Confession

Daydream

Something woke Chester from a warm, comfortable sleep, but he wasn't sure what it was. Mike was curled behind him, still asleep, his arm heavy across Chester's stomach. He held still, and then heard what must have woken him- a light knock at the door. Carefully, he slid out from underneath Mike's arm, fumbling on his glasses and glancing at the emcee before padding softly to the door, opening it a crack as softly as possible. He was surprised and embarrassed to see Anna on the other side, feeling strangely underdressed in front of her, despite the fact he regularly appeared on stage in roughly the same amount of clothing.

Anna looked equally uncomfortable. "Chester..." She peered in the crack, trying to see into the room, but Chester's body was blocking most of the view. "Is Mike here?"

A streak of protectiveness coursed through Chester's veins. "Yeah. He's asleep, though." He watched as Anna troubled her bottom lip with her teeth, trying to make a decision. Chester decided to make it for her. "I'm not going to wake him right now... it... he was a mess last night."

Anger flashed in Anna's eyes for a moment, challenging Chester's statement, before fading quickly into sorrow as she took in a deep breath. "It's probably easier this way anyway. I've got a flight home, I'm leaving now. You'll tell him for me?"

"Of course," Chester said softly. A moment passed between them, Mike's wife on one side of the door, Mike's lover on the other. Neither of them needed to say a word for the understanding of what was happening to occur to them both, for the past and the future to make itself painfully clear in the present. Chester looked at the floor and started, "Anna, I-"

"Don't... don't, Chester," she interrupted without even a trace of malice. She just sounded... tired. Resigned. Defeated. "There's nothing you can say."

"I want to say I'm sorry, anyway. Because I am. I never meant for this to happen." He looked up and met Anna's eyes again, a faint blush crossing his pale cheeks.

Anna looked at him and saw in that moment the same vulnerable, broken, twenty-two year old boy that had walked into her life two decades ago. The person responsible for every aspect of her adult life as it had been, was, and would become. The reason that Mike's dreams had come true, the reason she lived her comfortable life, the reason that same life was all unraveling now. What would her life have been if Chester had never been a part of it, if he'd turned down that audition all those years ago? Would Mike be laying in her bed right now, in some humble four bedroom ranch house, happy with what he had? Would it have all crumbled down around her anyway? She wanted to hate Chester but his sweet, compassionate eyes pleaded with her to understand, and even though she couldn't give him the blessing he wanted, she managed to respond, "I know."

It was enough for now. Chester nodded his head and then whispered, "I'll tell him you've gone."

Reaching for her bag, Anna turned to walk away, but stopped and looked back at Chester. "I hope you know what you're doing, Chester. I hope you mean to stay with him forever, because you will destroy him if you ever leave."

The soft smile on Chester's face was an answer in itself, but Chester said, in a clear and strong, but quiet voice, "I'm not leaving. I'll never leave him."

She didn't look convinced but nodded her head anyway, tears in the corners of her eyes again as she turned and headed away, down the hallway, back to what used to be a happy home. Chester looked after Anna until he could no longer see her, then sighed.

Shutting the door, Chester walked back to the bed where Mike had thankfully slept through the entire encounter with Anna, his heart flipping at the sight of Mike's dark hair contrasting with the white sheets, only his face visible with the duvet pulled high under his chin. He slid back into the bed, bringing his phone with him to fire off a text to Rob as he snuggled back next to Mike's warmth.