THEY SAID all good things must come to an end. Nelson wanted to kick the they who came up with that shit. Why the hell did good things have to end? What a stupid fucking rule. Lying in bed watching Luke pack his duffel bag, the ache in Nelson’s chest was nearly as painful as the muscles in his legs and back. He wasn’t ready for it to end. He wasn’t ready to say goodbye.
“You sure you can’t stay tonight?”
Luke gave him a sad smile. “I already looked for alternative flights and no go, nothing that would get me back in time to meet my client in the morning.”
Nelson sighed dramatically. He rolled onto his side, and the sigh turned into a groan as pain shot from his lower back all the way down to his toes. “I’m not even sure I’ll be worth a damn tonight, anyway. I don’t think there is a place on me that isn’t aching, throbbing, or on fire.”
Luke sat on the edge of the mattress. He ran a gentle hand over Nelson’s hip. “I never thought the game would be that rough. I did try to make it up to you with a body massage.”
Nelson laid his hand on Luke’s. “I’m sure I’d be even in worse shape if you hadn’t given me one. Besides, it’s my own fault. I can’t believe I’ve let myself get so soft. First thing tomorrow morning, I’m joining a gym and pumping some iron.”
“If I had more time, I’d let you pump my iron,” Luke said slyly.
“Lord, that’s a horrible pun,” Nelson groaned. “But if I wasn’t dying, I might take you up on the offer.”
“You’re not dying. You always were a bit of a drama queen.”
Nelson lifted his arm to swat at Luke but dropped it back down when spark of pain bloomed across his elbow. God, not only was he a drama queen, he was a bit of a pansy. So totally not traits becoming to a man who wanted nothing more than to be at Luke’s side and his equal. “Okay, my demise may not be imminent. Can I get a raincheck on pumping your iron?”
“Absolutely.” Luke pressed a gentle kiss to Nelson’s lips. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”
“I can see you to the airport.”
“Thanks, but that’s not necessary. Get some rest.” Luke kissed him again and spoke against Nelson’s lips. “You’re going to need it for the next time I come.”
Luke started to rise, but Nelson stopped him by grabbing his forearm. “When?”
“As soon as I can.”
Warmth spread through Nelson, and he was almost giddy. Sure, he’d like to have a date to look forward to, but Luke saying he was coming back as soon as he could, that he planned on coming back at all, gave Nelson hope that perhaps their reunion might finally fulfill Nelson’s longtime fantasy of having a relationship beyond friendship with Luke. Nelson released his hold on Luke and pushed up to sit on the side of the bed. “I’ll be looking forward to it.”
Luke picked up his duffel and shouldered it. “Me too. I’ll call you tomorrow.”
The warmth that had spread through Nelson seeped from his body, leaving him cold when Luke walked out of the bedroom, followed by the sound of the front door opening and closing. Nelson rested his forearms on his knees and hung his head. He really should be disgusted with himself. He was a fucking drama queen. But dammit, being with Luke was amazing, the best kind of high. When he wasn’t around, it flat-out sucked big-time.
Long after Luke left, Nelson finally dragged out of bed and headed for the shower. He set the taps and let the warm, pulsing water ease some of the tension from his aching joints and muscles. His mind was blank, thoughts numb. He placed his hands against the tile wall. He stayed beneath the warm flow for a long time until the water began to cool. He grabbed the soap and rushed to wash, but ended up gritting his teeth when he had to rinse with cold water.
Goose bumps bloomed, and he was shivering by the time he stepped out of the shower. He grabbed a towel, fastened it around his waist, then grabbed another and wrapped it around his shoulders. He found himself standing in the kitchen, water dripping down his body and pooling on the floor. He couldn’t remember why he’d gone in there. He opened the fridge, then the cupboard, but still the reason why he was there eluded him. His head and heart were a mess.
Giving up on the why, he tromped over to the couch, dropped his wet towels on the floor, and snuggled beneath the afghan. He found the remote under the pillow and flipped on the TV. He spent a considerable amount of time clicking through channels, disinterested in everything. He finally settled on a rerun, and with an aggravated huff, he tossed the remote on the floor.
He spent the rest of the day on the couch trying to pay attention to the shows playing. However, his thoughts kept wandering to Luke, and he couldn’t rightly say what he watched.
It was strange: one moment he was walking on sunshine, then the day turned dark and cold after Luke left, as if he’d taken the sunshine with him. Which, Nelson supposed, Luke had. Snuggling deeper beneath his blanket, Nelson alternated between blinking at the screen and dozing.
The next day he didn’t feel all that much better. He tried keeping the promise he’d made to himself and checked out the local gym. He stood outside watching people go in and out, but finally decided he was too sore to work out. Besides, with as distracted as he was, he’d probably drop the dumbbells and break something like a foot.
He was a whiny mess when he let himself into his apartment. He was being silly, but he couldn’t help it. Having Luke with him had been wonderful. Someone to talk to, to laugh with, and a warm body to hold while he slept. Now he was acutely aware of Luke’s absence, and it reminded him how lonely he was. Once again, he found himself dependent on Luke for his happiness, and that scared the shit out of Nelson. The last time he’d done that hadn’t ended well.
“God, you’re pathetic,” he chastised himself.
He started for the fridge, hoping a good meal and a stiff drink would help him get out of his funk. Perhaps if he ate and got some sleep, he’d be able to deal with his emotional issues. And if not, maybe he could take a class on Grow the Fuck Up 101. The idea made him chuckle.
The phone rang, and he made a mad dash for it, snatching it up before it could ring a second time. “Hi! I was hoping you would call.”
“You did? And just pray tell, why were you hoping I’d call?” his mom asked.
Nelson scrunched up his face and closed his eyes briefly. “Oh, sorry, thought you were someone else,” Nelson replied, trying to keep the disappointment out of his voice and failing miserably.
“You keep doing that, and I’m going to get a complex. Let me guess, you were hoping it was Luke again?”
“Yeah, I mean, I’m glad you called, Mom. It’s just, he left yesterday, and I wanted to make sure he had a good flight home.”
“He came all the way from California to see you?”
“Yup. Had a great weekend too. I’m a bit sore, but other than that, it was fun. Did a lot of catching up.”
“Sore? Are you hurt?” his mom asked, sounding concerned.
“It’s nothing serious. We went to the park and came across some guys playing football and joined in. I’m not any better now than I was as a kid. Ended eating dirt more than once,” Nelson chuckled.
“Yes, well, you never were what I would call graceful. I’m glad you’re making friends. Listen, I don’t want you to get alarmed.”
Uh-oh. That didn’t sound good. Anytime Mom said that, it was always bad news. “What’s the matter? Are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine, but your dad has to have a procedure—”
Yup, alarm was setting in and kicking up his pulse. “Is he sick? What kind of procedure?”
“If you wouldn’t interrupt me, I’d tell you.”
When his mom stayed silent, Nelson blurted, “Fine, just tell me.”
“He’s been experiencing some chest pains, and apparently his stress test didn’t go so well. They want to do a heart cath. Now the doctor assured us it was no big deal. But you know how your father is. He’d like you to be here, if at all possible.”
“Of course. When is it?”
“Next Tuesday,” Mom informed him.
“I’ll talk to my boss in the morning. I’m sure it won’t be an issue getting the time off work.”
“Thank you, son. Now I don’t expect you to go in debt, so I’ll make all the arrangements.”
“It’s okay, I plan on driving.”
“Nonsense, you’ll spend more time on the road than time with us.”
“But Mom, I ha—”
“Yes, yes, I know you hate flying, but you’re much safer in a plane than in a car. Time you got used to it.”
“But—”
“I have to go. I’ll call you tomorrow with your itinerary. Bye, Nelson. Love you.”
Before Nelson could protest further, the line went dead. Goddammit. Now he was worried and pissed. First, whatever was going on with his dad was much more serious than Mom was letting on, or Dad wouldn’t want Nelson to come home. Second, he hated to fly, and he wasn’t a child. He could make his own plans. Plan that didn’t include being thirty thousand feet off the ground.
Well, he had been looking for a distraction. He sure the hell got his wish this time.