Oliver had received a stuffed frog in lingerie, Spencer and Noah had a mouse in chef’s whites, Will and Jamie’s was a squirrel on a tractor that had taken me forever to track down, and Alex and Henry’s was a small bunny dressed as a pirate, because it reminded me of Henry’s flair and style.
I’d even found Bastian and Anders a rat with an old, Victorian camera—the sort you had to stand behind with a cloth over your head while you held up the flash.
“We debated getting you to open it at the pub,” Laurie continued. “But a few concerns were raised, so we agreed it would be better for you to open it here.”
I nodded, trying desperately to contain my excitement. There was one thing I really wanted it to be, but I didn’t want to get my hopes up because of how many times Laurie had said no throughout the year.
And since I now had two beautiful guinea pigs, courtesy of Austin and our MyFans friends, it was too much to hope that all my dreams would come true.
The ribbon came away easily when I pulled it and I put it to the side as I ripped open the paper.
Inside was a plain cardboard box that had obviously been sealed with tape at some point.
It was open now though and I gently opened the sides.
The box was full of packing paper, with nothing else visible.
Slowly, I lifted the top layer, careful not to disturb anything underneath in case it was fragile.
Nestled in the packaging were many figures of varying sizes, each wrapped in tissue paper.
My heart raced as I carefully lifted one out, fingers trembling as I peeled away the wrapping to reveal a small, stuffed mouse with dark brown fur, holding a tiny sword in its paws.
It was stood on a round base of polished mahogany, and the whole thing was incredible.
“Oh… oh my gosh, Laurie! It’s so cute, look they’ve got a tiny sword!” I held out the figure for him to see.
“Would you like me to put them on the coffee table while you unwrap their friends?” he asked with a warm, encouraging smile.
“Yes, please!” I handed him the mouse and began to unwrap the rest. There were another seven of the small, dark brown mice, and eight small, white mice to go opposite them. The pawns of a mighty chess set.
Alongside them were four knights, two dark brown and two white, with the white ones holding two-headed axes and round shields while the dark brown ones held broad swords and Old French style shields with heraldry carefully painted onto them.
There were also four mice dressed as bishops with funny pointed hats, which I had to remember to show Fred, and four mice representing castles.
They were peering out over the battlements of towers they seemed to be sat inside, like a medieval mech.
Each side also had a king and queen, each with tiny, bejewelled crowns. The kings each had magnificent capes, while the queens each held a jewelled sword, which made sense since the queens did most of the work anyway.
And at the bottom of the box was the most beautiful chess board, made of polished wood and inlaid with mother of pearl.
It was the most gorgeous thing I’d ever seen and more perfect than I’d ever imagined.
I turned to look at Laurie, tears prickling the corners of my eyes. “I… I don’t know what to say. It’s… it’s perfect. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” he said, sliding up next to me and putting his arm around my waist so I could lean into his side. He pressed a kiss to the side of my head.
“I thought you said I wasn’t allowed it because we didn’t have any space?”
“I’m still not sure we do but we’ll find room. We can get a nice table for it to sit on or something.”
“Why did you change your mind?” I asked, because I’d never known Laurie to change his mind on something once it was made up. Well… maybe he did on some things. But I’d never expected him to change his mind about the chess set because he’d been so adamant that it wasn’t going to happen.
“Because it would make you happy, my darling,” he said.
“And that’s what matters most to me. I might not love the chess set, but I love you and if that means having a small army of stuffed rodents on a table, then I’ll happily endure it.
My only conditions are that you dust them regularly, and that you learn how to play.
If you’re going to have a chess set, you have to be able to use it. ”
“Deal! Then we can play together.” I twisted my body and climbed into his lap, resting my hands on his bare chest. “I’m assuming you know how to play then?”
“I do. Fred’s predecessor, Colin, taught me when I was younger. He used to bring a portable set to the funeral home and we’d play in my grandfather’s office. I’m not sure if I’m any good, but I can remember the basics at least.”
“Can we play now?”
“If you want,” he said, leaning in to kiss me sweetly. “You should take a picture of it when it’s all set up to send everyone.”
“Oh, yes!” I kissed Laurie again and then threw myself off his lap and onto the floor so I could start arranging the pieces on the board.
I knew vaguely where things were supposed to go and how they moved, because I’d tried playing online a few times but that hadn’t lasted long because the AI playing opposite me was mean.
“You move first,” Laurie said, gesturing at the white mice in front of me. He’d thrown his shirt back on but left it unbuttoned, making him look gloriously rakish and sexy. When we’d finished this game I was definitely going to suggest we went to bed.
Or maybe I’d just crawl across the carpet, undo his trousers, and blow him while he sat on the sofa.
The possibilities were endless.
I thought for a second, then slid one of the pawns forward two spaces. Laurie followed with his own opening move. And so the game continued.
The past year had been strange and wonderful and amazing all at once, and I’d never thought in a million years that Laurie and I would get to this place, one where we were everything to each other in every way possible.
Having a partner like Laurie, who loved and cherished me while also encouraging me to be myself, spoiling me rotten, and tempering my brattish side, had always felt like an impossible dream. Something that belonged in a fairy story.
It turned out I’d only ever been looking for a knight in shining armour, but what I’d found was the lonely gothic prince from the castle.
I hadn’t needed someone to save me, I’d just needed someone to love me until I could love myself. And my beautiful gothic prince had done just that. And now we got to live out our happily ever after.
With the most magnificent chess set in existence.
The End