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David was lying on his bed. He was very glad Alexis had chosen tonight to be somewhere else since he really didn’t want to answer any intrusive questions right now. He did hear his parents in the room next door, but he very much hoped they wouldn’t check up on him. He wanted to wallow in his misery in peace. He had known this would happen, but it still hurt. He should have known that no happiness would come in his direction, at least not any lasting one. Sure, his relationship with Patrick had been the longest he had ever been in. In just two days it would have been four months, not that he was counting. But now that had come to an end. Patrick’s last words to him kept playing on repeat in his head.
“David, sometimes you are just too much…”
Especially the “too much” part was ringing in his head. He had always been afraid that one day Patrick would realize David was way too much trouble to be worth the effort. He knew there were some other things Patrick had tried to say to him as well right after that statement, but he hadn’t been able to hear a word after those fateful words. And truth be told, he hadn’t even wanted to. He knew what Patrick’s message was. It had been loud and clear in his exasperated words. He did remember muttering some kind of good night wish before getting into his car and driving away.
David couldn’t even remember what had led to it all. They had been having a very nice evening. Patrick had maybe seemed a bit distracted and had checked his phone several times with a deep frown on his face but when David had tried to ask if something was wrong, his concerns had been brushed off. As a whole it had been a nice evening until some minor thing had made David react and, as was his usual way, he had gone all in with his reaction and probably blown it all out of proportion. Maybe the way he had felt slightly ignored by Patrick that evening had also played a part in it. He had almost gotten used to Patrick just giving him an amused smile and a shake of his head before doing something sweet that would immediately return David back to earth. However, it seemed even Patrick’s patience had its limits and David had just reached that limit. He wished he could turn back time and enter the same situation with the knowledge he now had. Surely he would be able to reign in his more outlandish behavior so that Patrick wouldn’t dump his sorry ass.
It was already late, and David knew he really should be sleeping but he was spiraling way too hard for that to happen. He had no idea how he would be able to face Patrick tomorrow at the store. And what would even happen to the store? Had Patrick gotten enough of that as well? David knew that while the store had been doing well, he couldn’t afford to give Patrick back the money he had invested in it. And he wasn’t even sure he could handle all the business stuff that was Patrick’s responsibility. How would he survive if Patrick told him tomorrow he wanted out of their deal? That was another thing for him to panic about. He very much doubted he would be able to sleep at all that night.
The hours of the night went past slowly, and David found himself just rolling in his bed without sleep bringing him any relief. At one point of the night, he contemplated sending Patrick a message, begging him for another chance but quickly discarded that. He may not have much left but at least he still had his pride. He had crossed a line with Patrick and he only had himself to blame but he didn’t want pity. He had to respect Patrick’s decision and let him be. Somehow, he would survive this like he had survived all the other times he had been told he was too much. He had hoped Patrick was different, but he should have known better.
In the end morning came way too soon for David’s liking anyway. Despite making plans all night long, he still wasn’t any closer to figuring out how he would be able to face Patrick in the store. So, in the end he took the coward’s way out. He quickly opened his text chain with Patrick and shot off a message saying that he had a migraine and wouldn’t be able to come in that day. He also added that he would be turning off his phone to get some proper rest. He did notice that he had received some messages from Patrick but in his current state of mind he wasn’t ready to read what those said. David had done quite enough last night, and Patrick had said all that he needed. David didn’t feel like reading some platitudes from Patrick; he didn't need any additional salt rubbed into his wounds. So, he ignored the messages and right after making sure the text had been sent, powered down his phone. While he was uncertain if the store had any future with Patrick still involved in it, he still felt he could trust Patrick to take care of the store for the day. Or until David gathered enough courage to actually face him, whenever that may be.
***
David spent the next several hours buried under the covers in his bed. He was actually slightly surprised that no-one came to check up on him. He had gotten so used to his parents walking into the room at the most inappropriate times so he was certain someone would walk in at any moment, but to his surprise the door between the rooms remained closed. And even Alexis seemed to have done a total disappearing act. Of course, David was glad that he had the peace and quiet to wallow in his misery but no-one coming into the room also meant that there was no-one he could beg to bring him some food. He was in dire need of some comfort food right now. All he had in the room were some energy bars. They did help the worst of his hunger, but he knew they weren’t a lasting option. Going to the cafe was out of the question because it was right opposite to the store and he didn’t want to risk running into Patrick or someone seeing him there and telling Patrick that they had seen him. It wouldn’t fit with his migraine story.
It was already late afternoon and finally his stomach refused to be ignored any longer. He decided that his safest option was probably trying his luck with the motel office and seeing if Stevie would be willing to help him out. She was a pain most of the time but at the same time she was also the only person David could actually call his friend and had helped him out before too. And while Stevie was known to give him a hard time, she also had a softer side that sometimes made an appearance. David just had to hope this was one of those times.
He opened the door to his room carefully and peaked out. He couldn’t see anyone outside which was a relief. There were a few cars parked in the motel parking lot which meant there were some guests staying. David just hoped he wouldn’t come face to face with any of them. He didn’t feel like being social right now. He made his way slowly towards the office and hoped he would find Stevie at the desk instead of his father.
For once it seemed he had luck on his side since as soon as he opened the office door, he could see Stevie standing behind the desk. However, unfortunately it seemed there was a guest either checking in or out so David couldn’t jump right into what he wanted to ask Stevie about. Instead he nodded in her direction and took a seat on the sofa to wait for the guest to be done with their business. While he waited, he gave the guest in front of the desk a cursory glance. He could obviously only see part of them, but she seemed to be quite petite in size and had a beautiful head of red hair. While David wasn’t that into redheads, he did have to admit that there had been some he had had more than a passing acquaintance with, in the past. Then suddenly something the woman said caught his attention.
“I’m here to see my fiancé. I’ve been trying to reach him by texts, but I fear there might be something wrong with his phone since I haven’t gotten a reply. So, I’m here to make sure he’s okay.”
It looked like David wasn’t the only one with relationship worries then. In a normal situation he would have probably admitted to eavesdropping and given the woman some advice but right now he was way too wrapped in his own troubles to have energy to help anyone else. Finally, the woman was done with her business at the desk which seemed to have been checking in and she left the office to locate her assigned room. David was glad to notice that it seemed to be at the other end of the motel. He had no idea what the situation with the fiancé the woman had come to look for but in case there was going to be some kind of confrontation, he didn’t want to be at a hearing distance from it.
“Who peed into your cereal this morning, David?”
“Nice to see you too, Stevie.”
“Well. Those bags under your eyes look like they need their own support system so it’s quite obvious something’s up."
David stuck his tongue out at Stevie as a response. At the same time, he pondered what he was going to reply to that but in the end, he decided to come out and say it.
“Things are over between Patrick and I so some compassion would be appreciated.”
He registered the moment of shock on Stevie’s face before her more normal expression returned. It was obvious Stevie had to think for a while before she spoke again.
“What happened?”
“He finally realized it takes too much effort to be with me for it to be worth it.”
“Is that why you are in my office at this time of the day instead of at the store? Are you closed today?”
“I sent him a message this morning claiming I had a migraine and that I wouldn’t be coming in. Honestly I have no clue if he opened the store or not but part of me wants to believe he has.”
“He didn’t respond to your message?”
“I shut off my phone as soon as I sent the message, so I don’t know if he’s replied.”
“Wouldn’t it be worth it to check so that you would know?”
David knew Stevie was just trying to be reasonable and rational, but he didn’t feel up to it right now.
“I don’t think I can read any of his messages right now. Still feeling too raw.”
“I see. That still doesn’t explain what you are doing in my office.”
“I got hungry.” David half whined. “But I can’t go to the cafe because I don’t want to run into him.”
“What do you expect me to do about it?”
“I was hoping you would be my friend and go buy me some food.” David tried to direct his form of puppy eyes at Stevie but wasn’t sure if he was successful. Based on the way she rolled her eyes at him, he doubted that. “Or agree to call for a delivery and share a pizza with me.”
“Tell you what. I’m feeling generous today. And also, could do with some company tonight. Your dad is coming to relieve me in about an hour. If you can wait until then, come and meet me and we’ll go to my place. We can order all the takeout you want and get hammered. There’s some wine and a bottle of vodka that’s been calling my name. I could be persuaded to share.”
David’s eyes lit up at the promise of lots of food and booze. And maybe if they were really lucky, Stevie would come across some weed as well. However, just the food and booze were a step up for him. And going to Stevie’s would also have the added benefit of getting away from the motel for the night. He didn’t think he would be as lucky for a second night in the row with avoiding coming face to face with either his parents or Alexis.
***
After agreeing with Stevie to meet up with her by her car in about an hour, David grabbed one of the pastries from the table. When Stevie protested that they were meant for the paying guests, David pretended he hadn’t heard her and left the office. At first, he thought about returning to his room to wait but since he couldn’t be sure if Alexis had returned or where his parents were, he decided it would be safer to stay away. He did risk popping into the room to pick up his iPod and was thankful that he didn’t see anyone. Then he made his way to the other side of the motel where he was pretty sure no-one would know to look for him. He found a seat and after making sure there was nothing on the bench that would ruin his designer pants, he got comfortable. He put in the earbuds and pressed play on his favorite playlist. It should entertain him for a while.
Time passed quickly while David was lost in his thoughts and listened to music. He did his best not to think about Patrick but with that he wasn’t too successful. He knew he would have to face Patrick at some point but the way he was currently feeling, he hoped that time was far in the future. He knew things were over between them but if he didn’t talk with Patrick, he could still pretend things were fine. Of course, that wasn’t made easy by the fact that Patrick’s words from last night were still playing on repeat in his head.
Finally, it was time for David to go and meet Stevie. He was just rounding the corner of the motel when he spotted Patrick’s car in the parking lot. He quickly backtracked so that he couldn’t be seen. Then he carefully peaked around the corner and immediately hoped he hadn’t because the sight in front of him was the final nail in the coffin of his relationship with Patrick. And the sight also made him wonder if there had ever been a relationship to begin with since there Patrick stood, a gorgeous flower arrangement and something that looked like a gift box in his hands, embracing the redheaded woman David had seen in the office earlier. The same woman who, according to her own words, had come to Schitt’s Creek to check up on her fiancé. From the way they were embracing it was quite obvious the woman had found her missing fiancé. And Patrick seemed more than happy to see her and had even brought her flowers. It very much looked like Patrick wasn’t too heartbroken about things ending between him and David. Of course, since he obviously already had a fiancée David knew nothing about, it did raise the question if there ever had been anything between them. There had been David’s slip of the tongue with the boyfriend-label but maybe Patrick had just gone along with it to humor him. And okay, Patrick had dedicated that song to him but maybe they had interpreted the lyrics in different ways. Not that it mattered. The proof was there right in front of his eyes. Things were definitely over between himself and Patrick.
David couldn’t hear what Patrick and the woman were saying but they were obviously very deep in conversation. David saw the woman motioning towards the end of the motel where her room was situated. It did look like Patrick hesitated for a while but then nodded. David didn’t miss the way Patrick’s head turned in the direction where David’s room was situated. David guessed it was just to check that there were no witnesses to his sneaking around. Then he had to quickly move backwards again so that he wouldn’t be discovered when the woman and Patrick went into her room. He waited a few minutes before peeking around the corner again to see if the coast was clear. It seemed his timing was perfect because just then he saw Stevie coming out of the office and heading towards her car. David hurried over to her.
“Thank God! I so need to get out of here! Like yesterday.”
“Has something new happened?”
“I’ll tell you once we are in the car and far away from here.”
It seemed the expression on David’s face was enough to prevent Stevie from asking more questions. They both quickly got into the car and drove away from the motel. There was a deafening silence in the car which was finally broken by Stevie.
“So, are we far enough now? Can you tell me what caused your hurry?”
“Nothing much. Just the fact that the woman who came into town looking for his fiancé seems to have found him and that fiancé is Patrick.”
“What?” Stevie yelled. “What makes you say that?”
“I just witnessed them embracing outside her room and then going in there together. Patrick even brought her flowers and a gift, so it was obvious he knew to expect to find her here. I guess all the texts he received yesterday were from her. No wonder Patrick pretended like they were nothing.”
“That doesn’t sound like the Patrick we know.”
“But do we actually know him? It seems he had left at least one important fact out about being engaged. To a woman.”
“Well, he was open about not having kissed a man before you so you must have known all his previous relationships were with women.”
“Yes, of course. But I still feel he probably should have mentioned being engaged. I feel that is important information to share when you are making out and having sex with someone.”
“Are you sure you have all your facts straight?”
“What else could it be? She did say she had come to town to check up on her fiancé and that they had been texting each other. Patrick did spend a lot of time frowning at his phone yesterday and when I asked him about it, he said it was nothing. And then I saw them being very cozy together. And there were flowers. And a gift.”
“But you didn’t talk to either of them?”
“No! Why would I? And whose side are you on anyway? I’m giving you all these facts, but you just seem to question them.”
“I’m on your side obviously, David. But you’ve been so happy with Patrick that I’m sad to see it come to an end.”
“It’s the story of my life. Every time I get too happy with someone, it all comes crashing down on me. I should have known it was too good to last, but it seems I haven’t yet learned my lesson.” David gave himself a full body shake. “Now, I don’t want to talk about him anymore. He’s in the past and I need to think about the future. Yes, I know I still have to deal with him but for the rest of tonight, I’d rather concentrate on something else.”
After that they moved to discussing more pleasant things and as soon as they got to Stevie’s house David got his hands on the wine and poured them both a healthy amount of it. He also ended up pretty much inhaling the first glass and refilling it before Stevie had gotten more than a few mouthfuls of hers. But he felt he deserved it after the day he’d had. He very much welcomed the buzz that followed. It may have also had something to do with the fact that he had eaten barely anything all day besides a few energy bars, so he was drinking on an empty stomach. Stevie dug out her pile of take out menus and they made their order. David had a feeling that at least one bottle of wine would be empty before the food got to them but since his intention was to drink his worries away, it was all going according to plan.
They both continued happily drinking while discussing random things and steering clear of the one topic that still seemed to want to take space in David’s head, but he did his best to push it away. When there was a knock at Stevie’s door, he felt relieved since food would allow him to concentrate on eating for a while. And he also felt it was time to open that bottle of vodka as well. While Stevie walked to the door to greet the delivery guy, David made his way to the freezer to get them the vodka, some ice and glasses. He almost dropped the glasses when instead of some random delivery guy’s voice, he heard the voice of the person he was trying his best not to think about. What the hell was Patrick doing here and what was he going to do now? He wasn’t ready to have that talk yet. His feelings were still way too raw. He had hoped to push it forward for a few more days.
“Hey Stevie, have you seen or heard from David today?”
David held his breath while he waited to hear Stevie’s answer. He very much hoped Stevie would be on his side in this situation.
“No. He’s been suspiciously absent all day. Usually he comes to annoy me in the office at least once a day.”
David wanted to protest what Stevie had just said but knew he needed to stay very quiet since it seemed Stevie wasn’t going to tell Patrick anything.
“Why do you ask? Don’t you guys work together?”
“He didn’t come in today. He sent me a message saying he had a migraine and wouldn’t be coming in. I haven’t been able to reach him since.”
“Yeah, sorry. Haven’t seen him so can’t help you.”
“I even went to the motel to check up on him, but he wasn’t there either.”
Hearing Patrick say he had gone to the motel to check up on him made David squeak in protest before he even realized it. He slapped a hand in front of his mouth, but it was obviously too late.
“What was that? Is someone else here?”
There was a moment of silence and David feared the worst, but it seemed Stevie had an explanation ready.
“Well, if you absolutely have to know, Jake’s here. Date night and all.”
“Oh! Sorry to have disturbed you then. But if you do hear from David, please ask him to call me. I’m getting a bit worried.”
David still had his hand in front of his mouth which was probably a good thing considering otherwise the scoff that escaped his mouth would have been way too audible. Just then he also heard another voice at the door. It seemed their food had finally arrived. He very much hoped that would quicken Patrick’s departure from the door since Stevie had already said she had company. David was also glad Stevie had mentioned Jake being over since he had a feeling that the amount of food they had ordered would look weird if Stevie had claimed to be alone. He sighed in relief when he heard Patrick wish Stevie good night and apparently depart. He still stayed well out of sight until he heard the front door close and Stevie walk towards him carrying their food. He gave her a thankful look.
“Thanks for covering for me. Good thinking with the Jake excuse.”
“No problem. And I had a feeling Jake was a convenient excuse considering I very much doubted Patrick would want to say hi to him given the history.”
David nodded in agreement but then his attention was drawn to the take out boxes Stevie was still holding. His stomach decided to take that moment to remind him of the fact that he still hadn’t eaten any proper food that day with a loud growl. Stevie gave him a look and chuckled.
“I think we better feed that monster.”
David could feel himself blushing and hid his face into the freezer to continue with the task of retrieving the vodka and some ice that had so rudely been interrupted by Patrick’s arrival. He was pretty sure he had his face back to its normal state by the time he carried the bottle and two glasses filled with ice to the table where Stevie had placed their food. He very much felt like a few shots were needed. Patrick’s arrival had had a sobering effect on him, and he wanted the buzz he had been feeling earlier, back. He also wanted to forget the stuff he had heard Patrick saying. He had to give it to Patrick’s acting talents because he had actually sounded worried. And he had even come up with a convenient excuse to explain his presence at the motel in case someone had seen his car there.
As the plan had been, they had ordered way too much food for two people to consume in one evening, but they did make a valid effort at it. Finally, David had a feeling he wouldn’t be able to swallow one more bite and he leaned back on the sofa with a groan. Luckily there was still plenty of wine and vodka left because his head was still way too busy thinking of Patrick and what had happened since last night and he wanted to erase it all from his mind. He was still chasing that buzz. He had just gotten up to refill their glasses with ice when there was a knock at the door. He gave Stevie a questioning look.
“Are we expecting someone?”
“No.” Stevie whispered. “Maybe if we stay quiet, they’ll go away.”
They both froze and stared in the direction of the door. A few minutes passed before there was another knock on the door. This time the knock was accompanied by a voice David used to love but had really hoped he wouldn’t have to hear again that night.
“Stevie, I know you are in there. I can see the light shining under the door.”
“Why has he returned?” David hissed. “Make him go away.”
Stevie rolled her eyes at David but walked to the door. She opened the door just a crack so that she could barely see outside.
“What is it? I thought I told you I was busy.”
“Funny that. I was just at the cafe and guess who I saw there? The one person you told me you were spending the evening with. He was very surprised when I asked him about how he was supposed to be at your place.”
David felt like banging his head against something hard. What were the odds that Patrick would run into Jake the one time he had been used as an excuse? He couldn’t remember ever running into Jake at the cafe previously. His thought process was interrupted when Patrick continued talking.
“I had to wonder why you would lie to me about it and the only reason I could come up with was that you were covering for David. He’s obviously here. The one thing I can’t figure out is why you would lie to me about it.”
There was a silence and David held his breath while he waited to hear what Stevie would say. In the end it seemed Stevie didn’t see the point of going for another lie.
“Fine. He’s here but he doesn’t want to see you.”
“Why? What’s happened?”
“That’s between you guys and not for me to say.”
“I think I deserve an explanation why my boyfriend is ghosting me and lying to me.”
David couldn’t help the scoff that escaped his mouth at the word boyfriend. It also confused him. Hadn’t it been Patrick who had called things off between them? And he had obviously found comfort in someone else right away. Or was it that he had returned to what he was used to? So why was he hounding him in this way? And still throwing words like boyfriend around.
“I told you that he doesn’t want to talk to you tonight.”
David had to give it to Stevie for standing her ground. Of course, he should have known that Patrick wouldn’t give up that easily.
“I’m not going anywhere until he tells that to my face, so you can either let me in or I’ll camp out here and wake all your neighbors by banging on your door at random intervals.”
David sighed and stared at the ceiling for a few seconds. He had a feeling he didn’t have a choice. He had caused enough trouble for Stevie already. He didn’t need to get her into trouble with her neighbors as well. He called out.
“It’s fine, Stevie. Let him come inside before he actually does wake everyone up.”
David didn’t have to wait long before a quite irate looking Patrick was standing in front of him. But at the same time, he could also see concern and sadness lurking in his eyes.
“Fine. You wanted me to tell it to your face. I don’t want to talk to you tonight so you can just turn around and leave.” David bit his lip. “Besides, wasn’t it you who didn’t want to deal with me anymore?”
“Wh--what do you mean?” The confusion on Patrick’s face seemed genuine. “What gave you that impression?”
“You told me that last night. You told me that I was too much.”
“David. I have no idea what you are talking about. We had a nice evening last night.” Patrick scratched his head and frowned. David had to fight the impulse to smooth the frown between his eyes. “You have me very confused right now.”
“First you were very distracted yesterday evening, checking your phone and being secretive about it. And then when I, true to form, overreacted about something, instead of finding it amusing, you told me that I was too much. And you said other things too, but I stopped listening. I didn’t want to hear it.”
“David, you are being silly now.” Patrick looked amused even if there was still some worry behind it. “You being the way you are is one of the things I love about you. Weren’t my messages to you last night proof enough of that?”
“Um, I may have not read your messages from last night. I didn’t want to see what they said after you had already broken up with me.”
“Broken up? David! Stop being ridiculous! I’m pretty sure I would know if I had broken up with you last night.” Some exasperation entered Patrick’s voice. “So, because you way over-interpreted something I said off-handedly yesterday, you’ve been avoiding me all day today?”
“I didn’t want you to make it official.”
“But I never broke up with you!” Patrick groaned in frustration and ran his hands through his hair. Then he chuckled. “Can you stop this ridiculousness now? I promise I didn’t mean to break up with you last night but I’m sorry if I somehow made you feel like I did. Are we okay now?”
Patrick took a few steps towards David with the clear intention of wrapping his arms around him, but David quickly took a few steps back and held his arms out to thwart him off. Patrick stopped approaching and looked confused.
“David? What’s the matter?”
“So, you are saying that you didn’t break up with me last night? How does this work then? Are you cheating on me or am I the one you are cheating with? Not the first time I’ve been someone’s side piece but at least usually I’ve known about it.”
If possible, Patrick looked even more confused.
“Cheating? Who do you think I’m cheating you with? Are you drunk? Have you taken something? Are you hallucinating?”
“I’m way too sober even now, thank you very much, but I was totally sober this afternoon when I saw you meeting up with your fiancée at the motel and going to her room.”
Patrick looked like David had slapped him and took a few steps back. David wanted to feel some satisfaction about the fact that he had obviously managed to catch Patrick by surprise. The other man obviously had had no idea he had been caught. Let’s see him talk himself out of this one.
“What? No witty explanation to that? I guess you didn’t know you had been caught.”
“So, you saw me with Rachel?”
“Yes, if that’s her name. Never was introduced to her. Just knew she had come to town to look for her fiancé. I guess she found him.”
“David, I-I need to explain a couple of things.”
“Um, what would be the main one, do you think?”
“Rachel and I were engaged, but I called it off before I moved here.”
David raised his hands and closed his eyes for a while.
“Okay, you know what, you don’t need to explain yourself.”
“I think...I think that I do.”
“No, I know that you do. That’s just something I’m supposed to be saying in the moment, so please continue.”
“Okay, um, we got together when we were in high school. And we’ve been on and off ever since. I don’t know we always just sorta fell back into it. Anyway, she’s been reaching out and expecting us to get back together for the past few months.”
“Whoa! Over the past few months? And you didn’t think to tell me about this? You stood in front of me and told me to trust people.”
“I know.”
“When I was perfectly fine not trusting people. Not trusting people is what I’m used to. It’s my comfort zone. But next thing I know, there’s you telling me all these lovely things and that I have nothing to worry about.”
“I didn’t want it to affect what we have. Okay? And I mean it when I tell you that you have nothing to worry about. ‘Cause no matter how hard I tried with her, it just never felt right. And up until recently, I didn’t understand why.”
David didn’t know what to say so he just bit his lip and nodded at Patrick.
“David, I’ve spent most of my life not knowing what right was supposed to feel like and then I met you. And everything changed. You make me feel right, David.”
David could feel tears threatening but he fought for them to not fall.
“That is quite possibly one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever heard anyone say. Um...outside the Downton Christmas Special.”
“It’s the truth.”
“I know um...it’s just that my truth is that I’m damaged goods, and this” David moved his hands in the space between them. “has really messed up things for me. And I think I need some time with it.”
Patrick looked defeated.
“All right.”
He turned away and took a few steps towards the door.
“David?” Patrick waited until David looked in his direction. “You take all the time you want but can I just ask you one thing?”
This was exactly why he didn’t want to do this tonight. He knew he was a sucker for Patrick’s sad face and would be ready to do almost anything to make that look go away, even if his own heart was breaking inside his own chest.
“Depends.”
“Can I ask you that you don’t shut me out? I’m giving you the time and space, but I ask you that you talk to me before you make any decisions, okay?”
“Yes. I guess I can promise you that.”
“That’s all I ask. And don’t worry about the store. I’ll take care of it until you are ready to return.”
“Um, thanks.” David hesitated for a while. “Can I also ask a question?” David waited for Patrick to nod. “If you had ended things with her, why did you bring her flowers and a gift today?”
“Those were for you, David.” Patrick said while staring at the floor. “You told me you weren’t feeling well so I wanted to bring you something to brighten up your day. But you weren’t there. I left them with your parents.”
“Oh?”
David had no idea what to say to that. He guessed that tracked with what he had just learned. It still didn’t lessen the hurt of what Patrick had kept from him.
“Well, thank you. It was a lovely thought.”
Patrick shrugged and continued towards the door. Stevie was standing in the hallway and looked very uncomfortable. David had to admit that he had sort of forgotten she was there while he and Patrick had had their discussion. He remained standing until the door closed behind Patrick and only then he slumped on the sofa and buried his face in his hands. He could feel Stevie hovering close by.
“Well, fuck. What am I supposed to do now?”
“What do you want to do?”
“Get roaring drunk and not deal with this tonight.”
“We can definitely do that. But you do need to deal with this at some point.”
David finally lifted his head and looked at Stevie
“I know. I just can’t tonight.”
Stevie looked at him seemingly deep in thought and for a while David was afraid of what she was going to say, but finally it seemed she reached some kind of decision and walked to her bedside table and got something out from there before returning to David and sitting on the sofa beside him.
“It seems luck was on our side again today.” She showed the joint she was holding. “Found this while cleaning up.”
David very much didn’t want to think where that joint had been and who may have touched it. He just wanted the feeling and hopefully the oblivion the joint combined with the booze would bring him. He knew he would have to deal with Patrick and what he had learned that day at some point, but that moment wasn’t tonight. Tonight was for forgetting all his troubles and spending time with his best friend, even if they hadn’t put any labels on it. He poured them both healthy shots of vodka and managed to drown most of his own by the time Stevie managed to light up the joint. He immediately made grabbing motions towards it and was glad Stevie handed it over. He took a few hits from it before handing it back to Stevie and leaning back against the sofa to savor the feeling. Tomorrow was going to be another day but today he’d just enjoy and not think about anything.
***
David woke up with a groan and tried to bat the annoying hands there were poking at him aside. He had a banging headache and very much didn’t feel like getting up. He grabbed the blanket covering him and tried to wrap it tighter around his body and over his head, but it was rudely pulled out of his grasp.
“Come on, David! You need to get up!” Stevie’s annoyed voice entered his consciousness. “I’m due for my shift at the motel in half an hour. You can continue your beauty sleep there.”
“I don’t wanna!” David protested.
“I don’t particularly care. Now get up before I dump the rest of the ice from the freezer on you.”
David gasped at that.
“You wouldn’t dare!”
“You want to test me?”
David pondered that for a while but then decided not to risk it. It did seem Stevie was determined to get him to leave her house when she did. It was true that he could hopefully continue his sleep at the motel and in his own bed. That was if his family didn’t decide to be their annoying selves again. With a groan he sat up.
“Fine. Fine. I’m up.”
“Well, no, you are sitting up. But that’s progress. Be ready to be out of the door in 15 minutes.”
David very much wanted to slump back on the bed but he had a feeling Stevie had run out of warnings and next action would follow so he rubbed his face with his hands before very slowly standing up and directing his steps towards the bathroom. When he saw his reflection in the mirror he almost screamed. If Stevie had made cracks about the bags under his eyes yesterday, he really didn’t want to hear what she’d have to say about them today. He gave his face a quick wash and tried to find any products he could use from Stevie’s collection but pretty much came up empty. He would just need to spend some extra time with his face care routine at the motel. He jumped when there was a bang at the door.
“Did you fall asleep in there? We are leaving in five minutes.”
There were some choice words David would have wanted to yell back but his head was banging way too badly for that so in the end he just went with some kind of acknowledging sound, tried to tame his hair a bit and then headed back to the bedroom. Luckily his overnight bag was right there, and he was able to dig out his sunglasses. Maybe he would be able to hide the redness of his eyes and the bags under them from curious gazes.
The drive back to the motel was made in silence. David closed his eyes since even with his sunglasses on, the glare of the sun was way too strong. He couldn’t understand how Stevie seemed to be completely okay. She had kept up well with him the previous night but there were no signs of it on her. But he didn’t want to question it because he didn’t actually want to admit how rough he was feeling. When they reached the motel, David got out of the car and looked at Stevie standing on the other side.
“Well, thanks for the evening. And thanks for being my friend.”
“Are you getting all mushy on me, now?”
“Blame it on the alcohol.” David made a face at her. “Best wishes to you.”
“Warmest regards.”
With that they both went their own ways. David was moving a bit slower, so Stevie had already entered the office by the time he reached the door to his room. Just when he was digging out his keys, he heard the sound of a door opening at the other end of the building. He looked that way and saw the redhead emerging from her room. He froze and very much hoped the woman wouldn’t notice him standing there. But of course, he wasn’t that lucky. Their gazes locked and from her reaction, it was obvious she knew who he was. She opened her mouth like she was about to say something, and that made David move very fast. He had no interest hearing what she wanted to say. He got the door open and stepped inside while closing the door very quickly behind him. He leaned against it and for a minute or two was afraid there would be a knock, but it seemed his hasty reaction had gotten the message across. Just then Alexis walked out of the bathroom.
“David! Where have you been all night? You look awful.”
“Fall off a bridge, please, Alexis. I’m not in the mood now.”
“Eurgh, David. You suck.”
“Right back at you.”
“Whatever. But your button of a boyfriend dropped off some pressies for you yesterday. Although, I don’t think you deserve them right now.”
David looked towards his area of the room and saw the flowers he had seen Patrick holding yesterday in a vase beside his bed. And on the bed, there was a small box with ribbons around it. While he was a bit afraid what he would find there, he still opened it. It was a selection of chocolates from a shop David knew was in Elmdale, so it was obvious Patrick had gone to some trouble to get them for him. He did feel a small ember of warmth in his heart towards Patrick but stomped that down. Patrick had lied to him. Okay, it had been by omission but still. That didn’t lessen the hurt he was feeling. He couldn’t help wondering if there were some deeper reasons why Patrick hadn’t told him about being engaged. Of course David knew Patrick had had relationships before him and he was also very aware of the fact that they had all been with women, but being engaged was huge and he felt it definitely should have been mentioned at some point. He picked one of the chocolates from the box before placing the lid back on it. Surely it wouldn’t hurt to eat one of them even if he hadn’t even had any breakfast yet. Since he wasn’t expected at the store today, it wasn’t like he was in any hurry. He would go for some breakfast later. For now, he just wanted to take it easy for a while, so he settled on his bed with a book.
Unfortunately, he only managed to read a few pages before he was interrupted by his parents walking into the room through the connecting door. They were acting very weird. And then Stevie walked in carrying a huge box and said it had arrived at the reception for him. When he opened the box, he found a huge cookie with the text 4 months on it. He couldn’t believe his eyes. Why had Patrick done this? And then it all led to his parents finding out his relationship with Patrick had been the longest one he had ever had, and they made a huge fuss over it. There was talk about them arranging a barbecue in their honor and it was obvious no-one was listening to his protestations. David did his best to get Stevie to side with him, but it seemed she had decided that she had been supportive enough the previous night and was back to her annoying unhelpful self. When David was told he should invite Patrick over for the barbecue he vehemently refused to do that. He did try to add that they were taking a break in their relationship, but he had a feeling his parents or Alexis weren’t listening to him. He didn’t want to go into the whole Patrick having been engaged and his fiancée showing up in town. It was a can of worms he didn’t want to re-open just now.
Finally, he managed to herd his parents out of the room and was left in peace again. Feeling a bit hesitant he opened his mobile and his message chain with Patrick. This time he did read the messages Patrick had sent him that night he had been convinced they had broken up and he had to admit they were sweet and definitely not messages you would have sent to someone you had just dumped. And then there were the messages Patrick had sent him while he had been trying to find him the previous day. Those had gotten progressively more frantic as time went by. He ignored those for now and started typing out a new message.
Do you have any idea what you’ve done?
It didn’t take long for Patrick to reply.
I take it the cookie went over well?
Way to state the obvious. And David could read the smirk between the lines.
I’ve told you for three months now, that I don’t want a monthly anniversary gift. I feel that in this situation it wasn’t even appropriate.”
I’m sorry you feel that way, David. But in my defense, I did order the delivery already last week.
And I know you think you are funny but this time you went too far. Especially when that cookie alerted my whole family that this is officially the longest relationship I’ve ever had.
Right now I wish I would have gotten you more than a cookie in that case.
Well, the cookie was almost too much. Figuratively. Planning on eating at least half of it for breakfast. It is very soft.
You enjoy it, David. And don’t worry about the store. I’ve got it handled.
Thank you.
After that message David put his phone away. The message exchange had felt sweet to him, but he wasn’t ready to talk more with Patrick yet. But at least now he didn’t have to worry about breakfast. He made a quick run to the office to pick up a cup of the mud water they called coffee and returned to his room after that. He destroyed about half of the cookie in one sitting as had been his plan.
He managed to avoid any further questions from his family for the day. It seemed they were all so busy with their own things to question why he was hanging out at the motel instead of being at the shop. David was very happy about that since he had a feeling that they would have just wanted to offer him all kinds of advice that he really didn’t want or need right now. It was quite nice just to take it easy and do whatever he liked.
When it was closing on dinner time, he was surprised to find out that his parents had decided to proceed with the barbecue idea after all. He had thought that him refusing to have anything to do with it and telling them there was nothing to celebrate, would have made them forget about it but apparently not. But on the other hand, some sliders together with plenty of sides, sounded like a wonderful choice for dinner. And if he timed it right, it wouldn’t require any effort from him. He could just show up to a readymade table.
When he was pretty sure all the food would be at least close to ready, he walked out of the room and towards the back of the motel. He had barely made it around the corner when he stopped shocked. There was Patrick sitting at the table like nothing was wrong. Hadn’t he been clear when he had said he didn’t want Patrick there? Patrick had promised him all the time and space he needed. This definitely didn’t look like that. He stormed forwards and directed his ire towards his parents while pointing at Patrick.
“What the fuck is he doing here? I told you I didn’t want him here.” David registered the look of hurt on Patrick’s face. “There’s nothing to celebrate.”
Just then he heard footsteps behind him and turned around. To his horror he could see Alexis walking towards him together with Rachel. This was the last thing he needed today. He did register the look of surprise on Rachel’s face too, so it did appear she hadn’t known what she was walking into. Alexis, true to form, was clueless.
“Hey everyone! My new friend here has had a bit of a rough few days, so I invited her to join us.”
David rolled his eyes. Seeing Patrick there, like nothing had happened, had already been bad enough but he simply refused to share a table with Patrick’s fiancée, ex, whatever she was.
“Yeah, we aren’t doing this.”
With that he turned on his heels and walked back to his room. He could hear Patrick calling his name but didn’t stop. He closed the door behind him but of course that wasn’t enough to stop Patrick walking in anyway.
“David. I definitely didn’t know she was going to come. I thought she had already left town.”
“Well, obviously not. But that’s beside the point. What are you doing here? I told my family I didn’t want you to be invited.”
Patrick was obviously hurt by the comment, but he seemed to shrug it off.
“Your mom told me about the barbecue when I went to renew some paperwork at the town hall today. I did ask her if she had checked with you, but she told me not to worry and that I was always welcome. I had no idea you didn’t know I was coming.”
“Do you call this giving me space?” David turned away from Patrick because he couldn’t deal with his sad face. “You told me yesterday that you were giving me all the time I needed. This doesn’t look like it.”
“Okay, I’m sorry. I should have checked that you knew I was coming. I’ll leave.”
“Wait!”
“Yes?” There was hopefulness in Patrick’s voice.
“I don’t think I can go back out there but I’m starving. Can you bring me some sliders? And also, a smattering of all the sides there were?”
“Sure, David.”
Patrick sounded again quite defeated and it made David’s heart hurt but he wasn’t ready to deal with everything yet. And knowing that Rachel was outside, possibly talking with his family, made him just want to hide even more. Once more he couldn’t help but wonder what he had done so wrong in his life that every time he felt happiness and contentment, it was yanked away from him.
***
The following few days he continued spending most of his time in bed. Since going pretty much anywhere in town, had the danger of him running into Patrick, he felt it was safer to stay at the motel. It also allowed him to wallow in peace. The first day his parents and Alexis had tried talking him to get up and go talk to Patrick but after he told them very clearly and possibly with some colorful language, that it was not something he was interested in right now, they had left him in peace. When another delivery of flowers arrived at the motel, Alexis did drop a comment about how sweet Patrick was being but left it at that.
Stevie had been suspiciously absent at first and David had sort of missed her, even if he would never admit it to her. However, one evening he received a text from Stevie telling him to be ready to head to a spa with her in the morning and now she was standing at the end of his bed demanding that he’d move. David did his best to protest but Stevie was having none of it and ended up dragging him off his bed by pulling him to the floor by his legs. Even then he had tried protesting but that had fallen on deaf ears and it wasn’t long until he found himself sitting in Stevie’s car and on his way to Crystal Elms spa. He almost turned right back around when they arrived at their room with all the newlywed's decorations. He really didn’t feel like dealing with something like that just then but Stevie’s promises of them getting lots of free booze, were enough to persuade him to stay.
When he got back to the motel the next day, there was a box of chocolates waiting for him. And that was the theme for the next few days. Every day he got a present of some kind delivered from Patrick. He did the polite thing and sent Patrick thank you messages but that was the extent of their communications from his side. Patrick did always reply to his messages and often added something sweet in them. David spent his time thinking of the situation and his feelings. It was quite obvious that he was well on his way to falling in love with Patrick, even if he wasn’t even close to ready to say that. And while Patrick’s actions had hurt him deeply, it wasn’t like Patrick had set out to hurt him on purpose. It had all pretty much just been rotten luck and David’s own usual habit of overreacting, not that he would admit to that either if someone asked. But it was time for him to return to his normal routine. He had to admit that he had missed Patrick terribly and couldn’t wait to be able to hold him and kiss him again. The evening when he received a lovely bracelet from Patrick, he made a decision that he was going to go to the store the next day and stop tormenting Patrick as well as himself.
Unfortunately, as often happened with his plans, things didn’t go quite as he had thought. It seemed that he had waited too long, and Patrick had given up on him. While he had walked into the store ready to hug it out, Patrick told him that he wanted to concentrate on just running the store from now on. That morning was one of the most awkward ones in David’s life. He loved being close to Patrick again but the fact that he wasn’t allowed to touch him, became problematic very quickly. He tried his best to find a good opportunity to tell Patrick what he had wanted to say already in the morning, but he couldn’t find the courage to do that. What if Patrick rejected him? The gifts had given him the impression that Patrick missed him and wanted him back but apparently, he had waited too long and had missed his chance. Hadn't this whole thing started with him thinking that Patrick had gotten tired of his dramatic ways? And when all that had been cleared, he had just continued his drama queen ways and while he had misunderstood Patrick the previous time, it seemed the limit had now been reached.
In the end it all came out when they were putting some labels on jars of hand creams. David finally managed to tell Patrick how he had been ready to get back together days ago. Of course, that then led into Patrick getting upset about the fact that while he had been torturing himself at home, David had been more than happy to just sit around and open gifts from him. At the same time, David was pretty sure he could sense some amount of fondness behind Patrick’s words too. It was clear from his expression that he couldn’t believe how dramatic David was being but at the same time couldn’t help but care for him. That look gave David hope that not everything was lost yet.
When he was left alone in the store while Patrick went for lunch, he tried to rack his brain for something he could do to prove to Patrick that he cared and was very much wanting to get back together. He knew it would have to be something big to get Patrick’s attention. Flowers and chocolate wouldn’t do in this situation. All his favorite romantic comedies had some grand gestures that helped to resolve the issues between the main couple. His only choice was to put himself out there in a big way.
The afternoon was almost as awkward as the morning had been even if David had hoped his explanation had cleared the air already. Patrick still kept his distance, but David did catch him looking at him a few times and that gave him hope. His plan was slowly forming. Patrick had requested an olive branch from him and since his offer of giving Patrick back some of the gifts he had been given, hadn't done the trick, he needed to come up with something original.
There were moments during the afternoon where David took advantage of the narrow spaces between tables and counters in the shop. He took every opportunity he had to go past Patrick while he was standing either near any of the tables or at the register and touch him fleetingly. The touches could have been passed as accidents but he had a feeling Patrick knew exactly what he was doing. David didn't miss the small smiles on his face. There may have been a few eye rolls directed at him too. David still made sure not to go overboard. He knew he was on thin ice and while he hoped the day would end up with them being in good terms again, he still needed to present his olive branch before they could move to other things.
Then it was closing time and Patrick suggested they’d go for a dinner which he expected David to pay. However, David had other plans. He told Patrick to sit down on a chair and walked to the sound system where he had connected his phone. David sent a final prayer to anyone who might be listening that his plan would work before pressing play on his phone. When the first bars from Tina’s song started to play, David turned around and prepared to pretty much make a fool of himself but also hopefully be able to take some steps to win his boyfriend back. He had high hopes this would work. This was the song Patrick had used to transform their relationship to a new level and now David hoped it would work to return them to where they had been before he had almost ruined everything. The way Patrick’s face transformed to show his happiness and, if David dared to hope, love, the further he got with his dancing and lip-syncing the song, gave him hope. When the song ended, he fell on his knees in front of Patrick exhausted and was rewarded with the sweetest kiss he had ever experienced. It seemed things were going to be okay after all. David wrapped his arms around Patrick's body and held on to him tightly. If it was up to him, he would never let go again.