MUKE short stories

want you back ✦ 07

7 - stay ✦

Funny you're the broken one but I'm the only one who needed saving.

✦✦✦

Luke was anything but surprised when he noticed Michael wasn't sleeping next to him.

He didn't have to look, he knew Michael wasn't anywhere in the apartment. His shoes and his car keys were gone, an optimist would think the architect went out to get them breakfast but Luke knew Michael enough to know he liked to run away from things.

And this thing. It was complicated.

As if the headache and the hungover feeling weren't bad enough of a consequence, Luke had to deal with Michael and he did when they were drunk.

They could survive a kiss but sex, let alone angry sex after an argument was the last on the list of ex-boyfriend bonding time suggestions.

There was the feeling of guilt but Luke knew he and Michael were both grownups and when Michael would return the two could talk and figure out their next step. In Luke's opinion, him moving out was the best decision.

He took a shower and started cleaning the apartment, there were empty alcohol bottles everywhere, half-eaten snacks, empty and half-empty cups.

A knock surprised him an hour or so later when he was cleaning the floors.

The only person Luke imagined would come around a day after a party was Calum and that was exactly who it was.

"Michael's not here?" The man walked into the apartment.

Luke shook his head. "Before you ask, I don't know where he is."

Calum shook his head and laughed. "That bad, huh?"

He didn't know Calum. But Calum was Michael's best friend so Luke knew he'd found out one way or another. "If drunk sex with your ex is bad then yes, very bad."

The Maori boy didn't say anything but he did join and started to help Luke and started to take out the trash bags.

"Do you want a cup of coffee?" Luke asked once they were done.

Calum accepted and when he wanted to sit down on the sofa Luke spoke up. "I don't think you want to sit there."

The horror in Calum's eyes made him laugh and they both sat down behind the kitchen counter.

"I don't think you noticed," Calum spoke up. "But I'm not your biggest fan."

Luke took a sip of his coffee and nodded. "I think it's hard to be a fan of someone you don't know, however, I presume you did hear things about me."

"Honestly, Michael didn't talk a lot about you. And the thing is, he didn't have to. We were college roommates and when we've met, he was a mess. Michael would cry himself to sleep sometimes, he didn't want to go out, all he did was study. Luckily, I discovered his love for video games so we had something to bond about. He only talked about you when he was drunk."

Luke's heart hurt more than he was willing to admit. "Just good things I imagine?"

Calum laughed. "That you were the love of his life. That you left him and went to London with another man."