𝕋𝕙𝕖 ℝ𝕠𝕒𝕕 𝕥𝕠 𝕌𝕤

ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝕋𝕨𝕖𝕟𝕥𝕪-𝕊𝕚𝕩 | ꜰᴏᴜɴᴅᴀᴛɪᴏɴꜱ

Colton

I leaned against the counter in the office at Phoenix Cycles, staring at the empty cup of coffee in front of me.

The shop was so quiet in the early mornings... The kind of quiet that made everything feel a little heavier. Chuck hadn't been around much lately, and when he was, there was still a noticeable distance between us. It wasn't just physical; it was emotional, too. We hadn't been working together, I wasn't ready for that yet, but I knew he was still picking up work at my dad's repair shop.

I sighed and picked up my phone, scrolling through the messages I'd exchanged with Hudson. He had been a constant source of support, and I needed to talk to him again...

I dialed his number, hoping a conversation with him might ease some of the weight I was carrying.

"Hey, Colton," Hudson answered, his voice cheerful and warm.

"Hey, baby," I replied, trying to keep my tone upbeat. "Got a minute?"

"Of course. What's up?"

I hesitated for a moment, struggling to find the right words. "I don't know... I kind of miss Chuck. I miss how often he used to be around and now... I don't know, baby, I'm sorry. I guess I'm feeling a little emotional about what happened between us today."

Hudson's voice softened. "I'm sorry Colton... Things will get better. Hey, I've actually been meaning to catch up with you... There's something I wanted to share. It's about what happened with your dad."

I straightened up, intrigued. "Oh? What's up?"

Hudson filled me in on his visit to Jerry's shop and how things had gone.

The story was both heartwarming and a little bittersweet, and as he spoke, I couldn't help but feel a pang of envy and relief... Hearing how Hudson had managed to make amends with my dad was encouraging, but it also made me reflect on my own strained relationship with Chuck.

After Hudson finished, there was a moment of silence between us. "I'm proud of you, baby."

"Thanks Colton... It's been a journey. Hey, speaking of journeys," Hudson continued, "it sounds like you and Chuck are still rebuilding things. Have you talked to him about how you're feeling...?"

I shook my head, even though Hudson couldn't see me...

"Not really. I don't want to push him away more by bringing it up. Does that make sense?"

"Yeah, but... Colton, sometimes talking it out can help," Hudson suggested gently. "But if you're not ready for that, maybe you can use this time to think about what you want and need from your relationship with Chuck. You've both grown a lot over the past few months. You're both different, you need to figure out a new dynamic, you know?"

His words hit home.

Over the past few months, Chuck and I had been through so much together-good and bad. We'd learned a lot about each other and ourselves, and maybe it was time to acknowledge that growth and talk about what it meant for our future.

"Yeah, maybe you're right," I admitted. "Thanks for the advice."

Before I could say more, Chuck casually knocked and walked into the office, out of fucking nowhere, his presence a sudden, jarring shift in the conversation...

Quite frankly, he scared the shit out of me-I totally didn't expect to see his face just now. He could tell he caught me off guard, suddenly looking like he regretted just walking in here like that as he awkwardly waved a hand at me.

"Gotta go baby, I love you."

"Love you, too."

I quickly ended the call with Hudson, putting my phone away as Chuck approached.