Rearrange the Disarrange (boyxboy)

Chapter 8

Chapter 8

My alarm went off, even though I don’t need to be at work. Yet I do have to meet with my Mr. Reagan this morning about the small situation I’m in. I still haven’t decided yet. So I slammed my hand down on the annoying buzzing sound and got up to take a shower. As I was getting dress after my shower I remembered that Stryker was here yesterday and he fell asleep on my couch.

Why the hell I’m nervous it’s not like he stayed, he must of have left this morning. I walked out with my shirt half done up since I got lazy to even finish buttoning them up. Walking down the stairs to main floor of my apartment, I heard some noise and the smell of eggs and something else.  I made it to the last step looking towards the couch where I left Stryker last night, but as I predicted he wasn’t there. What the hell was I hoping for? That by some miracle he would stay here and we both confess we still love each other, yeah not going to happen, since I might be the only one who feels the same after six years. I’m sure he....

“Hey! Are you hungry?” Stryker popping out of nowhere ok not out of nowhere, but he did startle me, “I made some eggs, beacon, toast and coffee.”

I sat down in shock that he would do such a thing for me, not to mention he can cook. We sat and ate in silence ‘til his cell phone rang.

“Hello,” he walked away to the door and shut it behind him. Well that’s not weird. I was half way through my breakfast when my home phone rang.

“Hello Zeke speaking,” thank goodness for cordless phones or this would have been difficult, I was still eating my breakfast.

“Oh Thank Gummy bears your still alive,” C.J let out a relief sigh.

“Yeah of course I’ll still be alive. You’ve only been gone for a day”

“I know, but I had a horrible nightmare that you died from starvation while waiting for me to get back,” I rolled my eyes at his over active imagination.

“That would be the other way around C.J”

“Hey at least give me credit for even trying to cook”

“I don’t think I will, considering have the time you attempted to cook you damaged something in the apartment,” I was thinking back to the time we have to remodel the whole kitchen.

“Oh I got to go Rikyu is taking to dinner,” he hanged up before I could even say ‘good-bye’. As soon as I put the phone down Stryker came walking back inside.

“Sorry I had to talk with my brother,” why is he explaining this to me?

“It’s alright,” he went to finish up his breakfast. I went into my little office and gathered up to the files I read last night. When came walking back out he had his jacket on.

“Here you go and they get nothing less or nothing more. It stays the same amount and if they have a problem with it tell them call me and I’ll deal with it,” I stated handy over the files. Following him out locking the door as we were about to part ways, he stopped me.

“Would you mind if I drop by later this evening, it just that my cousin is getting tired of me ruining her family time with Hopper and their kids. If it’s a bothersome then I’ll understand,” not once did he look away from, just a straight face. I couldn’t read his facial movement or understand why he even asked.

And for the life of me I did the dumbest thing, “Yeah why not, but I won’t be home right after work. I have a business to take care of. I’ll just let the maintenance worker to let you in.” After everything was settled we went of separate ways.

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“Good morning Mr. Hayes, he’s in the study this morning,” Richie told me after taking my coat. As I made my way towards the study he was in, I knocked on the door and went in. He was sitting behind his desk that was from 19th century or something history was never my favourite subjected, but never the less I still got A’s.

“Zeke how was your weekend?” Mr. Reagan was always the one to ask me about my life or anything really.

“Can’t complain, it was the same as any other weekend, but I did had to say good-bye C.J. Mr Kato took him to Tokyo. He wanted him to meet his family and to take him sightseeing of his home country,” speaking to Mr. Reagan was never like a job to me. So I didn’t need to be so professional around him.

“Something is troubling you what is it?” he didn’t even have to look up from the paper he was reading to know there was something wrong.

“Nothing gets by you huh?” he chuckled and looked up. I knew he wanted to tell him.

“It’s just that before C.J left he wanted me to go back home for awhile and see my family”

“But?”

“But I don’t know if I want to go back or not, it’s been so long since I last saw them. Not to mention that I have to decide if want to run this company, but it also makes me wonder if this is my last chance to see them before the company takes a main role in my life. I’ll never see them for a long while or maybe never,” everything I had bottle up inside finally came out.

“Well it seems to me that you have to go back. Not for anyone else, but for yourself. I know that your life has been hard for you Zeke, but in order to be a good business man you need to settle things before taking on such a responsibility. I’m not asking you to say ‘yes’, it just that I see myself in you when I was younger. I had the smarts, cunning and the skills. I showed no emotion to anyone. That was the trick for dealing with such things,” he looked sadly out the window and continued, “but what most people don’t know is that I was never like this back then. I was like you somewhat don’t show happiness, weakness, care for no one, keep working and strive something better. Sad thing was I lost everything because of that. I would always choose work over my family and wife.” My eyes went wide. I never knew he had a wife I just thought he was married to his job.

“Don’t be so surprise I used to be close with my family and I was married once. I also had a child, but she couldn’t stand the fact that I was always at the office. No one knew I was married because sometimes I would forget I was too. I knew rumours started up in the office that I had no wife or kids it was right around the time she left me. I never bothered to correct anyone. Eventually I grew cold and bitter to everyone around me, even my family. It took me a long time to figure out what I had lost, so I decided to switch my life around. Now I’m happier than I was before.”

“I don’t understand sir, you want me to what?” I was honestly confused.

“I want you to learn for my mistake before you even say ‘yes’ go back home and decide do you want to give up your family for a life time of work only to have nothing.”

“But how I’m so suppose to go back and not feel like a complete stranger to them. I’ve been ignoring them for bitter part of my life,” I felt defeated.

“That, I cannot help you with. You’re going to have to figure that out yourself.”

We had some lunch and just randomly talk about stuff. I found out he had a son who is a pro athlete with a football team. His wife who left him was remarried after their divorce had two other kids with her current husband. He was happy for her. They sometimes meet up for occasional chat. He even became friends with the husband.

I went home late. I didn’t feel like going to work. So I just head straight home. When I walked through the door I smelt an aroma of steak being cooked. When I put my down my brief case I saw Stryker cooking and he even set the plates out on the table. He turned around once I shut the door.

“Oh I thought you weren’t coming until late?”

“No I decided to come home early,” it felt like we were a couple again, but weren’t.

The days past and we had supper every once in awhile we asked questions about one other one. It turns out we’re very different from our past selves. He was no longer the bad boy image and I was no longer a nerd. Instead we became the lawyer and business man. He puts criminals behind bars, while still working for the company.

We never ran out of things to talk about especially what’s been going on in our lives for the last six years. If I can face him, why can’t I face my family?