Complement, page 17
part #3 of Connectivity Series
“Oh, just call us Stacy and Ron,” his mom interjected and Stevie nodded placatingly.
“Thank you, Stacy. And, yes, I can attest to Nick being highly respectful of Ash’s age and their situation.” Stevie looked at Ash and they exchanged a silent conversation with their eyes. Ash nodded and Stevie continued, “You see, Ash is a little different than most boys. He’s transgender. He was assigned female at birth but identifies as male and has been on hormone replacement therapy since he was sixteen. His father and I noticed at a young age that Ash seemed more inclined toward masculine hobbies and interests and we had taken the steps to set him up with a therapist at the age of thirteen after a long discussion about what he wanted his future to look like. He’s been quite clear and upfront with Nick about who he is and what boundaries he wishes to be upheld, in regard to his age and to his transition.
“And I must say, I cannot speak highly enough about your son,” Stevie continued. “Nick has been so understanding and supportive of Ash and everything he’s going through. They talk a lot, openly and honestly, about what their relationship is going to look like and what Ash’s transition means for both of them. Nick has even offered to help support Ash through his upcoming transformative surgery.”
Stevie looked to Nick and he picked up where she left off. “Yeah. Ash is going to be pursuing top surgery in the next few weeks and I’ve given up my apartment to be here with him throughout the process and to help him recover after his surgery. He’s going to be limited on his activity for about six weeks and with Stevie working, I’ll be available to help him with whatever he needs. He’s finishing his senior year of school online because the surgery would prevent him from attending classes, so I’ll be helping him with that as well.”
Nick’s parents were quiet for a moment, both of them sporting reflectively furrowed brows. “So you’re living with them now?” his father asked.
Nick nodded. “Yeah. Their house is smaller than ours with only two bedrooms because Ash is an only child, so I’ve been sleeping on the pull-out sofa in the living room. But…” Nick hesitated a moment, “there’s more to the story between Ash and I.”
“What do you mean more? That already seems like plenty, Nick. I wish you’d told us that you were living with your underage boyfriend in his family’s home,” his dad commented with his stern look creeping back into his eyes.
“I know, Dad. That’s why we’re all here telling you now and we wanted Stevie to be a part of the conversation so you’d know we were telling the truth.”
“What does your husband think about all this, Stephenie?” Ron asked bruskly.
Stevie smiled but there was a sadness behind her eyes. “He passed away four years ago in a car accident.” Nick’s parents at least had the good graces to look sorry for their blunt statements. “Ash and I were banged up but Matt died instantly. He certainly had no problem with Ash being who he is and I think he would have been overjoyed at having Nick in our lives. As Nick was getting ready to tell you, he and Ash share a special Connection and I support them one-hundred percent going forward. I shared the same Connection with my husband and it nearly killed me as well when he died. I’ll let Nick share what he wants with you, but just know that everything he’s about to tell you is completely true and I can provide you with several names and numbers of people who will attest to this as well.”
Stevie looked to them and Ash squeezed Nick’s hand in support and reassurance. Nick squeezed back and took a deep breath before beginning the explanation. “Okay, um… Ash and I share something called Connectivity. It’s where two people are basically soul mates and once they meet and their Connection is established, they literally can never be apart again.” Both of his parents scoffed and started to voice their thoughts, but Nick held up a hand to stop them and continued on before he could be sidetracked. “I realize that you think we’re all insane and I know you have questions, but if you can just wait until I finish explaining, we’ll probably answer your questions for you. Stevie wanted to be here to help you understand and she can explain better than I probably can, but at least hear me out before you go through the roof.”
His parents grumbled and his father’s stern brow was hard set in place. There was no way they were going to take the explanation lightly.
“Thank you. As I was saying, each person in the Connective couple has a name, or title, if you will. Ash is my Catalyst. He’s the one who carries the Connective gene. Yes, there is an actual gene that he carries and it’s passed down to the first born child of every Connective couple. His dad was a Catalyst as well and passed the gene on to him, just like his Grandma passed it down to Matt. Anyway, I’m what’s called a Complement. The Complement is exactly what it sounds like. They’re the person who is the exact match, or soul mate, to the Catalyst. I would never have known what I was if Ash hadn’t found me and he would probably never have gotten married or had a family either. As a Catalyst, you know what you are and that there’s only one person for you in the world, so you typically spend your life searching for that one person.
“A Complement could be anyone as well. But only if the Complement is ever rendered unconscious, will the Connection be triggered. And when I say triggered, what happens is that the Complement will never wake up again without their Catalyst.” His parents were growing increasingly agitated and looked ready to interject with each new word he spoke. “This was true for me. When I fell on my hike, it wasn’t my injuries that were the problem and kept me in the hospital, it was that I wasn’t waking up. I’m sure the doctors attributed my unconscious state to my bump on the head, but it wasn’t until Ash arrived the second day that I made any strides to wake and recover.
“Ash, likewise, suffers if we’re apart as well. Though he doesn’t fall asleep, he’s in physical pain and suffers debilitating anxiety until we’re together again. He had to demonstrate to me in the hospital because obviously, like you, I was really skeptical. But, oh my God, I’ve never felt anything like what being apart for those couple of minutes had felt like. And Ash couldn’t even leave the corridor to go to the main hallway. The separation anxiety is extreme on both of our ends and there is no way I’d ever leave him, because I physically can’t.
“But… The upside to all this, though, is that Ash is my soul mate and I am his. The bond that we share through our Connection is also like nothing I’ve ever felt or experienced. It’s easy and natural and we fit together like we were made for each other, because we were. I’ve never loved anything or anyone the way I love him and there is absolutely no reason I’d ever want to be apart from him either,” Nick finished, looking right at Ash and meaning every word.
Uncaring of their audience, Ash leaned over and cupped the side of his cheek. “I love you,” he whispered before he pressed a kiss to Nick’s lips. Nick wrapped his arm around him and hugged him into his side, pressing another kiss to his temple before he turned back to the eerily quiet laptop.
His parents sat there watching them with so many questions in their eyes, but mostly they looked like everything Nick had just said was complete and utter bullshit.
They both exploded with questions and the phone jostled about as they talked and tried to reprimand him through his dad’s small screen. Ash and Stevie each had a hand on him as they listened to his parents, who even went so far as to tell him to come home, but once they settled down and realized Nick wasn’t arguing back or really saying anything at all, they stopped and looked at him, waiting for him to comply with their demands.
“I realize this seems like some made up thing I’m telling you, but I can assure you, it’s very real. Stevie had the same Connection with her husband and there are plenty of other people who do as well. I’m not leaving school the day before it starts and I’m not leaving Ash. I’m sorry if you guys think this is crazy, but without you actually being here to witness it first-hand, you’re just going to have to trust your eighteen-year-old son and know that he is perfectly, unbelievably happy and safe and that I’m in the best place I’ve ever been in in my life. Ash is who I’m meant to be with and our Connection is something I will treasure for the rest of my life.”
His parents tried again to reason with him, to get him to think about what he was saying and his dad’s slashed eyebrows and menacing scowl would normally have been enough to earn his compliance, but Ash’s solid presence right next to him, holding him like he was trying to protect him, was everything, and he’d do what he needed to do, at all costs, to protect their love and their Connection. And if that meant disobeying his parents, then that was what he had to do. He was an adult who had moved out of his parents’ house and set up his own life in another state, and for them to all of a sudden take an interest and think they needed to finally be his parents was almost laughable.
“Dad. Mom. I’m not trying to be disrespectful but I’m an adult and have been living on my own for over a month. I’m staying here to start school and I’m happier here with Ash than I’ve ever been before. I’ll ask you to try to respect my wishes and even though you can’t really see what’s going on between us for yourself, everything is fine. I love you both and I love Syd, but my new life is in Utah.”
“Nick,” Ron said, using his best father figure voice. “I cannot begin to understand what would make you dream up this story—”
“With all due respect, Mr. La Velle, it’s not a story,” interjected Stevie. “It’s an actual mutation in the genes that allows those who carry it to find true love. I had it with my husband and when he died, I literally lost half of who I was. It took me years to get myself back to point that I could provide for Ash again. He’s been my rock and my driving force to overcome something so devastating. I can provide you with a couple of names of people who would be willing to talk more about this with you. It’s my understanding that Nick even knows a few people himself who are Connected.”
“That’s right!” Nick exclaimed. “Dad, if I call my friends and ask them to talk to you and Mom, will you listen to them? They’re both good friends and I wouldn’t want you to say anything rude to them. I’m sure if they agree, they could even bring their families over and you could see for yourself exactly what’s going on between Ash and me.”
His dad and mom exchanged a silent look and Nick didn’t think they were going to be receptive to the idea, but it was his mom who shocked the hell out of him.
“Is it Cory, Nick?” she asked and Nick felt his mouth open in surprise as he nodded. “I know you boys had a falling out and at one point I reached out to Diane to see if there was anything to be done to repair your friendship. She danced around any specifics but basically explained that Cory had found someone special to him and that they were extremely supportive of the relationship and even mentioned that Cory had gotten engaged. She suggested that maybe you just needed time to adjust to the idea of someone new in Cory’s life, but I couldn’t understand how she just allowed her only son to become engaged so quickly and at such a young age.” His mom paused her speech and laid her hand on Ron’s shoulder.
“I’ll call Diane and ask her if she and Jim will be willing to talk with us. I know we haven’t been all that involved in your life lately, but if you’re serious about staying there, which it seems like you are, then I don’t want to lose you. What you’re saying seems absurd, I’ll admit, but I can also see how happy you are and that you are committed to Ash, even to the point that you would go against me and your father. I’m not pleased with your little rebellion,” she raised one of her perfectly manicured eyebrows, “but you are an adult and I will try to understand your Connection. We do love you and we do want to keep you in our life, we just might need some time to adjust to what you’re telling us.”
Nick nodded and closed his mouth as Ash wrapped his arm behind his back in a reassuring hold. “Thank you. That’s all I can really ask, I guess. I know it seems so out there, but thank you for trying to understand. Please do talk to Diane, I’m sure she’ll be able to answer whatever questions you have and I’ll see if Cory and Josh would be willing to go over as well.”
“Have you patched thing up with Cory then?” his mother asked.
“Yeah.” Nick smiled, squeezing Ash into his side. He dropped a quick kiss to his hair and Ash placed his left hand on Nick’s heart. “All thanks to Ash.”
“I only saw what needed to be done and knew that it was in both of your best interests to work out your friendship. I know Cory is just as glad to have you back in his life as you are to have him back in yours,” Ash returned.
“How do you know?” Nick asked, looking down at Ash.
“He texted me once to say thank you. You guys were friends for years, babe. That’s not something to just be thrown away.”
Nick cupped Ash’s cheek and whispered, “Thank you. I love you.” Then pressed a soft kiss to his lips.
Ron cleared his throat, bringing everyone’s attention back to the conversation at hand. “Yes, well. Nick, I know we’ve always expected the best from you and you’ve never been one to have a wild side. We’re going to have to trust you and expect you to keep working hard in return. We primarily wanted to wish you luck tomorrow on your first day of classes and see how you were doing after your accident.”
“I’m fine, Dad. Stevie and Ash took good care of me and I got my stitches out last week. Most of the bruises are gone but the rest are barely visible. As for classes, I’m sure they’ll be fine. Ash has to come with me but he’ll just sit in the back and study his own stuff so we can at least be near each other,” Nick replied.
“What about his schooling? What will Ash do?” his mother asked with a bit of concern in her voice.
Stevie chimed in, “We’ve already made arrangements for Ash to finish his senior year in an online program. He’ll go to classes with Nick, as Nick explained, but he’ll be working on his own lessons on his laptop. He has his surgery in a few weeks as well and he would have missed too much class to make up, so with the online program, he can still study from home while he recovers. It’s all worked out quite well, all things considered. When Ash finishes the program at the end of the school year, he can still walk with his classmates in graduation if he’d like. I know I’d be sad if I didn’t get graduation pictures of him in his cap and gown, but his school has been very understanding of our situation and everything seems to be falling in line nicely.”
They all chatted amicably for another few minutes and finally wrapped up their pleasantries with promises to talk again at the end of the week.
After ending the call, the three of them sat back in their chairs, quite spent from the long conversation and Stevie suddenly smacked the table, proclaiming she was taking them all out for ice cream to alleviate their stress.
They laughed and easily agreed, then piled into the car to do just that.
~
The first week of classes passed by in a blur of new faces, textbooks, syllabi, and one rude instructor who insisted Ash leave the room if he wasn’t enrolled in his class. They’d worked it out so that Ash was sitting in the lounge across the hall and Nick was sitting in the very back row of the classroom, but it was going to be difficult to concentrate in that class with dozens of heads between him and the instructor. It was going to be even more distracting knowing Ash was alone in the lounge and away from him. Even though Ash was safely within their Connective threshold, he and Nick literally hadn’t spent any time apart since finding each other.
Nick found it weird to realize that someone he hadn’t even known existed a few weeks prior had become the world his life revolved around. He couldn’t even imagine his life without Ash in it. Ash was his light, his safe place, the person he wanted to spend all his time with. But he also knew he needed to be realistic. Ash was very much his own person and if Nick pushed too hard, he might end up smothering him and pushing him away, even if away meant another room in their house.
So when he left his last class on Friday and Ash greeted him with a huge hug outside the door, Nick almost sagged with relief.
“I missed you,” Ash sighed into his shoulder. “I really dislike your instructor for keeping me away from you. If your class was any longer than an hour, I think I’d have to come in anyway just so I could hug you and see you with my own eyes. Maybe that anxiety and need for reassurance will get better with time, but I’m just not cut out to be away from you for very long.”
Nick inhaled Ash’s comforting and familiar scent and kissed him behind his ear. “I couldn’t agree more. An hour apart this early on in our bonding period is torture. I could hardly concentrate knowing you were out here alone. I know it’s only three hours a week, but damn. It’s three hours too long. I kind of didn’t want to say anything because I thought maybe the time apart would be good for us and that maybe I was smothering you, but I’m so relieved to hear that you feel the same way.”
Ash only tightened his hold. He’d become so much more comfortable with hugs and being chest to chest over the last two weeks that Nick treasured their closeness even more, knowing that Ash trusted him and wanted them to share such intimacy.
“I feel the same way, babe. It’s going to be a long semester if this keeps up. I was only able to listen to one of my lectures and I’m still not sure what it was about. At least the reading keeps my mind focused and engaged. Lectures always make me sleepy and being away from you made me antsy. Not a good combination. I can study so much better in your other classes, and even though we’re not sitting next to each other, at least I can see you.”
Nick sighed and pulled back, dropping a quick kiss to Ash’s lips. “Let’s get out of here so we can be alone. There are so many people here that I can’t kiss you properly.”
Ash smirked and took his hand, leading them off toward the stairs. When they finally made it outside, he didn’t let go but took off around the corner and down the pathway, heading away from where they’d parked. Nick didn’t protest. It seemed his guy had something in mind and that was just fine with him. He’d happily follow Ash wherever he wanted to go for the rest of his life.
