Sam walks down the corridor towards Jake's room, feeling lighter than he has in days. He turns in at the doorway, the second to last one and sees Jake unpacking. "The staff seem really rice, really helpful.
"They do," Jake agrees, straightening up from pulling out the last of the clothes from his bag.
"They've said you can get anything you want, at any time....snacks all day..."
"That's good."
"I just want you to know how happy...no, happy's not the right word," Sam stumbles over his words as he tries to tell Jake how much it means to him that he's entered rehab. "Not happy but grateful and relieved I am that you're doing this."
"Well, it's for us right?"
"Right!" Sam gives Jake a loving kiss and hug, so reassured that, now that they're here and he's checked out the place, it's exactly where Jake needs to be to kick his addiction and he even starts to plan in his head the life they might be able to start properly together in a few weeks time. He releases Jake again to look into the face he loves, "So I'll see you tonight?"
"Tonight."
"Oh! One more thing before I forget!" Sam reaches into the backpack he brought with him, pulling out a discman and a CD and handing them to Jake. "I thought you'd like to listen to this..."
"La Traviata!"
"Your favourite opera!" Sam's so pleased that his present has obviously brought a smile to Jake's face.
"It's the only opera that I know! Except at the end you said that they get back together and sing many arias together..." Jake knows that's not true, he looked it up. He wonders once again why Sam would lie about the ending to an opera to a virtual stranger, such as he was at the time.
"I guess that's the sequel...Traviata 2!" Sam quips as he shrugs his jacket on before waving a hand in goodbye.
Jake returns the gesture, watching Sam leave before looking around his new room, unsure what to make of any of it.
~~~
"Considering how you feel I think it's probably a good idea that you not go!" Stephen closes the lid on his suitcase, the click of the locks echoing around their virtually empty bedroom.
"You think it's not a good idea?"
"For Christsakes Calum! What do you want me to say?!"
"We think! You know if you used the word occasionally you might actually get used to it!"
Stephen shrugs his jacket on, "You're the one who's obviously decided it's not a good idea, only this time it's not about shade sails or changing flights...it's about Michael. If you hadn't thought he was leaving you would never have agreed to go..."
"No. Stephen, you'll be happy to know this time it's not about Michael, it's about you!"
Stephen looks at Calum for a split second longer than normal, "The car will be here any minute."
"I can take you to the airport," Calum offers as he follows Stephen down the stairs.
"I know you can, but I'd rather you didn't."
"Okay, fine. Have it your way."
"The way I always do?" Stephen asks, opening the front door to wait on the drive. He can't believe everything's ending here, in an argument.
"That's not what I was going to say! I'm sorry!"
"How many times have I told you you don't have to keep apologising Calum?!"
"I know I don't but..."
Stephen puts his hands up, silencing him, trying to answer and apolgise for everything they had argued about the night previous and all day until now, "Besides, I'm the one who should be apologising to you. I'm sorry that I disregarded your feelings, that I didn't include you in the decisions, that I expected you to come, and no, I'm not sure that I could do the same..."
Calum swallows, so now the truth comes out? "Well I appreciate that but that's not what I was going to say..." His voice grows stronger, more stronger than it's been in a while. "It's not up to you what I decide to do with my life! That's up to me. And if I didn't do it, then it's my fault! And maybe next time I should think things through more carefully before I say yes."
It's Stephen's turn to swallow. His throat is thick and dry with the realisation that Calum isn't coming with him. "Well I hope you'll change your mind...and if you do, I'll be waiting..." He hands Calum his plane ticket, a pleading look in his eyes and he wonders whether to say more. "And this time, it's on your time and on your terms..."
There's more he wants to say, so much more, but the car is waiting outside and then the driver peeps the horn. Stephen turns at the door to take one last look at Calum, opens his mouth to say something and then shuts it again, leaving the front door open at he steps through it.
~~~
"Attention everyone!" Corey bounces down a few steps on Joy's staircase, clapping his hands to stop everyone talking. Joy, Dave, Maddie and Geordie obligingly stop and look up at him, Liz turning in her seat to look too. "Remember that cute little twink in the midriff tee and the fatigues who went up the stairs? Well just take a look at who is coming down!"
Luke smiles at the top of the stairs at Corey's big announcement before descending a few steps to see everyone's reactions to his prom outfit. His mother puts her hands up to her mouth as she stands from her seat on the sofa and Joy's mouth drops open, "Holy shit Sunshine!"
"Well, what do you know? The little chicken's become cock of the walk!" Dave drawls as he takes in Luke's black tux and grey bow tie.
"Sweetheart you look...beautiful!" Liz gasps, her eyes filling with proud tears.
"Jesus, I could go for you myself!" Maddie says, her hand on her chest.
"I'll beat you to him!" Geordie tells her, grinning at Luke.
Corey beams at them all for appreciating his creation. Luke's certainly scrubbed up well beyond his expectations.
~~~
The dancefloor is packed as Chloe and Luke dance together, both enjoying their usual banter, back to being best friends with none of the weirdness of the past few weeks. They have the biggest grins on their faces of everyone there, having a great time enjoying each other's company.
~~~
"Hi, we're here to visit with Jake," Sam says as he and Corey arrive at the reception desk at the rehab facility.
"Oh I'm sorry, Jake checked himself out..."
"He just checked himself in this afternoon!" Sam says, looking up the corridor towards Jake's room before moving off in that direction.
"He's gone!" the receptionist explains, as Sam looks into the room.
"Wait, wait...you just let people leave whenever they want?!" Corey asks.
"It's a voluntary commitment. We can't force people to stay."
"Did he say where he was going? Did he leave a message?" Sam asks as he slowly walks back to the desk, his heart as heavy as his steps.
"Are you Sam?"
"Yes?"
"He left this for you..." The receptionist hands over the CD of La Traviata that Sam had given him only a few hours earlier before turning back to his phone call.
Sam doesn't want to see Corey's face as he turns away from the desk, instead he starts to leave, dropping the CD on the floor on the way out.
YOU ARE READING
Queer as Muke
Fanfiction"The thing you need to know is, it's all about sex. It's true. In fact they say men think about sex every twenty-eight seconds. Of course that's straight men. With gay men it's every nine." Twenty nine year old advertising executive Michael Cliffor...
