Caution to danger (manxman)

Shattered (39)

"I'm glad that you could come. I needed this distraction." I say to Aidan as we sit at a busy restaurant near my school.
"Of course Derek. Anytime. It also gives us time to catch up," he jokes with a wink. Sipping at his hot chocolate. Much like me, he can't handle caffeine very well.
"You already know about Darren and I getting back together. I'm going back home next week, for this court hearing. Once it's over with I'll tell you the details. Oh, and Darren asked me to move in with me." I tell him, watching as his face transforms into happiness.
"That's great Derek! I'm glad that everything got resolved, not gonna lie, for awhile there you looked miserable." He placates. I nod at him in agreement.
"How about you? What's new?" I ask. I laugh quietly as his face immediately reddens.
"N-nothing." He whispers. Faking interest in his napkin. I nod my head at him.
"You met somebody." I call out. Pointing at him. He looks up at me with wide eyes.
"I didn't meet them, I've known him for awhile." He sighs. Continuing to toy with his napkin. I raise my eyebrow at him. Waiting for him to continue. He looks up at me briefly. His eyes darting away quickly. I couldn't help but find his actions humorous.
"Am I ever going to meet him?" I ask, wiping my mouth with my napkin. He bites his lip in thought.
"Eventually." He whispers. I just nod and let the topic go.
"So, I was wondering, I'm going to rent out my apartment. It's in my name, and I would have let Kenny stay there but he's one step away from living with Monroe." I explain. He looks up at me, his face drawn down in thought.
"Well, Monroe's brothers friend is moving down here. Why not let him stay?" He suggests. I think about it and smile.
"That sounds like a good idea." I say. He nods.
Aidan and I finish up our lunch then pay separately. We end up walking around downtown for a while, window shopping before parting ways.
I then Head back to the apartment, knowing that I have to start to pack up all of my stuff. Darren says that he'll be around later to help but I want to be mostly done by then. I stop by at the general store to pick up some boxes.
I sigh as I enter my apartment. Kendall's suitcase is gone, so I frown. I'm not going to lie, it's hard to adjust to the fact that Kendall has somebody else in his life. For years it's always been me, now he doesn't come to me first. He goes to Monroe. I'm not jealous, I'm just worried that our relationship will be strained. If we grow apart I don't know what I would do.
I look around the room, deciding to start with packing the pictures. I'm going to leave all of the furniture here, it just doesn't make sense to bring second hand furniture into a home like Darren's. I place the box beside me and slowly remove the photos from the walls.
It was Kendall's idea to hang them up, seeing as he prefers a homely house. While I don't really care, as long as it's functional. Smile at the memories that my mother thought to capture. I know that her not supporting me should no longer bother me. I have others that do, all in which who love me. Whenever I think of her, it still saddens me. The one person who's supposed to feel unconditional love towards me doesn't, and that's not a good feeling.
Would things have been different if I told her sooner? Or if I told her that I was gay when I first figured it out? Would she still love me? I couldn't help but doubt that anything would change. No matter how I told her I think that she would react the same way. I didn't know, she never made remarks that gave away her hate for the LGBTQ+ community. Yet, I shouldn't have been shocked. Not saying that all Christians are this way, but she followed the bible very strictly.
I'm glad that my father stood by me though. He's always been behind me with every step that I took. Encouraging me to test my boundaries. He was my best friend . He  still is.
"What has you in such deep thought." Darren startles me. I jump and drop the frame in my hand. It crashes to the floor and start shaking. "Hey, it's okay. Shh." His hands rub my arms, trying to calm me down. Flashbacks of Parker holding me fill my head and I shake him away. Turning around I look at him. Wincing as I see hurt flash in his eyes.
"I'm sorry. You s-startled me." I apologize. My voice breaking. I hate that things as small as somebody startling affect me so greatly.
"When I see him I'm going to kill him." He growls. Wiping away the tears streaming down my face.
"Don't." I whisper. Taking his hands in mine. Smiling at him softly. His eyes soften and he nods. Bending down slightly and pecking me on the lips. He backs away then walks into the kitchen. Exiting with a broom and dustpan.
"Let's clean this up, then we'll finish packing everything up. If it's late we'll stay here over night then move everything in the morning." He says. Quickly cleaning up the mess that I made. I take a few calming breathes before joining him.