Hate Me Before You Love Me (BDSM/Mature)

Chapter 10. The Getaway

Sean forced the splitting couple to make a deal that they would treat each other respectfully before the trip and play no more mind games. Alex had promised that he would not ask for a scene during this getaway.
Peter and Sean are settling into their new place, a 3-bedroom apartment. Sean moved most of his stuff to Boston a week ago. Peter’s kids are settling in too; they love Sean. Sean cooked for them and helped them with their homework. Peter adores Sean for going the extra mile for his kids.
Peter and Sean are still looking to move down south to more secluded areas. And for the kids to be homeschooled, Emma and Peter’s parents voted against it. And that is why they are stuck in San Francisco for now.
Peter’s relationships with two of his best friends for a decade continued to deteriorate. Emma hated Peter for taking her child. She doesn’t know yet that Peter is not these kids biological father, nor does she know that Peter had the DNA tested on their kids before.
Alex and Peter continued with the plan of selling the company. They got some offers of around three to four million dollars. Peter feels like Alex is stalling the deal; he got angry with him a couple of times. Alex finally agreed on the numbers; last week, they sold for 4.5 million dollars.
Alex relocated himself to a tiny house on the south side of San Jose. He is kind of turning into a hermit because he just burns the bridges to his longest friendships. He got into therapy, trying to salvage whatever was left of his relationship with Peter. Sean visited him occasionally, just to bring him food and check on him. He stopped doing anything related to BDSM because he’s scared of doing it with someone else who is not Peter.
Sean pleads with Peter to try and reconcile his relationship with Alex. He finally gets Peter to agree to this trip after a month of begging him. Sean fell in love with Alex, and he wants to include Alex in his relationship with Peter. Peter knew Alex had been to therapy, so he agreed to try it again.
They packed up a trailer home for their getaway, and they planned a two-week drive and camping trip. For the first couple hours of their drive, Alex kept fighting with Peter. Starting with the music that it was playing, the speed they were driving at, up to the snack that Peter brought, But after two hours, they started to slow down. Mainly because Sean yelled at them. Alex tried to be as quiet as he could be after Sean got mad at them. Peter then tried to be nicer to Alex because he loves Sean so much.
They stopped at a diner to have lunch. Peter tried to make amends and sat next to Alex. Alex also tried to be nicer; he even shared his french fries with Peter. Sean left them alone after he was finished with his meal because he said he wanted to take a nap before continuing the journey. Peter and Alex stayed, and they finally chatted like normal friends for once.
“Pete, I want to say I am so sorry. I know I hurt you. I still love  you. Alex sighed.
“It’s fine. But I am in love with Sean now. I know he is in love with you. So..” Peter looked down.
“What can I do to fix this?” Alex asked.
“I don’t know. We have been fighting for a couple of months now. I don’t know where to begin.” Peter shrugged.
“I stop doing the scene,” Alex said.
“Why?” Peter asked.
“Well, I can’t trust other people beside you. Especially after Emma hurts me.” Alex leaned in a little toward Peter. “Also, I don’t want to hurt Sean anymore. He is a good man."
“He is nice. I wish my parents could see beyond his gender.” Peter chuckled.
“How’s your kid taking the changes?” Alex asked.
“They love Sean. I mean, who doesn’t love him?” Peter laughed.
“What is next for you, Pete?” Alex asked.
“Alex, remember that when we were starting the company, we used to sleep naked in your apartment, thinking, What are we going to do when we are rich?” Peter asked.
“You said you want to solve world hunger.” Alex chuckled.
“I am thinking of moving to the midwest." Peter smiled. “I want to develop AI for food production so I can create cheap, high-quality food."
“Can I come with you?” Alex smiled.
“I don’t think I could move there, though. My parents and Emma would never let me take the kids there.” Peter looked down. “Sometimes, I want to just give the kids up. But when I remembered about the scars that Emma gave you, I just couldn’t do it."
“She got carried away once. Please don’t judge her because of  that."Alex defended Emma.
“Alex, I know they are not really mine, but they are my kids. I will never let anyone hurt them.” Peter sighed.
“I know..” Alex suddenly took Peter’s hand. “Pete, remember when we were still young and stupid? We made love every time we could. I want to go back to that.” Alex said.
“I can’t promise you anything.” Peter shrugged.
“It’s fine, Pete. But that is what I want.” Alex said.
“I want to fix our friendship. We used to be so close. What happened to us, Alex?” Peter sighed.
"It happened to us.” Alex shrugged. “I mess up. And this time, you can’t clean it up. Because I mess you up this time."
Peter held his breath. Alex was right; he helped Alex fix his relationship before including his asshole of an ex-boyfriend that they put in jail because of tax evasion. This time he can’t fix Alex's mess because he was the one that got hurt.
“Peter, I will do everything in my power to be better for you.” Alex held Peter’s hand. Peter smiled bitterly. “I know you are skeptical about this, Pete. But, I promise, I want to try. " 
“Thank you, Alex." Peter kissed Alex’s forehead.
Suddenly, Sean ran towards their booth. “We need to go to New Jersey."
“Why?” Peter asked. He knew Sean's parents were from there, but he doesn’t want to assume that.
“My dad got a stroke. I need to come  home."Sean started to cry. Peter stood up and held him. Alex paid for their meal, and they left for New Jersey.
_________________________________________
Sean told them that his father never really accepted his coming out, but their relationship got better over the years. His parents got divorced when he was 5 years old. He stayed with his mother, and he had never really been close to his father. Both of his parents got remarried, and Sean’s stepfather, Elliot, loves him. But he lost his stepfather five years ago and started reconnecting with him again.
They drive in turns to get to New Jersey as soon as they can. It took them more than a day to drive there, almost non-stop. They settled down on a camping ground before they visited Sean’s father. They agree that Peter will be Sean’s boyfriend, and Alex is just a friend who tagged along. Sean does not want to confuse his dad even more than he already is.
Sean's father, Henry, is in his late 60s, and his new wife is in her 40s. She looks like a gold digger; her name is Trixie. Trixie is Henry’s third wife, and it seems like he keeps picking younger women. Sean is the only child from the marriage of Henry and his mother, Bridgette. But he has three half brothers, one half sister, and one stepbrother. Hank's only stepbrother is probably the one that he is closest to. Hank is like Elliot; he is loving and kind. Elliot's first wife, Bridgette, died in a car accident when Hank was 5 years old. Elliot married Bridgette when Hank and Sean were 6; they shared a half brother, Cole.
Sean feels like he got lucky with his parents separation. He got a better father and a better family than he could have wished for. Cole and Hank both love him, and Elliot is a better father than Henry will ever be for Sean. Henry has three other kids with his two other women. He has two kids with his second wife and one with Trixie. And the one he had with Trixie is still 3 years old. He is sitting on Henry’s lap now.
“Hey, Dad..” Sean smiled as he walked in.
Henry just looked at Sean and then scoffed. He continues to play with Kyle and ignores Sean, as he came in with Peter. Alex decided that it was better for him to stay outside. Sean took a deep breath and approached his father.
“How are you, Dad?” Sean pushed out a fake smile.
“Why are you here?” Henry asked. “And bringing your lifestyle in front of your toddler brother? That is such a horrible thing for you to  do.
“My lifestyle? Dad, we have been through this.” Sean sighed.
“Just leave. I am fine.” Henry still does not want to look at Sean.
“Are you really sure he is your father? We are not in the wrong hospital  room."Peter asked sarcastically.
“Peter..” Sean sighed. “Let’s just go." Sean grabbed Peter's wrist.
“We are driving for more than a day non-stop here just to leave after 5 seconds?” Peter yelled. “You are not a good father; Sean is a great man. And a good father would accept that his son loves men, not women."
“Peter! Let’s just..” Sean bites his lips. “Your parents do not even want me near your kids! You have no right to do this!” Sean walked out. He pushed Alex away when he tried to hug him.
“You know what? You are a piece of sh*t!" Peter yelled and walked out. He grabbed Alex and then tried to find Sean. But Sean is nowhere to be found, and his phone is off. They ended up going back to their trailer, but they still can’t find Sean.
Sean did not come back to the trailer that night. But the next morning, he texted Peter and Alex to go on with their two-week getaway. He will meet them back in California. Peter and Alex decided to go north; they camp in upstate New York.
It is the first day since forever that it is only the two of them, and so far it is going well. They park near a river, but it is the beginning of winter, so they have no idea if the river will freeze or not. Peter set up their additional solar panel while Alex collected some wood and branches. Before the sun went down, they had already settled inside the trailer. It’s not a big one, but it's more than enough for the two of them.
That night, for the first time, they fell asleep together, just the two of them since their separation months ago. The familiar feeling is creeping back to them. Could this trip really fix their relationship? That is the million-dollar question.