The Backup Boyfriend

Episode 8: The Ring

The café had slowly become quieter.

Most of the customers who had been there earlier were gone, leaving only a few people scattered around the small restaurant.

Adrian and Ethan were still sitting across from each other.

Neither seemed in a hurry to leave.

For the first time in ten years, they had an entire evening ahead of them with nowhere they needed to be.

No cameras.

No hospital calls.

No movie sets.

Just them.

It felt strange.

But strangely familiar.

Adrian looked down at the small wooden box sitting between them.

The ring was still inside.

He tapped the edge of the box with one finger.

"So..."

Ethan looked up from his coffee.

"So?"

Adrian smiled.

"We've talked about the promise."

"Yes."

"We've talked about the note."

"Yes."

"But there's one thing I haven't asked."

Ethan raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

Adrian opened the box.

He carefully picked up the silver ring.

"Why this?"

Ethan looked at it.

"What do you mean?"

"Why did you choose this ring?"

Ethan stared at the ring for a moment.

Then he shrugged.

"I liked it."

Adrian gave him a suspicious look.

"That's it?"

"That's it."

"No."

Ethan laughed.

"Why are you interrogating me?"

"Because you sent me a wedding ring after ten years of silence."

Adrian held it between his fingers.

"I think I'm entitled to an explanation."

Ethan smiled.

"Fine."

He leaned back in his chair.

"I didn't want anything extravagant."

Adrian looked at the simple silver band.

"Why?"

"Because that's not what the promise was about."

Adrian's expression softened.

Ethan continued.

"It wasn't supposed to be some celebrity wedding ring."

Adrian laughed.

"Celebrity wedding ring?"

"Yes."

"You make it sound like I would show up wearing diamonds."

"You probably would."

"I wouldn't."

"You absolutely would."

Adrian shook his head.

"I have taste."

Ethan laughed.

"You have money."

"Same thing."

"No."

They both laughed.

Then Ethan's expression became quieter.

"I just wanted something simple."

Adrian looked at him.

"Something that felt real?"

Ethan nodded.

"Exactly."

The teasing disappeared.

Adrian looked down at the ring again.

"How long did you have it?"

Ethan hesitated.

"Not long."

"A few days?"

"Maybe."

"A week?"

Ethan smiled.

"Something like that."

Adrian narrowed his eyes.

"You bought it before sending the package?"

"Yes."

"How long did you spend choosing it?"

Ethan laughed.

"Why does this matter so much to you?"

"Because I'm curious."

"You've always been curious."

"Answer me."

Ethan sighed dramatically.

"Fine."

He looked at the ring.

"Almost two hours."

Adrian's eyebrows shot up.

"Two hours?"

"I couldn't decide."

"Why?"

"Because I kept thinking..."

Ethan paused.

"...what if you don't want it?"

Adrian's smile disappeared.

The words hung between them.

"What?"

Ethan looked away.

"What if you received the package and thought it was stupid?"

Adrian stared at him.

"I might have."

Ethan nodded.

"I know."

"And you still sent it?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

Ethan looked back at him.

"Because I needed to know."

"Know what?"

"If you still remembered."

Adrian's heart tightened.

"You thought I forgot?"

Ethan smiled faintly.

"Ten years is a long time."

Adrian lowered his gaze.

"It is."

Neither spoke.

Ethan slowly picked up his coffee.

"I didn't know what would happen after I sent it."

"Then why did you?"

Ethan smiled.

"Because if I didn't do it now, I probably never would."

Adrian looked at him.

There was no joke in Ethan's expression.

No teasing.

Just honesty.

"You were scared."

Ethan laughed quietly.

"Very."

Adrian smiled.

"You didn't look scared when you wrote 'I'm still waiting.'"

"That's because I wasn't writing it to you in person."

Adrian laughed.

"Fair."

Ethan smiled.

"I could send a note."

"You couldn't say it to my face?"

"Apparently not."

They both laughed again.

The tension eased.

But Adrian couldn't stop thinking about what Ethan had just admitted.

He had been afraid.

Afraid Adrian wouldn't remember.

Afraid Adrian wouldn't care.

Afraid the promise meant nothing to him anymore.

And yet...

He still took the chance.

Adrian looked at the ring.

Then at Ethan.

"Can I?"

Ethan looked confused.

"What?"

Adrian held up the ring.

"Try it."

Ethan stared at him.

"You want to wear it?"

"Just for a second."

Ethan smiled.

"Okay."

Adrian slipped the ring onto his finger.

It fit perfectly.

He stared at it.

Then laughed.

"Oh."

Ethan leaned forward.

"What?"

"It fits."

Ethan smiled.

"I know."

Adrian looked at him suspiciously.

"How?"

Ethan shrugged.

"I guessed."

"You guessed my ring size?"

"Yes."

"How?"

Ethan gave him a look.

"I've known you since we were nineteen."

Adrian stared at him.

"You remember my ring size?"

Ethan's expression softened.

"I remember a lot of things about you."

Adrian's heart skipped.

He quickly looked down at the ring.

"That's dangerous information."

"Why?"

"Because now I'm going to start asking questions."

Ethan laughed.

"You already have."

Adrian smiled.

He turned the ring slowly around his finger.

For some reason, seeing it there felt strangely natural.

Almost too natural.

Ethan watched him quietly.

Adrian looked up.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"You're staring."

"I'm not."

"You are."

Ethan smiled.

"I was just thinking."

"About?"

Ethan's eyes dropped to the ring.

"Nothing important."

Adrian raised an eyebrow.

"You're terrible at lying."

Ethan laughed.

"So are you."

They looked at each other.

For a few seconds, neither spoke.

Then Adrian smiled.

"You know..."

"Hm?"

"When we made that promise, I thought we'd be thirty and completely different people."

"We are."

"Yeah."

Adrian looked around the café.

"I just didn't think we'd find our way back to each other."

Ethan's smile softened.

"Neither did I."

Adrian looked at the ring again.

Then quietly asked,

"So what happens now?"

Ethan smiled.

"I don't know."

"You sent the ring."

"I did."

"You said you're still waiting."

"I did."

"So..."

Adrian leaned forward.

"What exactly are you waiting for?"

Ethan looked directly into his eyes.

For a moment, he said nothing.

Then his lips curved into a small smile.

"You."

Adrian's breath caught.

Ethan immediately looked away, suddenly embarrassed by his own honesty.

Adrian stared at him.

He didn't know what to say.

The famous actor who could memorize entire scripts overnight...

Had just been rendered speechless by one word.

You.

Finally, Adrian smiled.

"You're really serious about this."

Ethan looked back at him.

"I am."

Adrian slowly nodded.

He looked down at the ring once more.

Then smiled.

"Okay."

Ethan blinked.

"Okay?"

Adrian stood and slipped his jacket on.

"I'll think about it."

Ethan's mouth dropped open.

"You'll think about it?"

Adrian grinned.

"Absolutely."

"You just made me wait ten years."

"And now you're going to wait a little longer."

Ethan stared at him.

Then laughed.

"You're still impossible."

Adrian smiled.

"And you're still waiting."

Ethan shook his head.

"Unfortunately."

They walked out of the café together.

Neither of them noticed the way Adrian kept glancing at the ring on his finger.

And neither noticed how Ethan kept smiling every time he did.

End of Episode 8