They were roommates

“I was thinking that maybe we could go to a museum tomorrow?” Austin proposed, cautiously. It was Friday night, and he was snuggled into Zach on the couch, decompressing after a busy week with some mind numbing television.

“I don’t know, do you think we could?” Zach replied, half mockingly. He could already tell that Austin had given this idea more thought than he was letting on.

“Okay, don’t be silly, of course we can. We’re adults now, remember? Doing whatever we want whenever we want.”

“If you say so. Which one should we go to?”

“I don’t know, the art museum is always good. Maybe the history museum? Or the contemporary? I would even go to the planetarium.”

Austin already knew which museum they were going to go to. He loved the art museum more than anywhere else, but he felt it was his duty to leave the door open. If Zach really wanted to go somewhere else, he’d go, but in his heart, he needed to go to the art museum.

Zach assumed a knowing look. “You only want to go to the art museum and you know it.”

Austin sat up and faced Zach, a look of mock surprise on his face. He was caught. “Okay fine, you’re right, I really do. I’m sorry! I just really love art, and being at the art museum, and I just think it would be really cute if we were there together having an art museum date.”

A smile crept onto Zach’s face. “Okay, we’ll go to the art museum.” He couldn’t help it, he’d follow Austin anywhere at this point, and he hadn’t been to the art museum in a long time.

“Thank you thank you thank you thank you!”

“You don’t have to thank me, I want to go too!” Zach laughed in reply.

At that, Zach picked up the remote, and turned off the TV. He yawned, stretched his arms out wide, and casually landed one of them on Austin’s shoulder. “In that case, we need to go to bed. I need to be well rested if I’m following you around all day.”

Austin wrapped his arm's around Zach's torso. “True, don’t want you falling asleep in the Impressionists.”

---

At 8 a.m. the next morning, Austin’s phone alarm went off. He silenced it, barely moving from his spot in bed. Zach remained motionless. The alarm went off again at 8:09. Then again at 8:18. Finally, at 8:23, Austin rolled over and rubbed his eyes. He took a deep breath in, slowly coming to. He stared at the window, watching the sun rays coming in, illuminating the dust that floated in the air. After a minute of staring, slowly waking up, it finally came to him. Today was museum day. Today. Was. Cute Museum Date Day!

Next to him, Zach was still fast asleep on his stomach. They were already behind schedule, even though they hadn’t made a schedule. Austin gently nudged Zach on his bare shoulder, attempting to thread his excitement in a way that wasn’t too pushy.

“Hey, babe... wake up,” he said quietly.

“Nghmm,” was Zach’s reply.

“It’s museum day,” Austin added, with an extra little nudge to Zach’s shoulder. “Don’t want to miss museum day.”

Zach pushed himself up off of the bed with both hands, groaning the whole way up. He flipped himself over and propped his head up on his pillow. Mornings were hard. Other people being excited this early made it worse.

Austin got up from the bed and headed into the bathroom to start getting ready. This was their usual morning routine, Austin getting things started, and Zach usually joining him halfway through. As soon as Austin was out of the room, he had an idea. He stuck his head back in the doorway.

“Do you want to go out for coffee today?”

Zach, through squinted eyes, with his messy bedhead, barely understood the question. “Yeah... sure.”

Austin smiled, then disappeared again, and Zach pulled himself out of bed and followed him. In the bathroom, Austin was at the sink, and watched Zach come in through the mirror.

“Oh, you’re early today,” Austin said.

“Yeah, if we’re going out for coffee, the sooner I get ready, the sooner I'll be drinking coffee.”

Soon, they were both showered, pampered, and dressed. And awake, mostly. Austin had chosen his best museum look of skinny black jeans, a beige shirt, and Chelsea boots. Zach had gone a little more casual with cargo pants, a black t-shirt, and high tops. They put on their coats, gathered their bags and keys and wallets, and headed out of the apartment.

On the street outside, in the chilly air, they discussed coffee locations as they walked. Was it the usual neighborhood shop, or did they want to be more adventurous?

“I think, because it’s museum day, we should go somewhere over by the museum,” Austin suggested.

“Yeah! That sounds good.”

Soon, they approached the neighborhood bike share dock. Austin, still feeling adventurous, got an idea, slowing his walk and turning to face Zach. “What if we rent a bike for the day?”

“Oh, maybe? It’s been a while since I’ve been on a bike.” He was uncertain but couldn’t help flashing back to the warm memory of the bike ride that he’d taken with Austin last summer after they had first met.

“Yeah, it will be fine, I’ll help you.” At this, they walked over to the payment terminal and Austin began pressing buttons. The system beeped and numbers flashed on the screen. “I hate these things, I never know what’s going on.”

Zach came closer to Austin so that he could see the screen. “Hm, I think you've got it.”

Austin secretly relished his help. It was such a relief to have someone to do things with, someone who wasn’t annoyed by confusing terminals. Soon Zach had unlocked two of the bikes and they pulled them out of their docks. Out on the street, they each hopped on. Zach was a little wobbly but eventually got himself going.

“I knew you’d get back on it without any trouble,” Austin said.

“You better watch out with all of that confidence, or I’ll take us both out.”

Austin laughed and forged ahead, leading them down the street and towards the museum. He was so excited for the day, he hardly felt like he needed to pedal.

---

As they neared the museum, Austin spotted a coffee shop and pulled his bike over to the side of the street. Zach rolled in next to him, coming to a halting stop and sliding forward off of his seat.

“Whoa, these brakes are crazy!” he exclaimed, laughing at himself.

“You got it over there, babe?”

“Yeah, I’m good. Is this where you want to get coffee?” Zach lifted his sunglasses to get a better look.

“Yeah, does it look like a good place?”

“I think so. As long as they know how to make a decent cortado, I’m good.”

“We'll see!”

Inside the coffee shop, they inspected the menu over the registers. Austin wasn’t nearly the coffee connoisseur that Zach was, but he liked to play the game with him. Zach had asked them to leave quite a few coffee shops in the past after they had failed the sniff test.

“I think it's a go,” Zach whispered to Austin, looking off into the distance. Ever the covert expert.

“If you say so, Mr. Bean.”

At the counter, Austin ordered his usual, a cappuccino, and Zach got a cortado. After paying and getting their drinks, they found a little open table in the front window of the shop.

As they were sitting down, Zach noticed the time. “So, you got us out of bed and into a coffee shop all by 9 a.m., and the museum doesn't open until 10.”

“Oh, shoot, I totally forgot about that.” Austin looked up at the clock on the wall, then back at Zach. He smiled, guiltily, knowing that Zach didn't like getting up in the morning.

“I guess I'll be drinking this very slowly,” Zach said. He was pretending to be annoyed, but didn't mind the slow start to the day.

“So, how are things going at work? I was so busy this week, I feel like I barely saw you.”

Zach was suddenly very proud of himself. “I prepared some reports for a big presentation on our holiday sales, and they thanked me in front of everyone. It was really nice.”

Halfheartedly, Austin replied, “That's awesome! Look at you, making moves and being seen.” He sipped at his cappuccino, and pulled his scarf a little tighter.

Zach smiled to himself, but he felt like Austin was giving a sort of muted response. He wondered what was wrong, but wasn't sure if he should ask. Instead, he continued to talk about all the things he had to do in a rush to get the report ready in time.

Austin listened intently, but was also having a sinking feeling deep inside. Zach's mention of a presentation had reminded him of his senior presentation, and just how little time he had to prepare it. Graduation was only a few months away, and he felt so overwhelmed by all of the work that he still had to do before then.

“Hey, is everything okay? You're kind of quiet.”

Attempting to brush it aside, Austin said, “Oh, yeah, everything's fine, just waking up.” Austin wasn't hiding his sinking feeling as well as he thought. Zach was so excited about his work, he didn't want to bring him down.

Zach wasn't sure what he had said wrong, and he guessed that Austin didn't want to say what it was either. He tried a new topic. “So, are you excited for graduation?” Somehow this made Austin look even worse.

Through a halfhearted smile, Austin said, “Yeah, so excited, I know my parents are going to throw a big party and everything. I think they're more excited about it than I am.”

Although Austin had confessed that he wasn't very excited about graduation, he continued as though he were.

“I had to order my cap and gown the other day. I need to figure out what I'm going to wear under them. I know no one will see, but I need to look cute. It's so unfortunate that we have to wear caps, my hair is going to be a disaster.”

Zach was relieved that Austin was talking more, but something still felt off. They talked for a while longer about work and school, and finally it was time to leave for the museum.

“Ready to go?” Zach asked.

Austin lightened up. “Oh yes, yes I am.”

They left their mugs at the counter, and returned to their bikes out front. After setting off again, Austin teased Zach about his last stop. “Careful this time, don't throw yourself over the handlebars.”

“Shut up! I'm a pro now.”

After riding for a few blocks, and a left turn, they arrived at the museum grounds. They took a path off of the sidewalk and rode down to the bike rack outside of the museum entrance. Austin brought his bike to a stop and hopped off, and looked over to see Zach slowly ride by, coming to a glacial stop, his breaks squeaking quietly as he did. Austin smiled, taking in his goofy boyfriend.

After Zach got off his bike, he said, “Ta-da!”

Austin mock clapped at him, and then placed his bike into the bike rack. Zach did the same, and they set off towards the entrance, hand in hand.

“Thanks for agreeing to this today,” Austin said.

“Of course, thanks for asking.” Zach was relieved that Austin seemed to be melting from whatever had frozen him up earlier, and hoped that the museum would keep distracting him from it.

Inside the museum, they took in the lobby, viewing the large scale pieces on display before heading into one of the galleries. They wandered around, taking in landscapes, still lifes, portraits, and abstracts. They came across Stone City, Iowa by Grant Wood, and remarked on the curves and smooth shapes of the countryside.

They held hands the entire time, both feeling happy and relieved be able to show their attraction in public. They each harbored some hesitation about it, there being so many places in the world where they wouldn't dare to do it, but the museum was a place where they didn't have to worry.

In the European art, Austin pointed out all of the dogs that he could find. Zach wondered aloud why there was never a cat.

On the second floor, they stopped to look out over the lobby from a balcony. They leaned down, putting their arms up on the substantial railing, and each breathed in deeply.

Austin, looking up at the lobby's expansive ceiling, said, “Why does it feel like I should always be here?”

Zach wasn't entirely sure what he meant, but he knew that Austin loved the museum. “Because you were meant to be here.” He took Austin's hand again, squeezed it tightly, and looked into his eyes. “It feels like I should always be here.”

Austin couldn't even say anything in return and began to tear up. It was the most beautiful thing that he'd ever heard.

“Aw, I didn't mean to make you cry, sorry.” Zach held Austin tighter.

“It's okay, it was just so sweet. I feel the same.”

They came together and kissed. A firm kiss, held for just long enough to mean it. As they came apart, Austin realized that they had kissed in public. He'd done it without a thought, but couldn't help noticing now that it had happened.

“We just kissed in the museum,” he said with a blush.

Without breaking eye contact, Zach replied, “Yeah, I guess we did.”

He leaned in for another kiss, quicker this time, and pulled away, smiling. Austin giggled, and Zach pulled them away from the balcony and back into a gallery. They floated through, looking at art and making jokes about it. To Austin, it felt like a dream. He didn't even stop to think about how it was precisely a dream that he had imagined years ago. He was too busy living it, soaking up his boyfriend and having the time of his life.

Soon, they realized that they were hungry, and headed to the museum cafe to find something to eat. There, they picked out sandwiches, chips, and sparkling drinks. Zach grabbed a brownie, and promised to share it. They took their food to a bench in a walkway with floor to ceiling windows overlooking the back of the museum. They each dug into their sandwiches first, and barely shared a word, realizing how hungry they had been.

Once most of the food was gone, they sat back to more properly take in the view. There were trees and statues and shrubbery. It was all mostly dormant in the late winter cold, but it was still beautiful and well kept. It was especially nice to take in from such a warm vantage point.

Austin had forgotten completely about his stresses, but was beginning to be overtaken by new feelings. He was realizing that when Zach had said that he should always be here, he really wanted him to be. Austin didn't need anyone else in life, he was so content with Zach, and felt like he could spend the rest of his life with him. He'd known for months, but it was finally becoming clear. He wanted to tell Zach something, but he didn't even know where to start.

Zach unwrapped the brownie. “Ready for a piece?” he asked.

“Yeah, thank you.” Austin broke off a corner and held it over his other hand to catch crumbs. He stared out the window as he ate, feeling warm and fuzzy. His thoughts shifted to the coffee shop that morning, and it almost felt silly now how stressed he had been.

Zach was finishing his piece of brownie when Austin turned to him. “You know, I think I've been letting the stress of this semester really get to me.”

“Yeah?”

“I'm just finishing up my final paper, but I'm going to have to start on my presentation after that, and it's really stressing me out. And then I have all my other classes and all the things for each of those.”

“Oh, I'm sorry baby, I didn't know it was that bad.”

“I don't think I did either,” Austin lightly laughed. He felt even better admitting it out loud.

Zach was quiet for a moment, and then suggested, “You know, I could help you out more, if that makes it less stressful. We could study together again like we used to, after dinner some nights.”

“Oh my gosh, I think that that would really help. Thank you, you're the best.”

“Do you want another piece?” Zach asked, holding the brownie out.

“Yes please!”

Austin broke off the soft center of the brownie, and despite holding his other hand under it, a piece broke off and fell onto the bench. “Whoops!” he exclaimed. He stuck what brownie he'd managed to get into his mouth.

Zach gathered up the runaway piece and placed it into his empty sandwich bag. After this, he slid closer to Austin and kissed his surprised face. A piece of brownie was still stuck in the corner of Austin's mouth, and Zach could taste it, but he didn't care.

As they broke apart, Austin exclaimed with brownie in his mouth, “I'm still eating!” He laughed and his face glowed at Zach.

“I know, and I don't care.”

“You're so goofy.”

Zach wrapped his arm around Austin and hugged him close. “I think we should come to the museum more often.”

Austin leaned his head into Zach's. “I think that that's a great idea.”