Chapter Text
December 31st, 1960
Patrick sucked down another shot of whiskey. He leaned on the bar and surveyed the room. Mr. Rose had reserved one of the Plaza ballrooms for the company's New Year’s Eve party. All around, people were drinking and dancing. Most of the men who were married had brought their wives, and their mistresses had been invited to arrive separately. Patrick knew the nature of the game here. He was lucky that Twyla was willing to pretend to be his date for the evening. The poor girl had taken pity on him the day before and had propositioned him about midday.
Honestly, Twyla was the only secretary apart from Gwen that Patrick would allow himself to associate with. She seemed okay enough and not willing to get all squeaky or blush every time she talked to him. No, Twyla was the kind of girl who he could probably marry and explain his real feelings to. She would take his secret to the grave and never once utter it out loud, not even to talk to herself.
“Oh my gosh! Mr. Rose’s whole family came this year!” Twyla whispered breathlessly from her spot next to Patrick.
Patrick quirked up an eyebrow. He’d heard that Mr. Rose had two grown children, a son and a daughter, but no one had really ever seen them. The son had been galavanting around Europe, or something like that. The daughter was famous for being in the tabloids for her latest big name boyfriend, but she’d never been to the office so Patrick hadn’t ever seen her in person.
“Mr. Rose must be excited. I always get the feeling he wished his family stuck around more.” Patrick raised his glass and took another swig of his drink. His eyes combed the crowd hoping he’d know Mr. Rose’s son on sight. The secretaries all gossiped about how he was supposedly some looker.
“I’m gonna go talk to Alexis. We went to school together. I can’t wait to hear the latest on her man.” Twyla shimmied her body to straighten her dress a bit and primped her hair slightly to put it back in place. “Are you going to be okay over here without me?”
Patrick gave her a quick secret smile. “Yes. I’ll be fine. Go have fun. Then I’ll take you home. Don’t want your mom to worry.”
Twyla winked at him over her shoulder, “She won’t.”
Patrick let a small smile tease his lips, hidden by his next round of whiskey. He was trying to pace himself. He needed to keep his mind free and clear so that he could in fact take Twyla home at the end of the night. He was so focused on his coworkers dancing and being generally free spirited people that he didn’t notice the young man approach him. He was happily watching a blonde young woman in the center of the room, twirling about and garnering all the men’s attention. She seemed to be revelling in such attention and even encouraging it a bit.
“You know. She would love it even more if you admired her up close instead of from afar.” the voice from next to him caused him to startle and jump ever so slightly that he had to find a napkin and sop up the alcohol that spilled on his sport jacket.
“I beg your pardon?” Patrick mopped up the liquid, and set the glass on the counter, still not looking the man next to him in the eye. In fact, he had yet to even give him a proper look.
When he finally did look up, his breath caught in his throat. Standing before him was the most beautiful man Patrick had ever seen. He was slightly taller than Patrick and his lean body was adorned in the highest quality black and white sweater Patrick had ever laid eyes on. This man had probably never touched a handmade sweater, let alone worn one in his life. Patrick gave his whole body the quickest of up/down glances. He noticed the man wore Italian leather and completed his outfit with charcoal grey slacks that still contained their perfect pleat down the center of each leg. Everything about this man screamed money, except for his hands and his face. Patrick noticed a slightly dark shadow on the side of his hand, much like Ted’s hands looked even after washing them from working on a campaign all day.
This man was an artist. That fact alone made Patrick’s heart almost burst from his chest. He had a soft spot for the creative types. When Patrick finally managed to give this man his full attention the mirthy glow in his chocolatey brown eyes melted Patrick instantly. No one he worked with knew that he had a kind side. Patrick preferred to keep to himself and not make friends, so no one knew that he was actually a gentle soul. He somehow knew that in the five minutes they’d been in each other’s company, the other man had already discovered that hidden secret of Patrick’s.
“Nevermind. Clearly, you aren’t interested in my sister.” The man held a vodka on the rocks with a slice of lime on the lip of his glass. He silently chuckled before taking a sip, his eyes never once leaving Patrick’s.
“I don’t know what you could possibly mean. I have a date.” Patrick sputtered, nervously trying to prove his manliness to this complete stranger.
“Sure, you mean the woman who ditched you and is now dancing with Jake?” The man leaned his back along the counter, breaking his eye contact with Patrick, but managing to step further into his personal space.
“Who?” Patrick turned his gaze from the mystery man and looked out at the crowd once again.
“That man there.” Out of the corner of his eye he could see the mystery man’s outstretched left hand. The long, thin fingers held onto the glass, a simple family crest ring on his pinky. His pointer finger was stretched out and aimed in the general direction of the large central crowd of dancers. “Honestly, do you even know the people you work with?”
Instead of asking further questions about who this Jake person might be Patrick asked the bigger question on his mind. “How do you know I work with these people?”
“Because it's a company party, you have to either work for Rose Advertising LLC or be invited by someone who does.” The mystery man shrugged and turned his head once more to fix Patrick with a gaze.
“If you must know, I have a strict no fraternization policy. I only know the name of a handful of people. The bigger question is how are you here?” Patrick turned to really stare this young man down in a sort of challenge. Underneath it all, he really just wanted a further excuse to stare at this very handsome young man.
The mystery man slowly placed his glass on the counter and nervously bit the corner of his lip. He seemed to be struggling with how to respond. Patrick was about to give him an out when he created one of his own.
“Did you know that tonight, the moon is at its brightest point of the lunar cycle. I’m going to ditch this snooze fest to go and see. Want to join me?” The mystery man continued to add to his air of mystery. Patrick jumped at the chance to spend even more time with this man.
“Yes?” Patrick nervously responded. He wanted so bad to just follow, but that’s how he could see his carefully placed protections just falling away.
“Well are you coming or ain't you?” The mystery man gave Patrick a look as if he had 2 heads.
Patrick’s breath hitched. His mind went into hyperdrive. He was about to follow the man outside; it’s what his heart really wanted, but the sound of approaching women startled him. He turned back toward the crowd behind him, terrified that someone knew exactly what he was about to do. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Patrick reminded himself that no one knew. No one could possibly know. Unfortunately, by the time he had turned back to where mystery man had been, the space was empty. Patrick’s heart sank, but deep down he knew it was for the best. He had come very close to revealing his secret, which was dangerous in so many ways.
“Penny for your thoughts?” Twyla’s gentle voice brought him back to the present.
“Hey, Twy. How long have you been standing there?” Patrick shook his head slightly.
“Not long.” She smiled and placed her hand on his bicep. “Are you ok?”
“Yeah.” Patrick forced a smile in the hopes of reassuring her.
She cocked her head to the side and studied him instead. Patrick adored her, but hated that she could read people on a deeper level. It meant that he could never hide things from her. She looked like she was about to say something further to him when a bubbly blonde woman, the attention grabbing one from before, bounded over. Her pink dress flowed freely around her knees, seeming to move like silk as she practically bounced in place.
“Twyla! I thought you said we wouldn’t be gone from the dance floor for longer than a second.” Her lips moved into a sort of comical pout that Patrick supposed would be endearing to any other man on the planet.
“Just a second. I promise, Alexis. I need to make sure Patrick is okay.” Twyla’s eyes never left Patrick’s as she addressed her friend.
Alexis. This must be the famed Alexis Rose, worldly daughter of Mr. Rose.
“Ugh. Fine. I guess I’ll try to find my brother. I told you he’s a catch, but he’s such a wallflower. Never wants to dance. Did you know he went to Europe for four whole years and never once entered into some sordid affair with one of those French girls?” Alexis’ response held an air of dramatics that Patrick couldn’t help smiling at.
“Was he supposed to?” Patrick inquired, in an attempt to get Twyla’s focus off of him.
“Of course! Isn’t that the whole point of going overseas? To meet someone exotic?” Alexis looked truly offended that Patrick did not immediately agree with her point of view.
“Oh, I don’t know. I think seeing the countries themselves would be far more satisfying.” Patrick shrugged. He found Alexis to be very intriguing, but not in the way he supposed men were supposed to be with her.
“Ugh! You’re just like my brother. Not the least bit interested in the social benefits of being abroad.” Alexis threw back her head and huffed.
“Patrick doesn’t socialize with others. At the office I’ve only ever seen him speak with people he has to for an advertisement, me, and Gwen his secretary. No one else. He doesn’t usually come to these parties. But I insisted he join me tonight.” Twyla jumped into the conversation, finally.
“Then why wasn’t he dancing with you, Twyla?” Alexis gave her friend a look that had Patrick holding his breath.
“Because he's not interested in that. He wanted me to have a good time, so I danced without him.” Twyla shrugged and gave Patrick a knowing look.
“Whatever. Let’s go back and find Jake. He was super cute and fun to be around.” Alexis was already bored with the current topic and ready to move on. “No offense,” she threw at Patrick.
“None taken. You ladies go out and enjoy yourselves.” Patrick dismissed them both with an encouraging look to Twyla, who looked as though she wanted to hang back.
She did long enough to whisper in his ear, “Go find him.” Before Alexis’ shouts drew her away, back into the crowd of dancing people.
For the life of him, Patrick could not figure out how Twyla knew. She’d been in the middle of the dance floor, she couldn’t have possibly seen his facial expressions as he spoke with the mystery man earlier. He stored that concern away to ask her about later; after all, he’d have the chance when he drove her home.
He strode outside to the front drive of the hotel. He looked around hoping to locate the man from earlier -- who he now suspected was David Rose. It made sense, he was the only person at the party that Patrick hadn’t at least seen before. Plus, there was an air of elegance to him that Patrick hadn’t really been able to put his finger on. Once Alexis talked about her brother’s adventures in Europe, he’d figured it out. David was a well-educated artist type. Patrick suspected he enjoyed the finer things in life, because he’d always had them, but could also easily be found in an art museum all day, just staring at art -- taking it in.
Patrick looked up toward the park across the street and something drew him there. He knew in his heart that he would find David somewhere within the confines of that small section of the park. Sure enough, as soon as Patrick crossed over into the grass, he saw David on a bench. It wasn’t one of the benches that lined the sidewalk, no, it was one a little further into the park. David sat a little bit back from the bright lights and hustle and bustle of the street. Patrick bit back a smile as the young man leaned back staring up at the clear sky. His pale skin shone in the moonlight. Patrick approached him slowly and softly, so as to not disturb his stargazing.
“Hello. David.” Patrick decided to try the man’s name out. It felt right. The word was like a melody on his lips as it passed into the open air.
The young man didn’t even startle, or turn his gaze away from the sky. Patrick moved to sit down on the bench next to David, leaving enough space for the ‘holy spirit’ as his mother liked to say.
“I wondered when you’d figure it out.” He finally broke his focus on the sky and turned to Patrick. “It’s safe out here. No one has to know.” His hand moved ever so slightly to cover Patrick’s that lay on the bench between them.
There were so many thoughts crashing through Patrick’s brain at breakneck speed. None of them sticking in his brain long enough to say a single response. His hand felt warm under the weight of David’s, the warmth moving clear up his arm and to his chest. He wanted to tell David how nice it felt to have his hand on top of his. He wanted to ask David how he knew. He wanted to smile at David and be brave enough to try something he’d never allowed himself to do with another guy, kiss him.
What came out of his mouth instead was nowhere near any of those thoughts. “So, did you vote for President?”
Patrick internally kicked himself. Politics, really Brewer? The one topic that was never really safe to approach and you spill it out of you right out the gate? Jesus. He held his breath waiting for David to respond.
“You. Want. To. Know. If. I. Voted?” David punctuated each word separately and slowly. Patrick groaned, there goes his chance.
“Umm.” Patrick really didn’t have a response.
Suddenly, David scooted closer to him and leaned into his personal space. “You’ve never done this before have you?” David’s eyes somehow conveyed what he meant by ‘this’ without even spelling it out.
Patrick simply shook his head. He watched David lean back and scoot away from Patrick once more, their hands still touching. David shook his head and gave a smirk.
“Kennedy.” He finally broke the silence, back to staring up at the stars.
“What?” Patrick couldn’t put two and two together, not while looking at him.
“You asked if I voted. I voted for Kennedy. He’s the most attractive.” David stated plainly.
Patrick couldn’t help himself — he laughed. All that tension that had been riding on his shoulders went away. David was clearly giving him the space he needed to move at his own pace, something Patrick greatly appreciated. David was telling him that he was interested and was allowing Patrick to drive the conversation.
“So, have you?” Patrick tried to say ‘kissed a guy’ but the words died in his throat.
“Have I?” David turned and looked at Patrick quizzically. Patrick motioned between them. “Ohhh. Yes. Once. A guy I roomed with in Germany. I only knew like 5 German words and he didn’t know any English, but somehow we understood each other.”
Patrick stared in awe at this man. How could such a person truly exist in this time. He was confident about who he was and didn’t appear afraid at all. The next question Patrick had for him came easily.
“Does anyone else know?” He wanted desperately to believe he didn’t have to keep himself hidden for the rest of his life.
“I haven’t specifically told my parents, but I think they suspect I’m not like all the other men. They don’t push me to date or even get married.” David paused and Patrick sighed.
“Must be nice.”
“It is. Plus, my best friend Stevie knows. We keep each other’s secrets. She doesn’t care for men.” David shrugged as if what he’d just said wasn’t dangerous to them all.
“Wow. I don’t talk to my parents anymore. I left Toronto a few months ago to get a fresh start. My mom keeps pushing me to propose to my highschool sweetheart. We went steady for a year, and now my mom thinks we should get married. It was suffocating, so I ran away to New York.” Patrick explained softly, now allowing his fingers to play with David’s.
“How’s that going for you?” David’s eyes held mischief as he smirked toward Patrick. The urge to kiss him on the lips was back once more. There was something about this man, unlike any others before him, that had Patrick wanting to throw all caution to the wind.
“Honestly?” Patrick paused, not sure why he was so willing to pour his heart out to this complete stranger.
“Or you can lie. I have no true idea who you are beyond working for my dad. I wouldn’t know the difference. You don’t owe me anything.” David shrugged again. Patrick started to believe that this man had a large indifference to most things in life that didn’t directly affect him.
“That is definitely true.” Patrick agreed, then turned his gaze toward the night sky for the first time since he’d first approached. The stars were amazingly bright in this particular spot of the park. He’d become so used to not being able to see the night sky under the bright lights of New York City that he quickly became mesmerized. “I haven’t seen stars like this since I left Canada. My grandparents lived on a farm outside of Toronto that I used to spend my summers at as a kid. Me and my cousins would camp in the backyard all the time and make up silly names for the star clusterings we would see.”
“Did you not know their proper names?” David’s voice came in distantly, as if he too was being transported into a long ago memory.
“I was the worst at paying attention to stuff like that in school. My cousin Mark, he was great at that stuff and would get all huffy at Billy and me making up fake names. It was all part of the experience, you know?” Patrick felt at ease in this moment, for the first time in years.
“Actually, I don’t. I grew up with my mom and dad leaving the care of me and Alexis to our live in help, Adelina. If I have cousins, I don’t know them. All I knew about stars before I was 22 is what I learned from a book.” David’s voice came out confident, but Patrick could hear the slight bit of sadness he was trying to mask.
“Was that when you started to travel?” Patrick turned his attention to David and just watched the young man process what he was asking. It was as if David had never had anyone be this interested in him before. That thought made Patrick’s heart ache.
“Yes,” David sighed, “My father gave me as much money as I asked for and never questioned why I didn’t come home anymore. At first I only traveled within this continent. But, then I ventured across the ocean and that is where I have been for the last 4 years. Right before my 30th birthday, my dad insisted I come back home. So, I did.” David flourished his hands about as if to make a bigger statement. This meant that they were no longer holding hands. Patrick missed the warmth of it.
“Your father is proud of you.” Patrick stated this fact in the quietest voice he could muster, in case David didn’t want to hear such things.
“Oh I doubt that. I’ve hardly done anything to prattle on about.” David was definitely a man who had never heard someone tell him he was talented before. Patrick began to have a deeper appreciation of his mother the longer he sat here with David.
“I’m serious. Anytime one of our big clients hates the artwork someone in the art department has done he gets all snippy. He tells them ‘my son can draw a concept better than that and he doesn’t even work in advertising.’ Surprised he’s never told you himself.” Patrick grabbed David’s hand once more -- emboldened by his desire to make sure David knew his art mattered, even though he’d never actually seen any of it.
“That would require my father to be a great conversationalist. We just don’t know how to talk to each other. I’m creative and he’s stiff.” David didn’t pull back his hand so Patrick considered that a win.
“If you ever want to borrow my dad, go right ahead. I’d love a break every once in a while. I gave up on my music and my passion for baseball when I moved here so he’s constantly hounding me about it.” Patrick knocked his shoulder against David’s in the gentlest of shoves.
“Why’d you give it all up?” David seemed keenly interested in Patrick’s answer.
“I’m an ad man on Madison Avenue. I don’t have time for vacations, much less keeping up with hobbies such as music and baseball.” Patrick searched David’s face for any kind of understanding. Surely, this man could understand Patrick’s level of ambition. But there wasn’t any to be found.
“If you don’t make time for the things that make you uniquely you, how can you expect people to care about you?” David’s question hit Patrick deep.
But, he brushed off diving deeper by saying, “I have myself. That’s enough.”
“Coming from someone who truly only has himself, it’s not enough. You’ll never be satisfied or successful if you do it alone.”
Patrick was taken aback. David called his bluff and threw it back at him with the force of someone who cared. But, how could he? They didn’t know one another. Patrick was about to dismiss his concern when from behind them they heard a few pops and the sky lit up with an array of colors. Fireworks. New Years, it must be midnight.
He turned to face David full on and the two stared at one another for a moment before their gazes landed on the other man’s lips. It was clear they both wanted it, but Patrick wasn’t sure he had the courage to actually take that leap. Just as he was about to resign himself for another missed opportunity, David was against him connecting their mouths together. The fireworks in the sky were the physical representation of how Patrick’s body was suddenly alive. Every nerve in his body was on fire -- in the best way -- and his heart felt like it would burst from his chest. He had never felt this much from a kiss before. In fact, up until this very moment he had believed that kisses were boring and not worth writing about. But, David. Oh, David was teaching him just how wrong he’d always been. This was otherworldly, like Patrick was transported to the stars they’d been observing for the past hour.
They pulled apart and gulped down air as quickly as they could muster. Patrick was feeling a bit light-headed, but he knew that it wasn’t a bad kind of light-headed. No, this type was a direct result of finally feeling something for someone else. He’d thought he would never understand what his mother and Rachel were always oohing and awing over on their daily TV romance dramas. That maybe those thoughts and feelings were simply a female thing. Now, he knew. David had woken him up in ways he never thought he needed.
“Um. Thank you.” Patrick cringed ever so slightly, why was he so awkward?
“You’re welcome?” David responded with the cutest look of confusion on his face.
“I have wanted to kiss you for the past hour, and I was worried I’d never get the chance because I’m not courageous enough to take that first step. But you were, so thank you.”
“You were worried we wouldn’t get the chance to kiss?” David asked gently. Patrick searched his eyes for ridicule and found none.
“Yes.”
Instead of responding David pulled Patrick forward for another kiss. “Happy New Year.” Then he suddenly pulled away, “I just realized, I never asked your name.”
“It’s Patrick. Patrick Brewer.” Patrick smiled cheekily before leaning forward again. Kissing David was his new favorite thing in the whole world.
Today
Patrick woke up slowly. The sun was just starting to peak over the horizon. He knew from first glance that it was almost 7am. It was something he saw every morning when he woke up, the sunrise. What he wasn’t expecting was there to be someone else still in his bed. David never spent the night. Patrick had never let him, he was too paranoid of his neighbors finding out to let his heart win over -- ever.
David groaned beautifully as he slowly lifted his head from the pillow. The sun reflected off his beautiful brown eyes that shone with happiness. That happiness quickly faded as he took in Patrick’s terrified, stiff demeanor.
“What is it? Is your headache bad again?” David was across the room before Patrick could finish processing his change from happiness to concern.
“It never really left.” Patrick answered on impulse, but quickly backtracked. “What are you doing here?”
“Oh my god!” David gasped dramatically. Patrick figured he could either react or let David’s dramatics play out. “It’s messing with your memory! You don’t remember me coming last night.”
Patrick sighed and reached out to stop David from falling into a full blown freak out. “David. I remember you coming over. I mean this morning. What are you still doing here?”
“Your headache was so bad last night, I had to draw you a bath in an attempt to soothe it enough so you could sleep. You were very clingy to me. I tried to leave, but you wouldn’t let me stop rubbing your temple. By the time you fell asleep, I was honestly too tired.” David looked at Patrick softly, he reached out and swiped a lock of Patrick’s loose hair across his forehead. Patrick could feel the tension in his shoulders ease a little bit.
“Just be sure Mrs. Wykoff in 3C doesn’t see you when you leave. Please. She watches for me like a hawk to try and set me up with her grand-daughter.” Patrick pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. Today was going to be a long day. Thankfully, it was Friday.
David gave a half smirk, half worried grin before stopping in his doorway, “See you at the office.” He blew him a kiss and Patrick panicked a bit at the sight of Mrs. Wykoff’s door opened down the hall.
“Morning, Mrs. Wykoff!” Patrick waved at her and acknowledged her presence. Her eyes followed David down the stairs, but she didn’t say anything. She just waved back at Patrick and slipped back into her apartment.
Patrick knew he was going to stress about her all day which was only going to make the already painful headache ten times worse. As he took a shower he wondered why he couldn’t be blessed with a simple life. A job that didn’t stress him out, a nice woman he could marry and “be normal” with -- no that won’t work. He loved David too much to wish he could simply be straight, though that would solve so many of his problems. Patrick wanted nothing more than to be able to take David as his date to company functions or show him off to the guys. Instead, every time he had to rely on either Twyla or Alexis to cover for him. David didn’t mind going to things alone, but Patrick thought that made him look even worse.
Now that David worked for the company instead of just being the boss’s son, he needed to be more aware of things. Patrick made a mental note to remind David that his image with the rest of the company had changed now that he’s not just the boss’ son, but also a colleague. The “guys” would now be more critical of him coming to functions alone. The Christmas party was coming up fast. He’d need a date for that one, especially if he expected to be able to sneak off with Patrick for some good old fashioned kissing.
When Patrick finally got out of the shower and started to get dressed, his headache sent a sharp jabbing pain to the front of his skull. It caused him to hold his breath and sit on his bed with his head between his legs for a moment. When the pain dissipated slightly, Patrick stood up and slowly made his way toward his kitchen for some tea. It usually helped him to feel better coupled with some aspirin. He needed to lessen his pain enough that he could fully function at work today. He had a very important meeting with the CEO of Macy’s. They were in search of the perfect Holiday look for their magazine and newspaper campaign. Ted had been working on it diligently for weeks now.
An hour later, Patrick finally made it into the office. He was moving slowly and avoiding eye contact as much as possible. The lights in the secretary pool were blinding and almost made him nauseous. He moved as quickly as he could through the sea of desks until he reached his corner office. Gwen was there, ready with a mug of hot tea and a sympathetic look.
“Mr. Brewer. I hope the headache is better today. I made you some hot tea just in case.” Gwen came around her desk and opened his door for him.
“I’m okay. Thank you Gwen. I’m going to leave my lights off for now though. The sun will be enough light for me.” Patrick stated softly and tried not to cringe at the loud squeal suddenly emanating from the cluster of desks behind him.
“Sorry about that, Rebecca’s boyfriend proposed to her last night and she just showed the girls her ring.” Gwen explained.
“Uh huh.” Patrick replied noncommittal and moved into his office and snapped his door shut.
The stark contrast in sound once Patrick closed his office door was a relief to his poor head. Maybe David was right. He should probably see a doctor about these headaches. They were becoming more frequent and more debilitating. Sitting at his desk, Patrick was able to finally close his eyes and rub his hands on his temple begging for some relief. He knew he was already behind on his work, having left early the day before, but he also couldn’t convince himself to risk looking at text on a page. So, instead he swam in his own thoughts about what Craig had said the other night during their business meeting. About how much he cared for David and wished he could show him off, it’s what he deserved. Patrick wondered if their lives would be different if they lived somewhere else. This led him to thoughts of a farm somewhere outside of Toronto. He missed the Canadian countryside and the feeling of freedom he had there. He knew his parents wouldn’t say anything about him and David. His mother would probably adore the creative spirit within him. But, would they accept the life they had chosen to lead?
Patrick was lost in his thoughts when his door opened with a stiff knock. It was Ted and trailing behind him was David. One look from David and he knew that David wouldn’t say anything or be inappropriate in any way. Patrick let out the breath he’d been holding. Things were getting complicated in his life. Love was supposed to make things easier, so why did he constantly feel on edge. He gave Ted a quick smile before silently offering them drinks. He grabbed another sip of his tea before opening the room up for conversation.
“You feeling okay there, big guy?” Ted asked jovially. His voice, usually unassuming and plain, sounded like squeaky chalk on a chalkboard to Patrick’s throbbing brain. “Let’s shine a light, shall we?” Ted suddenly flipped the light and Patrick gut reacted by visibly cringing.
If he could bear to open his eyes he would have seen a flicker of major concern cross David’s face. But he couldn’t because the light made his vision swim, so Patrick kept them closed until his headache calmed down a bit.
“I think we have enough natural light.” David nervously said before the room went darker once more. Patrick silently thanked whatever God there was for David Rose.
“I assume you’re here to discuss the Macy’s ad.” Patrick switched gears as soon as he was able to open his eyes and focus on his colleagues.
“About that.” Ted suddenly looked nervous. “Mr. Rose is pulling me into a meeting with the account holders on Ford. I’m giving this campaign off to David, who has been helping me finalize the print this week. So, he knows what we’re doing.” Ted truly looked apologetic.
“Oh.” Patrick tried not to let his disappointment ring out, not because he didn’t want to work with David, but because he didn’t know how he’d be around David right now.
“I know this isn’t what you wanted and it’s the second campaign with him I’ve thrust you into this week, but he’s really good Patrick. Please, just give him a chance.” Ted pleaded, thinking that Patrick hated David. To be fair, Patrick hadn’t really shown anyone otherwise since the day David started.
Patrick was about to respond when David jumped in, “We will make it work. Don’t worry.”
It was moments like this when Patrick hated what he was doing to David. The young man wasn’t afraid of who he was or worried that anyone would hurt him for it. In fact, everyone in the company knew he wasn’t the ladies type. David hadn’t come out and said it, but he didn’t deny people’s assumptions either. He quite frankly didn’t care. David was the type who would be proud of who he loved, if given the chance. Patrick knew he respected Patrick’s wishes, but at what cost?
“Great. I’m going to leave you two alone to get a handle on your presentation. I am expected in the Ford meeting right now. Bye.” Ted gave a small wave and left the office.
The minute the door clicked shut, David was on him. His hands roaming to provide comfort as best he could.
“It’s gotten worse hasn’t it? I told you to see a doctor about this! How are you going to function well enough to present to the clients?” David’s words all ran together in his anxious rush to say them.
“While I appreciate your concern for me, I’m fine.” Patrick tried in vain to dismiss David’s words. He tried to swat David away from him, but David simply sat on the edge of his desk and faced him with a serious look in his eye.
“You can’t even handle the lights being on. You aren’t fine. Maybe we should reschedule this presentation today.” David rubbed his arm affectionately.
Patrick froze up at his words, “Are you out of your damn mind? I can’t just abandon my work because of a small headache.” Patrick could feel the irritation within him rising to the surface and David was about to become the brunt of it at no fault of his own. “And stop dithering about. I’ve told you we can’t be like this in the office.”
The hurt in David’s eyes was almost enough to stop his next words from coming. Almost.
“Just get the hell out of my office. I’ll see you at 11 o’clock in the conference room for our presentation!” He practically yelled at David, for no reason. The young man took it in stride though and simply left his office.
Patrick slumped back down into his chair. David was right, he wasn’t going to be able to fake his way through this presentation. He needed to be better and fast. There was no way he’d function through the presentation with the lights boring into his pounding head. Patrick decided he needed a stiff drink and some more aspirin, never mind he’d only just taken some an hour ago. He buzzed for Gwen.
“Yes, Mr. Brewer,” Gwen greeted him as she stood in his doorway.
“Could you get me a couple of aspirin?” Patrick jabbed at her, his pain making his snap just a bit. “Please” he added as an afterthought.
“Of course, right away.” Gwen gave him a smile and backed out of the office only to return a few moments later with a couple of pills in her palm.
Patrick gladly took them from her and swallowed them with a fourth of whiskey. He then looked up at her apologetically.
“I’m sorry for snapping at you. I hope you had a good evening with Bob last night.” Patrick tried to engage her in pleasantries to make up for his rude behavior.
“We did. We listened to the radio and read our respective books. Then we went to bed. A nice quiet evening at home.” Gwen replied quietly, she knew Patrick’s needs when he had these episodes. He wished she didn’t, because that would mean it didn’t happen often.
“That sounds lovely. What I wouldn’t give for that.” Patrick smiled at her gently while his mind traveled to David and the life he wished they could easily have.
“You know, Twyla would probably give you that kind of life.” Gwen winked at him before heading back toward his door and her desk beyond it.
“No, she’s like a sister to me. I could never.” Patrick dismissed Gwen’s idea, “Thank you though.”
Gwen’s next words took him by surprise. “I told you the other day you should treat that boy nicely. Now, I realize you did it on purpose. You think the world would hate you if they knew. And maybe some people would, but I wouldn’t and neither would his father. You are safe here.”
She left with a soft click of his door and Patrick was left to the silence of his now empty office. With all the times Gwen had pushed women on him, Patrick never would’ve thought she’d be the one to figure it out. Twyla, possibly, but not Gwen. Hell, he would’ve pegged Ted before Gwen. All the same, her words made him feel just a little bit better about his whole situation. Maybe, just maybe, he could have intimate moments with David within his office and Gwen would protect that from the outside world.
By the time he had to head over to the conference room for his presentation with David, Patrick’s head was feeling slightly better. He believed he’d get through the meeting just fine, with no hiccups.
He was gathering his notes when the CEO was ushered in by Twyla and David was not far behind them. He barely looked at David before bringing the CEOs attention to the storyboards David and Ted had created. He looked out across the table at the executives there to hear his pitch when a wave of nausea hit him like a ton of bricks. But, with one deep breath through his nose he was able to fight it off, so he began.
“Macy’s is an icon. Everyone in the world knows your brand and your name. All the families flock to your stores for the best in Christmas shopping. So, we decided to create an ad that truly represents that.” Patrick paused to fight off another wave of nausea and slightly squinted against the brightness of the lights. Out of the corner of his eye he saw David move to help him, Patrick gave him a slight shake of the head.
“David here drew a beautiful christmas scene where a family is walking down 34th street and the child is excitedly pointing upward at the big Macy’s storefront up ahead. The mom is holding the child’s hand and matching their excitement by leading them there. Underneath…” Patrick paused again hoping that another breath through his nose would stave off the feeling of vomit that was now approaching his throat.
“Underneath…” Patrick tried again, but this time he couldn’t finish before he leaned over and vomited all over the floor and his world started to swim. He couldn’t even stop David from rushing at him in concern.
The room was swimming above him and around him as he felt himself being eased to the floor. There was a flurry of motion above him but he couldn’t bring himself to care or even register all that was happening. He simply leaned his head back against the wall he assumed and closed his eyes against another wave of nausea. Then, the lights in the conference room were shut off and Patrick could feel the nausea dissipating just a little bit. However, his vision still wasn’t clearing up, in fact it was getting more and more restricted.
Then, everything went black.