Things To Hide In The Dark. (Harringrove)

Chapter Fourteen

Max knocked on the familiar door. Tears streaming down her pale, freckled cheeks, as she fought back painful sobs. A sleepy Steve emerged from the other side. Once his eyes met hers, he immediately pulled her into a hug. Her tears soaking the front of his shirt. He held the girl tightly, unknowing that soon his face would mirror hers.

"What's wrong kiddo? Was Billy mean to you?" He pulled her inside and shut his door behind them. Her head shook against his chest.

She fought the urge to tell Steve the truth. The internal battle she was having was hard to sway either direction. She knew she had to keep her promise to Billy. She knew she couldn't tell him what really happened.

"I-I woke up this ma-morning and Billy was gone. His room was empty. I thought he'd be here, but when I didn't see his car I lost it." She had a sour feeling in her stomach. She wasn't a liar, and hated doing it to Steve.

Steve's world crashed around him. Billy left. Without so much as a word Billy left him there. Alone again. He couldn't believe it. After everything they'd done, and talked about. Then it clicked. Something happened.

Niel had to have done something. Threatened him or worse. He couldn't breathe properly. He didn't know what to say, so Max and Steve just cried together. Steve didn't know what else to do. He was broken.

Truly broken.
🥺
June 17, 1994

Robin. She's a big time fashion designer, and has a new line dropping in Mulan next fall.

Nancy and Jonathan got married and have two creepy eyed kids now. They live close and Steve visits them when he has time. His work and his brain keep him pretty busy. Dustin is finishing up his fifth year at Stamford university. He has a reserved spot at NASA headquarters. He's so proud of that kid.

Mike and Jane are still happily in love. Mike is a photographer for the Indianapolis news paper and Jane is in law school at Harvard university. Smart kid.

Max and Lucas got married the week after they graduated. They both went to Penn State and got their doctorate. They run a family practice back in Hawkins, and they have a little boy on the way.

Then there's Steve. Steve threw himself into work. He went to college, then med school. Got a doctorate, and now works as the lead psychiatrist at Recovery Centers of America in Indianapolis. He did that to prove his parents wrong. It's not what he always had planned for himself, but it was good money and rewarding work. He paid his student loans off after only working six months on his own.

He liked that look on his paitents faces when he told them they'd find a solution to their mental problems. He liked that he could give people hope. Something he himself rarely has.

He feels like any moment he could die and it wouldn't matter in the slightest to him. He has thought of hurting himself a million times over, but never brought himself to do so. He finds it wrong and distasteful to be in such a career when he himself is depressed and borderline suicidal. He discusses this with no one, keeping everything in since the night Billy left.

He usually get patients forced into treatment by a spouse of family member. It always makes his heart hurt a little. They hadn't gone through anything alone. They had people who loved them.

Don't get him wrong, he has plenty of people who love him. He talked to the kids on a regular basis, and Robin lives with him in his upscale penthouse apartment. (She uses that to bring women home.) It's different somehow.

He tried dating for a while, but wasn't really getting anywhere. He pursued men and women alike. They always  rubbed Steve the wrong way. He never got past a kiss with anyone. It never felt right. He always felt like it was wrong. He never enjoyed others touching him, so it never happened for long.

He had been responsible for his own orgasm since 1985. To say he was frustrated and sad was an understatement. His problem was he compared everyone to Billy fucking Hargrove, and nobody could compare by a mile. Never would. He knew that.

Unfortunately tonight Robin was dragging him to a gay club. Not really his scene but he promised her he'd go, so he would. He doubted they'd be there long before Robin picked up a new girl. He'd leave after that.

He just hoped nobody would bother him.