Break All the Rules (LGBT) ✅

Break all the Rules 18

Part 18

For a while, Alex enjoyed the attention of being a low level celebrity.

He'd already been in the public eye before with Freddie and Sean but this was different. Suddenly, he wasn't just the friend that appeared in their stories and photos but a person of interest himself. People wanted to know about him and Sean's PR team had been in almost constant contact to limit the damage.

It wasn't as bad as it could've been. Alex had always been careful with his privacy settings and what he did with technology but that didn't mean anything when someone hacked his iCloud. There were pictures of him and Freddie goofing around and more of him and Robert and, combined with the others like him crying at the wedding, it was hard to brush them aside.

He tried his best to stress their platonic relationship but there were some people who would never believe it. Whatever they thought, though, the media was kind to Alex and most of the messages he received were sympathetic. There were a few which took issue with Sean and Freddie but Alex talked them down. He might've been an asshole that day but they were still his friends and he wasn't going to hurt Sean's campaign.

It must have worked because Sean was experiencing higher approval ratings than ever and he stormed the local elections to win a seat.

It was an amazing achievement, made more so by the challenges he'd faced. Alex really wished he was there to celebrate with Sean but they hadn't spoken for ages and he didn't think he'd be welcome so he watched the elections coverage on TV at home and drank alone. It was sad.

-*-

After the election, he reached out to them and he had to grovel a lot to get Jessica to forgive him but it was worth it. She didn't like what he'd done, and she couldn't understand it, but they were best friends and that meant something. She still made him work for it, though, and he'd smiled and put up with the outrageously expensive dinners because at least she was spending time with him.

Megan would never forgive him before Sean did, and that was looking pretty damn unlikely, but Jessica fought his corner fiercely. They might not be as close friends as they were before but Megan and Sean were at least civil in his presence. There were no more snide remarks and Sean even invited him to some of the bigger functions his party threw. It might've actually been Sean's PR team but Alex wasn't going to be fussy.

The only person he was still skirting around was Freddie, even after a year.

He hadn't been alone with him once so it was kind of weird that they met in a Starbucks in London. It wasn't the place he would've chosen, not when he was relaxing at the weekend with the morning paper, but it was Freddie who came up to him and he was too surprised to refuse him when he gestured at the seat.

"Hey," Freddie said with a tentative smile as he sat down, "I heard you being sick. Do you need me to call someone?"

Alex stared at him. "You remember."

"Yeah," he said softly, "and I remember you said we could meet one day in a coffee shop and things might work out for us."

"But you're married." Which, as an excuse, was a good one.

"I'm in divorce proceedings." Freddie said, dropping the bombshell like it was nothing.

This time, Alex was staring for a different reason. "What? Is it because of me?"

Freddie shrugged, which wasn't a no. "It was a combination of things. I cheated and, as much as Sean tried to be okay, he couldn't get over it. He didn't understand why I wanted to see a hypnotist and get my memories back because, to him, it was like I wanted to relive what I'd done. He didn't trust me anymore."

"Shit."

"Yeah, you can't have a relationship without trust." He paused, and then looked at Alex. "I trust you."

Alex didn't really know what to say to that. "Um, thank you?"

"You're welcome."

They chatted about inane things, saying things without really saying anything at all, and it was comfortable. Still weird, because they couldn't ignore their shared history or Freddie's impending divorce, but better than things had been between them for a while.

"This was nice." Freddie said, after he'd drained his coffee and played with his cup for the past fifteen minutes. "We should do it again sometime, preferably soon."

Alex laughed, because he wasn't sure how else he should react. "I don't remember you ever being this forward."

Freddie glanced around, which told Alex he was about to say something terrible. "You mean I wasn't this forward when I asked you for sex by literally saying 'sex'?"

It was different. Back then, there was no feelings involved but this, this coffee date, was laced with them.

Alex sighed, "I'm just saying, I don't see this working out well. It didn't last time when we were just teenagers and now we're both in the public eye and we've got all these additional pressures. It's a really bad idea for the pro choice movement, too, and everything Sean's worked towards."

He rolled his eyes. "The past four years of my life have been the pro choice movement. They can cut me some slack."

"But—"

"Come on," Freddie nudged him with his knee, "what happened to the guy who believed in soulmates and happily ever afters? Where is he?"

"He's an adult now. He can't live in a fairytale."

"He doesn't sound very happy."

He wasn't unhappy, that was for sure, but Alex could definitely have more in his life. Now he was two years in and settled with his job, he was confident in refusing work and making decisions without asking for advice. It was a good place to be in and he could start concentrating on other things, too, like dating and actually waking up to the same person every day. That sounded really nice.

And, fuck it, Alex wanted to be happy.

"Okay."

The smile Freddie sent him was blinding.

End