Innocence

Three

"I know something is broken and I'm tryna fix it,
Trying to repair it,
Anyway I can"
-X&Y

June 30th, 2017
It wasn't often that the stars aligned for Chris and Jonny to see each other, especially when they were on and off touring. After all, Chris lived in LA, and Jonny in London, and the month-long breaks they got from touring at a time were usually spent with their kids. Jonny's kids were younger, so it was a bit harder on him to be away from them for so long.

Still, when it just so happened that Chloe decided to take the kids to LA for a vacation, Jonny was very eager to come along. His idea was to surprise Chris at his house when he had the chance. He of course checked to make sure that Chris' kids weren't at his house before showing up, but he couldn't help but feel extremely giddy, like a child on Christmas.

Hey, Babe! How are you today? Are your kids with you?

It was a simple message, but it got the point across and didn't give away the surprise.

Chris' message came in quickly, and Jonny bounced in his seat.

hey j im good. no my kids aren't with me. y? :)

Jonny laughed and decided not to answer. Instead, he grabbed his guitar case and decided to go out and buy him some lunch, just to add to the surprise. He loved to make his boyfriend happy, especially when he knew they couldn't see each other very often.

He bought him a salad and a small ham sandwich, plus a steak sandwich for himself. He would usually call a cab, but he wanted to take as much time as possible before arriving. He loved teasing his boyfriend, and he didn't want Chris to suspect that he was coming over at all.

He grinned, and tried to imagine the face that Chris would pull. "Oh Jonny, I can't believe you're here!" He'd say. Yep, he was really outdoing himself.

I should buy him a bouquet of roses, he thought, stopping, and redirecting himself to the nearest shop. Oh, and chocolates! He'll love me!

He chuckled to himself. He bought a beautiful bouquet of red and pink roses and a large box of chocolates. He felt a bit guilty that he couldn't buy any chocolate buttons, since he knew that they were Chris' favorite.

With his hands and his heart full, he walked to Chris' and happily knocked on the door. It took a few moments, and Jonny began to worry that Chris wasn't even home. However, when he opened the door, all of his happiness returned. "Jonny? This really isn't a good-"

"Hi, babe!" Jonny said, loudly. Chris winced and tried to stop his boyfriend, but it was too late. "Surprise! I bought you a salad and a sandwich, and flowers! Oh, and best of all, I bought you chocolate!" He kissed Chris on his soft lips, and watched as his face turned red with anger.

"Jonny, I said not now! Can't you see I'm trying to have dinner with my family?" He motioned behind him, where his ex-wife sat slack-jawed next to their kids over a nice dinner.

"...I thought you weren't having your kids today," Jonny said quietly, all positivity having been deflated from his body.

"Well, there was a change of plans."

Jonny didn't really understand why Chris was so angry. After all, he had said that he had told Gwen and his kids about them. What if he hadn't and she just now found out about us? Jonny thought. That would be a disaster.

Chris was so angry that the door was trembling in his hand. "Go away, Jonny. I'll talk to you later." He slammed the door in his face, and Jonny did his best not to break down in tears then and there. He was still in shock at what had just happened. It was just a miscommunication! Was it really necessary to yell at the poor man for a misunderstanding?

Suddenly, Jonny was also angry. He heard yelling coming from inside the house, and he didn't know whether to feel bad or angry. He deserves it, his brain told him, but his heart felt awful about hurting the love of his life.

"I didn't tell you because I knew this was going to be how you reacted!" Chris shouted.

Jonny's guilty conscience took over and he quickly trotted back to the flat he rented for the week. He felt horrible at what happened back at Chris', but he was also angry at the way his boyfriend had treated him. How could he have known that his family was over? He just wanted to surprise his boyfriend!

He sighed and his mobile buzzed.

what's your address right now? i need to come talk to u.

Jonny sighed. It was rare that he didn't want to talk to Chris, but now was one of those times. Still, he didn't want to worry Chris, nor did he want to lose him.

He gave Chris the address, and allowed himself to break down. Why the fuck did life have to tease him like that? He just wanted to surprise Chris, and now there was a whole big mess.

Chris knocked on the door gently, and Jonny relaxed a bit. He imagined that Chris had calmed a bit and had come only to apologize for acting like such a wanker. However, when he slammed the door behind him, Jonny knew he was in for a long night.

"How could you, Jonny?" Chris began. "Gwen didn't know that we were together!"

Jonny's mouth dropped. "Chris, you told me that you told her!"

"Well I didn't, ok? I was afraid and I didn't tell her." He began pacing and my emotions were still conflicted.

"Chris, you told me that your kids weren't there, so I wanted to surprise you. Is that so bad?"

The older man groaned. "No, but things changed and Gwen scheduled and emergency meeting. I didn't know you were coming so I couldn't fucking tell you that. At least, I didn't think I had to."

"Well, I'm sorry, but I wanted it to be a surprise." So much for surprises, he thought.

"Well that was careless, Jonny. You knew plenty well that things come up. It's never a guarantee that I'll be free when I'm with my kids and Gwenyth. You're supposed to be the sensible one, Jonny. Now Gwen is mad at me and wants answers."

"You act like it's all my fault, Chris. You should have told her back when we first started dating! We've been dating for two years, Chris. Two years! Your ex should know at this point. I can't believe you haven't told her."

Chris grunted. "Honestly, Jonny, you can be such a child sometimes!"

Jonny scoffed. "Me the child!? You're the one who wasn't man enough to tell his ex-wife that he's now dating his best friend, a bloke." He sighed. "I'm sorry for ruining your dinner. I'm sorry for ruining your good terms with Gwenyth. I understand if you want to break up with me, if you want to take some time alone and fix things with her. I would even understand if you got back together with her." At the thought of losing the love of his life, he began to sob uncontrollably.

Seeing that, Chris softened and wrapped his arms around Jonny's body. "J, I'm not leaving you."

Jonny cried into Chris' shoulder. "I'm sorry, Chris. I love you. I love you so much."

He rubbed Jonny's back. "Shhh, Jonny. It's ok. I love you, too."

They sat on the couch in the position until Jonny finally took his head off of his boyfriend's shoulder. "Chris?"

"Hm?"

"What's gonna happen now?"

Chris smiled. "I'm gonna man up and tell Gwen the truth, something I should've done years ago."

Jonny chuckled. "Well it's about time, you wimp."

Chris playfully pushed Jonny off the couch, and soon, they were both in stitches. "I'm sorry for shouting at you, Jonny," he said.

Jonny smiled. "I forgive you, babe."

Still, there were things said that night that Chris wished he hadn't said, and he didn't know if he'd ever be take them back.