Aaron
As we made our way through New Braunfels, the effects of the heat started to take its toll on us. Riley had it worse than us. He had to carry Ethan and some supplies as well. Natalie gave him the last bottle we had and for a good hour, we were trying to find the river.
Ethan had suggested going to the old waterpark since it was located on the river, which was the main attraction. As we approached the park, we saw there was a large crowd of people gathering there.
What truly surprised us was why they gathered. There were about six trucks which were dispensing water. There were some people in military uniform manning the trucks while some civilians were providing water and other forms of care, like food, medical care, and prayer support.
We made our way towards the trucks, hoping that these people were not exploitative like the truckers outside Buda. Besides, we didn't have much left to trade anyway.
"Welcome, brothers and sister." said a guy about Riley's and Ethan's age. "You all seem like you've traveled far."
"We have," I said, "How much for some water?"
"Oh," the young man said, "Take as much as you need."
"You're just giving it away?" asked Riley.
"If you feel you need to trade something for it, you're more than welcome to donate. But I assure you, that is not necessary."
"Father Garcia," said a woman in army fatigues. "We are going to take trucks two and five to refill the tanks."
"God be with you, Eliza." he said to her.
"You're a priest?" asked Riley.
"Yes," answered Father Garcia. "Eliza and a few of her fellow officers are part of our parish and when everything shut down, they came home and saw that there were many people in need. Eliza specialized in water purification and knew some people, so long story short, we were all able to come together and help as much as we could."
"That's amazing." said Natalie.
Father Garcia saw Ethan's leg and asked, "Have you seen a doctor about that?"
Ethan shook his head, "Not exactly."
Father Garcia waved over a young man, about a few years older than me. "David, this gentleman has an injured leg, would you be so kind as to check him out?"
David nodded and said, "Yes, Father Garcia. This way please."
"You two," Riley said as he helped Ethan to the first aid tent, "Fill up the water bottles."
Thirty minutes later, our water supply was refilled, Ethan was just fine as his ankle was sprained real bad but he should be fully healed in a few days. Before we left Father Garcia had said a prayer for us and pointed us to a spot down river where we could wash up.
It was a relief knowing that there was still some good in the world despite its pending doom. Once we arrived at the spot, I breathed out a sigh of relief, feeling that things are going right for us as our journey nears its end.
Ethan
The scenery was truly amazing. It looked like a private getaway in the woods. Aaron, Riley, and I took off our clothes, leaving only our underwear on. Jonathan, however, kept his clothes on. I assume that he hasn't told Aaron yet about his true self.
"I don't have any more clean clothes left." he said, still pretending to be Natalie.
"Hey, Natalie," Aaron called out. "Let's go for a walk."
"Don't wander too far guys." Riley said.
"We won't." they both said simultaneously.
As they left, Riley removed my ankle brace and saw that the swelling had gone down, but it still hurt like hell.
"How is it?" Riley asked.
"Still pretty swollen," I answered back. "Nothing we can do about that. I'll be fine, really."
"Can you stand?" he asked. I nodded my head in response. "Here, let me help."
Riley walked me to the edge of the river and slowly, but surely, made our way into the water. Riley walked ahead of me, not letting go as we went further in. Once we were waist deep, Riley went under then back up. "Watch your step there." he told me.
It was truly a refreshing experience. Bathing in a river of cold water on a hot summer day in Texas. Under normal circumstances, this river would be crowded with people with coolers, barbecue grills and loud music. But to have this place to ourselves, it seemed all too surreal. Almost magical.
After a few moments of wading in the river, we both went under, making sure to wash off everything. I felt that the river was washing not just our dirt and sweat. To me it felt like it was also washing away all my pain and regret. I felt like a new person when I resurfaced. I started to feel like my old self again. The me who I was when I was with Riley. For the first time in years, I saw him with the same look and feeling from ten years ago. It started to make me think of the time I had lost.
Riley
The river felt great after the intense heat we experienced today. I never knew how much fun it could be to drift around in cold water on a hot day. I looked over at Ethan and he was smiling at me. I haven't seen him do that since we were dating.
"Are you ok?" I asked
"Yeah," he answered back. "This place is filled with positive energy."
Coming from him, that statement made me laugh. "I'm sorry, I never heard you say something like 'positive energy' before."
"Oh really?" he replied. That playful grin flashed on his face. God, how I missed that grin.
"Yeah," I said, "When did you get caught up in pseudoscience?"
"Aaron's right," he said, rolling his eyes at me. "You are a downer. I'm just trying to say that this place feels great."
"Sorry." I said with a chuckle. I couldn't help but find that cute. I just kept looking at him and for once, I couldn't recognize him at first. The Ethan from one week ago, had completely vanished. The one with me now, was from our time together.
I started to wonder if some higher power was giving me what I wanted. What I needed. Another chance with my Ethan.
"You know," he said, breaking me out of my train of thought. "This is all so weird to me."
"How so?" I asked.
"Just look at me, I'm swimming in a river, in my underwear. This would've been a hell no for me ten days ago. For one, I never was interested in anything outdoors."
"You have a point there." I was thinking the exact same thing as he was.
"Everyday," he continued, "I had a routine. Go to work, come home. My time off I spent drinking at home, binge watching shows, playing video games, or even hitting up guys on Grindr." He then became sad and started to think about something. After a short pause, he started talking again. "Who knew that the great outdoors were so beautiful? And it wasn't that far away from home." He was trying hard to fight back tears. "I should've ventured out more."
"Ethan," I swam toward him. I wanted to hold him in my arms again and comfort him like I did in my loft a few days ago.
"I just want to thank you," he said. "For dragging me along. Aaron and Jonathan, I never would've met those two if it wasn't for you. Besides, it's my own fault. I never expanded my social circle after college. It sort of feels like I wasted my life, you know. If I were braver, I could've been so much more. Seen and done more with my life. There's no use having any regrets now, right?" After a few moments, he dunk his head under and came back up. "Well, I'm ready to get out if you are." He said with a smile, as if the river would wash away his sadness.
He took one last look at the scenery, taking it all in as if mentally painting a picture. "It's truly a sight to see before dying."
"No, it's not." I said to him, Ethan looked at me like I was going to call his thoughts and feelings were stupid. I looked him in the eye and said to him, "This might not be the end. There is so much out there I still want to explore with you. There are so many things that I want to see and do with you by my side." I was the one crying this time. "All I ask is, would you please fall in love with me again?"
I started to sob like a toddler who had just been scolded and Ethan just looked at me. No expression on his face. It was now or never, and I had just taken the biggest gamble of my life. It was worse than the first time I confessed to him.
Ethan's face started to change. He was smiling and crying at the same time. "Good God, you look terrible." was all he said. "You are such an idiot. Didn't you tell me that you can easily tell when I'm in love with you."
I didn't want to presume, but this time was the same as last. Only this time, Ethan was the one who pulled me in for a kiss. Once our lips touched, it felt like it did before. Like nothing had changed. But there was one difference. We were older, and this time nothing, or no one can stop us.
Jonathan
Aaron and I had walked a bit further upstream and found a place to swim.
"If you want, you can undress there, I'll go further down. No one can see you here."
I had to tell him. It was now or never. "Aaron." I called out to him.
"What's up?" he asked.
"Remember, I said I have something to tell you?" He nodded. "I think it's best if I show you."
"Natalie, what are you doing?" he asked as I started to undress.
When I took off my shirt, he just stood there staring in disbelief. I was just in my underwear and ashamed of myself. Even my wig was off.
"This is me," I said, "The real me. My name is Jonathan, not Natalie. I dressed up like this because I wanted to try it out before I died. Then I met you, and when I found out you were a fan of my sister, I couldn't tell you. I didn't want to destroy your image of her if you found out she had a freak of a brother like me."
At that point, I started to cry. I knew that Aaron had felt betrayed, I wouldn't blame him if he said I was a freak. But he didn't. Instead he surprised me when his arms were around me and he pulled me close for a hug.
"You're not a freak." he said. "And I knew the whole time."
"You what?" I couldn't believe what I heard.
"That morning in the hotel," he started. "Ethan's reaction woke me up, and I heard you all talking."
"Oh my God," I was in shock. "You could've said so."
"I kept quiet because I wanted you to feel comfortable enough to share that with me."
"Aside from my name and gender, everything else about me is true."
"Well then," he said as his face was inches away from mine. "We're off to a good start."
"We are?"
Aaron nodded and held my hands as if we were two lovers confessing their love. "Nice to officially meet you Jonathan. Now let's go for a swim."
We both smiled at each other and proceeded to swim in the river. Finally, I no longer needed to hide. All this time, Aaron was seeing the real me, and waited for me to make my move. It was then that I knew my feelings for him. I was in love with him, my knight in shining armor.