AU

Gus

(copied and pasted from notes)

In which Atticus's Unlce visits for the first time in a while

it isn't like atticus to get wound up at a party. in fact, he always chooses to stay in his own corner and not interact too much. tonight is different. his uncle gus is in town.

ever since atticus was little, gus has been almost like this father. though they look strangely alike, gus and atticus's dad are not brothers. gus is from atticus's mom's side of the family. as a child, atticus had difficulty connecting with his mother and father much more than any normal child would. his mother was still caring, but his father hated him. atticus has always been different. he's shy and cautious. in atticus's fathers eyes, that meant he was a coward. what happened between his parents and the cause of their tragic story is for only atticus to tell. but i will say this; gus will always be atticus's real father figure.

tonight we are hosting a bonfire party in our backyard to kick off the summer. atticus and i don't have many acquaintances so we leave the guest inviting up to ash and kate, with conditions of course. they can bring immediate family and friends. most of the time i bring my sister and her boyfriend miles. atticus invites no one. everyone eventually became affiliated and our party guest lists have become somewhat solid over the past few years. gus is rarely in town so he's only ever attending a few of our parties. all of which he attended without a plus one. 8 months ago gus got engaged to his girlfriend. atticus and i haven't met her yet, but she seems lovely over the phone. though, i think atticus secretly wishes gus wouldn't be with anyone after his late wife. she passed a decade ago due to her chronic illness. just like gus, she was a parental figure for atticus as well. the truth is, atticus mourns her death more than gus does. which is why, in some way, atticus wishes gus wasn't engaged again.

but in my opinion, im happy that gus has found happiness again.

the air is cool in the evening in our backyard. i sit in a lawn chair and look up to the pinkish sky. the sun is setting and the guests haven't arrived yet. kate and ash are always the first ones over. when gus used to fly in, he'd stay with us in the guest room. but now that he's got a fiancée, they are staying together in a hotel. tonight is the first time atticus and i are meeting her. i peer over at him in the chair next to me. he's playing with the lighter in his hands. flicking the flame up and turning it off repeatedly. his expression is unreadable, i can tell he's deep into thought. before i can say anything to him, ash and kate appear at the gate entrance of the backyard. all greet each other and ash reveals that he brought drinks. i'm fine with it, i don't drink but i won't deny guests to having any at our parties. atticus doesn't drink either, especially since his father was an alcoholic.
time passes and our guests start arriving. the sun has completely set and the sky is dark. the only lights are from the moon, bonfire, and dim lighting glowing from the inside of our house in the near distance. after chatting with kate for perhaps too long, i walk around to find atticus. i greet people and thank them for coming as i weave through. it takes me a minute to find atticus, but i eventually spot him. he's sitting on the grass a little ways away, but not excluded from the party. i walk over to him and noticed a solo cup in his hand. my brows furrow together in confusion.
i stand in from of him and catch his attention.
"hi honey." he says to me, then looks away again. not before patting the ground next to him. i smile and sit right beside him, taking his hand and intertwining his bejeweled ringed fingers with mine. "they're late." he says.
i look around over the guests and notice that gus and his fiancée haven't arrived. they are quite late considering what time the sun set. i'm sure gus is just taking his time showing her the town.
"they'll be here soon." i lean my head on his shoulder and peer into his cup. it's almost empty. this is unusual. "what's this?" i tap the rim of his plastic red cup.
"oh, um.." he snaps back to reality. "i've barely had any," he locks eyes with me. "just to.. take the edge off. y'know?"
i nod, not thinking too much of it. atticus is one to handle his drinks better than anyone i know of. i've only seen him get wasted one time, and it was after his aunt, gus's late wife, passed away. and that was a very long time ago. almost as if on que, i hear the gate of our backyard open.
"oh look! speak of the devil." atticus peels attention away from me and looks around. his eyes brighten when he sees gus. he stands and takes my hand, helping me up.
"hey!!" i smile and wave towards the two. gus looks happy to see us, mainly atticus, and they share a hug.
"how ya doing, my boy?" i hear a slap-like pat on atticus's back.
"i'm good, how about yourself?"
"not half bad." gus grins. his smile is much like atticus's. they share similar features. gus embraces me next, "nice to see you, darlin'"
"it's good to see you too, gus." i can smell a faint sent of something unfamiliar as i hug him.
"oh!" he turns and takes his fiancée in hand, "this is teesha."
she smiles and shakes our hands. this lady is absolutely gorgeous. her blonde hair contrasting her dark skin is so beautiful, not to mention her astonishing makeup. though i will say, she looks fairly younger than gus. if i were to guess she's in her late 30s, as opposed to gus, who's in his mid 50s. after greeting one another, gus and atticus give us the nod that they're going to go on and catch up together. after sending a thumbs up towards my husband i turn back to teesha, who is walking away. i stand taken aback, i didn't know she was going to go mingle with the other guests. which is fine, i just thought she was going to hang around and introduce herself more to me. oh well, i'll go and find kate, i think to myself.