The Decision
AARON SURVEYED the menu in the local coffee shop, although why he bothered he wasn’t sure; he never changed his order. About to order, he startled as someone tapped on his shoulder.
“I guess you must be avoiding me.” Michael smiled brightly at him.
“No, no,” Aaron said, lying through his teeth. He stepped away from the counter so he didn’t hold up the queue behind him.
Michael guided him to an empty table. “Then you’ve suddenly changed your routine and developed a love for the coffee shop?”
“You do realize that sounds very stalkerish.”
“Aaron, I’ve been watching you for months in the park before I had the courage to approach you.”
Aaron chewed on the inside of his lip. Michael was a nice man, young and hot in his own way with dark curls and bright blue eyes, but he wasn’t interested. “Michael, I like you, but I said I wasn’t interested in a boyfriend. I’m married.”
Michael laid a hand on his forearm. “I’m still interested in just being a friend.”
“I’m sure you’re a lovely man, but life is complicated at the moment. I think you’d be better looking elsewhere for a friend.”
“I think you might need a friend,” Michael said.
Aaron shook his head. “I don’t need anything, Michael. I’ve got to go. Excuse me.” He stood, but Michael blocked his way.
“Just one drink, that’s all I ask.”
Aaron looked at him doubtfully. “One drink and you’ll leave me alone?”
“I promise. What would you like?”
“Black filter coffee.”
Michael raised one eyebrow. “You took ten minutes staring at the board to pick that?” He laughed as Aaron blushed. “Don’t worry, I’ll get that for you.”
Damon had never laughed at him or questioned his choices. Damon had got him a black filter coffee every time without him even having to think of what he wanted.
As soon as Michael’s back was turned, Aaron headed for the door.
“Hey, where’re you going?” Michael caught Aaron around the arm.
“I’ve got to get back to work,” Aaron mumbled.
“Before your coffee?”
“I need to go.” Aaron tugged his arm, but Michael wouldn’t let go.
“Hey,” Michael said softly, no trace of the amusement on his face. “Just stay for a drink. Please?”
Despite Aaron’s flight response, he could see the sincerity in Michael’s expression. “Why are you bothering with me?”
“I think you need a friend, and I need a friend.”
“Couldn’t you find someone less screwed up than me?” Aaron asked, a touch exasperated now.
Michael huffed out a laugh. “Definitely. But you’re stuck with me until the end of lunch. Now let’s get those coffees.”
He coaxed Aaron back to the counter and placed their order. Aaron felt trapped, his heart pounding as Michael led him to a table.
Aaron perched on the edge of a wooden seat. “I haven’t got long.”
“I know,” Michael said calmly, sipping at his coffee.
“Do you always kidnap potential new friends?”
“Only the ones who need me.”
The breath caught in Aaron’s throat. “I… I don’t need you. I don’t need anyone.”
“Everyone needs someone,” Michael said.
“I have my husband.”
“Then why have you looked like the living dead over the past month?”
Aaron stared at him, knowing Michael would catch him in any lie. “He’s missing.”
Michael didn’t gasp or look shocked. He just nodded, saying, “How long for?”
“Nearly a month.”
“Tell me what happened.”
“What do you want to know?” Aaron clasped the coffee cup with both hands, the warmth of it steadying him.
“What was his name?”
“Is his name,” Aaron said. “He isn’t dead.”
“I’m sorry, what is his name.”
“Damon Fox.”
“How long have you been together?”
“Twenty years, and we’ve been married for ten.”
Michael looked impressed. “Wow, that is a long time. You must have been a kid when you met.”
“I was sixteen.”
“When I first met you, I thought you about my age.”
As Michael looked a good ten years younger than him, Aaron took that with a pinch of salt. “How old are you?” he asked.
“Twenty-eight, twenty-nine next month.”
Aaron gave a polite smile, not particularly interested.
Michael slurped more of his coffee, a habit which used to infuriate Damon. Aaron looked at the table so Michael didn’t see his smile.
“What happened to Damon?” Michael asked.
“He was in a car accident. He got taken to St Paddy’s, then he walked out of the hospital, and I’ve not seen him again. I don’t know any more than that.”
“Jeez, that’s harsh.”
Aaron snorted. Yeah, harsh was one way of looking at it. Crucifying was another.
“So you know he wasn’t injured badly. That’s one good thing,” Michael said.
Aaron made a noncommittal noise before he finished his coffee. “I’ve got to go,” he said, pushing his chair back and standing. “Thanks for the coffee.”
Michael leaned back in his chair to look at him. “Will you be here tomorrow or are you going to find somewhere else to have lunch?”
Caught on the hop, Aaron opened and closed his mouth a couple of times because of course he’d planned to just stay in the office.
“I thought so.” Michael stood up, sweeping up the two cups to return them to the counter.
Aaron waited for Michael to join him before leaving the coffee shop.
“Thanks for waiting,” Michael said as they walked out.
Aaron shrugged. “There seemed little point in running away now,” he admitted honestly.
“Have you ever thought about a private detective?” Michael asked as they walked back to their offices.
“If Damon wanted to come back to me, he knows where I am.”
“Don’t you want to know where he is?”
“You don’t understand.” Aaron didn’t understand himself, so how could he expect a stranger to comprehend the workings of his mind?
“Try me.”
“Damon… he was mine, like he was made for me. He was everything I needed. I thought I was all he needed. It was bad enough knowing that he’d been injured, and then they tell me he was dead. But seeing him walk out of the hospital and he didn’t come back to me.” Aaron drew a shuddering breath. “He’s destroyed everything I loved, the fabric of my life.” He walked for a while, unable to speak for the thick lump in his throat. “I wasn’t enough.”
Michael was silent for a while, and they reached the corner where they parted ways.
“I hate this phrase,” Michael started as Aaron turned away. “But Damon’s not the only fish in the sea. There could be another man out there that’s just right for you—in time.”
Aaron shook his head. “He was the one—the only one. I don’t want anyone else.”
“So what are you going to do?”
“Go back to the beginning.”