Chapter Six

 

 

Much to his surprise, Chris actually talked to Jonny the next morning. He had been worried that Jonny would ignore him completely, too deep now in loathing Chris to even want to look at him. But that wasn't the case.

 

Jonny walked up to him as he usually did, as if nothing had happened between them the day before. Chris was a little relieved, but still mostly anxious. He was afraid that Jonny would either just shoot him a death stare and keep walking, or that Jonny would tell him what an awful person he was.

 

“Morning,” he tried to say as casually as he could, but there was an obvious sadness in his voice. His eyes seemed to plead with Chris, begging him to stop going down the self-destructive path he was on, even though he realized that Chris thought he was actually improving himself.

 

“Good morning, Jonny,” Chris said, returning the same melancholic tone. He shifted about awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck.

 

“I was thinking that we could get some Chinese for lunch today.” Chris was looking at the ground, but he could clearly hear the stiffness in Jonny's tone. He wanted desperately to change that.

 

“Sounds good to me,” Chris replied with a tiny smile. Jonny slowly shook his head.

 

“And then I thought... what's the point?” he asked. Chris felt that sinking sensation again, like his insides were being pulled to the ground by some unstoppable magnetic force. The only thing that seemed to rise in him was guilt.

 

“Jonny, I promise you I won't do it,” Chris said, though he felt like the words were being spoken by someone else, coming from a mouth other than his own. Probably because he knew he was lying. Deep down Jonny figured he was, but he still gave Chris the benefit of the doubt.

 

“Fine. I'll come get you at the regular time, then.” If Chris hadn't finally looked up at Jonny, he would have missed Jonny's small attempt at smiling. It only made him feel a little better.

 

“Yeah, sounds good.” Then the two men made their way up and into the building, down the hallways to their respective work rooms, all without saying another word.

 

“Hey, Jonny,” someone called as Jonny sat down at his desk. He looked up to see that it was the man who sat at the desk next to his, Robert. “I need to ask you something.”

 

“Shoot for it,” Jonny said.

 

“That guy you're friends with, Chris, does he have a girlfriend? Or is he gay?” Jonny narrowed his eyes at Robert questioningly.

 

“Why, are you interested or something?” Jonny replied, but he continued before Robert could answer. “As far as I know, he's single and straight. I don't think he has a girlfriend, but we've been best friends for years and he's never said anything to me about being gay, so...”

 

“All right,” Robert said. “I was just wondering because my friend is one of the other models working along with him, and he wanted me to find out.”

 

“Oh. Well, I could certainly ask him about the girlfriend thing... I don't know if I feel comfortable asking him if he's gay though, I mean, he probably would have told me anyway.” Jonny suddenly felt uncomfortable, though he was sure exactly why; he wouldn't have had a problem with Chris being gay, but he thought that maybe if Chris was trying to hide it from him, he wouldn't be so fine with it.

 

“You don't have to actually ask him anything if you don't want. I only told my friend that I would ask you about him, so my part is done.” Robert held up his hands and began to walk away, taking a few steps backwards. “If you do ask him, though, just let me know.”

 

“Will do.” Jonny waited until Robert left to return his attention to his desk. He sighed at the mere thought of how much work he had to do, and how much he didn't want to do it. Only a small portion of him was glad to work there, and that was solely because it meant that he could keep in touch with Chris.

 

After ten minutes or so, Jonny finally decided that he should get to actually doing the work. Surprisingly, he didn't take as many mini breaks as he normally did. He only stopped once or twice in the few hours before he was to meet up with Chris, and both times he returned to his work within a matter of minutes.

 

Jonny had been afraid all during lunch that Chris would suddenly excuse himself to go to the restroom. He wasn't sure how he would handle it, especially because he knew that Chris would only do that for one reason. But, much to Jonny's relief, Chris stayed at the table the entire time. Of course, Chris had never used the restrooms when they were at lunch, only after they went back to work.

 

Even though they usually split the bill, Jonny offered to pay this particular day. Chris, after much fussing over it, agreed to let Jonny do so. It made him feel a bit guiltier, though, which Jonny had unconsciously intended.

 

As Jonny stood at the counter and pulled out his wallet, Chris stood behind him and pulled out his cellphone. He hit a few buttons, and suddenly it began to ring. He quickly looked at it, then said to Jonny, “I have to take this. I'll meet you outside.”

 

“Sure,” Jonny absentmindedly said.

 

Chris walked out of the building, talking into this phone as he did so. Once he was outside he walked around into the empty alley beside the restaurant and put his phone back into his pocket. He felt awful, but there was no way he could stop himself.

 

Behind the large dumpster he stood so that no one on the sidewalk would be able to see him. Hopefully no one would hear him either. He had to be quick, so he tried to get to business immediately.

 

Like he had done so many times before, Chris opened his mouth and shoved his index and middle fingers back as far as they would go until he started gagging. Before long his lunch was burning in his throat as it went to fall to the ground. Once he was sure he'd gotten all of it out, he rinsed his mouth out with a bottle of water that he had brought with him, and he took out a few mints that he had stashed in his pocket.

 

Chris ran back to the sidewalk, hoping that Jonny would still be inside and he wouldn't be caught. As soon as his foot hit the pavement and he turned, Jonny walked out the door and faced him. For a second Jonny looked suspicious, but it quickly passed.

 

Suddenly something strange happened, and Chris felt like he was very short of breath, even though he hadn't run that far. And things started to blur, then everything was spinning, and the last thing he saw was Jonny rushing towards him as he collapsed to the ground. Then there was nothing but darkness.

 

 

The Best Years Of Your Life

Chapter Eighteen: Revelations At Midnight

 

 

 

 

"For fuck sake...I can't be doing with this" Phil exclaimed, as he walked into the hospital, Guy and Will by his side.

 

"Shut up Phil!" Guy shouted. Everyone in the waiting room stared at the row that had started. "All you can think of is thing stupid talent show when Jonny is lying in a hospital bed, when he needs us the most, just get lost...yeah?"

 

"I'm...sorry" Phil said, sighing. "Look, I'm going to see him, he's my mate and he needs our help"

 

"That's more like it, man" Will said, smiling as they continued to make their way down the hospital. "I think this is his room"

 

The three teenagers looked through the glass and within Jonny was with his father.

 

"I think we better wait until they are finished talking" Phil said, showing some sympathy for once.

 

----------------

 

"Jonny, my boy" His father said, leaning in to hug his son.

 

"I don't deserve this, Dad" Jonny said. "I'm not a good person"

 

"For god sake Jonny, stop being so nice, stop thinking about other person. You are in hospital, we are all thinking of you now!" Daddy Buckland said with a compassionate smile.

 

"Mum doesn't though, does she?" Jonny said, running his fingers though his hair.

 

--------------

 

"Mum, I'm home" Chris said, walking through his front door. He was met with the sight of his Dad and Jonny's mum in a compromising position. He dropped his coat.

 

"Son" his dad said.

 

"Fucking brilliant. This is all I fucking need. Dad, you are sick. And Anne, I thought better of you, when you told me you were having an affair, I thought you would choose someone nicer than Mr Martin. You're disgusting dad!" Chris exclaimed.

 

Pushing Anne to one side, Chris' Dad approached him.

 

"Don't speak to me like that!" He snarled.

 

"Or what...you'll send me home? You'll tell Mum?" Chris said, sarcastically.

 

"Yeah, yeah, I will, you brat!"

 

"What if I tell Mum a little something? Where is she?" Chris asked, raising his eyebrows.

 

"I'm not telling you" Chris' Dad said as Anne slipped out the back door.

 

"Don't worry, I'll just ring her" Chris said, winking at his Dad. Al ran down the stairs.

 

"What's going on?" Al asked.

 

"Nothing, go back to bed!" His Dad demanded.

 

"I'm surprised you haven't heard anything! Our father has been banging Jonny's mum in our kitchen!" Chris said with delight at having something to get back at his Dad for.

 

"What?" Al said, in disbelief.

 

As Chris grabbed the phone, His Dad punched him, knocking him to the ground.

 

 

 

The Best Years Of Your Life

Chapter Nineteen: Confusion.

 

 

 

 

Jonny's PoV

 

"Your Mum loves you, Jonny. You need to know that" Dad said.

 

"Then why is she never there for me?" I asked, sounding like a kid again because that was what I was. A kid.

 

"You're not a kid any more. I've got a confession" Dad said, sighing.

 

Sitting up as best I could, I stared at my father. "What?" I asked inquisitively.

 

"Me...and your Mum, of course, are getting a divorce" Dad said, expecting a backlash, it seemed. I simply gave a little, sly smile. I wasn't surprised. It wasn't a shock.

 

"Maybe it's for the best, you are always arguing" I said.

 

"You're not upset?" Dad said, alarmed.

 

"Well, as I said, it's probably for the best" I said, smiling.

 

"Jonny, I've got some advice for you and you can take it or leave it. It's about women. If you are unhappy with them, don't just live with it. You can't. You've got to look after yourself in life altogether. Do you get me?" Dad said.

 

I nodded.

 

"Dad, I've got something I need to tell you as well" I said, grabbing my Dad's hand. "I love you Dad"

 

"I love you too, son" Dad replied, smiling back at my.

 

"That's not it, Dad. I really need to tell you something but I don't think I can" I said, bricking it. I paused and savoured the silence.

 

"I'm your father, you can tell me anything" Dad said, winking.

 

"I'm a horrible person...I think I'm in love but I'm treating him really badly" I blurted out, looking down.

 

Dad laughed. "You mean her, you mean Sophie, she's a nice girl and why are you treating her badly?"

 

He was just making it harder. I needed to tell him.

 

"Dad, don't make it harder than it already is. Him. It's a Him. It's Chris" I said. I could tell that Dad was believing me, his grin slowly turned into an expression I had never, ever seen from my Dad. An expression of confusion.

 

"You are not kidding are you" Dad said

 

"No" I said, shaking my head.

 

Dad sighed. "Son" he said, hugging me but taking note of my injuries.

 

"Dad" I replied, a tear now in my eye. "I'm so, so sorry"

 

Pulling back from the hug, I now saw that my Dad was now crying.

 

"I'm so, so sorry" I repeated.

 

Trying to be strong, he wiped away his tears. "Well, at least you're not dead"

 

I smiled.

 

"Don't smile, Son. Just don't!" Dad said. He was confused. I looked away, to the door where Will was peering through.

 

"Would you mind letting in my friends, Dad?" I asked.

 

"Yeah, sure" Dad said, giving me another hug. "We'll talk about this later, I'm going to go home and get some sleep and come back in the morning. Are you sure you don't want me to stay here tonight?"

 

"I'm sure" I replied. "Thanks Dad"

 

"Seeya, kiddo" Dad said, walking out of the door.

 

 

 

The Best Years Of Your Life

Chapter Twenty: Picking Up The Pieces

 

 

 

 

Chris' PoV

 

I slowly got up from the ground and stared at my Dad.

 

"You're not my Dad!" I exclaimed.

 

"Dad, what the hell?" Al said, his head in his hands.

 

"I'm...sorry" Dad said. I wasn't having any of it.

 

"It's too late for that...the damage has already been done. Al is a better Dad to me now than you have ever been!" I said being brutally honest.

 

"Your Mum knows!" Dad said, sighing as he sat down. "She's gone to stay with her sister"

 

"If you have any decency, you should be leaving, not her" Al said, putting his arm around me.

 

"Fine then, I will. I'll call her and say that she can stay here with the you kids. I'll, just, crawl in a gutter" Dad said, trying to get people to feel sorry for him. I was having none of it.

 

"Good" I snarled.

 

"Chris!" Al said, walking over to Dad. "I know what he has done is bad but he's our Dad, we love him, we need to be with him"

 

"Oh please, Al! Speak for yourself. I'm going out" I said, walking out and trying to slam the door, it kind of failed but I think I made my point.

 

I sat on the doorstep for several moments, thinking about the events of the evening. I had to see Jonny. I had to make up with Jonny. I had to support him, I should never had left him on his own. I looked to my left and stared at Dad's car. He always left it open and he always left a spare set of keys under his seat. He was rather stupid but it was convenient. I had to meet Jonny before it was too late.

 

I swiftly made my way to the car and proceeded to open it, I reached my hand underneath the seat and scurried around looking for the keys, it was pitch black. I had got them. I pulled them out and quickly started up the car and drove off to the hospital.

 

Parking very badly- I had never driven before, I left the car and ran into the hospital, through the corridors, ignoring everyone. My mind was set on seeing Jonny. I walked into the room where Phil, Guy and Will were at his bed side.

 

"I love you Jonny and I don't care who knows it" I proclaimed to the smiling faces of Jonny and Guy and the shocked faces of Phil and Will.

 

 

 

 

Chapter Seven

 

 

The first thing Chris saw when he opened his eyes was the stark white ceiling tile above him. For a few seconds he felt alone, but the sounds of machines beeping and people being tended to quickly rushed to his ears. Then he felt someone holding onto his arm, gripping very tightly. He moved his head to see Jonny sitting next to him, looking just as bad as Chris felt.

 

“How...” Chris weakly began, and Jonny's expression was unchanged even as he listened. “How long was I out for?”

 

“A few hours,” Jonny replied with the same tone that he had used while speaking to Chris earlier that morning. Along with the worry strewn across his face, Jonny was quite clearly angry. Chris couldn't blame him.

 

“It's because of... what I've been doing, isn't it?” Chris vaguely asked, and Jonny nodded.

 

“That's what the doctor said.” Chris felt another sweep of guilt, then he looked down at Jonny's hand, still gripped around his arm.

 

“You told them...” he quietly said, though he wasn't sure why he said it. It seemed pointless; he probably did it just to say something.

 

“What else was I gonna do?” Jonny said, a bit snappishly. Chris looked back up at him, sad and a little frightened.

 

“I'm not mad,” he said. “I don't have a reason to be. You have more of a reason.”

 

Jonny's expression softened a little, so that the anger had disappeared and all that was left behind was a massive amount of concern. “I just don't see why you keep purposely hurting yourself.”

 

“Jonny...” Chris had intended on finishing the sentence much sooner than he actually did, but he was stopped by the sudden crack in his voice. He could already feel the emotion overwhelming him, and he knew it wouldn't be long before he started crying. So, he tried again to finish his sentence quickly. “I don't want to do it anymore. I don't like doing it. B-But I can't stop.”

 

Chris closed his eyes against the stream of tears flowing down his cheeks. He felt Jonny's hand move, but moments later Jonny's arms were wrapped around him, and he could feel Jonny's breath on his ear.

 

“Chris, I can help you,” Jonny whispered, and it sounded as though he was not too far from tears himself. “I'll be here for you, if you need to go to meetings or check into rehab or whatever, I'll help.”

 

Chris placed his own arms around Jonny, holding on with as much force as he could. Part of him was just happy that Jonny was still willing to be his friend, and the other part of him was wishing that he would be more. But for now he was fine with settling for just friends.

 

Except he had voiced his thoughts without realizing it again, and Jonny pulled back a little. Chris looked at him through the blurriness. He tried to wipe his eyes off on his sleeve so he could see more clearly.

 

“You... what?” Jonny asked in a low voice. It was hard to tell how exactly he was reacting to Chris's statement; his face appeared entirely blank.

 

“I... like you. A lot,” Chris repeated, and he figured that since he was already in for it, he may as well keep going. “For years. Since we met, almost. You were just so nice to me, and I couldn't help it.” Chris pulled his arms away from Jonny and looked down at his hands. “If you don't want to help me anymore, I understand-”

 

“That explains a lot.” When Chris raised his eyes again he saw that Jonny was intensely staring into space, almost as if he hadn't heard most of what Chris had said. “It explains more than I would have thought it would, anyway.”

 

“Did you know?” Chris asked, feeling as though if Jonny had known, he should have said something much sooner. But Jonny shook his head.

 

"No, and I never would have even considered it.” Jonny went back to the chair he was in earlier, still looking mighty pensive. “Except that now you've said it, I'm starting to think that maybe it was kinda obvious.”

 

“Is this bad?” Jonny finally broke his absentminded gaze and stared at Chris. Chris suddenly felt like he was on display, much like he did when he was modeling. But now it made him feel worse, because Jonny was the only person he knew who had never made him feel that way before.

 

“No,” Jonny simply replied. “I'm not sure it's exactly good, but it's not bad, at least.”

 

“I just don't want things to change between us because of it.”

 

Jonny smiled a little. “Unless it's for the better, right? Like, I'm sure you wouldn't mind if we were... a couple or whatever.”

 

“Right,” Chris said, his cheeks slowly turning red. He was starting to feel a bit more comfortable, but his embarrassment was still plentiful. “What are the chances of that happening, do you think?”

 

“Well,” Jonny began, shrugging, “I guess anything could happen. The future is a mystery, my friend.”

 

Chris thought it a bit odd that Jonny would suggest they could have a future together, then use the word “friend,” but he quickly brushed it off and focused solely on the first part. Still, he was fine with just being Jonny's friend, but the mere idea that there could be more between them filled him with hope. He really had never liked anyone besides Jonny, at least not as much as he liked Jonny.

 

And even though Jonny had once told him that his self-harming behavior would hurt himself more than Jonny, he realized that it wasn't exactly true. Sure, in the long run it would probably cause more damage to him, but Chris could plainly see that Jonny cared for him quite a lot, and that Chris's behavior was putting a huge emotional strain on Jonny. It was one of the things that really made him want to stop.

 

“So...” Chris casually said, then he sighed a little. “Rehab, eh?”

 

 

What's Real

Chapter 6

 

 

“I watched him die and there was nothing I could do. The doctor’s still say it wasn’t my fault, but I know that I am to blame. I was the one who convinced him to come out with me.”

 

Guy couldn’t get his lips to form words or much of anything so he just reached his hand out for Dianna’s hand and held it tightly.

 

“Jonny may have been my twin, but we looked nothing alike. He was tall, lanky, and had these vivid green eyes that were almost like precious gems from the Roman dynasty.”

 

“I remember dad coming home one day carrying into the kitchen this long black case. He set it down on the floor and looked up over at us with this unbelievably happy smile and beckoned Jonny and me over. We were only about 6 then, but I still remember Jonny’s face when dad opened the case. In laid this breathtaking guitar, made of cherry and oak. Dad had bought it for Jonny and he had told me that he had bought me piano lessons. I was thrilled at my gift, but Jonny. Oh my, I don’t think I have ever seen him that happy, no Christmas I can remember comes close. He was a natural, as soon as his fingers touched the strings beautiful melodies seemed to flutter all around like butterflies. He was extraordinarily talented, but painfully shy about sharing his gift.”

 

“As we grew older, I mastered the piano and then moved on to vocal lessons, but Jonny stayed with guitar. He just doubled his collection and his skills.”

 

“And then came the time that we were old enough to get our licenses. Mum drove us on Saturday morning and while we were taking our exam dad drove up in a surprise car for us. We came out and there sitting in the lot was a little orange beetle. It was a beat up ole’ thing, but it was a car that moved and it was ours. Jonny insisted that we name our car, so after much deliberation we came to the conclusion that we both liked the name Gloria. Gloria took us anywhere and it was Gloria that took us to that fateful night.”

 

“Jonny never played for anyone besides our family so I decided that he was too gifted to just sit around in our carriage playing for the walls that I entered him in one of the local pubs amateur music night. He of course was too kind so he willingly went along, but I knew that it was eating him up inside.”

 

“Well the set went fantastic, he had the crowd swaying and bobbing along with him. I met a nice guy who told me how great he thought Jonny was, and right after Jonny was done a man came up to him representing a record company that was searching for a new skilled guitarist and he was very interested in Jonny. Jonny came away from the gig a happy man. He was literally skipping to the car. Once there he reached for my hand and twirled me around, we laughed and danced in the street to our own music of the excitement in our hearts. Laughing and taking deep breaths to try and regain our composure we clamored into Gloria and took off down the street.”

 

“It was late as we made our way home and snow had begun to fall. We had to cross through a sketchy part of town to get to the street that leads to our house. The light up ahead had turned red and so Jonny slowed to a stop. I had my eyes closed and was listening to the crackle of the radio when I heard Jonny say, “Is that a boy?”

 

“I looked up and there in the middle of the street with snow falling steadily all around stood a little boy in a ragged t-shirt. He had this vacant stare but I can still recall the blue eyes that peeked out from under his eyebrows and the mess of curls that blew wildly in the storm.”

 

“The next thing I recall is the click of Jonny unbuckling his seat belt and then watching him walk out into the street toward the boy. In the blink of an eye I saw the boy’s vacant expressions turn to a menacing grin and then he bellowed a short hysterical laughter and ran down the alley. Jonny took after him; as soon as he was out of my eyesight I heard 3 gunshots.“

 

Dianna felt her knees begin to go weak and so Guy steadied her and let her lean against him. “I live everyday with the guilt that his death was my fault and then it is even worse when I see young Christopher. Everyone tells me it’s not my fault, but they didn’t watch their best friends blood stain the white snow red. They didn’t see his chest struggle to rise and fall and they didn’t feel the heat escape from his body. I did. I saw it all and it never goes away.”

 

“But you can make the numbness fade and you have slowly started to fix the unfixable parts. That’s why I needed you to know. Cause you should have the choice to marry me knowing everything.” Dianna said with a quivering lip and a few tears.

 

“You may be broken, but I intend to be your handyman and I will always be here to make things better. That is why I want to marry you.” Guy said as he kissed away the tears.

 

-+-

 

The Christmas program was a great success. The notes rung in every corner of the chapel and the sweet melodies brushed every surface with utter delight. Every member of the congregation rushed forward to praise Dianna and the choir. After what felt like hours of praise most of the members of the church had left and gone home. Dianna was cleaning up the stage when she felt a tug on her shirt. She turned to see Christopher standing next to her.

 

“Oh Christopher! You surprised me. Well done tonight, you sounded just like the men and did a terrific job.”

 

“Thank you very much. Uh Ms. Dianna I need to tell you something.” Chris said as he looked down at his shoes.

 

“Is that so? Well let’s hear it then.” Dianna said as she sat down next to Christopher.

 

“Your brother wants to tell you..”

 

“WAKE UP DIANNA!”

 

I opened my eyes and saw that I was sitting in Gloria in the front drive. Jonny was next to me with this Cheshire cat grin plastered to his face.

 

“Hey! So I wanted to tell you thanks for making me do this tonight. It was fun and I really enjoyed it, maybe I will be in a band one day?” Jonny said with a wink and then he hoped out of the car.

 

I smiled and shook my head and joined him outside.

 

“Oh and Dianna, that guy you met tonight, Guy was it? Date him. I have a good feeling about him.” Jonny whispered as we climbed the stairs to our bedrooms.

 

I laughed and winked at him as he closed his door and I closed mine. Who knows maybe I will I thought, maybe I will.

 

The End

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter Eight

 

 

Chris was curled up on his bed, facing the only window in the room, but ultimately staring into space. It had been a long week, and the next one would be just as difficult, if not more. He blinked every now and then, breathed, but as always it was the tiny back corner of his mind doing all the work; the rest of it was currently being consumed by thoughts of Jonny, and how handsome he had looked when he last visited.

 

Chris was generally unaccustomed to missing Jonny so much. He had gone for three years without seeing him, and only a small handful of times did Chris ever long to see him again. But now it was all he could think about, and part of the reason was that since Chris had confessed his feelings, Jonny acted differently around him. Not in a bad way, though, but in a very, very good way. Chris felt like Jonny was being more... well, he didn't know how to describe it. He tried not to think that Jonny was being flirtatious, because he didn't want his hopes to rise too high, but Jonny was definitely more than just friendly with Chris.

 

The last time he had visited, nearly a week prior, Jonny brought a few books to keep Chris occupied, since Chris had so much free time with little activities to fill it, and when he handed them over he flashed Chris a smile that would be emblazoned in Chris's mind for an eternity. Little things like that, and the way Jonny's voice cracked a little with happiness every time he said Chris's name, were what made him want to forget about anything and everything else in the world. He even wanted to forget the world itself, all the oxygen he breathed and the sunshine he bathed in, so long as he could still have Jonny.

 

Though he had been rather tentative to define Jonny's actions himself, he had no problem whatsoever with classifying his own sudden obsession over Jonny as love. The best friend he ever had, who for five long and sometimes nonexistent years helped him get through so much more than he could have ever imagined, was the love of his life. There was no denying it.

 

Ever since that day that he had felt a fluttering in the pit of his stomach as Jonny turned to him, smiled, and said, “Chris, you're the dumbest kid I know,” he knew that Jonny could never be just his friend. At least, he could never be able to look at Jonny as just his friend.

 

After that, he found himself more and more often thinking about Jonny, but it scared him a bit, and usually he tried to think of other things instead. What mostly frightened him was the idea that if Jonny found out about Chris's thoughts, then maybe he wouldn't want to be Chris's friend anymore, and that would have been the most terrible loss Chris had ever suffered, not because he was in love with Jonny then, but because Jonny was the only person who ever made him feel good about himself. Not even his parents had ever managed that, and it could even be well argued that they were the ones who caused so much damage to Chris's self-esteem in the first place.

 

Now, five years later, he was no longer afraid, because he knew he would never lose Jonny. They had already been through so much in the past month alone, and Jonny still stuck with him all the way. What did he have to be afraid of? He had never expected Jonny to return his love, so that didn't matter to him. All he wanted was Jonny's friendship.

 

A soft knock on the door interrupted Chris's train of thought, and he even started a bit as the sound had caught him quite off-guard. He didn't really feel like getting off the bed, so he just shouted at whoever was behind the door.

 

“Come in!” he yelled, though his voice sounded gentle, and the door creaked as it was pushed open, a hand clasped around the edge and directing it in the direction it was meant to go.

 

Irene was a heavyset woman in her late forties, with short red hair and the thickest pair of glasses Chris had ever seen. She usually wore a floral patterned shirt and black yoga pants, and her outfit today was absolutely no different. She pressed the bridge of the glasses up her nose and looked at Chris for a few moments.

 

“Are you almost ready, Christopher?” she asked in a nasally voice almost as thick as her glasses. When Chris only responded with a blank stare, she went on, “For your session.”

 

“Oh, right.” Chris flicked a nonexistent piece of fuzz off his blanket and slowly stood up. After four weeks, he felt like there was not much they hadn't already talked about at these so-called sessions, though he knew deep down that it was still going to be a while before any of his problems were actually solved.

 

He followed Irene down to the small office he had come to know and nearly dread. It was a confined space, just as big as his room was, and every time he had to visit he felt like he was going to be judged to no end, which he basically was. What made it worse was that the doctor never really talked back to him, never made any real sort of conversation, and that made it seem like he was judging Chris even more. He just felt exposed, and the lack of response made him anxious.

 

“Ah, Christopher,” Dr. Pots said as Chris walked into the room. “Do have a seat.” He waved to a chair in front of him, then looked down at a clipboard sitting in his lap. He marked a few things as Chris walked around the room and sat down. “How are you doing today?”

 

“I'm all right,” Chris meekly replied as Dr. Pots lifted his dark brown eyes. They just seemed endless, his eyes, and Chris couldn't even see a soul in them. Dr. Pots nodded, smiled a little in a way that made Chris feel even less comfortable, and he marked another thing on his clipboard.

 

 

 

Chapter Nine

 

 

“Chris,” Dr. Pots said, as he had noticed Chris's discomfort, and Chris looked up at him, “I want you to tell me something you've never told anyone else.”

 

Chris stared at him for thirty long seconds. He would have tried to think of something, but his mind blanked, and anyway he didn't think that it was right for him to be put on the spot like that. What if he didn't want to tell this man anything? Maybe there was a reason he had never told anyone else before.

 

But he found himself saying the words regardless. “When I was fifteen, I almost killed myself.” He looked back at his hands, now unsure of what else to do; the information was out there, and all that was left was to wait.

 

After some light tapping on his clipboard, Dr. Pots said, “Go on.” Chris was a little shocked by the response. He had expected at the very least some sort of disapproving grunt, and this reaction almost seemed to be an actual lack of reaction.

 

Chris shrugged. “Well... There's not much else to say.” Like before, though, Chris found it relatively easy to talk about his memory. He sighed a little, then continued. “I wasn't feeling too great about myself. Actually, it didn't seem like anyone else was, either...”

 

–

 

Chris stood at his locker, making sure he had all the books he needed for his homework that night. When he was finished, he slammed the door and began to turn around. A petite girl was standing next to him, much to his surprise.

 

“Listen, Chris,” she immediately began, “my friend told me that you like me, and while I'm flattered, you're just... not really my type. I mean, I'm not even sure whose type you are.”

 

Chris was utterly confused, because he most certainly did not like this girl. He didn't even know who she was. He did think that he saw a hint of a smile etched across her face, and instead of responding first, he looked around. Not far behind her, on the other side of the hallway, was a group of girls all staring in his direction, all giggling to themselves.

 

“I-I don't think your f-friend knows what she's...” Chris quietly said, and he suddenly felt absolutely pathetic. He couldn't even defend himself against a fifteen-year-old girl. How could he be so weak?

 

The girl watched him fluster for a while, then decided she'd had enough entertainment. She rejoined her group and they all walked away, laughing. He wanted to know what they thought was so wrong with him, but then he realized two things: the answer would only make him feel much worse; and they probably thought everything was wrong with him. He might have agreed with them.

 

There was one tiny thing he liked about himself, and that was- as odd as it may have sounded- the way he walked. He had always taken pride in his stride for some strange reason. That was even part of why he wanted to be a model. He figured that if he wasn't exactly the best looking, at least he would be able to walk well down the catwalk. That had to count for something.

 

And, of course, it was the one thing that hurt Chris the most when just one boy from his class who had been loitering on the sidewalk with his friends decided to pick on it. As Chris walked by, he called out a number of ridiculous things that sounded like they were meant to be compliments, but were definitely said in a most derogatory fashion (“Yeah-heh! Strut that stuff!”).

 

Chris stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, and for the second time that day he heard the sound of kids laughing at him. At that point, he completely broke down, and for a few seconds he stopped breathing before taking the deepest breath any human has ever taken, and the tears just started pouring from his eyes like there was no tomorrow. Then, as the other boys pushed their way past him, purposely bumping into him and almost knocking him over, he decided that there wouldn't be a tomorrow.

 

He stayed there long after the other boys had gone, and he sat on the curb, hugging himself tightly and muttering a bunch of things to himself. He tried to think of how best to do it, if he should do it quick and get it done and over with, or if he should take his time and suffer. A little part of him thought he deserved to suffer.

 

Too absorbed in self-deprecation, Chris didn't notice when another boy sat down beside him. Jonny stared at Chris for the longest time, just trying to understand why this skinny kid he thought he might have seen before pass by in the halls was curled up on the corner by his house. It's not like he had ever done that before.

 

“There's no point,” Chris grumbled, and Jonny finally felt prompted to speak.

 

“You break your pencil?” Chris started, snapped his head over to see Jonny, and his eyes were wide. He shifted a little, away from Jonny, and blinked several times in confusion.

 

“What?”

 

“Did you break your pencil?” Jonny repeated, slower, and he watched as his wit continued to befuddle Chris. “You said there's no point.”

 

Chris stared at him and tried to look serious and unamused, but Jonny could see the corners of Chris's mouth twitch ever so slightly. “That's not very funny,” he said in a pout.

 

“It's not?” Jonny replied, and he tried to mimic Chris's expression. For a while Chris looked at him and tried to keep from laughing, but eventually Jonny got the better of him and he unwillingly smiled. Jonny sat back a little and looked smug. “Yeah, there you go.”

 

“It really wasn't funny at all,” Chris insisted. “It was really... dumb.”

 

“Well, I didn't think you could handle my better humor,” Jonny replied. “It's even more complex. Probably would have gone way over your head.”

 

Chris didn't really know how to respond; here was this boy, who he had barely and only just met, and already he was being teased by him. But this felt different. Rather than making him want to put an end to his misery, this boy made him want to... well, he had already made Chris smile. It was something that Chris had forgotten he could do.

 

At some point during Chris's pause, Jonny had decided to place his hand awkwardly on Chris's back as a sort of there, there gesture. It stayed there for a few moments, then the next thing Jonny knew he was wrapping his entire arm around Chris, then his other arm. Chris let his head rest on Jonny's shoulder, and in that instant he felt something he had never experienced before.

 

–

 

Chris, after staring into space for a few seconds, shook his head as he finished recalling his tale. “And then, I, uh... changed my mind.”

 

“Why did you change your mind?” Dr. Pots asked. Chris raised his eyes.

 

“Because I... I don't- I just didn't feel so depressed-”

 

“You felt what, then? Happy?” One of the things he hated most about these sessions was the doctors constant questioning about things he already knew. Chris figured it was just because the doctor wanted him to actually say the answers or some ridiculousness like that, and he greatly resented it.

 

“I didn't know what I felt,” Chris quietly said. “I'm not sure it was happiness... maybe... contentment?”

 

“So, you could say that at that moment, your friend made you feel like you had some worth? If only a tiny bit.” Chris thought on it for a while, for no particular reason other than the butterflies rampantly fluttering in his stomach. Slowly, he nodded, and Dr. Pots scratched something down on his papers.

 

 

The Best Years Of Your Life

Chapter Twenty One: Moving On

 

 

 

 

Jonny's PoV

 

"Chris, I don't know what to say" I said, flabbergasted. "It was what I wanted to hear"

 

"Umm, I don't know what to say, really. Well, I will start by saying well done and I'm happy for you but I must say-" Phil said before being cut off by Will.

 

"Shut up Phil! Guy's, what the hell is going on?" Will snarled.

 

"Me and Chris are...in love" I uttered. It felt good. It felt right.

 

Will started to shake his head. "I just...don't believe in it. I'm sorry but, I can't be doing with this. Get well soon, Jonny but don't except my blessing" Will said before walking out.

 

"Will" Chris shouted out.

 

"Leave him" I demanded. "We'll sort him out later"

 

"Well I'm glad you've told your best friends" Guy said, smiling.

 

"You knew before, then?" Phil asked.

 

"Yes, I did" Guy replied.

 

I stared over at Chris and noticed he was already staring back at me with a grin on his face. I had to make my move.

 

"Could someone please get me a Nurse?" I asked, smiling.

 

"Why?" Phil asked.

 

"I want to leave the hospital and I want to win that talent contest with my best friends" I said, lying back on the bed and relaxing.

 

"Do you think this is wise, Jonny?" Chris asked.

 

"I know what I'm doing" I replied. Phil walked out of the room to go and get a Nurse.

 

"Jonny...you can't walk" Chris said as sympathetically as possible.

 

"All I need is a wheelchair" I replied, trying to accept my situation. Trying to move on.

 

A Nurse burst in.

 

"Mr Buckland" she said, sternly. "This is not wise"

 

"Look, you can't make me stay here" I exclaimed.

 

"I know we can't but I highly recommend that you stay here, for your own sake" she said, taking a much softer tone.

 

"Look" I said, myself taking a softer tone, "Can you please just get me a wheelchair, I want to leave here right now"

 

"Maybe I should talk to your father!" the nurse said.

 

"I'm 16, I can discharge myself from the hospital out of my own accord, right?" I asked, my eyebrows raised.

 

"That is true..."

 

"Then what is the problem?" I asked, snapping my fingers. "Wheelchair please"

 

She walked out, not looking happy.

 

"Jonny, maybe you should listen to her" Chris said.

 

"Look, Chris, I know what I'm doing" I replied, reaching over to give him a kiss.

 

"Oi!" a male voice boomed out. I looked over to the door way where Chris' Dad was standing. "What the fuck do you think you are doing?"

 

 

 

 

Chapter Ten

 

 

“Out of the corner of her eye, she spied a card wedged between the mailbox and the lid, right next to the front door. Curious, Julie opened it, reading it on the porch as Singer burst from the woods and trotted up to her. Dear Julie-”

 

“Excuse me,” came the voice of Irene. Chris stopped reading and looked up at her. “I hate to interrupt, but the doctor needs to talk with you.” Chris closed the book and went to stand, but Irene held her hand out. “Not you, Christopher. You,” she said, pointed one of her large fingers at Jonny.

 

Jonny looked to Chris for help, for some sort of clue as to why he would need to be spoken with, but he received nothing. Chris shrugged and opened his book again, leaving Jonny to go off on his own.

 

Dr. Pots was sitting at his desk when Jonny walked in, still entirely confused, and he only looked up from his work when Jonny was standing directly before him. He smiled, gestured to the chair Jonny stood next to, and said, “Please, have a seat.”

 

Jonny did so, tightly gripping the arms of the chair in anticipation. “May I ask why you called me here?”

 

“Yes. Chris... Well, we feel that Chris is ready to leave... our facilities. Uh, he will need to return once a week for more therapy sessions, but he is well enough that he no longer needs to stay here. However,” Dr. Pots sharply drew in a breath, “it might be beneficial if he does not stay on his own.”

 

“He can stay with me,” Jonny immediately replied, either agreeing to the doctor's unsaid proposal, or merely suggesting it himself. The doctor took a liking to this, and he smiled kindly.

 

“Good, we were hoping that you would be eager to take him in. You see, from the time that I've spent with Chris, it's seem quite clear that you are the only person he trusts. And, of course, right now that is extremely crucial.” Jonny silently nodded, and he felt an almost childlike sort of excitement bubbling deep inside of him. He had never had a roommate before, and he could tell that he and Chris living together would only equal great times.

 

“I'll make sure he's taken care of,” Jonny said, and he thought he might have winked. Then he felt a little creepy, but he nonetheless continued with his ecstatic behavior.

 

“I have the utmost confidence in you,” Dr. Pots told him, and his tone sounded awkward, like he wasn't sure how to end the meeting, but he was definitely finished talking to Jonny. “So, um... Chris can stay overnight, pack up his things, and then tomorrow we'll discharge him and you can bring him home. Is that all right?”

 

“Wonderful,” Jonny replied, beaming. He too sensed that their time was up, and his eyes darted around the room. “Is there anything else, or-?”

 

“No, that's all. You can leave, if you like.” Dr. Pots inconspicuously let out a sigh of relief, glad that Jonny had found a way to wrap things up. Jonny grinned and stood up, not wanting to move too quickly and make the doctor think that he didn't want to be there at all.

 

As he took his seat once more next to Chris, he leaned forward and stayed like that until he caught Chris's attention. Chris looked up at him, a tiny, expectant smile dancing across his lips, and he too leaned forward.

 

“What was that about?” he whispered, raising an eyebrow.

 

“You're going home tomorrow,” Jonny said. “Only you're not really going home. You'll be staying with me. Is that all right?”

 

“That's... fine,” Chris said, though his tone indicated otherwise. He sat back in his seat and clasped his hands in his laps, looking thoughtfully into the distance. “You're all right with this?”

 

“Yeah,” Jonny replied, a little confused by the slight disbelief in Chris's voice. “Why wouldn't I be?” Chris turned his head so that he could barely see Jonny in his peripheral vision and limply shrugged his shoulders, hoping Jonny would understand because he was too embarrassed to say the real reason. “Oh.”

 

Chris quickly whipped his head around, now sounding very desperate as he said, “It doesn't have to be a problem. It won't be a problem. I just... wanted to make sure that you...”

 

“It's not a problem,” Jonny agreed, and Chris's face softened a considerable amount. “I told you I'd help you. No matter what. You're still my best friend, Chris, nothing will change that. And if you need me, then I'll be glad to be here for you.”

 

“Did the doctor say that? That I need you, I mean,” Chris said, though as soon as the words left his mouth and his cheeks felt hot, he regretted it a little.

 

Jonny stared at Chris, tempted to respond with Why, because it's true? but he didn't; it felt like an insult, a snide remark, and Jonny actually kinda liked seeing Chris like this. He was almost cute when he was embarrassed. “Well, he said that he thinks I'm the only person you trust.”

 

Chris nodded and smiled, but his smile was bittersweet. “He's right.” Chris moved exaggeratedly in his seat, suddenly very uncomfortable. He cleared his throat several times, then said, “Jonny, you should, uh, you should go home now. You know, I'll see you tomorrow.”

 

Jonny, instead of giving in to Chris's demand, narrowed his eyes dozily at Chris. Chris nervously tapped his foot, waiting for Jonny to say something, anything. But the longer that Jonny stared at him, the less fretful he became, and it was almost like it was whenever Jonny hugged him. It scared him a little, because it was obvious that Jonny knew what he was doing, but he could feel himself relaxing as his body sank into the chair.

 

Chris completely trusted Jonny, and didn't seem to mind the extreme power that Jonny had over him. He was only worried that he wouldn't be able to trust himself or whatever he might possibly do if he became too comfortable around Jonny.

 

 

The Best Years Of Your Life

Chapter Twenty Two: The Confrontation

 

 

 

 

Chris' PoV

 

"Dad" I exclaimed, starting to shake. I was generally scared of my father right now. He slowly approached me and Jonny.

 

"Back off" Phil said. "Leave them alone"

 

"Shut up Phil!" Dad exclaimed.

 

"Don't speak to Phil like that" I said.

 

"I'm going to knock that kid's block off as well as Jonny's" Dad snarled. I had never seen him like this before.

 

"Don't you think he is in enough pain? He might never be able to walk again" I said, taking a softer tone and looking down.

 

Dad slowly closed the door and pulled a chest over from Jonny's bedside and put it in front of the door and then sat on top of it.

 

"So...you're gay?" Dad asked.

 

"Yes" I replied.

 

"You're sick. You're both sick. This isn't right" Dad said, seeming upset.

 

"I'm sorry but this doesn't give you the right to come over here and shout the odds, especially after what you have done!" I exclaimed.

 

"What has he done?" Jonny asked.

 

I smiled and stood between Jonny and my Dad. "My Dad has been having an affair with your mother!"

 

"I'll fucking kill you" Jonny shouted, trying his best to get out of bed but collapsing on the floor.

 

"Jonny" I said, running to help him. He seemed in a lot of pain.

 

"Come on Chris, we're going home" Dad said, grabbing my arm. Pushing him away, I gave him an evil stare.

 

"I'm not going anywhere with you! I'm going to live with Mum, I never want to see you again, Dad!" I exclaimed.

 

"You're my son! You can't just walk away, I have rights!" Dad shouted. At that moment, the Nurse tried to open the door. "You're not coming in!" Dad shouted back at her through the window in the door.

 

"Dad...just leave, you're going to get arrested!" I said, looking down.

 

"But you're my son, and I love you" Dad said, trying to be compassionate.

 

"Don't give me that bullshit" I replied.

 

"Watch your language" Dad snapped back. "I always knew that Jonny was a wrong-un!"

 

"A wrong-un? What does that even mean? You think that he's a bad person just because he is gay?" I asked, staring hard at my Dad.

 

"Of course. It's absolutely disgusting"

 

"If you really loved me, you would be happy for me and you would accept that me and Jonny are in love" I said, standing back next to Jonny.

 

"No" Dad yelled, moving the chest out of the way and grabbing me and leading me out of the room.

 

"Dad get off me" I shouted. Several staff grabbed my Dad and got him off me before leading him away.

 

"Don't leave me Chris. I will see you again!" Dad yelled as he was dragged down the corridor.

 

Several doctor's and nurse's surrounded me and Jonny as I walked back into his room.

 

"Are you okay?" A nurse asked me.

 

"Honestly? Well, I've never been better"

 

 

 

 

Chapter Eleven

 

 

“This is your room now.” Chris looked around; it was small, the wallpaper was horrifically ugly, but he liked it anyway. The thought of having his own space inside of Jonny's apartment made him happy, even though he knew it didn't really mean anything.

 

“Awesome,” Chris quietly said. He turned around and smiled at Jonny, wide and bright, and he took a few swift steps forward. “So, what d'you got 'round here for food?”

 

“Really,” Jonny replied, laughing a little. Chris took offense, placing his hands on his hips, though it was mostly feigned.

 

“I am a changed man, Jonny,” he firmly said. “Now, please, please tell me that what you have is at least a billion times better than that awful rehab food. I mean, seriously, they want me to get better, but they feed me stuff that tastes like dirt- and yes, unfortunately, I know all too well what that tastes like.”

 

“Well... I can't make any promises. Most of what I have is unhealthy, microwavable crap.” As soon as Jonny stopped speaking, Chris held his hands out. For quite a while he stood like that, completely still.

 

“Jonny. That sounds wonderful.”

 

Five minutes later, Chris and Jonny were sitting on the ratty sofa in Jonny's poor excuse for a living room, a rather large plate of pizza rolls between them. Much to Jonny's surprise, Chris seemed to be shoveling them down his throat like a car speeding down a highway.

 

“Careful, you might end up choking or something,” Jonny said as he shot strange looks in Chris's direction. “Geez.”

 

Chris stopped halfway through eating a pizza roll, and he looked at Jonny with big, innocent eyes. “I appreciate your concern, Jonny, but I think I'll be fine.”

 

“Yeah, well... Save some for me, too.” Chris grinned, grabbed another roll from the plate, and held it up to Jonny's mouth. Jonny silently stared at Chris, blinking, and Chris just stared right back, the grin only stretching wider across his face. Chris continued to shove the food closer and closer to Jonny until finally, Jonny swung his hand and snatched it. Chris started to laugh.

 

“Still want me staying with you?” he said through fits of giggles. Jonny smiled without thinking about it; he was really glad that Chris seemed to be so happy. It was a nice change of pace.

 

“Good point. Maybe I should reconsider,” he joked, and he took a bite of the pizza roll he was still holding. Chris's laughter began to fade, but his smile remained prominent. But he quickly looked away from Jonny, realizing that he had begun to feel too comfortable again.

 

The silence that loomed in the air over the proceeding minutes felt awkward, at least to Chris, as he struggled to find some subject to switch to, one that wouldn't result in him openly flirting with Jonny. He made a promise to himself then to work really hard on fixing his problems, so that he wouldn't have to be in too many situations like this, and so that he wouldn't be such a burden on Jonny for very long.

 

“Chris,” Jonny said to break the silence. Chris slowly looked up at him, afraid of what he would say in response, afraid that maybe somehow he had read Chris's mind. But Jonny merely shoved the plate towards Chris. “Do you want the rest?”

 

“Oh, sure.” Chris took the plate into his lap, and Jonny reached over to the table beside the sofa in search of the television remote. He found it and a few seconds later the set clicked on, and some annoying news broadcaster began droning on and on in that typical nasal voice that news anchors so often use. Jonny immediately changed the channel.

 

“There's never anything good on,” Jonny quietly said, seeming as though he was trying to subtly start a conversation. Chris was immersed in his pizza rolls, but he briefly looked up at Jonny and nodded.

 

“That's why I never watch telly,” Chris said through a mouthful of food. Then he went back to the plate.

 

An hour later, while Jonny was watching some strange show on the Spanish channel he didn't understand even a little, he quickly glanced over to the other side of the couch. Chris's head had dropped onto his own shoulder, his eyes tightly closed and his chest steadily moving up and down. Jonny's eyes stuck on the image for a while, and he smiled to himself. He thought about waking Chris up, but decided that Chris just looked far too peaceful the way he was.

 

After another ten minutes, though, Jonny thought it might be best to wake Chris, just so that he wasn't sleeping in such an uncomfortable position. He lightly shook Chris's arm, and within a few seconds Chris's eyes fluttered open.

 

“Huh?” he groggily said. Almost instantly, he regained full consciousness, and he sat straight up and looked at Jonny with big eyes. “Oh... I guess I was tired.”

 

“Yeah, I guess so,” Jonny agree with a small laugh.

 

“What time is it?”

 

“Um...” Jonny referred to the wris****ch strapped around his wrist. “It's almost seven.”

 

“Hmm... OK.” Chris lifted his arms and stretched widely, his right arm almost hitting Jonny. When he was done he collapsed into the sofa again, curling his legs around his side and propping his head up on his elbow, which rested on the arm of the couch.

 

“You can go back to sleep if you want,” Jonny told him, “I just thought you might want to sleep in a more comfortable posi-”

 

Jonny's sentence was interrupted by a very loud and obviously fake snore from Chris. He waited a few seconds, and Chris emitted another snore. Then another. By the fourth time, Jonny had retrieved the pillow that had been resting on and was prepared to fire it whenever he needed to. Then, as Chris breathed in deeply, Jonny launched the pillow, and while it mostly missed Chris, the very corner managed to clip the back of his head.

 

“Heyyyyy!” he shouted as he sprung up again. He folded his arms across his chest and pouted at Jonny. “That wasn't very nice.”

 

Jonny blinked at him, his face as blank as he could make it. “I have no idea what you're talking about.”

 

Then, quite suddenly, the television shouted, “No lo soy, Hector, NO LO SOY!” and the two men both forgot whatever they were talking about before and shot strange looks at the set.

 

 

PARACHUTES

 

 

 

The blaring music from the other room could be heard, though the sound was greatly muffled by the walls. The only person in the relatively small space was Jonny, staring at the ground beneath his feet and absentmindedly running his hand over his beard.

 

The door creaked as it opened, and though the room was well lit, some of the light from outside spilled in as a person made their way through. The music was louder now.

 

"This is like deja vu or something," Chris said, closing the door behind him. He remained standing where he was. "Are you trying to repeat the past?"

 

Jonny didn't answer. For a few more seconds he stared at the floor, then he lifted his eyes to Chris. Chris walked over and took a seat beside him on the empty cushion of the couch.

 

"Sometimes I wish we could go back," Chris quietly confessed.

 

"To before all of this ridiculous partying bullshit?" Jonny asked. "It was definitely a lot easier when we didn't have to appear everywhere all the time. It's straining, you know?"

 

Jonny looked at Chris for a few moments, then laughed quickly. Chris was on the verge of frowning.

 

"Of course you know," Jonny said. "You probably know better than the rest of us, huh?"

 

"It's not so bad. I like that sort of stuff. Otherwise I wouldn't do it."

 

"It's just..." Jonny sighed. "I wake up in the morning and it feels like I've only just gone to sleep. I'm constantly exhausted."

 

"Me too," Chris said. "I think it's because I stay up all night, thinking."

 

"I can hardly ever think. It feels like everything's cloudy..." Jonny turned his head, gazed blankly across the room for a while. Neither of the two men spoke, and the only sound in the room apart from the dull music was their breathing.

 

"I can't believe it's been ten years," Chris finally said. "Do you remember the party we had that night? It basically was the same as this one, huh?"

 

Chris looked over at Jonny, and his stomach flipped. He wanted Jonny to agree with him, so that maybe then he could use this as a second chance, a do-over. And this time he would get it right.

 

"I guess so," Jonny replied, which Chris deemed to be a worthy answer. Now all he had to do was prepare- but last time, he had tried to prepare, and he had over thought it all. This time, he decided he wasn't going to do that. He was just going to get it over with while he had the chance.

 

"Jonny-" Chris began, but something happened that Chris hadn't accounted for; his nerves bounced into overdrive and he found himself unable to say much more. Then Jonny's wonderfully green eyes were staring expectantly at him, and he felt like he'd messed it up again. There was no hope.

 

Jonny waited a few moments, then looked down at the floor. His hand was running over his chin again, his mind hard at work trekking through the foggy haze his thoughts were buried in.

 

"I don't want this to be like last time," Chris said, though he hardly realized that the words came from his own mouth. "That night wasn't so good for me."

 

"Oh yeah," Jonny dully responded, "didn't you get totally pissed and almost went home with that transvesti- no. Wait, I think that was Guy."

 

"I didn't drink at all," Chris told him. "Maybe I should have."

 

"It was really that bad? I thought you looked like you were having a great time."

 

"I failed, Jonny. It's nothing new, but that time..." Chris was fidgeting with his hands, wondering why he was saying all of this, when clearly it was of no use. "I just want to know that there's at least one thing in this world that I can not screw up."

 

"Hey, you managed to keep us hanging around for ten-odd years." Chris slowly looked up at Jonny, who shrugged. "I think that's a pretty big feat."

 

After a long moment of silence, Chris opened his mouth and the words just tumbled out. "I'm in love with you." He wasn't even sure that it was what he had intended on saying, but it didn't matter much. He had said it, and there was no taking it back.

 

Jonny's eyes shifted around the room for a while. Chris watched him, more anxious than he had ever felt before, stomach acid rising and burning in his throat. But he had a feeling that it was all going to be fine.

 

Jonny sat back in his seat. Everything made sense to him now. He crossed his legs, and his right foot brushed against Chris's leg.

 

"Yeah. I'm in love with you, too." He folded his arms across his chest, took a few deep breaths. Then he looked at Chris. "I feel like we should... never mind." He ducked his head, trying to hide the faint flush that colored his cheeks.

 

"You want to kiss me, don't you?" Chris asked in a completely serious tone, but when Jonny turned to him, he was laughing softly. "I think that's a really good idea."

 

For a few moments they simply stared into each other's eyes, then Jonny repositioned himself a bit. They slowly began to lean towards each other, and just as they were inches apart, the door flung open.

 

"HEY, it's about time I found you guys!!" came the slurring voice of Guy. Chris and Jonny stayed still, waiting for Guy to continue or make some sort of remark about the compromising position he had found them in. But he was too busy downing what was left in the beer bottle in his hand. Chris decided to continue as he had been before they were interrupted.

 

"Chris, maybe we should wait," Jonny said in a slightly bewildered tone. Chris shot Jonny a blank expression, then turned to look at Guy. Guy had finished drinking, and was now staring back at them with glassy eyes.

 

"Jonny, I've been waiting for this moment for ten years. I don't care about Guy."

 

Chris went the rest of the way, and while Jonny was still hesitant when their lips met, he gave up the fight and kissed Chris back with as much passion as he could.

 

A few minutes later as they broke apart, they found that Guy was sitting on the floor beside them, eerily staring.

 

"Duuuude, that was hot! Do that again," Guy said with wide eyes. Then suddenly, he frowned and furrowed his eyebrows. "Did I just say that? What the hell is wrong with me?" Guy quickly scrambled to his feet and stumbled towards the door. "Jesus... my fucking best friends... I can't even..."

 

Chris and Jonny both stared, unblinkingly, even after Guy had long gone.

 

"OK," Chris slowly began, "maybe we should have waited." He turned back to Jonny to find that Jonny was looking at him, an expression in his eyes that Chris had never seen before. "... What?"

 

"Nothing," Jonny plainly said. "I just like staring at you."

 

On the inside, Chris felt like he was melting, but he chose to narrow his eyes at Jonny. "Jonny, I'm supposed to be the cheesy one. You're taking my thing."

 

"Well, then, what's my thing?" Jonny asked.

 

"Your thing is... being really nice. No matter what, you're always nice. Even when you say jerk-ish things, you're just being nice, if that makes sense. And you have the greatest laugh in the world," Chris said with a tiny smile.

 

"Right. I think your thing is safe, Chris," Jonny said, and he couldn't help laughing, which made Chris smile wider. Then he shook his head a little.

 

"Ten whole years... Jonny, in the next life, if I do love you then, will you please tell me to hurry the hell up telling you?"

 

"Yeah," Jonny said, nodding, "I'll make sure you get the message."

 

 

 

Chapter Twelve

 

 

One morning Jonny was walking to the kitchen, and on his way he noticed an unusual lump on the couch, a lump which appeared to be Chris-shaped. He walked around and sure enough, Chris was sound asleep, stretched all the way from one arm rest to the other.

 

“Chris,” Jonny whispered as he knelt down. He uttered Chris's name a few more times before Chris finally woke. “Hey, good morning.”

 

“Morning,” Chris meagerly replied.

 

“Why did you sleep out here?” Jonny asked him. It took Chris a few minutes just to register Jonny's question, let alone answer it. He sighed a few times and tried to keep his eyes open.

 

“I was sleeping in my room, but then I saw a... a spider crawling around, and it went under my pillow and disappeared...” Chris's breath became heavy, and the pitch of his voice went up. “And so I came out here to sleep instead, because I couldn't stay in there.”

 

“A spider, really?” Jonny replied, with a hint of an incredulous laugh. Chris didn't find it funny at all. “Spiders are harmless.”

 

“I know, but... but what if it was more than just one? And what if, while I was sleeping, they were crawling all over me and-” Chris cringed, drew in a shaky breath, and briefly closed his eyes. Jonny sat, observing.

 

“OK, but there could have been spiders on the couch, too.”

 

Before Jonny had even finished the sentence, Chris shrieked, jumped up from the couch, and landed all the way on the other side of the room, his legs brought up to his chest and his head buried in his knees. Jonny could hear him whimpering, could see his back trembling.

 

It was strange; during the course of their friendship, Jonny had seen Chris nervous, he had seen him distressed, but he had never seen Chris as scared as he was now. He seemed so vulnerable, and it almost hurt Jonny to watch him.

 

Tentatively, Jonny wormed his way over to where Chris was. For a few moments he sat there feeling helpless, then he reached out a hand and gently placed it on Chris's shoulder. Chris slowly lifted his head, his eyes blurry with the beginning of tears. Jonny looked straight into those eyes and searched for encouraging words to say.

 

“Chris, it's OK,” he said, realizing that it wasn't much or very convincing at all. He just didn't know what else to say. Chris's bottom lip quivered as he tried to make himself believe Jonny's words. Then somehow Jonny's hand had slid up and was gripped around the back of Chris's neck, the tips of his fingers buried in Chris's curls.

 

Chris's mouth was open a little, in shock, or perhaps he was anticipating Jonny's next move. Without thinking, Jonny leaned in, his chest pressed up against Chris's knees, and he kissed Chris like he had never kissed anyone before. He could feel the tension in Chris's body release, and as he pulled away he could see that Chris's eyes were mostly dry now. But his breath was still shaky.

 

“Jonny...” Chris breathed, his eyes wide and his hand over his heart. “Jonny, you just kissed me...”

 

Jonny drew his eyebrows together, thinking. “I... I did.” He lifted his eyes to Chris and half-smiled. “It wasn't so bad, right?”

 

“Of course not.” Chris lowered his arm and stared at his hands. He thought about asking Jonny if they could do it again, but he didn't want to push his luck. Then he felt the sudden need to pour his heart out. “Jonny... y-you saved me.”

 

His voice cracked and tears welled in his eyes once more, and soon enough Jonny was close, his hands brushing up against Chris's arms.

 

“I just couldn't stand seeing you hurt yourself like that,” he quietly said. Chris raised his eyes, shook his head. He could hardly believe he was actually going to say this.

 

“No, not with rehab and stuff, though I suppose that does apply...” For some reason, Chris nearly resented the feeling of Jonny's hands against his skin. If only he knew- well, he was about to find out. Chris took a deep breath. “When we first met- remember?” His eyes briefly met Jonny's, and he saw the sign to continue. But he couldn't keep staring. He just couldn't. “When you sat next to me, I was... um... well, I was... d-deciding... deciding h-how to k-kill myself.”

 

Though he had shut his eyes with as much force as he could to try to block the world, he could feel Jonny's reaction in the way his hands stiffened against Chris's arms, but didn't tighten their grip.

 

“There's no point,” Jonny said in a cracked voice, almost a whisper. Chris looked up in spite of himself.

 

“What?”

 

“There's no point,” Jonny repeated, a bit louder and stronger this time. “That's what you said... You were talking about... a-and I made a joke.” Jonny sounded absolutely disgusted with himself, which was certainly not anywhere near what Chris had expected.

 

“No, no, Jonny, can't you see that was a good thing?” Chris maneuvered so that he was resting on his knees, leaning over until his chest just barely touched Jonny's. As he lifted a hand to stroke Jonny's cheek, he realized that this may have very well been the first time that Chris had ever reassured Jonny of anything. It had always been the other way around. “If you hadn't, well... you know.”

 

“It wasn't even funny.”

 

“Jonny, you're always funny. Even when you don't mean to be,” Chris added with a hint of a laugh. Jonny looked at him skeptically, and for a second or two Chris thought he was going to crack a smile. But he just kept his serious expression.

 

“Chris, I know you don't like to think it's true, but you really are beautiful. And I don't mean physically- though you certainly are attractive-” Chris found himself completely entranced by Jonny's words, and he felt Jonny's arm wrap around his waist. “But you're also the sweetest person I know, and if anyone gives you shit for anything, it's just because they're jealous.”

 

And then, for the first time in his life, as he stared into the deep green eyes of the man he loved, Chris actually believed that he was worth more than everything that had ever happened to him.

 

 

NO BOUNDARIES

 

CHAPTER 1

 

 

 

 

The automatic doors of the emergency room opened with a swish and a hiss.

A tall, slender man wearing a brown jacket hurried inside.

His white tennis shoes squeaked on the wet floor as he walked with a purpose.

His large blue eyes darted around the room.

Taking in every inch of the space.

Making notes of what he saw.

The place was crowded with people.

There was an elderly man waiting for a diagnosis on his ill wife.

Over there was a mother with a small child.

She was waiting for the results of an x-ray on the child's arm.

The tall man nervously clasped his delicate hands together.

Then he stuffed them into his pocket.

In the distance an ambulance siren could be heard.

A nurse with an irritated look scurried down the hall.

She quickly hid behind the little station desk.

But she wasn't quick enough to avoid the glance of the tall man.

"Excuse me, please," he said, in a beautifully strong accent.

"Yes?" the nurse asked, as she took a drink of her coffee.

"I am looking for my son. The policeman told me that he was brought here."

"Car accident?" the nurse asked, as she consulted a long list of names.

"That's right," the man replied.

"About sixteen?" the nurse asked, "Blonde like you with eyes like yours?"

"Yes, that would be him," the man said, licking his lips nervously, "Is he alright?"

The nurse shuffled some papers around.

She found a pen and a clipboard.

Then she shoved them unceremoniously at the man.

"You need to fill these out for insurance," she told him.

The man took a deep breath.

"Yes, yes, fine, but can you please tell me how Carson is?"

"Carson?" the nurse said, "Is that his name? He didn't have any I.D."

The man looked worried.

""Yes, his name is Carson....Carson Martin....I am his father. I am Chris. He....he.. doesn't have a license to drive. Can you just tell me where he is, please..."

"He is up in radiology," the nurse said.

"Radiology....so that means he has an injury?" Chris asked in a soft whisper.

"He is having a CAT scan done. Apparently he hit his head pretty hard on something."

Chris stared down at the forms in front of him.

"He will be down in a few minutes," the nurse said, "But the girl he was with is over in cubicle number two if you would like to talk to her."

Chris raised his head.

"Girl?" he asked, frowning, "He was with a girl? How is she?"

"She's fine. A few cuts and bruises. Her father is over there with her too."

Chris nodded.

"Just down this hall," the nurse pointed, "First one on the left."

 

 

 

NO BOUNDARIES

 

CHAPTER 2

 

 

The green curtain was half-way open.

Chris could hear soft voices talking as he walked up to it.

He cleared his throat.

"Excuse me," he said.

"Yes?" a voice answered.

"May I come inside?" Chris asked, "I am Carson's father."

Chris heard a few steps on the white tile.

A strong arm swept the rest of the curtain aside.

"Please come in," a gentle voice told him.

Chris looked up.

"My name is Jonny," a man said, "And this is my daughter, Leah."

He was about the same age as Chris.

Chris noticed his bright green eyes.

Jonny was nervously twirling a cap in his hands.

"Dad put that cap back on before you have a stroke or something," a voice said.

Chris looked toward the other side of the room.

A young girl was sitting on the examination table.

She had long dark hair and was sporting several bandages.

"You look just like Carson," the girl said.

Chris looked at her carefully.

"You were with Carson in the accident?' he asked, wrinkling his forehead.

Leah nodded.

"I was driving," she confessed, "Have they told you anything about how he is?"

Her face showed evidence of deep concern.

"No," Chris said, "Just that he had to have a CAT scan."

Leah bit her lip and started to cry.

"If he isn't alright," she said, "I ....I.. don't know what I will do. I can't live without him."

Jonny went to her side and put his arm around her.

"It's okay honey," he said, smoothing her hair, "I am sure he will be fine."

Chris took a deep breath.

His mind was whirling.

He had no idea about any of this.

No idea that Carson was out with a girl.

No idea that Carson even had a girlfriend.

And here she was talking as if they were a long-term couple.

"I am sorry," he said, "But how long have you and my son been dating?"

Leah looked up at him.

"Oh we aren't dating," she said, "Carson and I are engaged."

The words struck Chris as if he had been slapped with a cricket bat.

"Engaged?" he repeated slowly.

His large eyes fluttering quickly.

"Yes," Leah said, "He gave me this."

She thrust her hand out to Chris.

Chris walked closer to get a better look.

His stomach began to ache.

"That...that..ring belonged to his mother," he said, slowly.

"I know," Leah said, looking at it with pride, "I promised him that I would never take it off and that if I did...I would give it back to him."

Chris stood completely still.

The blood was pulsing through his veins so fast that his ears were throbbing.

He felt such anger at the boy.

How dare he take his mother's ring and give it to this girl so flippantly?

"Mr. Martin?" a rough hand shook his shoulder.

Bringing Chris back from deep inside his own head.

"Yes?" he asked, turning around.

"They are bringing your son back from upstairs now if you would like to see him," the nurse told him.

Chris sighed.

"I certainly would like to see him," he said, with a mixture of anger, confusion, worry and sadness.

 

 

 

-Creating Roots-

 

 

 

The windows were all thrown wide open and a slight breeze was blowing through causing a slight airy movement in the sheer curtains. A golden haze was forming on the horizon and was slowly rising. The crackle of the radio could be heard and the soft sounds of a man singing along. Downstairs in the kitchen sat a young girl with strawberry blonde hair twisted into braids that went half way down her back was humming a sweet sound as she made herself a bowl of cereal.

 

Not too soon after the creak of the old stairs announced the arrival of the man from upstairs and the girl looked up and smiled. “I see we decided not to shave. Mum would threaten you with a kitchen knife if she saw you.”

 

“Well it’s a good thing that mum is half way across the Atlantic isn’t it Savannah?”

 

“Doesn’t mean she won’t find out.” Savannah teased as she flipped some Cheerios in her brother’s direction.

 

“So you want to go back to rainy wet England huh? You don’t like it here at Will’s warm beach house in Georgia?” Will taunted.

 

“You mean this run down shack?” Savannah questioned.

 

“Hey, this place has so much character, it lives up to the cities charm back in the day when trollies use to roll down the streets and people dressed up to go out. I like this ‘shack’ and I intend to fix it up and restore it to its original beauty one-day.” Will announced as he prepared some coffee.

 

“Well until that day occurs, it’s a shack. Anyway how long do you have to work today? Can I take your car and go to the city and go shopping?”

 

“I work all day like every day and no you can not take my car you little felon! You don’t have a license and don’t give me the ‘you let me drive your car back in England, I was young and naive back then’” Will exclaimed.

 

“Will that was three years ago, I don’t think you have matured that much.” Savannah said as she rolled her eyes.

 

“Oh hush you! Here you can have my bus pass.” Will said as he tossed her the flimsy card. “ That should get you into town to go do your dreadful deeds.”

 

“You spoil all the fun. Well have fun saving no one at the beach, I can’t believe you get paid to sit there and watch women tan all day. No one get’s in the water over here, it’s like they fear that if they touch it they will melt or ruin their plastic surgery nose.” Savannah called out as she left the kitchen.

 

Will just shook his head and gazed out the window admiring the unique patterns the clouds and the rising sun were making. He needed to go soon so that he could get the flags out before people started making their way to the beach. Will drank the last of the coffee and tossed the mug into the sink making a mental note to do the dishes when he came home.

 

Taking one last look around the kitchen to make sure he wasn’t forgetting anything he needed he opened the door and swung his legs off the porch and landed on the ground. Leaning against the peeling wood of his home was his means of transportation, an old faded red Schwinn bike complete with basket and bell. With a grin plastered on his face Will swung his leg over and began to peddle down the road to the beach.

 

It always felt like an accomplishment to Will to arrive at the beach before anyone else, like he was the king and the waves were all bowing for him just because he was there. He also liked to jog along the shore and feel the wet sand squish between his toes and see his trail of footprints being left behind him. This was also the time when he would watch the waves and determine what kind they were so he would know what flags to put out. Most of the time the water off the coast of Georgia was tame and a green flag would be seen flying but on the occasion Will would have to fly a red or yellow flag.

 

The water was gently lapping the sand indicating it was a green flag day. Will smiled knowing he could relax just a hair today. Finishing his run he made it to the lifeguard stand and climbed the ladder and found his 5 greens flags. He tossed them down on to the sand and then he leapt from the stand right after them.

 

With the flags in place to ‘inform’ the public he decided to make his way back to his stand and start the oh so exciting day. He did enjoy his lifeguard stand, it reminded him of a tree house with legs. Inside was a first aid kit, a raft, a radio and binoculars. He would sit there with the radio turned on to some sixties music while he watched his area of the beach. Watching was pretty much the only thing he did, not much mouth-to-mouth was being needed, as it seemed to be the only section of the beach where the ‘older’ ladies came.

 

He knew why they came to his beach, because they were 55 and their husbands now had beer bellies and were balding. They came in groups and they would set their umbrellas and chairs out and face his stand. He was required that every hour he get down and patrol his beach and that’s when the ladies would swarm like a pack of hyenas.

 

They would follow behind him as he walked and would make comments to each other about his ‘cute’ butt and muscular physic. It always made Will chuckle and sadly he started to know the ladies by name.

 

“Good morning Eleanor and Florence.”

“Oh Good Morning William, wont you be a dear and help us put some sun tan lotion on? And talk to us some more in your lovely accent?” Eleanor asked as she ‘tried’ to seductively squeeze the sunscreen on to her legs.

 

Will cringed at the sight and tried to picture something else. No luck. “Uh sorry ladies I’ve got to get back to my stand and do some er lifeguarding duties.”

 

“Oh what bad luck, perhaps next time?” Florence said with a wink, or at least that’s what Will thought she was trying to do. Will gave them a wary smile and just walked off.

 

 

 

|The One Question|

Part 9: Chris-

 

“I’m going to beat the living shit out of you!” I yelled as I began to break past Will attempting to hold me back. Matt just punched me in the face. I got around Will and tackled Matt to the ground. We wrestled around for a little bit. I threw some punches and he threw some at me.

“STOP IT!” I hear Erica’s voice cry out as her and Guy entered from the stairwell.

I quickly fell back and supported myself by leaning up on my hands. I stood up fully with the help of Guy giving me a hand.

“The little bitch punched me in the face” I said.

“That’s it. It’s over. Between both of you. Matt, we can’t be friends anymore or work together. Chris we can’t be married anymore or work together. It’s not working out like this…”

I tried to plead with her.

“Erica, everything was fine until…” I was cut off by her.

“UNTIL you cheated on me and opened up a can of worms!” She answered back.

“I’m done.” She continued as turned and I watched her walk past me and turn the corner to get into her hotel room.

I heard the door open and close.

I stood there, until I quietly collected myself and walked to the elevator and push the button in complete silence.

No one else said a word either. Not even a whisper.

The doors opened and I walked in.

I pushed lobby and waited for the doors to close.

I can’t believe it’s really all over…

I… I really thought we would be together forever. Not to sound cheesy or anything, but I thought we were soul mates.

I don’t know what’s going to happen to the children.

This is exactly what I didn’t want to happen to them, be motherless/fatherless.

Maybe it doesn’t have to be the end. Maybe I can look at this as a new start. Maybe Erica’s right; we just need a little time to think things through. I don’t know how I am going to make it though.

We’re supposed to be leaving to go back to London tomorrow morning. The kids are back there too.

Maybe not having Matt there will help a bit.

I walked out of the elevator, and began to walk towards the front door. Before I did, I stopped at the concierge desk.

“Hello Sir, can I assist you in anyway?” he asked politely.

“Yes, I need to leave a message for a guest staying here, in room 1233 please…”

|The One Question|

Part 10: Erica-

 

 

I can’t believe I ended it.

Just as I got done finally changing out of my gown, there was a knock on the door. I walked over to the peek hole to see Guy, Will, Phil and Jonny standing there.

I opened the door and ushered them inside.

“Where are Chloe, Maryanne and Toni?” I asked as I closed the door behind them.

“They went back to the hotel room.” Said Jonny.

“Matt and Luciana?”

“Gone, after Chris left.” Jon answered.

“…was…was she upset…”

“She cried, but didn’t say a thing. I think it was the shock.” Jon answered again.

There was silence for a little bit.

“You can’t call it off with Chris.” Guy finally spoke up.

“Why can’t I?” I retorted.

Jonny stepped forward, “You guys both need each other, see how you fall apart when you two are not together. You both turn into little emotional wrecks.”

“I’M NOT A GODDAMN EMOTIONAL WRECK!” I yelled loudly.

They looked at me with blank almost dozey stares.

I guess I have been a bit off lately.

The phone started ringing.

I walked over and answered it.

“Hello, Mrs. Martin. This is Lenny from the front desk, a gentlemen left a message for you at the front desk.”

“Who left me a message?”

“Mr. Martin wrote it, would you like someone to bring it up to you, or would you rather come downstairs and pick it up yourself?”

“I just got changed, would it be a problem if someone could bring it up to me please?”

“No problem whatsoever! It’ll be on it’s way up in a few minutes.”

“Thank you Lenny, have a nice night.”

“You too Mrs. Martin!”

I hung up the phone.

“Chris left me a message with the front desk; they’ll be bringing it up soon.”

“Maybe it’s about tomorrow.” Will said.

“Could be actually, are you still going to be on the plane back to London with us?” asked Phil.

“… I don’t know. I was thinking of actually buying a place out here, and taking the kids for a little while. God, I don’t know what’s going to happen with the children after the divorce…” I responded.

“Well, we won’t have to know the answer to that because you’re not getting divorced.” Guy said with a big smile on his face as he walked over to me and put his arm around me.

“Guy, face it, it’s over.” I said as I broke away from his grasp and went to sit down on the couch.

Just then there was a knock at the door.

I got up and looked through the peak hole to see a man in uniform with a piece of paper in his hand.

I opened it up and got the paper.

I closed the door and walked over to the guys to read it out loud.

 

 

“Erica,

Tomorrow we’re supposed to be on a flight back to London.

I don’t know if you’ll be on it or not.

I hope you are though, because I haven’t given up on us yet, I hope we can move on from this.

I love you with all of my heart.

Never forget that.

- Christopher”

 

 

 

 

I looked up at the guys who were staring at me now, awaiting my response.

“FINE. I’ll go on the plane with him. BUT I’m not sitting next to him.”

“YES!” they all exclaimed as they gave me a huge group hug.

“Okay, okay, that’s enough boys. Let’s go so that she can start packing and getting her things together!” Phil said excitedly.

I laughed and said goodbye to all of them as they exited.

Once they left I walked over to my ipod player, and turned it on. Of Moons, Birds and Monsters came on.

I love to listen to that song, it really relaxes me.

I began packing my clothes and things.

I called back home and checked on the kids that were staying at my mum’s house, but I didn’t tell her anything that had happened today.

By the time I got done with that I took a shower, changed into pajamas and crawled into bed. I turned the lights off and lowered the volume on my ipod.

I turned to my left and realized that no one was next to me.

I missed him, I wanted him next to me.

I just wanted him…

The good Chris that is, that I know and fell in love with.

My cell phone started ringing

I rolled over and grabbed it.

Christopher Martin calling.

I answered it.

“…Hello.” He said.

“Hello.”

“Are you alright.”

“Yes, I am thanks for asking.”

“Did you get my note.”

“Yes, I did get your note.”

“Good.”

“Yeah.”

Silence.

“I’ve got to go…” I said.

“No... please don’t”

I looked out my window and saw that it had began to down pour.

“I have to…Goodnight.” I said as I hung up the phone and put it on silent.

I turned over and tried to fall asleep.

I haven’t been sleeping very well since the incident.

All of these thoughts have been running through my head twenty-four seven, it’s getting harder for me to focus during the day time too.

I tried to close my eyes.

 

 

|The One Question|

Part 11: Chris-

 

I ran into a taxi and took it back to Erica’s hotel.

It was raining but I didn’t care.

I ran through the lobby and into the elevator.

I finally reached her floor, and knocked on the door.

I know this could turn out either very good or very bad.

The door opened and she looked up at me, her long brown hair all wavy.

Her green eyes stared right into me.

“You didn’t answer your phone.” I said dripping wet.

She crossed her arms in front of her night gown and looked down at the floor.

“So you thought it would be smart to come all the way here and get soaked in the process?” she asked as she looked up at me again.

“…It seemed like a good idea to begin with. I saw Summer do it in 500 Days of Summer.”

“So now you’re comparing yourself to Summer and me to Tom?”

“Well… no that’s not what I… Uhhhh… what I mean is that I’m sorry.” I rubbed the back on my neck.

“I’m sorry for yelling, fighting, bei…” she cut me off by placing her hand over my lips.

“It’s alright.” She whispered as she moved a little closer to me.

“I’m really sorry though Erica.” I replied as I started to tear up.

She threw her arms around my neck and hugged me.

I hugged her back and held her as close to my body as I could.

“All of that stuff is in our past, let’s focus on the future from now on.” She whispered in my ear.

“I’d like to do that very much.” I whispered back.

She pulled back slowly and opened the door as if to tell me to come inside. I walked in.

“I have a change of clothes for you in my floral suitcase by the window.”

I walked towards the luggage, placed it on the floor and opened it up. I found my clothes and zipped it back up. I stood up and turned to see her leaning against the wall looking at me.

“Can we talk after I get changed?” I asked looking back at her.

“Aren’t you cold?” she asked.

“Yeah, just a bit.”

She walked over to the bathroom and grabbed a robe and some towels and handed them to me.

“Here, go take a warm shower and change into the new clothes, I’ll throw your wet ones in the wash, and then we can talk a bit. Okay?” she said in the sweet voice that I love.

I smiled softly at her and placed my hand on her cheek very gently. She smiled and closed her eyes as she placed her hand on top of mine.

I smiled back as I leaned in slowly and gave her a kiss of her lips.

The kiss was the most powerful kiss that we have ever had. Soon she rested her other hand on my chest and I bought her in closer to me. Our kissing began to slow down as we pulled away from each other a few inches. I looked into her deep green eyes.

“I really missed you” I said quietly.

“Yeah, I missed you too, but Chris, you have to promise me one thing.”

“I’ll promise you anything Erica.”

“Promise… please promise that you will never cheat on me again, or put me through what happened today. That was scary for me Chris…” she nervously tucked her hair behind her ears.

“Erica, I promise you with all of my heart that it will never happen ever again. I won’t drink. I won’t look at any other woman. I won’t fight ever again. I won’t get angry. I promise love.”

“I really hope so” she said with another beautiful smile.

“I should go take a shower now, I’m freezing.”

She nodded and walked to the bathroom.

I followed right behind her.

“Just tell me when you’re done changing, so I can clean your clothes, okay hun?”

She called me hun. I stopped walking and turned around and smiled brightly at her.

“Of course, anything for you my love.”

She grinned back at me.

I continued into the bathroom and undressed, I climbed into the warm shower.

 

 

The Best Years Of Your Life

Chapter Twenty Three: Being Accepted For Who We Are

 

 

 

 

Jonny's PoV

 

"So..." I said as Chris wheeled me out of the Hospital doors. "My Mum and your Dad were having an affair?"

 

"Yes..." Chris replied, trying not to look me in the eyes. I have no idea why.

 

"How long have you known?" I asked, itching my nose.

 

"Your Mum told me the other day she was having an affair but I only just found out that it was with my Dad" Chris said, sighing.

 

"It's all a big mess, isn't it?" I replied, laughing as Chris wheeled me up to what appeared to be his Dad's car. "Woah, isn't this your Dad's car?"

 

"Yes- I stole it" Chris replied. I grinned.

 

"So how do I get in?" Jonny asked.

 

"Well, I'll lift you into the car and put the wheelchair in the boot, that okay?" Chris replied, rather unnerved.

 

"That's great" I said, as Chris put the breaks on the Wheelchair and attempted to get me out of my chair and into the car. "Thanks a lot"

 

Chris seemed to be struggling, getting me in the car. He kept thinking I was in pain- I wasn't. He was doing a great job. He eventually got me in, took a long sigh and put the wheelchair in the boot and made his way back to the Driver's seat and drove to Phil's house.

 

He was a fantastic driver. He surprised me. I was worried about getting pulled over by the cops- but we didn't. This day was getting better and better.

 

"So what are we doing at Phil's?" I asked as Chris transported me into the wheelchair.

 

"Getting away from the Parent's and getting some practice done" Chris replied. "You up for it?"

 

"Definitely" I replied as he wheeled me up the drive. We knocked on Phil's door. He answered it very quickly.

 

"Chris, Jonny. Glad you could make it" Phil said. "The other's are upstairs!"

 

"Even Will?" I asked.

 

"Even Will" was the reply from Phil and I just couldn't help smile. We were now being accepted. Accepted for what we were. Different but still Human beings. Two people in love.

 

 

 

The Best Years Of Your Life

Chapter Twenty Four: You Are Not My Mother

 

 

 

 

Chris' PoV

 

"Anne!" I shouted as she tried to sneak out of the front door. She stared at me- and Jonny.

 

"Jonny" she cried, running over to him.

 

"Get away from me Mum" Jonny replied. We were outside Jonny's house. "Has Dad told you?"

 

"About you and Chris, yes he has" Anne said, smiling.

 

"You're not going to go psycho?" Jonny asked.

 

"No, I'm not" Anne replied. "I love you"

 

"Get away from me, Mum" Jonny demanded. "You're sick- I guess you are going to go and see Chris' Dad"

 

"No, I'm not. It's over between us two" Anne exclaimed.

 

I wasn't sure if I believed her, but I think Jonny did. I think he believed his Mother.

 

"Okay" Jonny said, bluntly.

 

"Don't you need help, I mean you are my son...and you can't walk" Anne said.

 

"That's why I have Chris" Jonny replied, clutching my hand.

 

"I always dreamt about your wedding day, Jonny. I guess that can't happen now" Anne said, sighing.

 

"Shut up Mum!" Jonny shouted. I was trying to stay out of it.

 

"Well can you blame me?" Anne snapped back. "I have a gay son!"

 

"And I have a cheating Mum, don't be a hypocrite!" Jonny exclaimed.

 

"So..." Anne said, wiping away several tears. "What are you going to do now?"

 

"I'm trying to get as far away from you as possible!" Jonny said, starting to smile.

 

"What...you are going to stay with your Dad and I'll never see you again, is that it?" Anne asked.

 

"I'm sick of this bloody family. I don't want to be near him either" Jonny said.

 

"Jonny...he's done nothing to you" I butted in, puzzled by his words.

 

"So what are you going to do?" Anne asked.

 

"I'm going to stay with the person who has suffered the most in all this- Chris' mum!" Jonny said.

 

I was shocked. "Jonny"

 

"What?" Anne exclaimed. "You can't just stay with your boyfriend's mum!"

 

"You just watch me" Jonny exclaimed.

 

I just wheeled him away- towards my house. Anne was shouting in the background, I tried to drown out the noise and I'm sure Jonny was doing the same. Maybe this is what we need- escape from all the aggro.

 

But I wonder what Mum will have to say about it all...

 

 

 

The Best Years Of Your Life

Chapter Twenty Five: Misunderstood.

 

 

 

 

Jonny's PoV

 

"Chris, Jonny" Al said, running outside to the sight of Me and Chris walking up the drive to Chris' house. "Jonny, are you alright? How are you doing?"

 

"I'm doing fine. Honestly" I said, smiling.

 

"Is Mum...or Dad in?" Chris asked.

 

"No...neither of them are in" Al said, sighing. "But someone else is"

 

At that moment, Sophie came rushing out and threw her bag at me.

 

"Jonny...why have you been ditching me?" she exclaimed.

 

"Cut him some slack, you bitch, he's in a wheelchair...he was hit by a car" Chris shouted out.

 

"I'm sorry" I said, smiling.

 

"Don't say sorry to her, she doesn't deserve it" Chris said.

 

"No...she does" I said, moving my hair from out of my eyes. "I've treated you really badly"

 

"Too right you have" Sophie snapped, giving Chris a funny look.

 

"Look, I'm sick of having arguments out on the streets! Can't we go inside?" I asked. Sophie nodded her head, pushed Al out of the way and walked into the house. Al helped Chris wheel me inside.

 

They just sat down on the sofa, I was by the side in my uncomfortable wheelchair, and I tried my best to sort out the situation. She seemed to be calming down.

 

"So...are you alright then, Jonny?" Sophie asked. "Could this be forever?"

 

"Most likely" I replied, for the first time feeling quite upset about my situation.

 

"Oh, Jonny" Sophie said, putting her hand on my shoulder and kissing me on the cheek.

 

"Look...Sophie, I've got a confession to make. You know when I said I was gay" I said, sighing.

 

Sophie started laughing. "You're really convincing sometimes" she chuckled. "You know Chris, he said that you two were gay"

 

Al looked down before walking into the kitchen.

 

"Sophie" I said, moving around uncomfortably in my wheelchair. "I wasn't joking, I was just a coward and said I was joking. Me and Chris are a couple"

 

"No" Sophie said, standing up. "You've got to be joking. I won't believe it"

 

"You better believe it! You just go to one of your other boyfriends, and leave mine alone!" Chris said, smirking.

 

"Oh shut up Chris! I've never cheated on Jonny" Sophie said. "I still don't believe you two"

 

"Will this make you believe us?" Chris asked, slowly walking towards me and snogging me. It was the first time we had been intimate for what seems like an age. And I enjoyed it. Sophie obviously didn't.

 

"Oh my god" Sophie said, flabbergasted.

 

"I'm sorry" I said, genuinely sorry.

 

"I guess you are going to go and tell everyone" Chris said, rolling his eyes. "Well we don't care"

 

"I'm not that shallow" Sophie said, trying to retain some dignity. "You two thought I was just some...slag. But I'm not. You've got me wrong. I loved you Jonny" she exclaimed, making her impact before walking out and slamming the door shut.

 

"Jonny...she's out of our live's" Chris said.

 

I just put my head in my hands. I was making a mistake.

 

 

 

 

Chapter Thirteen

 

 

Chris smiled to himself as he was staring into space. Dr. Pots was watching him, but he didn't care. He had just finished recounting the previous day's events, and he really could do nothing but smile.

 

“He told you you were beautiful?” Dr. Pots inquired, his tone almost hitting disbelief. For weeks he had talked to Chris, and it was very obvious that Chris was enamored of Jonny, but he had would never have expected their relationship to advance further.

 

“He did,” Chris replied wondrously, “and I believed him. I actually believed him!” Chris laughed a little, but his seemingly unbreakable happiness was brought down a notch when he noticed that Dr. Pots had a rather serious look on his face.

 

“So, you agreed with him? You think you're beautiful?” Chris shifted in his chair, twisting his mouth up.

 

“Well...” Chris's shoulders slumped a little to match his frown. He took a deep breath, and his voice quieted immensely. “I did.”

 

“And now you're beginning to doubt yourself?”

 

There was silence for a minute or so. Dr. Pots had his pen held tightly in his hand, ready to begin writing at any second. Chris was going to affirm, but he was struck with a sudden and overwhelming sense of empowerment.

 

“No,” he firmly said, his voice much stronger than before. “Jonny was right. OK, well, maybe he exaggerated a bit, but he had the right idea.” Chris stood up, almost without thinking, and he managed to increase his volume even further. “I'm worth more than how everyone treats me, including you, and I'm not going to sit here anymore, day after day, and listen to you mock me and insult my intelligence!”

 

“You think I insult your intelligence?” Dr. Pots asked, calmly, though there was definitely a hint of bitterness to his tone.

 

“Yes,” Chris emphatically said. Dr. Pots blankly stared at him for a few moments. For a while he seemed to be frozen, but eventually he moved and glanced down at his clipboard.

 

“Well, all right, Chris. If you think that you don't need these sessions anymore, feel free to leave and get on with your life,” he said, and he made a tiny mark on his paper. Chris stood and watched, expecting him to continue, but he said nothing. When Dr. Pots finally looked up again and noticed that Chris was still there, he took a breath and remained completely calm. “Seriously, you can go now. I won't call you back in.”

 

Chris badly wanted to leave, but something kept him there. He had this image in his head of Jonny, as he almost always did, and he realized that leaving was not the thing to do. Jonny would have told him to stay.

 

He sat down again, slowly, but he still felt as confident as he had before. Dr. Pots remained seemingly emotionless throughout, just breathing and blinking and watching Chris with a blank face.

 

“You're not going to leave?” he remarked. It took a few moments to respond, but Chris shook his head. “May I ask why not?”

 

“Because... because I'm afraid.” Chris had not expected to say those words, particularly because he hadn't exactly realized those feelings himself. And though he thought that might have been all he had to say, he continued on. “What if I haven't changed enough, and what if Jonny sees it and then he... he doesn't want to be with me anymore?”

 

“Do you think that you need to be a different person for Jonny to like you?”

 

“Well, I mean, I don't think he ever liked me before-” Chris began, but he interrupted himself. “But I didn't change. I changed after he said all those things to me. Right?”

 

“You said that you and Jonny have been friends for five years,” Dr. Pots said, flipping through papers on his clipboard from previous sessions. “Even though for most of that time you hardly spoke, he still seems to care about you far more than anyone else. After all, he was the one who brought you here.”

 

“So, Jonny likes me the way I am,” Chris said with a tiny smile. “Except, I let him down before. I don't want to do that again.”

 

Chris looked down to the floor, frowning at the memory of his recent past, and he could hear Dr. Pots's pen scratching away once more. He waited patiently for the doctor to speak.

 

“Chris, I would say that you have made quite an improvement today,” Dr. Pots began. “Usually you had wanted to change yourself to please other people and because you thought you weren't good enough, but now it seems you only want to change for Jonny. Of course, it would be best if you were more focused on what you want, but that will come in due time. For now, though, you are at least beginning to see that you are not worth as little as you've been led to believe. Does that sound about right?”

 

Dr. Pots tapped the cap of his pen against the clipboard as he crossed his legs and looked up at Chris. Chris nodded in response.

 

“I think so,” Chris apprehensively said. “I just want to be the best person I can be, that's all. But I- I guess I'm closer to that now. Or, I'm closer than I thought I was."

 

“Good. Now, Chris, I do have one more thing to address.” Dr. Pots wiped his hand across his forehead, sighed, and set both of his feet on the ground once more. “Do you intend on returning to modeling?”

 

Chris's brain seemed to freeze. He honestly had never thought about what he would do after rehab, or even what he would do while he was in rehab. And now he certainly didn't know what to do. Part of him still really wanted to model, but he knew deep down that it probably wasn't a good choice.

 

“I... I don't know,” Chris finally answered.

 

 

"THE STORY THAT IS NOT ABOUT A ZOMBIE FROM ANTARCTICA"

 

by Tammi and Laura

 

 

 

ONCE UPON A THYME, I MEAN TIME THERE WAS AN EVIL SCIENTIST NAMED SQUIRKY WHO LIKED TO BUILD THINGS.

 

NO SERIOUSLY, HE WENT ON FACEBOOK AND LIKED "TO BUILD THINGS" LOLOL.

 

AND ONE DAY HE BUILT A ROBOT. HE HAD TO GET RID OF THE ROBOT THOUGH BECAUSE THEY FELL IN LOVE AND HIS WIFE SAID IT WAS EITHER THE ROBOT OR HER BUT HE MADE THE WRONG CHOICE AND SHE THREW THE ROBOT OUT INTO THE STREET AND HE WAS NEVER TO BE SEEN AGAIN.

 

UNTIL ONE DAY.....A DARK AND DREARY DAY WITH ALL SORTS OF LIGHTNING AND THUNDER AND DARKNESS, IT STARTED RAINING AND IT WOKE UP THE ROBOT WHO'S NAME WAS BO. AND HE GOT SCARED OF RUSTING SO HE RAN INTO THE BAKERY WHERE HE SUDDENLY FROZE DUE TO A LACK OF MUSHROOM NECTAR.

 

JONNY WAS ALL LIKE "K I'MMA PLAY SOME JAZZ NOW Y'ALL" AND THE ROBOT SCREAMED AND TRIED TO COVER HIS EARS, BUT THEN HE REALIZED HE DIDN'T HAVE ANY SO IT WAS KIND OF POINTLESS. HE THEN FLUSHED WITH RED EMBARRASSMENT, LOL JUST KIDDING HE'S A ROBOT.

 

JONNY GRABBED HIS GEETAR AND STARTED PLAYING JAZZ "WEER WEER WEER".

 

THE ROBOT SCREAMED AND ROLLED AROUND IN CIRCLES, CUZ HE DIDN'T HAVE ACTUAL LEGS. HE WAS ALL LIKE "I NEED A FREAKING SMOOTHIE".

 

JONNY STOPPED PLAYING FOR A SEC AND WAS LIKE, "QUE"

 

YEAH, HE WAS ALL LIKE "QUE"

 

AND THE ROBOT SAID, "DUDE, I'M ALLERGIC…

 

 

TO YOUR JAZZ."

 

AND JONNY WAS LIKE "OH NO, THE STATE OF MY HAPPINESS RELIES HEAVILY ON YOU"

 

THIS PUZZELED THE ROBOT, SO HE JUST STARED BLANKLY INTO THE DISTANCE.

 

"SMOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOTHIE?" CHRIS EXCLAIMED AS HE RAN INTO THE ROOM. THE ROBOT JUMPED WITH GLEE.

 

THEN GLEE ENDED AND THE ROBOT REALIZED THAT CHRIS HAD SMOOTHIES. “SAVE ME WITH YOUR SMOOTHIES, OH GREAT CHRIS MARTIN," HE BEGGED.

 

CHRIS SAID "WHAT'S IN IT FOR ME?" AND THE ROBOT WAS ALL LIKE "PLEASE SIR, I NEED A SMOOTHIE OR ELSE I WILL ASPLODE BECAUSE OF THAT JAZZ"

 

THIS OFFENDED JONNY, WHO STOOD UP AND WAS LIKE "YOU DID NOT JUST DIS MAH JAZZ OMG"

 

CHRIS SAID "CALM DOWN JONNYBOT, LOLOLOL I ACCIDENTLY CALLED YOU JONNYBOT”

 

JONNY FURIOUSLY BEGAN PLAYING EXTREME JAZZ MUSIC AND THE ROBOT ASPLODED AND THEN CHRIS AND JONNY DRANK SMOOTHIES AND LIVED HAPPILY EVER AFTER.

 

THE END :heart:

 

 

 

so much caps :dizzy: