FEVER

 

 

 

It was an all around normal day at the studio. The four men were in their places, practicing for the thousandth time a new song they had only come up with the day before.

 

Then, quite abruptly, Chris stopped playing.

 

“Jonny, are you OK?” he asked. Will and Guy both looked over to where Jonny was playing. He looked a little pale, and his eyes were drooping.

 

“Um... I... I don't... feel so good.” He blinked rapidly for a few seconds, as if he were trying to correct his blurry vision. Within seconds Chris was hovering around him, placing a hand to his forehead.

 

“You feel kinda feverish,” he established, and he put one arm around Jonny's shoulders and started to lead him to the small sofa on the other side of the room. “Wait here,” he said when Jonny had sat down. “I'm gonna get you an ice pack or something.”

 

Jonny weakly nodded, and Chris left the room in search of an ice pack. A few minutes later he returned, carrying in his hands a cold, blue bag. He placed it on Jonny's forehead and instructed Jonny to lay down. Once he had done so, Chris sat on the tiny space left on the cushions and sort of leaned over Jonny.

 

“Do you feel... dizzy or anything?” Chris asked him. Jonny shook his head, or he tried to.

 

“Kinda nauseous,” he slurred.

 

“Do you want some crackers?” Jonny shook his head. “Well, I could make you some toast.” Jonny shook his head again. Will and Guy look at each other knowingly. “Ginger ale? Tea? Something?”

 

Tired of responding physically, Jonny answered, “No, thanks.”

 

“You don't want anything?” Chris asked, feeling helpless. “At least let me get you some medicine.”

 

“Fine,” Jonny said. Chris, finally useful, smiled then stood up.

 

“I'll be as quick as I can,” he said, heading for the door. Before he exited completely, Guy asked where he was going. “Well, it's not like we have medicine around here. I'm surprised I even found the ice pack.”

 

And with that, Chris was gone. Guy and Will looked at each other again, but waited to speak until they heard the door open and close, a car engine rev, then die down as it disappeared into the distance.

 

“Oh geez, could he be more obvious?” Guy scoffed. Will, who was now standing beside him, grunted and nodded his head.

 

“I know, right?” Will replied. “Is there even a point in him pretending?”

 

“What are you two on about over there?” Jonny tried to shout, his voice still weak and his speech still garbled. He meagerly lifted his hand to his forehead and moved the ice pack a bit.

 

“Oh, nothing,” Guy nonchalantly said, “just that Chris is clearly in love with you.”

 

“No, he's not,” Jonny immediately replied with a bit of force. “That's ridiculous. Why would you even think that?”

 

The ceiling tiles set in his field of view were soon obstructed by Guy and Will's looming appearance. Guy was standing on the side of the armrest closest to Jonny's head, and Will was standing around where Chris had been sitting before.

 

“It's not ridiculous, it's true. Well, I guess it could still be ridiculous, but it's also still true.” Guy raised his eyebrows as he finished making his point. Will nodded along.

 

“Guy's right. I mean, did you see how Chris was acting, like he was your mum or something?”

 

“That's kinda creepy,” Jonny said. “Just because he acts like my mum means he's in love with me? What kind of logic is that- and what is that supposed to mean for my mum?”

 

“Just the way he keeps trying to take care of you,” Guy clarified. “I mean, he didn't seem to care earlier when I said I wasn't exactly doing so well today.”

 

“But he did ask you if it was bad, and you said it wasn't really. Besides, you're clearly just hung over,” Will reasoned, and Guy quickly shot him an evil look. “Jonny, all we're saying is that Chris obviously favors you out of everyone else in the world. As far as I'm concerned, that constitutes love.”

 

Jonny took a rather deep breath, his already ill self not recovering much at all. He tried to sit up, but the action failed before he even started moving. “Listen, I just don't think you guys know what you're talking about,” he calmly replied, and for the next fifteen minutes the three were locked in a conversation regarding only the question of Chris's feelings for Jonny.

 

“Like the time last summer when we all went swimming, and Chris sat out with you 'cause you hurt your foot on those rocks, even though he was really looking forward to swimming,” Guy said. The ice pack had helped somewhat, and Jonny was able to at least sit up, though he was very heavily relying on the back of the couch to support him. “He just does a lot of things like that, and it makes it seem pretty obvious that he-”

 

“He doesn't love me!!!” Jonny insistently yelled, but this time he was much louder than he had been before, so much that it actually frightened Guy and Will. Guy just looked at him in shock, but Will decided to speak.

 

“Why are you so against this?” he quietly and sincerely asked. “It's not like we're suggesting that you're in love with him.”

 

Jonny went pale at Will's words, and his voice had completely lost its strength. In a very husky voice, he said, “Because if he does love me, then he lied to me.”

 

Will furrowed his eyebrows as a confused expression spread across his face. “I don't understand.” Jonny stared at him for a while with sad eyes.

 

“I can explain,” an apologetic voice spoke from the doorway. Jonny had yelled so loudly earlier that none of the men had heard the door opening, and after hearing Jonny, Chris had made sure to not make much noise closing the door behind him. He took a few steps into the room, extremely hesitant. He took a deep breath and prepared himself. “Jonny... you'd put me on the spot, what was I supposed to say to you?”

 

“So, you did lie?” Jonny lamely asked. Chris solemnly nodded his head.

 

“Yes. I'm sorry, but I didn't think you would like it, and I didn't want you to think that I was some sort of creep or something for...” Chris trailed off, stared at the floor and ran a hand across his forehead.

 

“I don't think you're a creep,” Jonny quietly replied, and suddenly there was a loud gasp that came from Guy's direction.

 

“Oh my God.” Everyone in the room turned to see Guy, his hand over his chest and his jaw dropped. “Are we all retarded or something?”

 

“What?” Will incredulously asked him.

 

Guy seemed to ignore Will, merely asking Jonny, “You did it for the same reason, didn't you?”

 

“Did what?”

 

“You lied to us, too,” Guy said. “You don't care that Chris li- well, OK, maybe you do care, but there's more to it than just that.” Jonny stared at him blankly, though he really did know what Guy was talking about. He just hoped that Guy didn't. “You are in love with him, too... Why do you guys keep trying to pretend? No one's going to think you're weird or anything, certainly not us.”

 

“You won't?” Chris asked in a small voice.

 

“Hell no. You guys have known each other for ages, it's not a surprise.” Guy walked around the corner of the couch, around Will, and stood in between Chris and Jonny. He looked at both of them, separately, then raised his arms in the air. “Please, stop hiding it. Especially from each other.”

 

Having gotten Guy's approval, Chris and Jonny waited for Will to speak. “Guy's right. And I think you two together are... really sweet.”

 

Chris stared at the other three men for a little while, then he finally walked over and sat down next to Jonny. “Are you feeling any better?” he softly asked.

 

“A little, yeah,” Jonny replied.

 

“Good.” Chris smiled and picked up a bag that he had set down beside him. From inside it he pulled out a small bottle, which he then handed to Jonny, taking in return the ice pack. “This was all I could find at the store. I'm not sure it'll help all that much, but it's worth a try, right?”

 

Jonny nodded and said, “Thank you.”

 

Chris smiled again and absentmindedly smoothed down some of Jonny's hair. “Any time, Jonny.”

 

A Girl

 

 

There's a girl I know who lives not far

From the place I like to stay,

She'll always walk past all the boys,

And she takes their breath away.

They gawk and gape at her beauty,

Stare until she's in the distance,

And even then they can't help but dwell

On the miracle of her existence.

 

She sat beside me one day on the subway,

Her golden hair on her shoulders flowing,

And the way she looked at me was strange,

It was almost as if she was glowing.

Maybe that was her angelic quality,

The one that everyone admired,

But I have to admit I was not impressed,

And this girl was not what I desired.

 

I do not love this girl,

As all others seem to do.

I can not love this girl,

Because my heart is stuck on you.

 

“What's your name?” she coolly asked me,

And I tried to not be remiss,

I looked away from her and sighed,

“Well, my name is Chris.”

I could tell what she wanted from me,

And I should have been glad to know,

But I was only thinking of you right then,

And I even thought of telling her so.

 

Luckily, my stop came up,

And off the subway I went,

As I walked through the door I turned around

To see that she looked quite bent.

But I was on a mission now,

I had a man to meet at noon,

And as I walked my heart beat fast

At the prospect of seeing you soon.

 

I do only love you, Jonny,

I couldn't deny it even if I tried.

I can only love you, Jonny,

So... I'm sorry that I lied.

 

Will you forgive me?

I didn't mean it when I said

That you only imagined things,

That this was all in your head.

I just thought you wouldn't like it,

I didn't realize you felt it, too,

Otherwise I would have nodded,

And screamed, YES, Jonny, I love you!

 

But now we both know the truth,

And so there is nothing to fuss about,

You are my only love and it will remain

That way forever, I have no doubt.

And so not even a pretty girl,

With waves of a golden hue,

Could distract me, and by no means

Could take my love from you.

 

 

 

Chapter 10

 

 

 

“So, Dianna, I just have to ask you… Why couldn’t I read the newspaper?” Thalia asked as they sat in front of a roaring fire.

 

“Oh, didn’t I tell you about that?” Dianna said and laughed a little. “Well, there’s a spell over the theatre, to make us all understand each other. We’re all different. Sorry to say that it doesn’t cover the writing.”

 

“So I wouldn’t understand you without the spell?”

 

“Nope.”

 

“So you’re hearing me speak your language, then?”

 

“Yes. It’s kind of weird hearing a human speak it.” She smiled a crooked smile.

 

“Wow…” Thalia said. “I feel like I’m in some kind of dream.”

 

“More like nightmare, at the moment.”

 

Thalia turned worried eyes at Dianna, shivering at the tone of her voice.

“What do you mean?”

 

“It’s Chris. You saw him out there on stage, didn’t you?”

 

Thalia nodded. “I did.”

 

“I don’t know if I’m supposed to tell you this, but… I need to talk to someone, I guess.” Dianna pulled up her knees and rested her chin on them, looking like a lost child.

 

“Go ahead.” Thalia urged.

 

Dianna retold the sordid events that had happened the previous night and Thalia listened with wide eyes.

 

“That’s horrible!” Thalia exclaimed as Dianna finished.

 

Dianna nodded and sighed. “It really is.” She felt her eyes well up and angrily bit her lip not to cry. She tasted copper on her tongue. “And we really don’t know what to do… We’ve been looking through all the books that we have, several times.” She shook her head and got very quiet.

 

There was a knock on the door and Thalia got up to open it. She found herself standing face to face with the most gorgeous man she had ever seen.

 

“H-Hello.” She managed to stutter out as he fixed piercing brown eyes on her.

 

“Hello, human girl.” He said with a wry smile. “I’m looking for the mirror wanderer.”

 

Thalia frowned, not really catching on. “Huh?”

 

“Guy!” She heard being shouted happily by the blond girl in her room, and she graciously stepped aside to let the brown eyed man enter.

 

There was a shuffle, a flurry and a tender embrace which made Thalia slightly uncomfortable, but Dianna soon turned to her, dragging the man by the hand.

 

“Thalia, this is Guy.” She smiled, eyes bright and happy.

 

“Nice to meet you.” Thalia said and extended your hand. Guy’s reaction was, as Will’s not to take it. He raised his eyebrows and glanced at it.

 

“Nice to meet you too.” He slowly said and turned to Dianna. “Why is she holding her hand like that?”

 

“Hey, I can hear you!” Thalia said testily and pouted.

 

Dianna laughed.

“It’s how humans say hello.” She said as she collected herself.

 

“Ooooh.” Guy said, understandingly, and extended his hand in front of himself. “Hello.”

 

Thalia rolled her eyes and grabbed Guy’s hand. He flinched a little, but slowly caught on, and they shook hands.

 

“So…” Thalia began, carefully. “May I ask you what you are?”

 

Guy glanced at Dianna. “She can’t tell?”

 

“I can still hear you.” Thalia said with a heavy sigh.

 

“Sorry.” He actually had the decency to look sheepish. “I’m of the Ghillie Dhu, of course!” He smiled proudly.

 

Thalia blinked. “Yeaah… Of course.”

 

Guy looked slightly wounded and sighed. “I’m a bleeding guardian of the trees, alright?”

 

“Oh!” Thalia said. “That’s nice.”

 

Guy shrugged. “We need your help in the library, Dianna.” He said after a few seconds of awkward silence.

 

“What for?”

 

“We’re going through the books again.” He sighed. “Don’t give me that look.” Dianna was, indeed, giving him quite the look. “Will decided it was for the best.”

 

Dianna shook her head as if she wanted to tell him ‘it’s not any use, we’ve been through this once’ but she turned to Thalia.

 

“Is it alright if we leave you here for a little while? I know Will don’t want you going around on your own… I guess you could come with us, but it will be terribly boring.”

 

Thalia shrugged and smiled. “I can stay here, don’t worry about me.”

 

Dianna hesitated before throwing her arms around Thalia and squeezing her tightly. Thalia hugged her back, surprised.

 

“Thank you for listening.” Dianna quietly said before releasing her.

 

And with that, they were gone, leaving Thalia alone to her own devices.

 

-*-

 

A few hours must have passed before there was a frantic knocking on Thalia’s door. She didn’t make it to the door before it was slammed open.

 

“You! Human girl!” It was Guy. “Come!”

 

Thalia blinked.

 

“Quickly now!” Guy urged.

 

Thalia, being a bit intimated by the actor, followed him out of the room without question.

The carpeted floor thudded beneath their bare feet as they ran.

 

Guy led her through the endless, winding corridors, to a big black door. A gold plaque shone in the candle light. Something was written on it that Thalia couldn’t read. Guy knocked and looked at Thalia as if to say ‘Yes, I know, silly right?’ The door swung open and Thalia gasped as she was led into the room.

 

Arrow & Bow

 

Chapter 10

 

 

As soon as I entered the building I was met with a strong musty odor. I wondered just how long this place had been in use. It was grimy and small, but I instantly felt at home in it.

 

A man strode up to us with a huge grin. He wore a knit cap and a t-shirt advertising a band I had never heard of. Wire rimmed glasses were perched precariously on his thin face. He ran his hand through his already tousled brown hair.

 

“Chris!” he exclaimed. “Delighted to see you here, man. But you’re late. Go on and get ready, these people are waiting! Everything is ready for you in the bathroom.”

 

“Thanks Rick. Sorry about the late arrival. I was waiting for a friend.” He turned to me and smiled a little.

 

“Well I can’t believe anybody would be friends with you, what with your awful appearance! Now go and make yourself presentable!”

 

“Aye, aye sir!” Chris joked. He turned sharply on his heels and jauntily marched for a small door towards the back.

 

“And you had better shave!” the man, Rick, called out.

 

Chris gave a playful thumbs up then entered the room which was, presumably the bathroom that Rick had been speaking of. Laughing, Rick left me standing there to go off and take care of some sort of manager duty. I assumed that was his profession, for he bore the look of one with authority.

 

I looked around. I tapped my foot a little. I didn’t exactly know what to do with myself. This was all new to me. I was surrounded by lively chatter and hearty laughter.

 

But I didn’t fit in with any of it. I was more like a decoration here. That scenic painting that you hang on your wall.

 

When Chris reentered the main room I could see that he had undergone a considerable transformation. Just the shave seemed to do him worlds of good. The clean shaven look really suited him nicely. He strolled up to me, happier than I had ever seen him.

 

“Don’t stand around Jonny. Have a seat, right over there.” He pointed to an empty chair across the room. “I hope you’ll enjoy what I am playing. It is especially for you.”

 

Not knowing what to say, I simply took a seat and waited to hear what was in store for me. Chris walked to what looked to be the front of the audience and stood there for a while, without any sort of expression I could decipher.

 

He picked up his guitar, which I hadn’t noticed had been lying against one of the tables. Then, standing there, two feet away from the closest members of the audience, he began to play.

 

The type of sounds he produced were in no way unfamiliar. The melody still consisted of random notes thrown together into one big mess of a tune. And it still sounded beautiful, too. But I sensed something different about it.

 

Maybe it was because he had told me it was for me, but it really felt special this time. I imagined putting a ribbon on the music and taking it home with me.

 

All too soon it was over, and I was surprised that I was not the only one clapping. But I was pleased that I wasn’t the only one who understood what an amazing kind of sound had just spread through the room.

 

Chris’s eyes wandered about the audience. He didn’t smile until he looked at me. I smiled back, at least I hope I did.

 

Rick materialized at the front of the room and put his arm around Chris, giving him a little shake.

 

“Give it up for Chris, everyone!” he called out.

 

The clapping got louder, and a few people even cheered. Chris had little reaction to this though. He simply thanked everyone and swung his guitar around his shoulder. He gestured at me to follow him and I hurried to catch up as he strode out the door.

 

“That was really great,” I told him. “Thank you for taking me.”

 

“Well, you were ready.” He said it in a way that made it seem like a given for me to be there. I think he even shrugged.

 

“I am not sure what that means,” I told him, feeling suddenly bold, “but that is what I like about you. You have helped me in ways I don’t even understand.”

 

“That’s what I am here for.” I gave him a questioning glance. This always seemed to do the trick when I wanted him to answer a question of mine. The key was to never ask it. My ploy did not fail me.

 

“When I first saw you, I just had this gut feeling that I was placed at the park on that day because I was supposed to help you out. And when we met again later on, right when I was about to play my guitar, everything just clicked, and I knew it was true. You needed help, and I needed to help you. With my music or whatever it is you would call what I do.”

 

“Here is something I don’t think you figured out though,” I responded, feeling more confident than ever. “I am supposed to help you too.”

 

He narrowed his eyes at me, but it wasn’t a nasty expression. “What do you mean?”

 

“Chris, the way I see it is we have a tradeoff. You have given me the gift of your music because I have to endure a difficult and painful situation. You have also had to endure such a situation. Yours, however, is different than mine is. You have had to endure living without someone to care about you.”

 

I halted my speech for a moment, holding my breath in fear of him getting angry. But he was silent, and I heard nothing but our footsteps. So I continued on.

 

“And that, Chris, is my gift to you. A courtesy for a courtesy. You gave me the most beautiful music I have ever heard, so in return I am giving you my friendship. A weak trade, I know. But everyone needs a friend. Even a quirky, homeless musician.”

 

 

An Elaborate Plan

Chapter 1: The Break Up

 

The machine beeped as the message ended. The display stopped blinking, and so did Jonny. He stared, wide-eyed and horrified, across the room, because he couldn't think of anything else to do. There was nothing else to do.

 

When he finally did regain a bit of his consciousness, his eyes turned down to look at the machine. Did he hear it properly? Did Chris really say that? Were they-?

 

But it couldn't have been real. The past four years couldn't have meant nothing. There was no way Chris could just throw that all away. And then there was all that money Jonny had spent for...

 

His heart breaking, his one hand over his chest, Jonny brought his other hand up to the machine and replayed the message. It pained him to do so, but he had to confirm that it was real.

 

“Hey... Jonny...” Chris's voice began. Already he sounded sad, like maybe he'd only just stopped a faucet of tears that had run for hours before. That alone was enough to kill Jonny.

 

“So, I know that last night didn't happen as either of us had expected, which is all right, I guess. It's kinda out of our hands. But...”

 

Jonny closed his eyes and braced himself. If there was only one thing he recalled from the first listen, it was the next line and the devastation with which Chris delivered it.

 

“But I just think that maybe it's a sign. When we first got together, Jonny, we said we could get past any obstacle that got in our way. Maybe... maybe we can't.”

 

Without thinking, Jonny slammed his hand down and shut the message off; he couldn't stand hearing it anymore. He felt an overwhelming anger consume him, and he ripped the machine from the wall and threw it across the room. It hit the wall, smashing into several pieces and leaving a large dent in the drywall.

 

Jonny, panting heavily, collapsed into a nearby chair and buried his head in his hands. His brain whirred around violently, and he could feel his heartbeat in his temples. He sat there for about an hour, trying to forget and make the pain go away. It didn't work.

 

He was only vaguely aware of the water dripping down his cheeks when he stood up. He dizzily took a step forward and the room began to spin, nausea bubbling in his stomach. He took another step forward, then ran into the kitchen and leaned over the sink.

 

Several times he heaved, and what little content his stomach had contained was now splattered in the bottom of the basin. Jonny ran the faucet and rinsed his mouth out, then he grabbed the dish towel hanging on the door of the fridge and dried his face.

 

Then he caught a glimpse of the many pictures held to the fridge by magnets, pictures of his old friends, pictures of his family, and one picture in the middle of he and Chris, in which Jonny looked the happiest he probably ever had. He thought about grabbing it and ripping it into shreds, but he decided it was best not to feed the angry monster inside of him. He also realized that there was no way he could stay in that apartment, not when only the night before had Chris broken his three-week streak of staying over. There was just too much of Chris's spirit in that place.

 

Jonny left without even thinking of where he would go. He didn't really want to go anywhere, anyway, he just needed to get out. He needed the fresh air and the sunshine to give him the prospect of a bright future, but most of all he needed a distraction.

 

It was mid-morning on a Saturday, probably close to eleven o'clock, and the sidewalks were relatively clear. Jonny breezed past the pedestrians who did get in his way, but for the most part he was alone. He liked it that way.

 

He would have to get used to being alone now. After an entire four years and counting, he was now completely on his own. The only thing with him was his thoughts, which really did not do him any good. They merely taunted him and reminded him of how crazy he was without Chris.

 

Was it totally pathetic that he was still wallowing? But it had only happened a little over an hour ago, the message had only been sent a little over an hour ago, and it brought with it the destruction of what he had helped built for four long years. There could never be enough time for him to wallow.

 

A child seemingly attached to her mother at the hip passed by Jonny, and as she did she frowned at him, like she could see through his clenched jaw and enraged eyes into the soul of a man who didn't know what his life was for anymore. What he had thought was his one true purpose turned out to be completely false, and Jonny began to think that maybe he was wandering aimlessly because he no longer knew where to go or what to do with himself.

 

While Jonny's brain was busy overworking itself and causing all sorts of harm to him, his feet were busy carrying him across the city to where he would be able to find himself again. In fact, he had been so wrapped up that he only snapped out of his sort of trance as he looked at his hand, formed into a fist, which had only seconds before knocked upon the wooden door of what he recognized as Will's apartment.

 

The door creaked open a minute later and Will's rough face appeared. Jonny swallowed, thinking of what to say, but as his feet had acted on instinct, so his vocal chords knew just what to do.

 

“Will, I need to talk to you.” It was simple, but he knew it would do the trick. Will was the friend they could all lean on, no matter what. Jonny took a deep breath and said the most difficult words to have ever come out of his mouth. “Chris broke up with me.”

 

He could feel the tears resurfacing, his stomach churning again. Will nodded and pushed the door open all the way, standing off to the side to give Jonny a view of the inside of his apartment. “I know.”

 

Sitting in direct sight of Jonny, his eyes puffy and bloodshot, a phone held firmly up to his ear, was Chris. He was in the middle of a sentence, but he stopped talking immediately when he saw Will open the door. He was frozen for a minute, then there was a tiny beep noise as he shut the phone off and lowered his hand. Then he and Jonny just stared at each other, wordlessly and pained.

 

Arrow & Bow

 

Chapter 11

 

 

Chris didn’t say anything. But I think I saw a smile sneak onto his face, even if for just a brief moment. It made me feel good inside. Finally I was of some use to somebody. I wanted to continue in this direction, so I asked him once again the question that Chris had shot down twice before.

 

“Why don’t you come stay with me?”

 

“Why should I do that?” Chris wondered. Answering a question with a question. I supposed that was better than an outright no.

 

“You would be much more comfortable there, I think. I have a spare room and at the very least it is a place to shelter you from the elements. It’s autumn after all. And if you recall, winter follows not far behind.”

 

“I have survived winters before.”

 

“But wouldn’t you rather do more than just…survive? Don’t you think it would be nice if you…thrived for once?”

 

“Jonny, I just can’t do that right now. It’s not the time for that. I appreciate your offer. But I am going to have to decline. It wouldn’t be right, not now. There are still things I must learn. Experiences I must share with my guitar. I am not quite ready for that yet, you understand?”

 

I nodded and shrugged. I didn’t understand of course, but that was nothing new. I rarely ever understood the ramblings that came out of that man’s mouth. And I was fine with that.

 

It felt good to hear things that sounded like nonsense to my own ears every once I a while. It was such a relief to just listen and not have to think about it.

 

When we reached the park I stood there for a moment, deciding what I wanted to do. The sun was setting, or at least, it must have been, since the light was growing dimmer.

 

I couldn’t actually see the sun. It was blocked out by some thick grey clouds. I didn’t want to leave just yet. I had quickly grown used to Chris’s presence, and I enjoyed it immensely.

 

“I assume you are going to be here for a little while?” Chris asked.

 

“Um…yeah, if it’s all right. I don’t have much else to do. And sitting at home is kind of depressing.”

 

But the words were hardly out of my mouth when my phone vibrated in my pocket. I considered just leaving it but I figured it was probably important. I flipped it open and read the text on the screen.

 

It wasn’t so bad after all. Madison wanted to stay with me again. I texted back a quick “yes”.

 

I guessed I wouldn’t be able to stay any longer then. Madison needed me. Surely she was depressed or sad or something, considering her current situation. I knew that she was smart enough to get the gist of what was happening. And if she felt even a little bit better staying at my place, then that was quite alright with me.

 

“Actually,” I said to Chris “I won’t be able to stay any longer. Sarah, my sister, she just texted me. Maddie wants to stay another night with me.”

 

As I looked at Chris, an idea came to my head.

 

“You know, if you came to stay with me,” I suggested, “you could help Maddie to feel better. She really took to you that time in the park. I am sure you would be a big help to her.”

 

“I’m terribly sorry Jonny, I am. But I can’t do that just yet. There are things I must do here. And besides, Maddie is stronger than you think. She doesn’t need me, not yet anyway. For now, all she needs is you. Now go and be with her.”

 

I smiled. “Yeah…I’ll do that.” As I walked home I couldn’t help but think that Chris’s was of speech was reminiscent of some kind of wise man or prophet. It was kind of funny, the way he was. I liked it, though.

 

And I had to admit that I certainly needed one. I didn’t know here I’d be these past few days if it hadn’t been for that skinny, slightly crazy man who I had been so fortunate to stumble upon in the park that day. He certainly was a gift, that was for sure.

 

Back at home, I straightened up the already clean rooms. I tried to watch some television but I couldn’t focus. I couldn’t even keep still. I took to pacing around. I was very nervous. I had no idea what Madison’s emotional state of mind would be when she arrived here.

 

But I kept repeating to myself what Chris had told me. It was true, Madison was very strong indeed. Whatever she was going through, I knew she would be able to get through it. I just hoped I would be able to help her, even in some small, insignificant way.

 

When a knock came at my door, I jumped just a little, and opened the door just a bit too quickly. I sighed with relief when I saw that Madison appeared fine on the outside, at least for now.

 

I could detect no signs of recent tears. But then again, that could have been a good or a bad thing.

 

“Hi Sarah,” I said quietly.

 

“Hello,” she responded coolly.

 

I wondered if she was mad at me. But she just looked upset and worn down. I couldn’t blame her. At least by taking Madison in for another night I was giving her a chance to have some peace.

 

Sarah and I chatted for a little, but not long. I could tell she was tired, so I let her go home. I said hello to Madison and asked her what she wanted to do. She seemed to be content with watching cartoons. That was fine with me.

 

We sat on the couch together until it was late. I glanced over at her and she didn’t show any signs of exhaustion. But I knew she should go to bed.

 

“Maddie, sweetie, it’s time for you to go to bed. It’s very late.”

 

“Do I have to?” she asked. She tried to use her large, pleading eyes against me.

 

It almost worked. But I remained strong.

 

“Yes, you do,” I told her. “Now go on into the spare room.”

 

She relented, stood, and headed towards the room. Right before she entered the doorway, she turned around.

 

“Uncle Jonny?”

 

“Yes, honey?”

 

“Can the spare room be my room?”

 

My heart swelled at her words. “Of course it can. Now waltz right on into your room and get to bed.”

 

“Alrighty!” she chirped, skipping and finally jumping into her bed. I chuckled. That girl really was something else.

 

 

 

 

 

hahaha

 

PSYCHE!!!!!!!!!

 

 

Chapter 11

 

 

 

There were books everywhere. The walls were filled from floor to ceiling with hazardously looking stacks of books. An old chair was piled up by them. Platforms hung from the dark ceiling, iron wrought chains holding them up. Thalia could see the whiteness of the book edges shining palely in the darkness. It was dusty. It was dark. And it was absolutely wonderful.

 

Colorful oil-lamps flickered and burned all around the room, and Thalia could just barely make out the faces of the people sitting at an old oak table. There were books piled underneath and around them. Will looked over at her as she quietly padded closer to them. “Thalia!” He exclaimed. “Just the human we needed.”

 

Thalia felt slightly uneasy by the eerie mood in the library and she took a step back, frowning.

“What’s going on?” She asked quietly.

 

Dianna inched towards her, a strange gleam in her blue eyes. She was clutching a big, black book.

“We found another book.” She said voice full of wonder. “It was behind a fairy nest on one of the platforms.” She shook her head and laughed. “I can’t believe we missed it before.”

 

Thalia looked at her expectantly.

Dianna thrust the book at Thalia. “It’s in human.” She bit her lip. “I… We think it’s our last chance.”

 

Thalia glanced at the cover.

“It’s… A book on myths.” She said apologetically.

 

Dianna broke out into a big smile and turned around to exchange excited looks with the others.

“Fantastic!” Dianna said.

 

“Is myths fantastic? They’re not real. They’re stories!”

 

“Oh, little girl…” Dianna said with a smile which made Thalia feel very uncomfortable. “There’s more truth to stories than you think.”

 

-*-

 

Thalia spent the following hours reading aloud from the thick novel. She had refused at first; claiming that it was embarrassing and that she could just retell the stories to them. After a pleading look from Jonny, however, she changed her mind and sat down to read, people gathering around her.

 

She stopped suddenly, voice hoarse.

“I need water.” She whispered.

 

Jonny ran away and returned with a pitcher of ice-cold water moments later.

 

“Maybe we should take a break?” Dianna suggested as Thalia gulped down the water.

 

Disappointment was clear on Dianna’s face as they hadn’t found anything useful as of yet. Guy squeezed her hand and she put her head on his shoulder.

 

“I’m just gonna…” Jonny trailed off, not really needing to tell anyone where he was going.

 

Thalia looked devastated.

“I’m sorry I’m not of any help.” She said quietly.

 

“Oh, don’t worry, dear!” Dianna said, head snapping up from Guy’s shoulder. “We still have a few more stories left, don’t we?”

 

Thalia nodded as she flicked through the book. “Three.”

 

“Three is good.” Guy admitted. “Three is a magical number. We’ll find something.” He sounded like he was trying to convince himself more than anyone else.

 

Will nodded, jaw clenched. “We have to.”

 

-*-

 

It was dark in Chris’ room, the only light coming from a flickering candle flame in his window.

Jonny poke his head in.

 

“Who’s that?” There was a mumble from the bed.

 

“’S me, love.” Jonny said in a hushed voice.

 

“Jon.” Chris breathed and held out his hand towards the door. “I missed you.”

 

Jonny smiled as he took Chris’ hand and climbed into bed, snuggling up to his thin back.

 

“Mmm…” Chris made a satisfied sound in the back of his throat as Jonny put his arms around him and slowly caressed his stomach. “How’s the reading going?”

 

Jonny was quiet and Chris nodded sagely. “It’s alright, Jonny. I didn’t really expect to see again.” He sighed and took a deep breath. “I just wish I could’ve known beforehand…”

 

“Why?” Jonny frowned.

 

“So I could have taken a really good last look at you.” He said in a wry whisper, turning around in Jonny’s arms to face him. He put his hands against Jonny’s face and Jonny’s heart broke a little as Chris slowly traced the outline of his features.

 

“By doing this…” Chris whispered. “I can remember the shape of your nose… I can see that strong chin of yours and your lovely forehead…” He sighed. “But I can’t trace the colour of your eyes. That wonderful pale green. Like birch leaves in the spring.”

 

Jonny took Chris’ hands in his and leaned his forehead against Chris’. Chris leaned into his touch.

“Stop.” He whispered, their lips close. “You’ll see again. You’ll see again, love. And it’ll be forever this time. Not some sort of temporary solution like the mask was.”

 

Chris exhaled shakily before they lips softly met and he clung to Jonny as if he was the only thing keeping him sane. And maybe that was the case.

 

-*-

 

“Shouldn’t we wait for Jonny?” Thalia asked as Dianna once more placed the book in her hands.

 

“I think he needs to be with Chris for now.” Dianna said with a curt nod. “Please, go ahead.”

 

There was a collective holding of breaths as Thalia raised her voice and began to read the first of the three remaining stories.

 

 

An Elaborate Plan

Chapter 2: The Clean Up

 

For nearly five minutes Will stood by the door and watched the two men engage in what seemed to be a rather competitive staring contest. Finally he decided to interject, and he stepped over so that he was blocking Jonny's view. Jonny barely moved at all, and his eyes seemed to gaze right through Will's body as if he were some sort of glass.

 

“I think you two need to talk to each other,” he said, referring to Jonny's earlier request to speak with Will. “Please, come in.”

 

Apprehensively, Jonny walked into Will's apartment, his heart shattering into an even larger amount of pieces with every step he took until he reached the sofa where Chris sat, and he was almost certain that parts of his heart had been crushed so finely they were now just sand that spread throughout his body and rubbed its grainy exterior against his fragile organs. He had not thought about how far he had walked from his apartment to reach this destination, but it didn't matter anyway; no amount of walking, he felt, could have done this much damage and made him ache this badly.

 

He sat down as far away from Chris as he could, not because he didn't want to be near Chris, but because he thought Chris wouldn't want to be near him. He stared at the floor, unaware of Chris's eyes upon him and Chris's new look of sadness brought upon by the fact that Jonny had not chosen to sit closer.

 

“Talking usually involves words, you know,” Will said, resting on the coffee table that sat in front of the couch. He placed his hands on his knees and sat forward.“Chris, why don't you tell Jonny what you told me before?”

 

Chris looked up at Will with the expression of a small frightened animal, but he nodded and slowly turned back to Jonny.

 

<<<<<20HoursEarlier

 

The sun, though slowly making its way to the horizon, was beating down hard on the city. Luckily Jonny was sitting comfortably in his jeep, which he actually had not driven in a really long time. He never really needed to, since both his work and Chris's place were in very close proximity to his own apartment.

 

The jeep was kept in the widely unknown car park around the back of Jonny's apartment building. Like himself, most other tenants walked everywhere, and so quite a large percentage didn't even own a vehicle, other than maybe a bicycle. Jonny was going to need the jeep that night, so he decided to check on it and make sure that it was working well. While inspecting it through a drive around the outskirts of the city, Jonny decided that it was far too dirty and needed to be cleaned. He changed his route quickly and headed to the only place he could think to go.

 

The Berrymans had never been on friendly terms with the Bucklands, at least not until the generation that brought along Jonny and Guy had come into existence. In an almost fairytale way they became the best of friends and helped bring their families together. That was in high school, and some things had changed since then; for instance, Jonny was no longer working at the local bakery, but at a photo developing place, something he much preferred doing, and Guy now owned his own small car wash a few blocks away from Jonny's workplace.

 

“Nice ride,” Guy sarcastically remarked as he observed Jonny's jeep. He walked around the back and made note of just how unclean the entire vehicle was. “Do I get extra since the thing is practically caked in mud?”

 

“Do I get to release those pictures you dropped off last week to the public?” Jonny retorted, and the color left Guy's face, his eyes widened with horror.

 

“Dude, isn't there, like, a law against looking at those or something?” Jonny shook his head, laughing, and he put a hand on Guy's shoulder.

 

“Hey, man, that's what friends are for.” Jonny was only joking, but the anger strewn across Guy's face made him think that maybe there was more truth in it than he had first thought. He brushed it off, though, and tried to change the subject to get the strange images out of his head. “So, you gonna clean this or what? I'll pay extra if you really want.”

 

“Nah, man, it's cool,” Guy said with a wave of his hand. Then he shifted his eyes to the dirt on the car. “When's the last time you took this thing out, anyway?”

 

“I don't even remember,” Jonny said, shaking his head. “But I'm taking Chris out to dinner tonight, and, you know, I wanted to ride in style.”

 

Guy laughed and folded his arms across his chest. “Why didn't you just rent a limo or something?”

 

“I'm already gonna be broke from the dinner alone. And then there's this...” Jonny opened the door of his car and pulled a tiny box from the glove compartment.

 

“Shit, man,” Guy exclaimed before Jonny had even opened the box. “Good luck.”

 

“Thanks,” Jonny said, running a hand through his hair. “I think I'm gonna need it.”

 

“No way, he'll definitely say yes.”

 

Jonny shrugged halfheartedly. “I just have this feeling that something's gonna go wrong. Like... my car will catch fire or something and I'll have to cancel... It's just nerves, right? Everything'll be fine.”

 

“Yeah. Listen, you two are totally fated to be together, so there's really nothing to worry about,” Guy told him.

 

Jonny thought about it for a few moments. He tossed the box around restlessly in his hands, then nodded. “I hope you're right,” he said, and he slipped the box into the front pocket of his trousers.

 

“Of course. Now,” Guy clapped his hands together with great enthusiasm, “let's get this thing cleaned up.”

 

An Elaborate Plan

Chapter 3: The Pick Up

 

Chris's frightened animal look didn't fade as he faced Jonny; in fact, it seemed to only intensify at that point. The words were stuck somewhere inside of him, even though he clearly remembered what he had said to Will. He somehow didn't have the confidence to speak anymore.

 

Jonny waited patiently for Chris to finally begin talking. As he watched Chris struggle in frustration, he wanted nothing more than to jump across the space between them and embrace the poor man. But he couldn't do that.

 

The sound of Will tapping his fingers against his leg filled the room, since nothing else would apart from the oxygen being in- and exhaled. He too waited for Chris, but his patience was even less than Jonny's.

 

“Last night...” he began, urgently, and Chris flashed him a helpless look.

 

“Last night,” Chris repeated, his voice shaking and his eyes unfocused, “I... Well, I thought last night was going to be... special. I don't know. But then all that stuff happened, and one thing didn't happen, and I guess I just got my hopes up for nothing. So I thought... what am I doing? If it didn't happen then, it'll never happen.”

 

Though his manner had seemed to imply he was near tears, by the end of his speech he appeared more blank than anything else, like he didn't know what to do with himself anymore. He stared off into the air before him, vacant, and only blinked a total of three times in the proceeding minute.

 

Jonny watched him, his mouth feeling incredibly dry, and as he tried to swallow he discovered it was painful to do so. He bit his lip, almost to the point of drawing blood, and decided on what to say in response. After all, Chris had said some pretty deep stuff.

 

“It was supposed to be special,” Jonny told him.

 

<<<<16HoursEarlier

 

The sun had just set on the city, and Jonny had just set foot on Chris's doorstep- actually, the doorstep to Chris's apartment building. He turned to a box on his left and pressed a button. He didn't even need to say anything, and moments later he was let in.

 

He took the stairs two at a time, even though it frightened him to do so- he was always afraid that he would trip and end up hurting himself badly- but at this moment he was too eager to see Chris to care. That is, of course, until he actually did trip, but luckily by that time he was already at the top of the stairs and he merely stumbled onto the landing and, conveniently, right in front of Chris's door.

 

Right on cue, the door flung open and a smiling, bubbly Chris beamed at Jonny. He was wearing a rather sophisticated look, with a fancy black suit and his hair slicked back a little. Jonny regained his composure and returned the dazzling smile.

 

“Are you ready?” he asked Chris. Chris nodded ecstatically.

 

“Oh yes,” he said, and he laughed a little, “otherwise I wouldn't have opened the door right away. And I assume you're ready, too, otherwise you wouldn't have come here yet.”

 

Jonny shrugged mysteriously. “Well, you never know.”

 

Chris suddenly had a very serious look on his face, which both confused and worried Jonny a little. But he kept his smile on, and soon Chris had changed back once more. He stepped out of his apartment, making sure the door was locked behind him, then he stood in front of Jonny for a few moments.

 

“Shall we?” Chris gestured to the stairs, but before he began to walk, Jonny moved forward and kissed him. Then without saying another word the two men descended the small flight of stairs.

 

Almost directly in front of the building was Jonny's parked jeep. The passenger side was closest to the curb, so Jonny had intended on walking around to the driver side, but before he made it all the way he heard Chris gasped extremely loudly.

 

“Jonny!” he said in a hushed voice. Jonny stopped dead in his tracks and looked back.

 

“Yeah?”

 

“What happened to your car??” Chris asked, pointing to what appeared to be a scratch that stretched across the entire passenger side door, and then some. Jonny craned his neck to see what Chris's fuss was about, and when he saw the scratch he nodded apathetically.

 

“Some stupid kid keyed it earlier,” Jonny said. He ducked his head, a little ashamed. “I was hoping you wouldn't notice. Or mention it, at least.”

 

Chris tilted his head to the right, frowning a little. “Why wouldn't you want me to notice and-or mention it?”

 

“Because I wanted the jeep to look... presentable for tonight. I actually got it cleaned and everything, only to then have some... jerk come along and-” Jonny fervently shook his head. “Whatever. People will be people. But you don't mind, do you?”

 

Chris smiled at the skepticism in Jonny's tone, and shook his head in response. “No, to be honest, the car doesn't matter at all to me. But I like that you were worried about it. It's kinda sweet.”

 

As Jonny stared at Chris and was momentarily mesmerized by his bright blue eyes and shining smile, he remembered the reassuring words Guy had said to him, and with all his heart he hoped that Guy had been right in saying that Chris would not reject him. Surely, though, Chris had never rejected him, no matter what.

 

When he felt that he had done enough staring, Jonny continued his walk around the jeep. Making sure that there weren't cars around that would drive over him and kill him, or perhaps just take the car door with them as they passed, Jonny entered the jeep and almost immediately put the keys in the ignition. He realized that he was being rather hasty now in his nervousness.

 

Both men had strapped on their seat belts, and Jonny had started the car. But before he did anything else, his hands gripped tightly on the steering wheel with what he had always been told were the right hand positions, he stared at the other parked car in front of them and breathed deeply. He only do so for a few moments, though, because he didn't want Chris to get suspicious.

 

Once again checking that they wouldn't get into an accident if he started to drive, Jonny slowly hit the gas and carefully pulled out of the spot.

 

 

Waves

PART SEVEN

 

 

 

 

"Well I see no problem with the two of you adopting" the tall, dark haired woman proclaimed, smiling. "I think that you two will make brilliant parents"

 

Chris laughed and then smiled. "Thank you, thank you very much" Chris said, holding Gwyneth's hand.

 

"Really? So what is the next step?" Gwyneth asked, her eyebrows raised.

 

"Well all that there is left is for you to pick a child. What age range are you looking for?" the woman asked.

 

Chris and Gwyneth looked at each other.

 

"We haven't really discussed it but I was thinking a boy around the age of 5" Chris said, smiling.

The woman started to grin.

"I think I know the perfect little boy who deserves a good home from people like you. His name is Jacob"

 

"Jacob" Chris whispered, tasting the name on his tongue. He liked it.

 

Gwyneth looked agitated. Chris looked over to her, he was smiling- she was not.

"Don't you think we should discuss this a little bit more...darling?" Gwyneth asked. Chris looked at her with daggers in her eyes.

 

"You can take your time" the dark haired woman said.

 

"No, no, there is no need. We would be happy to take Jacob" Chris said.

 

"Brilliant. Well you can come and see him tomorrow, in the mean time, here is a picture of him" the woman said, passing a picture to Chris.

"He's beautiful"

 

"I'll leave you with that" the woman said, standing up. "I'll see you tomorrow then, good luck with the wedding this afternoon!"

 

"Thank you" Chris said, embracing the photograph. The woman walked out of Chris and Gwyneth's dwelling and as the door closed, Gwyneth began to follow.

"Where are you going?" Chris asked.

"Getting ready for the wedding. I'm sorry I was off with you earlier, he looks perfect does Jacob" Gwyneth said.

 

"Don't worry" Chris said. "Give me a kiss"

Gwyneth walked over to Chris and gave him a kiss. "I love you" Chris whispered.

Gwyneth smiled as she walked out of the house.

 

Chris set the picture down in the kitchen before making his way into the living room, turning on the TV, Chris began to enjoy the delights of daytime television while he began to iron his shirt. Burning his shirt, Chris laughed, gave up and sat down on the sofa. Slowly his eyes began to close.

 

The phone rang. It went to answer phone. It blared out

"I've just read on Facebook that you are getting married today, thanks for inviting me buddy, not. Anyway i'm sure you forgot, I'm on my way up! I've brought some friends. I'll seeya later"

 

It was Guy.

 

 

An Elaborate Plan

Chapter 4: The Screw Up

 

The meal was practically over now, and all that was left to do was to pay the ridiculously large sum of money they owed to the restaurant and leave. It had already been determined that Jonny would pay, even though Chris insisted otherwise. Jonny argued with him and eventually seemed to somewhat convince Chris with the fact that Jonny was supposed to be taking Chris out to dinner, and it was therefore only fair that he should pay for it.

 

Jonny called the waitress over to the table and within a few minutes they got the check. Jonny grumbled about how overpriced everything was, especially considering the tiny portions they gave. Chris smiled at him and went to take a sip of his drink, but as he did so a man passing by the table accidentally bumped into Chris's chair and his hand shook, pouring the contents of his glass all down the front of his clean white shirt.

 

“Oh, sir, I am so, so sorry,” the man said. Chris, now standing and trying to pull the wine-soaked fabric away from his shirt, held up his hand and shook his head.

 

“It's all right, accidents happen,” he replied. The man still looked at him apologetically, but after a few moments he realized there was no point in him standing around for much longer and he walked away. Chris turned to Jonny, who had been watching Chris and the other man the entire time. “I'm gonna go wait in the car, Jonny, is that OK?”

 

“Yeah, it's fine,” Jonny said. Chris left as quickly as he could, eager to ditch the wet cloth, and Jonny returned to counting just how many hours of work he had endured to pay for his food alone. It was worth it, though. It was going to be worth it.

 

Jonny sat in the jeep and turned to find that Chris had solved his shirt problem by removing it entirely. He had to pull his thoughts away from what else Chris could remove, and as he did so his nervousness returned. The moment would come soon.

 

“I, uh... wanted to bring you s-somewhere else, too,” he said, stuttering just a little. “If that's all right.”

 

“Sure,” Chris sweetly replied. “Where, exactly?”

 

“It's a surprise.”

 

“Oh, then should I, like, close my eyes or something?” Chris did close his eyes, and he raised his eyebrows as well and made really weird-looking facial expressions. Jonny laughed at him.

 

“You can keep your eyes open, if you like.” Chris lifted his eyelids to reveal his bright eyes and he blinked magnificently a few times before speaking.

 

“All right, let's go!” he exclaimed. Jonny grinned and his heart beat faster for several reasons. His clammy hands grabbed the steering wheel and he once again mentally prepared himself.

 

The drive lasted about five minutes, and as Jonny stopped the car, Chris gasped in total awe. In front of them was the sandy shore of the beach, the ocean spread out as far as the eye could see. What was even more impressive was the glowing moon and its reflection in the still waters. It was one of the most amazing things Chris had ever seen, and Jonny could tell by Chris's reaction that so far his plan was going well.

 

They sat silently for a minute or so, then Chris turned his eyes away from the view and to Jonny. “Is it all right if we stay in here?” he asked, uncertain. “It's just that I don't really feel comfortable walking around without a shirt on.”

 

“We can stay, yeah,” Jonny said, though he felt that Chris had nothing to be ashamed of. His eyes wandered over Chris's sleek torso, down his muscular abdomen. It calmed him, a little, though only because it made him forget entirely about what he was going to do. But they had all night, so he was in no rush.

 

Chris had gone back to staring at the moon. Jonny still watched him, still let his mind wander far from the rundown car and the lightly populated beach. He drifted to their future, to a day hopefully not too far, where maybe Chris would be wearing that suit again, and loads of people would be gathered around...

 

Jonny decided that maybe enough time had passed, and his patience had grown far too thin. He quickly went over in his mind what he had rehearsed relentlessly over the past few days, then took a deep breath.

 

“Chris,” he uneasily began, “could you, uh... could you see what's in the glove compartment for me?”

 

Chris raised an eyebrow at Jonny, but, like Jonny had hoped, he nodded and reached for the handle without even truly questioning Jonny. Little did Jonny know, Chris had his own theories, and as he pulled open the small door his heart raced and his palms were sweaty.

 

But there was nothing in there. Both men stared frozen at the empty space for a few seconds, then sat back with disappointment, though neither of them would show it.

 

“Uh, there's nothing in there,” Chris joked halfheartedly. Jonny laughed affectedly in return.

 

“I guess not.” Jonny said nothing else, for he was too busy from that moment on trying to figure out why the compartment was empty. There should have at least been that one box, the one that had cost so much and meant even more to him.

 

It could have been ten minutes that they were sitting there, it could have been twenty. Or maybe no time had passed at all. Jonny was too preoccupied to notice or even care. He was only brought back by the sudden appearance of Chris's voice.

 

“Jonny, I'm kinda tired,” he said, softly and sadly. To prove that what he was saying was true, he stretched a little and even yawned. Jonny was fine with that. The night wasn't exactly going his way anymore, and he wouldn't have minded going home. But it was the next part that really hit him hard. “Could you take me back to my place?”

 

Maybe Chris had realized beforehand the sort of impact it would have on Jonny, because as he said it he seemed to wince and frown a little. Jonny thought he felt his heart rip in two, but he didn't dare fight Chris's request. After all, Chris was entitled to spend at least one night by himself. It didn't mean anything.

 

But Jonny still couldn't help feeling just a little rejected.

 

What's Real?

Chapter 1

 

 

“Christopher! Come on son! We are going to be late for the church choir practice. Make sure you get your coat, it’s quite chilly out tonight!”

 

Christopher’s dad tapped his foot impatiently waiting for his son to come down.

Slowly two tiny feet emerged at the top of the stairs. Then they timidly made there way down the stairs.

 

“Son! We need to go. We don’t want to hold up Ms. Green, she has put far too much effort into the churches Christmas program, and your brothers have already gone ahead with your mother.”

 

“Sorry Dad! I was playing with Jonny and we were knights and we killed a dragon with our swords and then we saved the pretty princess.”

 

“Mhmm. That’s nice Christopher, but maybe you should make some real friends? Like Humphrey from down the street?”

 

“Jonny is real dad! He’s not make-believe!” Chris said as he stomped his foot to emphasis his point. “And Humphrey smells like moldy cheese and he eats his bogies.” Chris said as they reached the car.

 

“That’s not nice Christopher.” Secretly Chris’ dad couldn’t agree more about Humphrey, but he was the only boy on the street Chris’ age. “Now let’s focus on our songs for tonight’s practice.”

 

-+-

 

“Altos you are a bit flat on the chorus and bass, you need to carry out that last note longer, you men keep cutting it shorter and shorter. But my dears you are starting to sound like a chorus of heavenly angels”

 

Ms. Green was a unique woman. She was young, only in her middle 20’s, but she had the soul of a wise woman twice her age. She knew just how to tweak the choir to her liking with great ease. Everyone who came within in 10 feet of her was drawn to her radiating warmth and kindness. It was because of her that the church choir was so vast this year.

 

She was casting her eyes about the multitude when she spotted the little lad in the front. He was the youngest member of the choir, but had one of the most innocent voices she had ever heard. He often tried to puff out his chest and stand up just a hair taller to make himself stand out, which often led to fits of giggles from the group when he toppled over.

 

The little boy was Christopher, the preacher’s son. He was only the tender age of 7 but already so determined and level headed. Ms. Green laughed to herself when she remembered when she was trying to place him in the alto section.

--

“But Ms. Green, there aren’t any boys in that section. I can sing lower! Please can you put me with the Bass’ I don’t want to be with the girls! Eww they have cuties.”

 

“Oh Christopher, you have such a lovely voice and I would love to put you with the bass’ but your voice is just a touch too high.”

 

Crocodile tears began to form in the crystal blue eyes of young Christopher. He sniffed a couple times and then tried to be brave and not cry. It was a battle that he couldn’t fight. Soon the tears began to stream down his checks staining his shirt along the way. Kneeling down in front of Ms. Green he cupped his hands together in the pleading fashion and flashed her the puppy dog look.

 

Ms. Green couldn’t stand to see the little boy crying, he was going to make her cry. She crouched down to the ground and sat down next to Christopher, she then pulled him close to her side and hugged him tightly.

 

“Alright my little soap opera you can be in the bass section, but you have to stop crying okay? Crying is contagious and I might catch it!”

 

“It’s..*sniff* it’s contagious?”

 

“Christopher dear, I was just teasing you, no it’s not contagious.”

 

“Oh. Oh good, cause that would mean I would have made a lot of people cry.”

 

--

 

What was ironic about that day, was that he was more worried about crying being contagious to even realize or celebrate that she had allowed him to sing in the bass section.

 

Ms. Green focused in on his singing out of the entire group. She could hear him carefully emphasizing each syllable and putting great effort into singing lower than his little vocal range should. It brought her great joy, to see him trying so hard.

 

Soon the song the group was singing came to an end and then after a few remarks from Ms. Green she dismissed the group. Most of the members had left save a few and who was amongst that group was none other than little Christopher.

 

He was running around collecting the sheets of music off the chairs and the floors. When his arms were full of papers he marched over to Ms. Green and tugged on one of her pant legs.

 

She looked down and smiled at the sight. “Why thank you Christopher, you are so terrific for picking up the sheet music for me!”

“Your welcome Ms. Green! My friend Jonny was listening to us tonight and he says we were really good!”

 

“Is that so? Well where has Jonny run off to?”

 

“He’s right over there.” Christopher pointed to a pew in the back of the chapel on the left.

 

Ms. Green turned in that direction but saw nothing, but an empty pew.“ Are you sure Christopher? Maybe he has gone home already?

 

“No! He is still sitting in the back, he’s waving at you right now!”

 

Ms. Green turned her head again to the spot and yet again saw nothing. Christopher’s dad was watching from a little ways away and saw the confusion on Ms. Greens face and then realized that his son was telling her about his imaginary friend. He quickly caught her attention and mouthed I-M-A_G-I-N-A-R-Y to her. Ms. Green understood quickly.

 

She turned back to the pew in the back and waved her hand.

 

“Oh Ms. Green! You see Jonny!” Christopher exclaimed with a quirky smile.

 

“Very much Christopher, he is a lovely boy, now you best be going home, it’s getting late.”

 

“Okay, thanks for practice!” Christopher said as he walked away toward his dad.

 

“Dad! Ms. Green saw Jonny! I knew she would see him!”

 

“Well that is something isn’t it.”

 

“Yeah, you know what dad? When I get older I think I might marry Ms. Green.”

 

“Would you now? Well it’s a good thing you’ve got a while before you grow up.”

 

“That’s okay, I need to grow taller because I can’t kiss her from here.”

 

Christopher’s dad just smiled at his innocent son and patted him on the back. “Come on son, let’s go home, we have more practice in the morning.”

 

 

Arrow & Bow

 

Chapter 12

 

 

I watched some more mind numbing television until I could barely keep my eyes open any longer. Then I headed to my own room.

 

On my way, I stopped to check in on Madison. She had been quiet, so I figured she had been sleeping peacefully. But when I peeked in through the little crack in the door, I saw a silhouette by the bed.

 

Madison was kneeling next to it. She was completely still an appeared to be focusing really hard. I realized with surprise that she was praying. I pressed my ear to the door and made out some of the whispered words.

 

“Please let daddy be okay,” I heard. “Make him get better. I would give you all of my stuffed animals if you could make daddy better.”

 

My heart ached at her heartfelt words and I pushed back the tears that were forming in my eyes. I wanted nothing more than to run into that room and hug her tight.

 

But I wanted to respect her privacy. I had invaded it enough already. She might have been a little person, but she was still a person and she deserved the same amount of respect as anyone else.

 

But I wished there was something, anything I could do. She sounded so helpless. Almost as helpless as I felt. I retreated to my bed, feeling pathetic. Even the next day I continued to mope. I barely said a word to Sarah when she came to take Maddie to visit Jackson again.

 

I didn’t want to meet her eyes. I knew she wanted me there, that she needed me there. But I felt like nothing I did could be of any use to anyone. So instead of going to the hospital I stalked off to the park hoping for some music to soothe my soul.

 

But when I got there Chris was just as silent as the guitar. He was standing against the tree, and the guitar stood by his side. He just looked at me, stared at me.

 

It made me feel awkward. Like I didn’t belong. It was just as well, I thought. I didn’t belong anywhere. I started to leave. I felt a tug on my sleeve.

 

“What are you doing here?” Chris asked. His eyes were serious and his voice almost sounded cold.

 

“What do you mean?” I asked in reply, trying not to meet his eyes. I tilted my head down to stare at the browning grass.

 

He abruptly reached out and took my face in his hands, forcing me to look into his cool, blue eyes. “I said,” he repeated “what are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be somewhere else?” He looked at me like my mother used to do when she could tell I was lying.

 

“Well…I’m no good anywhere. So I thought I’d come here.”

 

Chris gave me a little shove and I stumbled backwards, startled and confused. I had never seen this side of him before. “Go and be with your family. Why would you be here? There’s nothing you can do here. And there’s nothing I can give you. I thought I told you it wasn’t time yet.”

 

“But…I just came here for some music,” I whispered weakly. But I had the feeling I had already lost this battle. If you could even call it that. Chris was the only one with the skills to fight it, it seemed.

 

“Music isn’t going to do much good when your brother in law dies and you’re not there for your family. Now get out of here.”

 

I didn’t know what to say. There wasn’t much I could say. He had told me off. He was right on every account. I had no argument.

 

So I just walked away, in a daze, out of the park. I stumbled down countless streets like a drunkard. Then a spot of yellow caught my eye.

 

A taxi cab. Impulsively, I hailed it and gave the driver directions to the hospital. Throughout the drive my confidence in myself began to grow. Apparently, the harsh words of Chris had been just what I needed to hear.

 

I had no idea how he always knew what I needed even when I didn’t know myself. I had thought I needed to hear some music to escape all my feelings.

 

But Chris knew better than that. He forced me to face my emotions. And now I was on my way to be where I should be. It was another unexplainable, amazing thing about the strange man.

 

When I arrived at the hospital I practically ran down the white washed hallways until I found the right room. A sudden urgency had bubbled up inside me. It was as if I thought the world would end right then and there if I didn’t get to see Jackson within a five minute time period.

 

All three people in the room turned to look at me when I burst in with a determined stride and a brave expression.

 

It might have just been me, but I could swear that I had cut some sort of tension that had been in the room with a knife as soon as I came inside. Everyone seemed to relax. Even Jackson, though he was obviously in a great deal of pain.

 

It made me miserable to see him looking so sick. He looked at least twice as ill as he had looked last time I came to visit. And while it was true that it had been a few days since the last time I was there, it was still a fairly extreme change for such a short length of time.

 

Without anyone saying so, it was clear to me that Jackson had a few days left at most. He was just a skeleton covered by a thin layer of pasty skin. But surprisingly, despite the misery that welled up inside me, thinking about Jackson’s condition, I managed to keep my expression calm and collected.

 

I just kept repeating what Chris had told me. My family needed me. I was going to take care of their needs, I had to. For Chris’s sake, at least. He didn’t have a family. I couldn’t take mine for granted when he was without one at all.

 

It wouldn’t be right. So I took Maddie in my arms and I hugged her tight. I hugged Sarah too. Then I sat down next to Jackson and talked with him a while to take his mind off the pain.

 

This gave Sarah a chance to relax, as much as was possible anyways. She sat down in a chair a little ways away. Maddie climbed onto her lap and fell asleep.

 

I could tell by the tiny smile on Sarah’s lips that she was more than grateful for my presence. I’m sure Maddie was too. And Jackson looked overjoyed to have someone to talk to. He laughed at all of my lame jokes.

 

I felt wonderful. It was true, Jackson was dying and we were all thoroughly miserable about that. But it felt so good to finally feel useful again.

 

I couldn’t help but admit that this was all Chris’s doing. In my head, I whispered a “thank you” to him. A hundred “thank you”s, even. And when this was all over I would thank him in person. But little did I know that he was not done helping me yet.

 

 

An Elaborate Plan

Chapter 5: The Wake Up

 

“It was?” Chris asked Jonny. He felt a strange sensation tingling through his body. He couldn't tell if it was good or bad. On the one hand, he had indeed been right, though on the other hand it still hadn't happened. But he had actually been wrong, too, and with that in mind he figured that this weird feeling was probably regret mixed with a little guilt.

 

“Yeah,” Jonny replied. “I spent a lot of time and... money into preparing it and making sure that it was going to be perfect. But obviously I didn't put enough in.”

 

“What do you mean?” Chris's face had softened a little, so he no longer looked too upset. It was almost as if he knew deep down that things were going to work out. He even moved a little closer to Jonny.

 

“Well, if I had, we wouldn't be here right now, would we? Last night would have gone as planned,” Jonny explained. He stared down at his hands. He too thought that maybe their situation was looking up from here, but he couldn't be sure. “And maybe I'd have gotten some sleep last night.”

 

“You couldn't sleep, either?” Chris asked with a bit of enthusiasm. Jonny shook his head.

 

“Especially not after I found what I'd been looking for.”

 

<<<12HoursEarlier

 

Jonny had intended on hanging his keys up, but he missed the hook. They made a great clanging noise as they hit the floor. Jonny let them fall to the ground and kept walking. It was already midnight and he was pretty tired.

 

As he sat on his bed, he was no more conscious than he was when he first walked into the apartment. He blankly stared across the room at his open bedroom door, his mind still running through all the possibilities of what could have happened to the ring. He remembered putting in into the glove compartment that morning so that he wouldn't forget to do it later. A lot of good that had done.

 

And he had locked the doors when he returned to his apartment, so it didn't seem plausible that the same kid who had vandalized the jeep had stolen it. They were locked while he and Chris were at the restaurant as well. In fact, the only time he didn't have his doors locked was when he had it cleaned.

 

But no one had been around at that point, apart from Guy. Jonny would never have suspected Guy of doing anything like that, and even though it seemed to be his only explanation, he still didn't think it was true. Guy was one of his best friends, why would he steal from Jonny?

 

Jonny decided that the span of time in which he had been sitting and thinking was approximately an hour. He was still very, very tired, but he couldn't go to sleep. His brain was simply working far too much from him to even try to relax.

 

He did look away from the door, though, and around his room. The clothes he had been wearing earlier were carelessly thrown in the corner, as he had been so nervous before the date that he didn't bother tidying up after himself. He kept his eyes on them for a while, and then he suddenly remembered something.

 

He had taken the ring out to show to Guy. But- did he not put it back? He could have sworn that he had put it back in the car afterward.

 

Almost afraid of what he would find, Jonny slowly stood up and made his way over to the corner. He reached a tentative hand out and eventually came in contact with the fabric of his pants. He barely had to lift them to tell that there was extra weight in there somewhere. But he raised his arm regardless, and, sure enough, in one of the front pockets there was a small box.

 

Jonny dropped the pants and held onto the box. He didn't feel like being in his room anymore- there was absolutely no way he would get any sleep at all that night- and so he left for the living room.

 

He tried not to be too angry at himself for ruining what was supposed to be one of the most perfect nights of his life. After all, there would always be the next day. If Chris really was going to say yes, then it wouldn't really matter when he was asked.

 

But in the back of Jonny's mind was a tiny voice that reminded him of Chris's attitude before Jonny had dropped him off at his apartment. He hadn't seemed like his normal self, happy and bubbly and whatnot, but more sad, and Jonny didn't like that at all. It didn't appear to be a good sign.

 

Very much like Jonny, Chris was also wide awake in his own living room, thinking far more than he ought to have been. He wanted desperately to stop thinking altogether, because he knew that whatever his mind came up with would probably be ridiculous and he might end up doing something that he would regret in the future. It's what always happened when he couldn't sleep at night, though his mistakes were usually small, ranging from eating too many snacks to writing what he later realized were just awful lyrics. Sometimes he wished he had a time machine so he could go back and slap the pen out of his hand before it could even go near any paper.

 

Still, he couldn't stop himself from thinking, and he couldn't stop himself from acting on any thoughts that popped up. He had watched the sun rise in the sky for several hours before he finally did act, though. Judging by its position in the sky, it must have been around ten o'clock.

 

Chris could feel his heart breaking as he stood up. He wanted to do it, but he didn't at the same time. He told himself it was a bad idea, but in return his inner voice kept pushing him to do it. Finally, he could no longer control anything, and he picked up the phone and called Jonny.

 

An Elaborate Plan

Chapter 6: The Make Up

 

As Jonny finished recalling his tale, the last bit being the part about him throwing up, a silence fell on the small room. Will, whose presence was basically forgotten about, watched as Chris inched his way closer and closer to Jonny. Jonny didn't seem to notice, for he was staring at his hands once again, apparently lost in thought.

 

He felt some air stirring around his ear, but before he could properly notice it there was a quiet voice he heard.

 

Come on along and listen to...

 

Slowly, Jonny moved his eyes, and in his peripheral vision he could see Chris leaning a mere centimeter from him. Even with the limited sight he could see Chris smiling a little.

 

...the lullaby of Broadway...

 

Jonny blinked a few times, and as he did so he felt a tear roll down his cheek. It was that song, their song, that always got to him. Whenever he felt bad, whenever anything was wrong, Chris would sing it for him, and it always made him feel better. And now he knew it meant even more.

 

This time he turned his entire head to face Chris. Chris was no longer smiling, but his frightened look had returned.

 

“I really hate you,” Jonny whispered, even though he knew it wasn't true. For a while Chris stared at him, then nodded his head.

 

“I hate me, too,” he said. “I'm really sorry, Jonny.”

 

“It's not your fault-”

 

“Jonny,” Chris interrupted, laying his hand on Jonny's shoulder, “I broke up with you over the phone.” He gaped a bit, waving his other hand as if to say that even he couldn't comprehend the vastness of his stupidity.

 

“Good point.” Jonny frowned at Chris, though he had to try really, really hard not to just leap forward and grab Chris in his arms. He and Chris would get back together soon enough; a few more seconds wouldn't kill either of them.

 

“I understand if you don't w-want me anymore,” Chris said with a little stutter. His insides felt like they were on fire, but not in the somehow good way that he had felt before. He really was afraid that he had actually lost Jonny, and it definitely would have been his fault.

 

Jonny stared at him, still trying to not give anything away. It became harder and harder with each second that passed, as he could only look for so long at the sad face of the man he loved without reacting. He held on for a few more moments, though.

 

“When a Broadway baby says goodnight,” Jonny quietly began, and he patiently waited for Chris to continue.

 

“It's early in the morning.” Chris laughed, breathlessly, and Jonny felt his hand clamp down harder on his shoulder. “Manhattan babies don't sleep tight-”

 

“Until the dawn.” Now Jonny was smiling, too, and the atmosphere in the room seemed to have lifted tenfold. Soon the voices of the two men bounced off the walls as they began to sing.

 

Goodnight, baby,

Goodnight, milkman's on his way

Sleep tight, baby,

Sleep tight-

 

“All right, all right,” Will shouted. He stood and held up his hands. “You're happy now, that's great. Can I have my privacy back?”

 

Both Jonny and Chris looked up to him as if they meant to appear apologetic, but any emotion other than happiness was completely missing from their faces. Jonny quickly turned back to Chris.

 

“Wanna go back to the apartment?” he asked.

 

“The apartment?” Chris repeated, and Jonny grinned even wider.

 

“Well, we could find a new place. I just think that if we're gonna get married, it would be best for us to be living together.” Jonny reached out and brushed away some of the hair that was resting on Chris's forehead. Chris's jaw had dropped, and he was just staring blankly at Jonny, barely even breathing. “Is that a yes?”

 

“Yes, yes, it's a yes. Of course it's a yes,” Chris said, spewing the words out like he was afraid that he would forget them if he didn't say them quickly enough. “Oh my God, Jonny!!”

 

Chris tightly shut his eyes and he wrapped his arms around Jonny, trying not to burst into a million pieces due to extreme joy. Jonny hugged him back, but they were soon interrupted once more by an impatient Will clearing his throat.

 

“OK, we're leaving,” Chris said, standing up and grabbing Jonny's arm along the way. Jonny was pulled up as well, and a few seconds later they were both walking to the door. Jonny had started to step out into the hallway, but Chris stopped and turned around. “Thanks, Will.”

 

“No problem,” Will replied, much calmer now that he knew he was actually getting rid of them. Chris smiled at him, then left, closing the door behind him.

 

As he and Jonny made their way outside, they were silent, because there was no need to say anything. Their hands reached for each other's when they stepped onto the sidewalk. Since neither of them had driven to Will's apartment, they were forced to walk all the way back to Jonny's place, but it didn't really bother either of them. It was nice to spend time just strolling through the sunny day.

 

“You know,” Chris said as they passed by a jewelry store, probably the same one Jonny had purchased the ring from, “you could have asked me last night anyway, even without the ring. I still would have said yes.”

 

Jonny shrugged his shoulders. “I know, but... I just wanted you to have it. Of course, it's still not with me now.”

 

“It's all right, I don't need a ring. I just need you.” Even though he knew it was ridiculously cheesy, Chris still said it because it was true. The few hours he had spent being single were some of the worst ones he had ever experienced, because it truly felt like a part of him was missing. He always thought it was silly for people to say that, that every person should be able to be whole without needing anyone else, but ever since he had met Jonny he realized that wasn't how the world worked.

 

Despite his terrible morning, Jonny was feeling like a million bucks right about now. He'd misplaced a ring, lost a boyfriend, broke an answering machine, pulled a muscle in his leg- but somehow, through it all, he ended off better than he had started, because now he was going home with his fiance, and nothing could bring the worth of that down.

 

 

 

 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKuaoculKDg]YouTube- Tony Awards ?42nd Street " The Lullaby of Broadway "[/ame]

 

:blush:

or, because it's way cooler:

 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPleVXxgHqQ]YouTube- Muppet Show. Eskimo pigs sing "Lullaby of Broadway" (S03E04)[/ame]

 

:awesome:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 12

 

 

 

As read by Thalia.

 

The Beginning.

 

Once upon a time, there was a small house upon a cliff. The house is since long forgotten, having tumbled into the sea. Forever buried beneath the salty, rolling waves.

 

When the house was new and its walls painted a blinding white, it was inhabited by a young man.

He had eyes as blue as the ocean that he often sat and gazed out over. His hair was as golden as the sun that always shone down on him.

 

He had never known rain.

 

Imagine then, if you will, his surprise and wonder as he woke one morning to a storm raging outside his window.

 

The sky was grey and purple, like an angry bruise. The sea was vicious beneath the cliff and the small white house.

 

The golden haired man stood in the pouring rain, laughing as the new sensation filled his heart with an unabashed joy.

 

There was a violent boom of thunder and his joy was soon transformed into a never before known dread.

 

He ran, heart pounding painfully in his chest as he made his way to his small house on the cliff.

He slammed the door behind him, terror clear in his blue eyes as the storm raged on.

 

There was a quiet knock on his door and his eyes widened with surprise. He had never had visitors before.

 

His curiosity took the better of him and he slowly opened the door.

 

He blinked.

 

Outside, soaking wet from the rain, stood a beautiful dark-haired girl. He eyes glimmered like pieces of coal in the dusk.

 

“May I come in?” She asked with a smile that showed off sharp, small teeth.

 

The man with the sea-blue eyes hesitated a little before stepping aside to let her in.

 

Another batch of thunder cracked the sky open and he slammed the door behind her, sinking down to the floor, head in his hands.

 

“The thunder scares you, young one.” She noted, voice raspy.

 

The man nodded and shivered as she slowly sat down next to him.

 

“I could make it stop.” She airily said.

 

And the man, who hadn’t known anything in the world but sunshine, turned desperate eyes to her and quietly said; “Name your price.”

 

For everyone knows there isn’t a thing as a favour without a price.

 

“Have you ever loved?” She purred, licking her blood-red lips.

He violently shook his head.

 

“Ah.”

 

She stood up and gazed out on the sea, her silhouette as dark as the sky above.

 

“In many years…” She began. “There will be a man. Your first kiss will give me my price.”

 

He shuddered as lightning split the sea. Panic shone in his eyes. “Do it!” He said loudly.

“Done.” She smiled a horrible smile as the man slid into unconsciousness.

 

When he woke up, the woman was gone.

The sea was calm once more.

And the man never knew anything but sunshine.

 

-*-

 

Thalia looked up from the book. She was met by pale faces and wide eyes.

 

“Oh, goodness…” Dianna broke the silence.

 

“That… That was about Chris.” Guy continued. “He told us that story a few days after he had lost his sight. We tried to find that woman, but we… We never did.”

 

Thalia shivered and put the book down.

“That’s just too creepy.” She said. “I-“

 

Will interrupted her.

“What’s the title of the next one?”

 

Thalia reluctantly picked up the book once more.

 

“The Mask.” She breathed.

 

“And the next?”

 

“The End.”

 

The non-humans exchanged glances.

“We have to be sure. We can't afford to miss anything." Will decided. “Read the Mask.”

 

 

Arrow & Bow

 

Chapter 13

 

 

The progression of the disease was quick. I had anticipated that, but it still didn’t help the pain much. I felt weighted down with a heavy burden each and every day. I surprised myself by quitting my job. It just didn’t seem to matter anymore.

 

But despite the suffering I was dealing with inside, I always felt something holding up the heavy weight just enough to keep it from crushing me. And that was more than I could ever ask for. It kept me strong enough to care for Madison as she continued to stay with me and for Sarah while we visited Jackson those last few days.

 

Eventually I realized that the something keeping everything from crashing down were the words of Chris from my most recent trip to the park. It was as if he were always kneeling beside me, whispering the words into my ear.

 

Sometimes it felt more like shouting, though. But I was okay with that. I sure did need it.

 

And I was never more thankful for those words when I was awakened early in the morning after a few days by a phone call. I stumbled out of bed to answer.

 

I remember quite clearly that it was before sunrise. The only light that came through my windows was dull and grey.

 

I spoke a greeting into the receiver. I can’t say that it was returned to me in the same way. And it didn’t take long for me to figure out why. I listened to the whispered cries and heard the broken sobs which all combined to let me know what was going on.

 

I have no idea what I said in reply. Perhaps something that sounded brotherly. I do hope I said something, though. Because after I hung up the phone I couldn’t speak at all for hours. I broke down and sobbed, silently, so as not to wake Madison whose innocent little soul was asleep just down the hall.

 

Then I heard a light tap on the door. Even that sounded mournful. I opened it and looked at Sarah standing there. She looked back at me. Neither of us spoke. I saw her wipe her eyes. I quickly turned my head away. She brushed by me and went to the guest room to wake Madison.

 

I was terrified to see her face. The sweet face of such a young girl was never designed with the intention of expressing extreme sorrow and pain. It was supposed to be made to express happiness and joy. There was a creak of the floor, and I looked up and saw Sarah standing there with her arms on Madison’s shoulders protectively.

 

Her face, which I could barely manage to look at, did not, however express what I thought it might. It simply showed confusion. And then I became conscious of the fact although Madison was a very smart girl, she was still very young. And she probably had little or no true understanding of death yet.

 

I recognized that this would explain her confusion. And then I realized that this meant we were going to have to try and explain it to her. As if in sync with my own thoughts, Sarah turned her eyes towards me again. I gave her a small nod.

 

Then I took a deep breath, and led Madison to the couch, with Sarah close behind. I let the words of Chris ring out like the clanging of bells in my head. In a way, he was there with me. And with him I could overcome my fears.

 

“Maddie, honey, why don’t you sit down?” I asked her gently.

 

Solemnly she obeyed. I knew she could sense that what we were about to say was both very important and very sad. I swallowed back the urge to scream. It would have been a nice way to relieve all of the emotions I was feeling.

 

“You don’t really understand what it means to die do you?”

 

“No…” she responded quietly. She looked me straight in the eyes. “What does it mean for daddy to be dead?”

 

Sarah took over then. Well, I guess I shouldn’t say that. Because while she was doing her best to explain, I sat down next to Madison and I hugged her tightly. I knew she would need it. Sure she had the strongest spirit of any kid I knew, but death could break even the strongest of spirits.

 

Sarah’s explanation wasn’t long. But it was to the point. Sarah had always been like that. She didn’t beat around the bush, like I had the tendency to. I liked that. A thought randomly popped into my head that Chris was like that to. He was so direct with me. I made a silent vow to learn to be that way.

 

I felt Madison’s shoulders shake a little in my arms. I knew she was crying now. I thought that was good. She needed to cry. She should cry.

 

I wanted Sarah to cry to. But I knew she wouldn’t do that right then, when Madison needed her. I wanted to cry more than anything. But I, like Sarah, couldn’t do that just yet.

 

I took another deep breath and tried to focus on hugging Madison. Soon the worst would be over, I told myself. But I wasn’t sure this was true. There had never really been a death in the family before. I didn’t know what it would be like.

 

This made me panic inside. I suddenly lost all of my confidence. I was scared, no, terrified. I had no idea how to deal with any of this. Strangely, I suddenly wished Chris were here. I wish he hadn’t said no to my invitation. He would have known what to do. He would have said the right things. He would have played his guitar.

 

And then it hit me. The music, like a rush of cold air on my skin. I could suddenly hear Chris’s beautiful music in my head. He might as well have been sitting on the couch beside me playing that beat up guitar for how clearly I was hearing it. That beautiful sound of pure chaos. In times like these, chaos was the only thing that made sense.

 

I felt my confidence returning to me and I almost shouted out with joy. I had to bite back a grin that threatened to cross my face. It didn’t make any sense. I knew I wasn’t happy. But feeling like I could do things effectively, like I could be of some assistance to someone, gave me the greatest feeling.

 

I hugged Madison closer to me. She cried herself to sleep on my shoulder. Then I carefully handed her over to Sarah, who gave me a quiet thank you and a goodbye before going off to begin the funeral plans. I watched as they left. Despite the extreme sorrow I felt, there was also this feeling of calm that spread over me. I had to thank Chris right away.

 

 

 

The Lovely Story

(as titled by Katie :P)

 

 

“I have something to tell you,” he whispered in my ear. I started to worry; what could Chris possibly tell me now? This was a rather odd time for conversation, anyway. Was my timing off? Was I somehow playing the wrong notes without realizing it?

 

But surely then Chris would just say that, and not mess around. After all, he's kind, but he's also honest. Chris would tell you whatever you wanted to hear, as long as you wanted to hear the truth.

 

Of course, it being a very untimely utterance, I didn't receive a follow-up. By the time I had even looked up from my guitar, Chris was already a few feet down the ramp. Which was just as well; we were still performing. There were a bunch of people reaching their arms out to him, as if they could somehow stretch far enough to touch him.

 

He did his usual dancing about while the solo played- well, I mean, while I was playing the solo. It's just become second-nature now, so much so that oftentimes I forget I'm even the one strumming the guitar. I just watch Chris do his thing, and magically the music comes out.

 

He pranced back to where I was standing, and he reached his arm out and swung it around my neck. It's a bit more difficult to play when he does that, of course, but I can always manage. I find that it actually causes more of a distraction for me to try to fight him off. So I just let him, to the best of his ability, press himself against me. I have to wonder sometimes what it would be like if he accidentally bumped up against the guitar. I'd imagine it wouldn't feel too good.

 

Then he tried to turn me around, probably to face the crowd, because sometimes I forget to do that. After a while he started to move more slowly, until we were just basically standing still. I felt him move his other arm as he brought the mic up to his mouth.

 

“Jonny Buckland, the greatest guitar player in the world,” he announced, and the stadium of people began to scream their lungs out. I could hear him laugh away from the microphone, and he pulled back a little.

 

Then our eyes met, and everything seemed to go very quiet. Chris's face turned suddenly serious, and for a few brief moments I wondered if there hadn't just been some sort of shooting or something, and so time was slowing down as either Chris or myself were reaching what were to be the final moments of life. But that wasn't the case.

 

Everything really had gone quiet, because my fingers had stopped moving along the guitar. The drums and bass weren't present either, and if I'd had the strength to look away from Chris I might have seen Will and Guy staring, confused, in our direction. The crowd's hushed silence was broken as a thud sounded throughout the room, the result of Chris dropping his mic, and a few people nearby gasped audibly.

 

Did either of us know what was going on? Could either of us have predicted our proceeding actions? Why was there so much sweat pouring off my body? It wasn't because of the jacket, I knew that, though it certainly was a contributing factor. Chris's lips quivered until there was no longer a sense in standing around and not doing anything, and so he leaped forward in a way and grabbed my head in his hands, pressing our lips together. Oddly enough, no gasps were heard at that. Maybe they had expected it at that point.

 

I hadn't, but I certainly wasn't going to stop Chris. In fact, I probably enabled him, since I reached around and placed my hands on his back, pulling him a little closer. He opened his mouth and I followed; since I couldn't think anymore, I just went along with whatever Chris was doing. The feeling of his tongue was... indescribable. Had it not been for the tens of thousands of people around us, I might have let it keep going, until there was nothing left to do. God knows I wanted to.

 

But the first bit of consciousness that returned to me was the thought that, hey, there are people here who probably don't want to see you make out with your friend (the 'friend' part I was now unsure of- could I really call him only my friend now?), and so I broke off the kiss. Plus, maybe it should have been a much more private moment, especially since I had just done something I had never even considered doing in the entire time that I had known Chris, and now I had to face all of these feelings that I wasn't aware had been there.

 

Everyone seemed to be very patient with us, which was great. If I were any one of the crowd I might not have been so understanding- I mean, we were in the middle of a freaking concert! This was certainly not the time to be doing this.

 

For a while Chris and I kept our eyes still set upon each other, his hands still stroking my cheeks. Then he seemed to have brought himself back to the stadium, and he pulled his arms away and went to pick up the mic.

 

He slowly stood back up and placed the mic to his lips. “I love you,” he told me, and the crowd burst into a chorus of “aww”s. I blinked at him several times.

 

How was I supposed to respond to that? When was I supposed to respond to that? “I love you, too,” right then and there? But I didn't even know that I did. I actually began to feel a little angry, being put on the spot like that, and in front of so many people.

 

He seemed to have noticed, judging by the frown his lips had turned down into. “Sorry,” he said, away from the microphone, and he walked down the ramp, back toward the stage. The show must go on.

 

Everyone's energy disappeared then. For the rest of the gig, we all played dully, the crowd was barely moving, and Chris in particular was not as peppy as usual. No surprises there.

 

But it wasn't my fault entirely. He was the one who had opened his mouth in the first place, and I don't mean when we kissed (though it was true then as well). If he hadn't said anything, then we would have been going about the night as usual. Instead I was left to watch Chris bow his head down further into the piano than he normally did, favor Guy's side of the crowd more than most other nights.

 

It was during this time that I allowed myself to think. Did I love him? Certainly I did, we all loved each other, but this was a different type of love. Was I in love with Chris?

 

All right, so sometimes I laughed at things he said that weren't actually that funny. Sometimes I smiled only because he did. Sometimes I wondered how his eyes could be such an amazing shade of blue. Sometimes I thought about him as I was going to sleep... None of that meant that I was in love with him, though, let's be honest- there's not doubting that I clearly had feelings for him deeper than friendship, but love?

 

I had to imagine what it would be like if I were to be with Chris for a very long time. He had never really annoyed me before like he had others, and I figured that that probably meant something. In fact, many times I wondered why he never annoyed me, or why everyone else grew tired so easily of his antics. I could hear him go on and on all day about how little he thinks of himself, but not once would I tell him to get over it. He shouldn't feel like that, but when he does I just want to try to make him see that. I would never tell him to shut up, because then I could never hear that voice, that oh so lovely voice of his that soothes me and makes the blood pump quicker through my system.

 

That night when we went back on for the encore, Chris was singing with his eyes closed, as he quite often did, but his voice was so much purer and more raw than it had ever sounded before, which I know sounds quite impossible. But that performance of The Scientist may have been the best one ever, or at the very least the best one yet.

 

Everyone could hear and feel the heartbreak in his voice, and I couldn't help feeling just a bit responsible. Well, I felt completely responsible. Despite my earlier belief that Chris was also at fault, all I now wanted to do was to run up to him and apologize, to tell him that I do love him. I've always loved him.

 

Why was it so hard for me to see? Or an even better question- why had I been trying for so long to hide it, to deny that I felt this way? I can remember meeting him and thinking that it would be nice to find a girl like him, a girl who could balance my quiet, stable personality perfectly. But the thought never seemed to have crossed my mind that maybe I could just have Chris instead. I did have him, in a way.

 

I almost forgot that the rest of us were supposed to join in on the song at a point, but luckily Will's drums always came first, and it gave me a nice warning. I played, but I just wanted the whole thing to be over so that I could let Chris know what I had discovered. I think it showed.

 

“Playing a little fast, eh, Jon?” Guy tried to casually say to me once we gathered in the middle of the stage for our final bow. I walked right past him without saying anything, headed straight for the tall man who was interacting with the crowd closest to where Guy had been standing only minutes before.

 

Chris saw me. I know he did. But he tried, rather unsuccessfully in my opinion, to pretend that he didn't. He waved at the people who were screaming in his direction, smiled halfheartedly at them. Finally, I decided to grab his shoulder and pull him back to get him to look at me.

 

“Chris,” I said to him, as loudly as I could, “I have to apologize to you. What happened earlier... well, I don't know why it took me forever to realize it, but, Chris-”

 

“Jonny, I can't hear you-”

 

“-I love you.” He seemed to hear me then. Everything slowed down again, and I noticed that not only sweat was dripping from his cheeks and down his chin. I took a step forward so that he could hear me better. “I'm sorry that I didn't say it before, I think maybe my brain must have stopped working or something.” Yeah, for the past fifteen years. What a lame excuse.

 

Then Chris did what I hadn't expected him to do, and he turned back to the crowd. Eventually, we had to actually do our final bow, and by that point Chris had moved so that Guy was standing between us. I always feel bad for Guy when he's put in that position, though I think that's another story.

 

I knew I had messed up, but I was thinking that Chris would forgive me. Maybe it was just a stupid and naive assumption. Real life is not like fairytales, if you hurt someone they're not just going to forget it as soon as you say you're sorry. You could be saying sorry for the rest of your life, and it would never amount to anything. I hoped Chris didn't hate me now.

 

He wouldn't even look at me. He turned his head in the direction that Will, Guy, and I were standing, and I know he looked at Will. Then his eyes sort of wandered to the ground, and stayed there for a while. Guy said something to him, he looked back up, replied, and he even laughed a bit. I felt even worse than I had during the encore.

 

While we were backstage, after getting changed quickly to head off in the cars in a cleaner state, I tried to find Chris. Even if he didn't want to see me, I had to at least ask him what was going on between us now. I just wanted to be clear, so that if he were to have hated me, I could deal with it accordingly. But I couldn't find him, and there were a lot of people ushering me out of the stadium.

 

I almost stopped walking as we came into view of the cars. Most likely I would find Chris there, but I would also be in the presence of several other people, and I wanted to speak to Chris in private.

 

“Jonny,” someone said in an annoyingly annoyed voice. “Come on, man.”

 

But I couldn't bring myself to walk any faster. It was like I was walking towards my death or something, because if Chris was still mad at me I may as well have been dead. It was an overreaction, sure, but that's how I felt at the time. I shoved my hands into my pockets and stared at the ground as I inched my way forward. They were all gonna be angry with me soon enough, just for taking so long to get out of the place.

 

Then someone walked up beside me, and I would have instantly recognized the sneakers this person donned had I actually looked over at them. But I was too self-involved at that moment to care. For a few feet he walked beside me without making his presence known, then I felt his skin against my skin as his hand reached for mine. I removed my hand from my pocket and our fingers laced together, almost as if they had been waiting to do that since the moment they were created. It was a perfect fit.

 

We walked the rest of the way to the car without saying a word, without even looking at each other, just holding hands and knowing that everything was all right.

 

A kind of graduation present for the ever lovely Brooke:heart:

 

Alone, Together

Part 1

 

 

 

Chris examined his locker. He glanced down at the books he carried in his arms. Then he looked back up at the locker. He wanted to make sure he had everything. Ridiculous as it was, even after nearly four complete years of high school he still had difficulty remembering to bring all the necessary items to his various classes.

 

His real problem was adjusting to the high school atmosphere. When he first entered high school as a wide-eyed, meek and highly nervous freshman, everybody told him that he would adjust in time. That he would get used to the change from middle to high school.

 

But now he was a senior, and had yet to see that happen to him. He was still just as nervous and uneasy about it as he was on his first day nearly four years before. He heaved a great sigh and slammed his locker shut, having confirmed he had the correct books. He had suddenly remembered why he felt particularly flustered today.

 

There was just two weeks of school weeks. Two weeks, and then he was done. He was never going back to this place ever again. And while most kids would be absolutely thrilled to finally be in this position, Chris was not.

 

It wasn’t that he liked school. He didn’t. It was basically a living hell most days. But what worried him was what would come after school’s end. There would be more change. A lot of it. Far more than there had been simply making the transition from middle to high school.

 

Chris didn’t think he could handle that. It was taking him four years to even become slightly accustomed to a much simpler change. And now this was being sprung upon him seemingly out of nowhere.

 

There would be a summer job. Chris had never really had a job before. Then there would be college. Which would mean moving away. And staying in a dorm. Which would mean being away from those he cared about. Suddenly he felt nauseous. This was too much to bear.

 

He turned around and was met with a pair of bright green eyes looking at him. And then a smile. His stomach flipped. He couldn’t deal with this right now. He tried to get the meeting over with as soon as possible.

 

“Hi Jonny,” he mumbled, already turning on his heel to head to his next class. But his efforts were in vain. He felt a hand on his shoulder, holding him in place.

 

“Where are you off to so quickly?” Jonny chuckled. “I’ve never seen you so eager to go to math.”

 

“Well….you know…” Chris stuttered out weakly, turning around to face Jonny. He didn’t know what to say. He couldn’t tell Jonny that he was avoiding him. Then he would want to know why.

 

“Are we still hanging out after school today? At the usual place?”

 

“I don’t know. I think…I think I have some stuff to do at home. I’m sorry.”

 

Jonny crossed his arms and frowned. “Mmhm” he said suspiciously. “You seem to be extra busy lately. Any particular reason why?”

 

Chris shrugged and turned his gaze to the floor. “Not really. I…I’ve got to go. I don’t want to be late.” He turned back around and practically ran down the hall.

 

Jonny watched him go and his expression softened from a suspicious frown into a worried one. There was definitely something up with Chris. He only wished he knew what. But he didn’t want to invade on Chris’s privacy. He decided to allow him some time and some space to work it out on his own.

 

He smiled in a loving way. As soon as Chris needed him, if he did, Jonny knew he would be there to listen to Chris with open ears, mind, and heart. So for now he simply watched him go, as much as it hurt to do so.

 

------

 

Chris lay in his bed and just stared at the wall. It couldn’t have been past 8:30. But Chris had never had much of a social life. And with all of this avoiding Jonny, it was a rarity for him to even step foot from the house to go anywhere besides school. So he really had nothing else to do.

 

His eyes kept wandering to the photos that were stuck onto the walls here and there throughout his room. They were of him and Jonny. Most of them weren’t serious. Just the two of them making crazy faces into the camera. But every photo represented a different moment that they had shared together.

 

Chris surprised himself a little by feeling his throat tighten and tears build up in his eyes. He wasn’t ready to leave this behind him. He didn’t want to sacrifice more precious moments. And to Chris, every moment with Jonny was a precious one.

 

He turned to stare at his favorite photo. It was one of the few more serious shots, and it was just of Jonny. Chris had caught him unaware one summer evening while they were at the fair. The light had been just right and it had allowed Chris to capture a great image of Jonny’s profile.

 

His chest began to ache. He folded himself up in the bed and gripping his legs, he no longer fought back the tears. He cried until there were none left. He couldn’t make this change.

 

------

 

Jonny sat alone at the usual table. Their table. He sipped distractedly from his glass of iced tea. But eventually he just pushed it away. Going there just wasn’t the same without Chris. He checked his watch, then checked the door.

 

He sighed in frustration at his own ridiculousness. Chris had said he wasn't going to be there tonight. So why was he still wishing so badly that he'd change his mind?

 

Jonny knew deep down in his heart what the answer was. And it went beyond simply desiring to enjoy a social evening between two best friends.

 

He considered his options. He could let Chris work this out alone like he told himself he would. Or he could help him through whatever it was he was going through, no matter if Chris asked for it or not.

 

He thought about rude it would be to go knocking on Chris's door. It was dark now. How happy would his parents be about that? And then he thought about Chris. That terrible sadness that had been a main feature in his eyes for days now. How alone must he be feeling right now, at home in his room as he surely was?

 

Jonny stood up and rushed out the door and down the sidewalk until turning the corner onto Chris's street. He had made his decision.

 

 

- B O S T O N -

Part One

 

 

At four years old, he was already the most impressive kid on the block. Not only did he have a Spiderman bicycle, he was riding with two wheels. All the other kids only dreamed of taking off their training wheels, but Jonny was the only one who had done so successfully.

 

No one dared to talk to him. He liked it that way. They were all just so awed by him and even a little intimidated, though there was no reason to be. He was the friendliest kid in the world. But he didn't mind not having friends.

 

He rode his bicycle around in circles on the long road. His helmet, knee and elbow pads matched his bike, all sporting the red and blue superhero. Whenever he decided that the helmet strap was starting to get itchy against his chin, Jonny would stop riding and go back inside.

 

At five years old, he learned to swim. The other kids envied him more. Some started interacting with him. But they would simply invite him to pool parties so they could watch him swim. To them, he was like some sort of god.

 

He lost his first tooth when he was six. In lunch, kids would coerce him into showing them how he could stick a straw in the gap and drink his milk through it. They were all thoroughly impressed, no matter how many times they watched him do it. In fact, it seemed to become even more astonishing with each time.

 

He stopped doing impressive things once he was thirteen. But by then he'd built up such a reputation that the kids in his class started rumors about his latest debacles. At fourteen he was no longer a virgin, and whoever that lucky girl was was so going to die. Like, seriously, what a lucky whore she was. At fifteen he was scoring drugs from the top dealers in the area. Not even the typical druggies could get stuff like he could.

 

The rumors settled when he was sixteen, but that was only because he had actually done something. Not only did he have his license, he had his own motorcycle.

 

One day Chris and Guy were standing outside of the school, waiting for the bell to ring. An engine revved nearby, and they both looked up to see Jonny skidding to a halt in his parking space.

 

“Damn, I wish I could do that,” Guy said. He scratched his neck absentmindedly. “And that's a hell of a bike...Chris?”

 

Guy looked over at Chris. Chris, who had not been listening to a word Guy was saying, but was staring at Jonny with his head tilted and a tiny smile on his face, replied, “Hm?”

 

“Oh my God, you totally like that kid!!” Guy's outburst broke Chris's concentration, and he snapped his head in Guy's direction.

 

“What? No I don't!” Chris laughed as if the idea was preposterous, but in reality Guy had hit the nail on the head.

 

He didn't even really know this boy, but something about him was just utterly captivating. And if he even so much as glanced in Chris's general direction, Chris would blush and his heart would race.

 

Right then Chris thought his fantasies were finally coming true; Jonny was walking up to the school, but it seemed that he was headed for right where Chris and Guy were standing. Chris tried to hide his excitement at the thought of Jonny coming over and talking to him.

 

Luckily he didn't have to worry for much longer, because Jonny was indeed walking towards them. And then he continued walking as he passed them by, not even slowing down. Chris sighed, but he knew his day would come eventually.

 

In the meantime, Chris stuck to daydreaming in his classes, doodling little hearts with J's in them all over his homework and notes. Of course, then he realized that anyone- especially Guy- would be able to see them and find out about his crush, so he colored in the hearts to hide it.

 

Then a week later Chris and Guy were walking home, and they were about halfway between Chris's house and the school. Suddenly, someone pulled up along the side of the road on a motorcycle. Chris knew immediately who it was, and he decided that this was his chance and he was not going to let it slip by.

 

Guy was in the middle of telling Chris about the date he'd been on the night before, but as soon as Jonny came into the scene Chris stopped caring. One second Chris was listening, Guy looked down at the sidewalk, then the next thing he knew Chris was running off into the road.

 

“Chris, what are you doing?” he shouted, but there was no response.

 

Chris stood next to the motorcycle, waiting for Jonny to see him. Jonny removed his helmet, turned, and noticed Chris. Then he just stared with his amazingly green eyes.

 

“Hi,” Chris began, “I'm Chris.” He thought about holding out his hand for Jonny to shake, but then realized that if Jonny did touch his hand he would probably burst into an abundance of pieces.

 

“I'm Jonny,” Jonny replied, and he nearly killed Chris with his voice. That soft, beautiful voice that was basically like a million fluffy clouds in sonic form. Chris smiled at him.

 

“Chris, man, come on!” Guy called from somewhere in the background. Chris quickly looked back at him, then at Jonny again.

 

“I'll see you around.”

 

“Yeah,” Jonny said, unsure of how else to respond. Chris smiled again, then left, returning to Guy with a grin that stretched across his entire face.

 

“Ugh, dude, you're so gay,” Guy told him.

 

“I'm not gay,” Chris said defensively, smirking, “I just think he's... interesting.”

 

“You're gay for him,” Guy corrected himself. Chris opened his mouth to argue, but the words wouldn't leave his mouth and he ended up sighing.

 

“You're right,” he quietly replied. Then Chris looked back over his shoulder and hopelessly watched as Jonny walked into his house.

 

Alone, Together

Part 2

 

 

 

Chris stared out his window. Now it was truly nighttime. It was dark and the street was quiet. Chris felt his mind was a bit quieter too. Not as many thoughts ran through his head. The crying had done him some good after all.

 

He realized the rational thing to do was not avoid Jonny, but talk to him. He needed to tell Jonny how he felt. Maybe it wouldn't change the way things had to be, but it might give him some relief from this emotional torment he was under.

 

He reached for the phone. For a moment he just held it in his hands, his fingers hovering over the buttons. Finally he got the courage to press one of them. It made a low beeping sound that seemed to encourage Chris to keep going.

 

He pressed another, and another. Finally he had the entire number typed into the phone, and was about to press send when there was a knock at the door. Then the sound of footsteps. The door creaked open. Chris heard his mother's voice.

And then there was the sound of footsteps, but louder this time. They were coming towards him. His door opened.

 

"Can I come in?"

 

Chris dropped the phone in shock. "Sure," he replied weakly.

 

Jonny entered the room and flashed a small smile. Chris knew it must've been to make him feel better. But Jonny simply didn't know that every little thing like that made Chris feel worse. It wasn't his fault of course, but that didn't help Chris at all.

 

"What's up?" Chris asked meekly. He avoided Jonny's eyes like the plague. They were too green and too full of life. Every time Chris saw them it just reminded him that he would have to leave them.

 

"I wanted to talk to you about something."

 

"And that couldn't wait until Monday?" Chris asked. He didn't realize how nasty that sounded until after the words were already out of his mouth.

 

Jonny frowned. "You never want to talk to me at school any more. And besides, this is important."

 

"I'm sorry," Chris said.

 

"It's okay, I know you didn't really mean it in a bad way."

 

"No, I mean I'm sorry for the way I've been treating you lately. I shouldn't have been ignoring you."

 

"It's okay Chris. I understand. You've obviously been dealing with a lot lately. And that's why-" He stopped mid-sentence and scratched his head nervously. "Um..can I sit down?" he asked timidly, gesturing towards the bed where Chris sat.

 

Chris forced a smile. "Sure."

 

Jonny sat beside Chris and rested clasped hands on his lap. "The reason I came over here unannounced like this, which I am sorry for by the way, was because I know you've been feeling really upset about something lately. I don't know what it is, but I thought that if I told you something, it might help."

 

He took a deep breath. "Look at me Chris. I want you to know something."

 

Chris obeyed. He didn't really want to, but something in Jonny's tone told him that this was important.

 

"You've been my best friend for a long time. It's reached a point where I can't enjoy myself or anything else without you right there with me. And one day I recognized something-that point was the point when I stopped viewing you as a friend. I love you Chris. I have for some time now. I just didn't know it."

 

Chris stared at him, eyes wide and mouth agape. He wanted to speak, but couldn't find the words just yet.

 

"I'm sorry if that's weird or awkward for you. I don't want things to be like that between us. I just thought that if I told you how I feel, it might help...if you could remember that no matter what you are going through, I am always here for you and will always love you."

 

Chris decided that he either had to speak now, or pass out from the shock of it all. "I...wow," he managed weakly. But then he caught Jonny's gaze again. "I love you too," he said.

 

Now it was Jonny's turn to look shocked. But that didn't last long, for it was quickly replaced by a look of joy. "I never thought you'd actually feel the same way. This is...my feelings right now can't really be described with words."

 

Chris laughed nervously. "I know what you mean."

 

Without thinking, he rested his hand on Jonny's. Realizing what he had done, he nervously looked to Jonny for some sign of encouragement. With relief he noted that Jonny didn't seem to mind this gesture at all, but was smiling.

 

"I'll tell you why I've been feeling badly lately. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I was actually about to though, just as you walked in here. The truth of it is, I have been thinking about how one this school year ends we will be going to different colleges and...I was terrified that we would drift apart. I've loved you for a long time Jonny, and I've been spoiled. I've gotten to spend almost every minute with who I love. I didn't want that to ever change."

 

"Oh Chris," Jonny said softly, "I'm so sorry. I should have guessed. I've been thinking about that too. But there's something else I've been thinking about too, something that came to my head just about a minute ago."

 

"Yeah?"

 

"Yes. I've been thinking...we both love each other, right?"

 

"Yes," Chris replied, with a large smile.

 

"Well, love knows no distance. And now...knowing that we both feel the same...I don't see any reason why we won't be able to retain our relationship no matter where we go. As a matter of fact, I think, if it's alright with you, I'd like to advance it."

 

"You mean like...date or something?"

 

"Well, we love each other. So yeah, I think that'd be the thing to do."

 

"Jonny....I would love that." He looked at him for a long time. "I feel closer to you already," he whispered.

 

"Come here," Jonny whispered back. He pulled Chris into a hug. Chris hugged him right back. Jonny could feel his sleeve becoming wet with Chris's tears. He knew Chris's sleeve must be wet too. And neither of them minded, for these were tears not of sadness, but of joy.

 

Joy because they had both finally gained the courage to admit their feelings. Joy because they found that they shared the same feelings. And joy because they knew through t their mutual love that they could still be alone and yet still be together.

 

 

 

- B O S T O N -

Part Two

 

 

It was with a great deal of caution that Jonny opened the door; he hadn't been expecting anyone. He never expected anyone.

 

The boy he'd met earlier with the big, blue eyes and the curly brownish hair was standing before him, beaming. “Hey.”

 

“Hey.”

 

“Um, I talked to you before...” He waved his hand backwards, gesturing to the general area that contained Jonny's motorcycle.

 

“Yeah,” Jonny nodded, “I remember. Chris.”

 

“Oh, sorry.” Chris bowed his head, trying to hide his red cheeks. “Well, my friend- Guy- and I are planning on going to the mall in, like, half an hour. I was wondering if you'd want to come with us?”

 

Jonny almost shook his head just to make sure that he wasn't hallucinating or anything. Here was this kid, who he'd only met maybe an hour before, if that, and now he was being invited places? It almost felt like it should be some sort of dream.

 

But Jonny agreed, because he liked the idea of having friends. He was fine without them, but he could probably use the experience.

 

Chris called Guy as he and Jonny were standing on the curb by Jonny's house, and he told Guy to have his mother pick them up there.

 

“Why?” Guy inquired in a most whiny tone.

 

“Because I invited him. Just pick us up, OK??” Chris shut his phone off, then turned to Jonny, who was watching him with a skeptical look. Chris sighed, thinking that maybe Jonny was already regretting tagging along. “I'm sorry. I guess Guy's just not big on expanding our group. Of two people. But he can deal with it.”

 

Jonny laughed a little, and Chris smiled back at him. “Thanks,” Jonny said.

 

A few minutes went by without either of them saying another word, but Chris eventually grew tired of the silence. “So, tell me, Jonny... how long have you had your bike?”

 

Jonny nearly frowned, but replied, “I've had it for five or six months.”

 

“Oh, I just wanted to know more about you,” Chris said, apologetically, as he noticed that Jonny didn't seem to like his question. “We don't have to talk about your bike, we can talk about something else. What do you... like?”

 

Chris could have smacked himself for saying that, but he didn't. Jonny was about to answer when a car pulled up and Guy shouted out the window at them.

 

“Get in, tossers!”

 

“Guy!” his mother yelled at him.

 

“What?” he yelled back. Chris rolled his eyes at Jonny and opened the back door of the car. Jonny went to walk around the car, but he quickly realized by Chris's stance that Chris was holding the door for him.

 

He smiled and burned Chris's retinas with the brightness, and may have melted Chris's insides as well. Moments later Chris entered the car through the other door and then they were off, headed for the mall.

 

It seemed like all Chris did was blink and it was already the next day, but he was glad for that. He actually enjoyed going to school, if not only because it was where he could see Jonny. And now that he and Jonny were somewhat friends, well, school had amplified its coolness by about a billion times.

 

There were a lot of people in the room. But it was a cafeteria, so that wasn't really surprising. Chris would have scanned the crowd for that familiar, handsome face, if he hadn't already known exactly where Jonny was sitting.

 

Guy tailed behind him, rolling his eyes but not bothering to sit anywhere except with Chris. Jonny didn't look up once, not even after Chris and Guy sat down beside him. He kept his head down, staring at his food. He might not have even noticed they were there.

 

“Hi, Jonny!” Chris chirped. Jonny lifted his head, the surprise clearly showing on his face.

 

“Um... hi.” His eyes darted between Chris and Guy, and it seemed like he wanted to say more but couldn't, or he just didn't know what to say.

 

“You don't mind me sitting here, do you?” Chris asked him. Jonny shook his head. “Good. So, um, how are you?”

 

Jonny shrugged. “'M all right.” The silence that followed was painfully awkward for Jonny- he was never really good with social situations- but Chris just used the time to stare.

 

“I'm going up to get food now,” Chris announced, his eyes still stuck on Jonny. “Do you want to come with me?”

 

“Yeah, I'm starved,” Guy loudly said.

 

“Sure,” Jonny answered. Chris, smiling as he moved, stood up along with Jonny and they both began to walk to where the lunch lines were. Guy, as he had stated, was very hungry, but he stayed behind for several reasons: he thought there should be at least one person at the table watching their stuff and making sure no one stole any of their chairs; the girl he went on a date with two nights previous was sitting at the next table, though she seemed to be ignoring him; and he didn't really want to be around Chris and Jonny for much longer than he had to, especially now that Chris was being so flirty.

 

“Can I ask you something?” Chris said to Jonny as they stopped at the back of a rather long line of people.

 

“Isn't that all you've done since you started talking to me?” Jonny replied, not necessarily bitterly, but certainly with a great deal of sarcasm.

 

“Good point,” Chris laughed. “I suppose I won't bother you with any more questions, then.”

 

“No, go ahead. I don't mind.”

 

“All right. Well, I was just wondering-” Chris cut himself off, as he could feel his cheeks slowly burning. He looked away from Jonny, hoping that maybe not seeing him while he asked the question would make him feel less embarrassed. “Have you ever had a girlfriend before?”

 

“No,” Jonny quietly replied. Chris looked back at him with wide eyes and raised eyebrows.

 

“Neither have I. Guy says I should try it some time,” he brightly added, then shook his head. “I don't think anyone would actually be interested in me.”

 

“I feel the same way... a-about myself,” Jonny said. For some reason, Jonny's words gave Chris some sort of inexplicable hope, like if Jonny felt that way, but it was clearly not true, then maybe it would be the same for Chris.

 

 

Up in the air.

--1--

 

 

“Please insert the fastener into the buckle.”

 

The tiny click of the seat belt sent tiny sparks of excitement down Guy’s spine, while the same sound caused Jonny to shake. Jonny hated flying, everything about it caused him great stress and horror. Guy was the complete opposite; he enjoyed flying with tremendous passion since he was a young boy.

 

Guy glanced over at Jonny and chuckled. Jonny had just pulled his seat belt as tight across his lap as was humanly possible and was now checking it every few seconds to make sure it was fastened low and tight across his lap and had not come undone. He was an absolute wreck and they hadn’t even left the gate yet. Guy patted Jonny and the shoulder and flashed him a reassuring grin. Jonny just stared at Guy with a face that said if you weren’t my good mate I would punch the shit out of you.

 

Finally the time came for the plane to depart from the gate. The standard protocol was instigated. A pleasant flight attendant began to walk up and down the isle asking that tray tables be locked and chairs be moved into their proper upright position, that all portable electronics be turned off and stowed in their proper place.

 

Jonny was following every instruction with OCD actions. Guy was trying to flirt with the flight attendant by casually giving her seductive looks and heart melting smiles. Jonny noticed Guy’s not so subtle actions and was quick to punch his friend in the shoulder.

 

“Stop flirting you ****, this is serious! Is your tray table up?”

Guy hadn’t even touched his tray table. He turned and gave Jonny a are you serious look and then returned back to trying to flirt with the flight attendant. About 10 seconds latter he was punched yet again by Jonny.”

 

“What Jonny? My tray table is up, my chair is good and all my fucking electronics are off!”

 

“Guy they are going through the safety instructions and you need to pay attention, because what if our plane crashes and then we are stranded on an island and a polar bear comes and attacks us and then there is a secret hatch and..”

 

“Shut Up! This isn’t LOST! That was a fictional TV show! FICTIONAL!! Say it with me now, FICTIONAL!!”

 

“But Guy!”

 

“No, no buts, I know you hate flying, but the real likely hood that we will actually crash is fairly small So just try and relax. I love flying and you are making me rather hate it today!”

 

Jonny crossed his arms and sulked a bit. He knew that Guy was right, but he was still a nervous wreck and would be until he was off this flying coffin.

 

 

 

Waves

PART EIGHT

 

 

 

"Hello" Guy said, walking into the church. Gwyneth was standing there on her own.

 

"Hi?" Gwyneth said, turning around to reveal her beautiful, blue wedding dress.

 

"Are you Chris' new bride?" Guy asked.

 

"Yes, well, if he turns up soon. If anyone turns up" Gwyneth said. "I'm Gwyneth by the way"

 

At that moment, a woman and two children walked in. It was Chris' old family- Gwyneth, Moses and Apple.

 

Chris' bride to be looked at the people in shock.

"I'm so sorry"

 

"So, you are Gwyneth?" Chris' old wife said. "Just so no one gets confused, anyone watching or reading this, you can call me Gwyn!"

 

"Do you know?" Gwyneth asked.

 

"Yes, I know" Gwyn replied, smiling.

 

Guy intercepted. "I don't think either of you know the full story"

 

"What do you mean?" Gwyn asked, they all went to sit down.

 

"The night, the night of the fire" Guy started, sighing. "He stayed at mine while I was away on holiday, he knew then, he knew about the cancer, he wanted time away!"

 

Gwyn looked at the floor. Gwyneth looked away.

"How did the fire start then?" Gwyneth asked, smiling. "I didn't even know about it"

 

"Neither do I" Guy said.

 

"Well I'm going to find out" Gwyn said, standing up.

 

"No!" Guy exclaimed. "No, no, you guys stay here, I will check on Chris"

 

Guy ran out of the church, stopped in his tracks and tried ringing Chris again.

"Please god no!" Guy pleaded before jumping in his car and driving off

 

Guy arrived at Chris' apartment within 5 minutes, it was only down the road. Guy knocked on the door before walking in. Looking around, Guy made his way into the kitchen. Staring at the phone, a button was flashing red. Guy pressed it and heard his own voice. It was the message he left earlier.

 

Guy made his way into the living room and was met with the sight of Chris, slumped on the sofa. He knew. Guy walked over to Chris and sat beside him. Not even checking his pulse or his breathing, Guy started talking. It was over.

"Chris Martin. Chris-to-pher Mar-tin. You were one of the world's treasures. You really were. You loved your family, you never wanted to hurt them. Sure, you did some crazy things but your love for your family was right at the centre of all of your thoughts, wasn't it?"

Guy stroked Chris' head.

 

Guy leant into Chris' ear.

"Do you want to know a secret. I would have turned gay for you" Guy said, laughing before standing up and walking out of the apartment, leaving the body of the most loveable musician in the world lying on the sofa while a repeat of Jeremy Kyle blared out from the television.

 

 

 

Viva La Vida.