Memories to Burn a Broken Soul

Chapter 17

Present Day
9:25am

Sal puts his hand over his mouth as he pulls the final photo from the box.

"This is the last picture Brian and I ever took together..." Sal tells his friends. Murr wraps an arm around him, and Joe places his hand on Sal's knee.

"It was a snow day. His mom picked me up, so I didn't have to drive. We made this huge snow fort in his backyard. It was so cool, we brought blankets and pillows outside and just laid together for hours. It was one of the happiest days of my life." Sal reminisces, looking at the photo.

He and Brian are laying inside a snow fort, cuddled up under a blanket. Sal has his head on Brian's chest, and Brian is kissing the top of Sal's head.

-Flashback-

March, 1994
8:02am

*Pound Pound Pound*

Sal wakes up startled at the banging on his door. He watches as the door opens and his dad stands in the doorway.

"Get the fuck up. It's a snow day. I don't want you in the house." His dad tells him angrily.

Sal rubs his eyes, "Where am I supposed to go?" He asks.

"Don't care. Just get out of here. Don't bother coming back tonight, I won't be here." His dad says, turning to leave.

"Can't I just have a house key?" Sal asks, getting out of bed and stretching his arms above his head. His dad whips around, grabbing Sal by the collar of his shirt.

"I don't want you here when I'm not. I don't trust you or your filthy friends. Now get the fuck out before I force you."

The bedroom door slams, and Sal quickly finds a pair of clean jeans and a shirt. He grabs a Superman shirt, knowing it's Brian's, and it gives him an idea of where to go. He picks up the home phone from his desk and dials a familiar number.

"Quinn residence!" A woman chimes over the phone.

"Hi Bertha, it's Sal." He responds, grabbing gel to try and tame his hair while still holding the phone with one hand.

"Honey! How are you? It's a snow day, you should be sleeping in!" She says, a smile evident in her voice.

Sal sighs quietly. "I was wondering if you could pick me up?" He asks, wiping his hand on his jeans and pulling on his sneakers.

Bertha quickly says yes, and they hang up.

Sal shoves a few textbooks in his backpack, knowing today would be a good day to finish homework. He grabs his school uniform and put it in the bag as well. Pulling the bag over his shoulder, Sal runs down the stairs to grab his jacket, hat, and gloves. He shuts the door quietly as he steps out onto the front deck. He shivers rapidly, realizing he's only holding his coat, not wearing it. As he pulls on his winter wear, Sal watches Bertha's silver minivan turn into the driveway. Swiftly, but carefully, Sal makes his way over to the car and gets in, setting his bag by his feet.

"Hi sweety. So, he kicked you out for the day?" Bertha asks, knowing she couldn't ask over the phone. Sal's dad listened in anytime he was on the phone.

Sal nods, pulling his hat over his frozen ears. His stomach growls loudly.

"Let's stop for breakfast. Brian's still asleep so it'll just be us two." She says patting Sal's knee gently.

After a short time, they arrive at a small café. Sal had never been here before, but Brian and his mom were frequent guests. As they enter, the two are seated at a table near the window. Sal looks through the menu, already knowing he's going to get an omelet. The waitress comes to take their order, and then they're able to talk.

"Sal, are you going to college?" Bertha asks, taking a sip of her coffee.

He shrugs back at her. "I can't afford to. I'll probably just stay at home and find a job." He says, glancing out the window at the falling snow.

She nods her head slowly. "Live with us." She says as Sal's eyes grow wide. "I want you out of that house. After you graduate, nothing will be holding you there." She finishes.

Sal opens his mouth to say something, but nothing comes out. His eyes fill with tears.

"I don't want to burden you like that. There's no room, I'd just be in the way." He says, not meeting her gaze.

"You'll stay in Brian's room with him. He's going off to firefighting training for the summer, so we'll have plenty of time to adjust to you living there." She reassures him, grabbing his hand. "You don't have to answer now, but please consider it." He nods back at her as their food arrives.

Once back at Brian's house, Sal runs upstairs to find his boyfriend fast asleep. He strips off his winter attire and his jeans slowly crawls into bed with him, wrapping his arms tightly around Brian. "Hi baby." He says, kissing Brian's ear. Brian groans a bit, his body stretching.

"Bri, I have a surprise for you." Sal says, shaking his love a bit.

Finally, Brian's eyes flutter open, a smile instantly on his face when he sees Sal.

"Am I dreaming, or is there really an angel laying next to me?" Brian asks, wrapping his arms around Sal, kissing his lips gently. Sal pulls back, biting his lip to try and hide his smile.

"What's got you so smiley today?" Brian asks, kissing the tip of Sal's nose.

"Mmmm you have to guess!" Sal says excitedly, knowing his boyfriend would never guess what he's going to tell him.

"Uh, okay, let's see. Are you happy because there's no school?" Brian asks, pulling Sal on top of him. He loves to feel the weight of his love on top of him.

"Nope! You get two more guesses." Sal says, resting his chin on Brian's chest.

"Okay, are you pregnant?" Brian asks, holding back a laugh.

Sal smacks his face gently, rolling his eyes. "One more guess and make it a real guess!" He scolds Brian.

Brian sits up, pulling Sal into his lap, their faces inches apart. "Last guess. Are you moving in with me after graduation?" He smirks at Sal's expression.

"How did you know?" Sal pouts.

"Who do you think gave my mom the idea?" Brian says, kissing Sal passionately on the lips.

"You're a dork, but I love you Bri." Sal says.

"I love you more Sally." Brian responds.