Boyfriends: The long dance 

Albert had longed for something in youth and for so long he didn't know what, he was alarmed when all the guys started to chase girls and didn't understand why it couldn't remain the same as it was before. The closeness that was once there lost, the thrill of the thought of something was replaced by the chase of it. His favourite of all his friends in which most his secrets and inner most thoughts had been shared was the first to betray him, they had celebrated several firsts together but this was one that could only be shared by tale, he didn't understand how even though Matt chased girls he would still come to his house late at night and share his bed until that stopped altogether, with Matt hooking up with the local beauty, Albert saw less and less of his buddy until the friendship ceased to exist. 

Lives were lived and love was lost, here and in the the now they found each other and finally found what they were looking for all their lives, wife's came and went children grew and fled the nest, they interacted with others like them with quick fumbles in parks, alleys and bathroom stalls, brief moments of coming together and coming undone, rough kisses, Flys flying down and then up, a grunt and a nod and then disappearance as the guilt engulfed each partner, the lips that just locked had hours earlier kissed the foreheads of their sleeping offspring and pecked lipsticked and glossed  mouths of their brides. For brief moments of ecstasy all of that world, the world forced upon these men was forgotten. 

Albert was different from the others, he loved and loved freely, falling for the hustlers he found here and there and tidied up, this was afforded to him due to his affluent lifestyle, heir to a fortune with steady allowance coming in that allowed him to pursue his pleasure to paint and capture beauty, his work sold steadily and he was acknowledged and accepted into circles that artists fought hard to enter, due to both his connections yet also his talent. 

Albert married of course for fifteen years he was loyal and devout acting out a part he never truly fitted, but he did as he was supposed to and the marriage resulted in three sons all destined for the family business and to carry the name that his siblings and father was so proud of. He loved Lillian dearly but she was a she and he knew he craved something more so he left, he left all that behind, his act selfish but he knew the self was more important than anything else. 

Happiness was what most in life pursued and he needed to do that freely and openly, it was bold and daring for the time but it was a risk worth taking. Nonetheless he was a great father and received and doted on the children. They were raised open minded and accepting that difference came in all shapes and sizes and acknowledged that their fathers dear friend was more than just a friend and something more, they soon realised why he left and agreed that the world shouldn't have shunned and outlawed those who dared to live a life that was different from their own. To Albert's surprise one of his own sons turned out to be of the same kind as he. He was proud of his son for being so open about it from a young age and that he could inherit a world in which love of all kinds could be celebrated the same way that of what was considered normal could. 

Billy was his name but he liked to go by Bill, Albert had found him as he had the others hanging on the street corners, lost, cocky and beautiful.  burning bright with youth yet loosing it with each interaction. There was something about Bill that allowed Albert to want more then just one night and a goodbye, he was sharp, funny, witty and so handsome that it hurt. Albert at first struggled  to capture his true likeness on canvas but as they intertwined and their lives became one he got better and better at it. Billy was 12 years younger than his lover and already he had enjoyed the fruits of the labour of Albert and his rioting lot, there was a long way to go but they had travelled far. They both watched horrified as their friends fell victim to the plague and crisis that dogged the gay scene in the 80's & 90's clinging even more tightly to one another. 

At that moment they felt the need to celebrate and officiate their love they had made it through forty years together and had always wanted to do what they were about to do. They danced the dance they were denied in youth, they found true solace in age and comfort in each other's existence it was beyond a phrase and Bill had watched in horror as Albert fell sick that he wasn't allowed to see him in critical moments but all that had past and now they could sail onto clear skies and calm shores. They wanted to adopt and build a life that they couldn't before and even at 75 and 63 it felt exciting and like it was a new chapter for them both.