Chapter Text
Goodbyes had always been difficult for Jared. It was weird, considering how cold he was. But he cried when he left for New York, and now he was crying when he was leaving to go back to New Jersey. Of course, it was only for a month to go see his mom and dad, who he hadn't seen in almost a year. It was a spontaneous trip, and not even his parents knew he was coming home for the month of April. But, he was. He was happy, of course, how couldn't be be? Going back home was always a highlight. Sure, his parents weren't the most spectacular people, but they were his parents regardless.
Jared packed his suitcase into the back of his van, which he had owned since the 11th grade. He was 27 now. You'd think he would have bought a new car by now, but he couldn't part with the Kleinman-Mobile. He closed the trunk, and walked to the drivers seat, getting inside. He buckled up, and put his keys into the ignition. Immediately, the 80's radio station his van's stereo was always tuned to started to boom. Jared turned it down a small bit, and grabbed his AUX cord, plugging in his phone. He put on the road trip playlist he had created. It was practically all David Bowie.
Once his fingers were tapping on the steering wheel to the beat of Space Oddity, he was ready to start driving. So, that's exactly what he did.
It was about two hours from New York to his small city in New Jersey. It was nothing compared to the bustling streets of New York City, in fact, it was calm. Jared kind of missed it. The familiar feel of the place. The calm streets, and fresh smelling air. He couldn't wait to hopefully climb to the roof tonight and look at the stars. You could see them almost clearly from out here. Barely a cloud in the sky. It was lovely, really. Of course, New York was lovely in its own way, with its tall landscapes, and bright lights. But, nothing could beat this small city in New Jersey.
Jared turned onto a familiar street. He hadn't actually been home in more than two years. His parents came to see him in New York. He hadn't seen his old house in forever. He was too used to his new studio apartment. He looked around as he drove, slowing down, seeing that this street wasn't the busiest. It was nice to see everything was still the same. The Wilson's down the block still had the gnomes on the front lawn, and the Hansen's-- the Hansen's...
Jared shook his head as he looked at the familiar house; small, yet it still hosted two floors. A paved driveway, that was cracking thanks to the cold weather that New Jersey got. The Hansen's. He sped up a small bit, driving a few more doors down to his own house, and parking in the driveway. His mom and dad were both home; his dad's work truck parked on the street, and his mom's Jeep parked in the driveway next to his van. Jared took his keys out of his ignition, and sighed softly. Here we go.
He got out of his van, and grabbed his suitcase from the back, then made his way to the front door. He took a breath before knocking, closing his eyes for a moment. He opened them when the door opened.
"Jared?" His mom was the one to answer the door. Jared smiled to her. "Oh my god-- Honey! Honey get in here, Jared's home!" Mrs. Kleinman called out to her husband, Jared's dad, before pulling Jared into a tight hug. "Jared, kiddo, what are you doing here?" She asked, still holding him close.
Jared let go of the handle of his suitcase, and hugged his mom back. "I came to visit. I'm here for a month."
Mr. Kleinman entered the room, smiling brightly at the sight of his wife and son hugging. "About time you came to visit."
Jared laughed, moving away from his mom, and grabbing his bag. His mom let him inside, closing the door behind him. "Yeah, I know. Sorry."
"Well, how-- gosh, how are you? How's work?" His mom was ecstatic to see her son. It was evident. She always raised him to be a star, and he was one. Jared had went to school and majored in Computer Science, then went on to get a job as a database administrator. He was making genuinely good money, and his mom was proud of him.
"Good, yeah. Same as usual. Numbers and stuff." Jared chuckled softly. His dad walked over, putting a hand on his shoulder.
"It's good to see you, kid."
"You too, dad. Sorry I didn't call. I thought maybe I'd surprise you."
"And just in time, we're having Heidi over for supper tomorrow night-- oh, honey, tell me you've spoken to Evan since you left for New York." Mrs. Kleinman looked to her son, with hope in her eyes. The Hansen's and the Kleinman's had been family-friends for years. Evan and Jared had been best friends since they were 5, and from what Mr. and Mrs. Kleinman knew, they were still the same way in the present. Little did they know, Jared and Evan had a falling out in high school after the Connor Project gongshow.
Jared had no choice but to lie. "Yeah. We talk sometimes. I'm busy, though, so..."
"Well, it's good that you're still talking to him." Mr. Kleinman said.
"Yeah."
"Well, come sit down. I'm sure your dad will take your things up to your room-- well, that's if you're staying here, anyway... you're staying here, right?" Mrs. Kleinman asked.
"Yeah, that was the plan."
"Oh, good. Honey, can you take Jared's things upstairs? I'll make a pot of coffee. Oh! I want to hear everything, Jare. It's so good to see you again." Mrs. Kleinman put a hand on her son's cheek for a moment, smiling proudly to him. Jared smiled back softly, mouthing a thank you to his dad as he took his things upstairs. Then, as his mom walked away to stay a pot of coffee, he sat down in the living room. The furniture was all the same, and the same pictures were hanging on the walls. Pictures of Jared, and their old cat, and Evan Hansen, and Heidi, and the Kleinman's and Hansen's together. It was bittersweet.
Jared thought about what his mom said. That the Hansen's were coming over for supper tomorrow. The thought made him a bit nervous. Evan and him hadn't spoken for, well... 10 years. It had been 10 years. And Jared claimed to have no regrets. Of course, though, he did. He definitely did. Evan really was his best friend, and only friend. But, since the whole Connor Project fiasco. Things just... he didn't even like to think about it. He was heartbroken. Because truth be told he--
"So, Jared, kiddo. You got a girlfriend?" His dad asked, coming down from his room, and walking over to the couch. He sat next to him.
Jared's eyes widened for a moment, and he huffed out a laugh. "A girlfriend? Oh, god, no. No... no."
"Damn, thought my kid would have had someone by now."
Well, Jared had had relationships. Not with girls, per say... with guys. He had went through 2 relationships. Both with co-workers, which made things very awkward at work. But Jared couldn't admit that to his parents. He didn't even want to admit it to himself, anyway. So, best to keep it hidden. "Hah, no. Sorry, dad."
"Ah, you'll find someone eventually. New York's a big place, right?" Mr. Kleinman nudged him, and chuckled.
"Yeah. Big place." He nodded. His mom walked in with three cups of coffee, setting them down on the coffee table. She sat down in the armchair beside the couch.
"Oh, my co-worker has this lovely daughter," His mom started, reaching for her coffee. She grabbed it, and brought it to her lips, blowing on it for a moment. "Uh... Alana Beck? I think you went to school with her, right?"
"Oh. Yeah, no... I, uh... I'd rather meet someone who I didn't go to high school with." Jared replied. Yeah, he was gay, and if he wans't, he definitely wasn't going to date Alana. He and Alana would definitely be better off as friends than anything more.
"That's understandable. But, you know, your mom and I--"
"Can we drop the love talk?" Jared asked, chuckling nervously.
"Oh, I get it. You're going through a breakup."
"Wh... what? Okay, no-- No. I'm just not ready for a committed relationship yet. That's all."
"You're not gay, are you?" His mom asked suddenly.
Jared's heart stopped. "What? What? What?" He was like a broken record. "No! No, of course I'm not."
"Oh, good. Good good." Mrs. Kleinman nodded, and took a sip of her coffee.
Jared reached forward and grabbed his own coffee, sucking in a breath, and taking a sip. It was still hot, but he didn't care. "So, uh-- anyway." He cleared his throat. "Um. It's good to be back. Even if it's only for a month or so."
Suddenly, his mom perked up again. "It'll be a great month. So much we can do. So much to catch up on."
His dad nodded in agreement.
Jared let out a sigh of relief. "Yeah," Jared looked at the time, and pretended to yawn. "Wow. I didn't realize how late I had left New York. It's already 9:00? Y'know, I'm actually kind of tired. I think I might head upstairs and lay down for a while. Thanks for the coffee, though, and the hospitality in general."
"Oh, of course, sweetie," Mrs. Kleinman smiled to Jared. "Nothing in your room has changed. Same posters and everything. You still like David Bowie?"
"Always will, mom." Jared said. His mom laughed softly. The two stood up, and his mom wrapped her arms around her son once again.
"It's really great to see you again, Jared. Welcome home, honey."
Jared wrapped his own arms around her, patting her back. "Thanks, mom."
Mr. Kleinman got up, and join in the hug. "Ah, the whole family's back together."
Mrs. Kleinman giggled, and kissed Jared's cheek, then her husband's. "Yeah. A whole month."
Jared pulled back, and smiled to his dad, then his mom. "Alright. I'm heading to bed. Love you guys."
"Love you too, son." Mr. Kleinman replied.
"Sleep well, Jared. See you tomorrow. If you go out, supper's at 5." Mrs. Kleinman said. Jared nodded.
"5, got it. Night."
With that, he made his way upstairs, but didn't go to his room. Instead, he went to the balcony. That was how to get to the roof. He opened the door to the balcony, then jumped onto the railing, then he pulled himself onto the room. He crawled up it, and finally laid back once he reached a good spot.
Now, he could take in the stars, and the fresh air from his favourite place in the world. Jared smiled to himself. He could get used to this.