Date: Mon, 12 Sep 2005 18:59:22 -0700 (PDT) From: Kirk Landers Subject: Dating and the Single Life- part 20 Copyright and Disclaimer: 1. This is a fictional story with fictional characters. 2. No one is to steal this story under any circumstances. 3. This story deals with relationships and not sex, so if you're looking for a story with a lot of sex in it, this isn't the story for you. Well, here's part 20. Thanks again to all of those who have been reading and giving me feedback. I really appreciate it! "A Past Mistake" Jake and Tyler were getting ready for work. Tyler had already made arrangements the night before and today was Jake's first day working at the restaurant with him. Tyler was a little uneasy at first because Jake realized that he's working there because Tyler doesn't fully trust him yet, but at the same time he didn't feel guilty over feeling that way. He has a right to not fully trust him yet and Jake realized that too. "Do I look alright?" Jake asked as he finished buttoning up his shirt. "Yea, you look great," Tyler replied giving him a kiss on the cheek. "You all set?" "I'm ready," Jake answered. The two then headed out and headed to go get breakfast with the guys before work. "So, are you excited?" Tyler asked. "I guess," Jake shrugged. "You know, if you don't want to work there you don't have to," Tyler re-assured. "No, I have to," Jake said, "I have to prove to you that you can trust me." "I don't want you to feel you have to," Tyler said. "I want to," Jake replied. "Believe me, when I lost your trust, I lost everything. What we once had is so important to me and I want to get that back. So believe me, I want to work there with you." Tyler smiled at Jake for his determination. "All right." When Tyler and Jake arrived at the diner Randal, Stanley, Kyle and David were sitting at a table already looking at the menu. "Morning," Tyler greeted as him and Jake sat down. "Hey," Kyle replied. "Wow, you're really dressed up Jake." "Today's my first day of work," Jake answered. "Where are you working?" Randal asked. "Tyler's restaurant," Jake replied. "That's awesome," Stanley said. "Now you two can be together all the time." "Yea," Jake smiled. "This isn't any sort of way to keep an eye on Jake is it?" David asked Tyler. "David!" Randal snapped slapping David on the arm. "Stupidity check," Kyle sighed rolling his eyes. "What?" David asked innocently, "All I'm saying is that if that's what this is then it won't work out because you'll be looking for the mistakes rather then looking for the good stuff you two have between each other." Tyler and Jake both shifted in their seats uncomfortably. "Hey, I wonder where Marcus is," Stanley said changing the subject. "Yea, he's ten minutes late," Randal said. "That's not like him." David tried putting his arm around Kyle, but Kyle shrugged it off, turned to him and whispered, "That was a really dumb subject to bring up." Wounded, David turned back to his menu quietly. "What are you going to be doing at the restaurant?" Stanley asked. "I'm going to be a waiter," Jake replied. "Normally I'd have to start as a host, but I got connections." Jake smiled at Tyler who in return gave a laugh. "Well, since it's such a nice restaurant you should get lots of good tips," Randal brought up. "Yea, so at least I'll be making better money then my old job," Jake answered. "Morning guys," Marcus said as he approached the table. "Where've you been?" Kyle asked. "I got up a little late this morning," Marcus replied. "Long night?" Stanley asked. "You could say that," Marcus replied with a little smile. "Oh my God," Tyler said with a realization. "You had sex," Randal finished. "Yea," Marcus replied smiling still. "You had sex with Trevor?" Jake asked. "Yup," Marcus answered proudly. "Nice," Kyle said. "How was it?" Randal asked. "It was good...well, it was amazing," Marcus confessed. "Was he fully equipped?" Kyle asked. "And then some," Marcus replied. "Excuse me," David said getting up, "I have to get to work." "Bye," everyone said. "I'll see you later," Kyle said as David got up to leave. David looked down at Kyle as he stood up. "Want to walk me to work?" "I'll catch up with you in a second," Kyle said then turned back to Marcus. "So when are you seeing him again?" "Never mind, I'll just see you later," David said bitterly and walked off. "What's wrong with him?" Marcus asked. "I better go find out," Kyle said getting up. "I want to hear more about this though so I'll call you later." Kyle headed out as the rest of the guys continued drilling Marcus for information. "So, is it safe to say that you two are an official couple?" Stanley asked. "Yes, we are," Marcus replied. "In fact tonight I want you guys to come over for dinner to meet him and he's going to bring some of his friends." "Wow, you two already want to bring your friends together huh?" Jake asked. "Yea, so will you guys come?" Marcus asked. "Of course," Tyler replied. "Wouldn't miss it," Randal added. "Great," Marcus smiled. Outside Kyle ran to catch up with David. "David," Kyle said grabbing David's arm. "What's wrong?" "Nothing," David shrugged and continued walking. "David, I'm not going to put up with that type of attitude," Kyle lectured. David still didn't say anything. "Fine, whatever," Kyle said and turned and walked back towards the diner. When Kyle walked back into the diner the guys had just ordered their food. "Would you like anything?" the waitress asked. "I'll just have a blueberry muffin and some juice please," Kyle replied as he sat down. "All right," the waitress replied as she walked away. "So what's wrong with David?" Marcus asked. "I don't know, he's being immature right now," Kyle replied. "But let's not put a damper on this morning. I'm really happy for you Mar." "Thanks, I was just telling the guys that tonight Trevor and I want you guys to come over so his friends can meet my friends," Marcus said. "Sounds awesome," Kyle replied. "Great," Marcus said. "He has three best friends that he's bringing over." "Want us to bring anything?" Kyle asked. "If you can bring some dessert that would be great," Marcus answered. "No problem," Kyle said. Then Stanley's cell phone then rang. "Hello?" As Stanley was on the phone the other guys continued to talk. "How's the apartment?" Tyler asked. "Perfect," Randal replied as he looked fondly at Stanley. "I can't get over how perfect everything is in my life right now. I've never been this happy before." "I'm glad," Marcus said patting Randal on the back. "For the first time all of us are in relationships at the same time," Jake said. "You and Stanley, Marcus and Trevor, Kyle and David, Tyler and me." "That's pretty amazing," Marcus commented. "Too bad my other half is being so weird right now," Kyle said. "Has he been acting like this for a while?" Randal asked. "No," Kyle replied. "He was fine last night. Him and I talked about how he felt a little insecure with the fact that Marcus was dating Trevor." "Why would that make him insecure?" Marcus asked. "Because we used to drool over that billboard of Trevor when he was a model," Kyle answered. "David thought I'd lose interest in him or something, but I talked to him and we were fine after that." "David was insecure?" Jake asked. "That's something I never thought I'd see from him." "That's what I said," Kyle replied with a laugh. "David's so arrogant," Randal said jokingly. "Today though, he just got all weird," Kyle said. "Do you think it's because we got mad at him for what he said to Jake and Tyler?" Randal asked. "I don't know," Kyle replied. "It better not be, because that was a dumb thing to bring up on his part. But yea, let's change the subject. I'm sorry, I don't want anything to bring down Marcus' day." "Don't worry about it," Marcus said. "No, I'm really happy for you Mar. It's been a while since you've been able to be happy like this with someone and I think it's great." Kyle said. "Yea, we are really happy for you," Stanley said as he hung up his phone. "Thank you," Marcus replied smiling. "He's such a great guy." "Aw, he's gushing!" Randal joked. After the guys finished eating they walked out together still talking about Marcus and Trevor. "So, what time should we be there tonight?" Jake asked as he put his jacket on. "Around seven," Marcus replied. "All right, well I'll see you guys tonight," Kyle said as he walked off to work. "Bye," Jake and Tyler said as they headed off in another direction. "I'll see you back home," Randal said giving Stanley a hug and kiss goodbye. "Bye babe," Stanley said as him and Marcus headed off to work together. Stanley and Marcus had been walking for a block, Stanley turned around to make sure he was out of ear shot from Randal. "I have to tell you something," Stanley said to Marcus as they walked together. "What's up?" Marcus asked. "When I got that phone call in the diner, it was an old friend of mine from Washington," Stanley replied. "Well, her name is Nicole, she was more than a friend, she was used to be my girlfriend." "Girlfriend?" Marcus asked confused. "It was in high school, before I accepted being gay," Stanley answered. "Anyway, her and I have a really complicated history." "What happened?" Marcus asked. "Well, the night of our senior prom, her and I had sex," Stanley began. "Her and I broke up a few weeks later because then I left to come down here." "Okay," Marcus said not fully seeing where Stanley was going with this. "Anyway, she got my number through my parents and she told me that apparently she got pregnant from that prom night," Stanley said still not fully believing it himself. "Oh my God," Marcus said in disbelief. "You have a kid." "Yea," Stanley replied. "She's down here now with my son and she wants to see me." "What are you going to do?" Marcus asked. "I don't know," Stanley answered. "And I have no idea what to tell Randal." "Just tell him the truth," Marcus said. "He'll be okay with it." "You think?" Stanley asked. "Yea," Marcus replied. "He loves you so much and will be able to help you through this." "You're right," Stanley nodded. "I guess I'm just worried because I'm still in shock about it myself." "So your son is like five now right?" Marcus asked. "Yea, he'd be five right now," Stanley answered. "It's so weird. To think, these past five years there's been a piece of me out there, living, growing. It's a lot to take." "Well, you have Randal and you have all of us to help you out anyway we can," Marcus said putting an arm around Stanley. "Thanks," Stanley replied. Over at the restaurant, Tyler was training Jake. "If their meal isn't out in fifteen minutes just go up to the guests and tell them that their meal will be up shortly," Tyler explained. "It's important to do that so they know that you didn't forget about them." "All right," Jake replied. "So, do you have any questions?" Tyler asked. "No, I think I got it," Jake replied. "Great," Tyler said. "Well, we're going to open in ten minutes so just take some time to review and then I'll have you work section one." "Okay, Thanks," Jake said nervously. "Are you all right?" Tyler asked. "Just a little nervous I guess," Jake replied. "Don't worry," Tyler said giving Jake a reassuring hug. "You'll do great." "I hope so," Jake answered. "I'll be here the whole time if you have any questions okay?" Tyler asked. "Okay," Jake replied still a little uneasy. "Well, I have to go check on the cooks so I'll be in the kitchen, but just take some time to breath," Tyler said. "You'll be great." Tyler left and went to the kitchen as Jake reviewed in his head all the information Tyler told him. As he was thinking a waitress, Kim came up to him. "Hi, are you new?" she asked. "Yea, it's my first day," Jake replied. "I'm Kim," she extended her hand. "I'm Jake," he replied shaking her hand. "I've been here for about two years, so if you need any help, don't be afraid to ask," Kim said kindly. "Thanks," Jake replied. "And don't worry, now we won't be too busy so you'll have a few hours to get adjusted and get the hang of things," Kim assured. "That's good," Jake said. "Because with all this information Tyler told me I wasn't so sure if I'd be able to handle it all." "Well, it's not as hard as he makes it seem," Kim said. "Between you and me, Tyler is an ass." "Whoa," Jake caught off guard by that statement, "What do you mean?" "He's just a jerk," Kim said. "He's so bossy and watches us all like a hawk." "He doesn't seem that bad," Jake said. "Believe me," Kim warned. "He is." "Thanks for the warning," Jake said slightly amused by another person's view of his boyfriend. Over at the law firm, Stanley was making copies of some files for Marcus when his cell rang. "Hello?" Stanley answered. "It's Nicole," she replied. "Hi," Stanley answered a little off guard. "Have you had a bit of time to soak in what I told you?" Nicole asked. "As much as possible considering the heavy load you just dropped on me," Stanley replied a bit defensive. "I know and I'm sorry," Nicole said sincerely, "I wasn't going to tell you at all." "Why?" Stanley asked. "Because you have a life," Nicole answered. "When you left and we broke up you were coming here to search for a life to search for yourself. I didn't want to stand in the way of that." "This isn't just something you keep hidden from someone," Stanley countered. "I'm sorry, but I thought I was doing you a favor," Nicole reasoned. "So, why did you decide to tell me now?" Stanley asked. "I met someone," Nicole replied. "He's a great guy and he's been a great father figure for Doug-" "Doug?" Stanley interrupted. "My son's name is Doug?" "Yea," Nicole replied. "That's a great name," Stanley said quietly. "Yea, well anyway, Steve, the man I'm seeing, him and I are engaged and well I wanted you to sign some papers," Nicole said. "What kind of papers?" Stanley asked. "They have you give up your legal rights to Doug so Steve could adopt him," Nicole answered. "Excuse me?" Stanley asked insulted. "You come back in my life five years after we break up; you tell me I have a son and then the next minute you want me to give up all my legal rights to him?" "I know it's a lot to ask and it's unfair-" Nicole said. "You're damn right it's unfair," Stanley shot back. "I have to go, I can't handle this right now." Stanley then hung up his phone gave a huge sigh, not knowing what to do. Over at the toy store Kyle was busy putting some toys on shelves when David came up to him. "What are you doing here?" Kyle cooly asked, still pissed at him. "I came to apologize," David replied. "Do you want to tell me what that was this morning?" Kyle asked. "You just blew me off." "Because today was the first time you got mad at me," David replied. "David, we've gotten in much bigger fights then that," Kyle reasoned. "Remember all the drama with you and me not talking to each other?" "I'm not talking about that," David said. "This was the firs time as a couple." "David I hardly got mad at you," Kyle said. "I just told you that you were being out of line with that question to Tyler and Jake." "And then when you said you'd catch up in a second when I asked you to walk me to work," David began, "That was the first time you'd ever not come with me right away." "Because Marcus had some really good news to tell us," Kyle defended. "It's taken him so long to open up to someone and I wanted to be there when he shared that with us." "It's just that, it seems like the bliss period we had when we first got together is starting to end," David explained. "When two people first get together they have that period of time where you want to be with them all the time and you can't get enough of them and you never argue. I mean, I guess I knew it had to end sooner or later, but a part of me was hoping it wouldn't." "David, I'm still as in love with you now as I was when we first got together," Kyle said. "In fact, I love you even more than I did when we first got together. Just because we don't live in sheer bliss doesn't mean I'm still not head over heels in love with you. So don't worry about it. We'll be fine. I'm sorry I hurt your feelings, I didn't mean to make you feel like you didn't mean as much to me." "No, I'm sorry," David replied. "I was just being insecure again." "All right," Kyle said. "As much as I want to spend time with you I should get back to work." "Yea, I need to get back to the store," David said. "I'll see you tonight?" "Oh yea, after you left Marcus invited us to his place for dinner," Kyle said. "He wants us to meet Trevor and his friends." "Sounds good," David answered. "I'll talk to you later." "Bye," Kyle said and got back to work as David left. At the restaurant Jake has gotten the hang of things and was doing really well with his section of the restaurant. "You're doing great," Tyler said as Jake headed to the kitchen to place an order. "Really?" Jake asked. "Yea," Tyler replied smiling. "You're great." "Thank you," Jake said "Have the other waiters been nice?" Tyler asked. "Yea, actually Kim's been really cool," Jake replied. "Good," Tyler said. "I'm glad. She's been here a while so if I'm not available just ask her, she'll help you out." "Will do," Jake answered not wanting to tell Tyler that Kim doesn't like him. "So I think this will be good," Tyler said confidently. "You and me working together." "Yea," Jake replied. "I think so too." Kim then came into the kitchen. "There's a complaint on table 4," Kim told Tyler. "What's the complaint?" Tyler asked. "They said that their food order is wrong," Kim replied. "Who has that section?" Tyler asked. "Oh, I think that's mine," Jake said sheepishly. Tyler gave a little sigh, "Don't worry, that's okay. It's your first day, so don't worry about it. Why don't you go out there and get them their correct orders?" "Okay, sorry Tyler," Jake said. "It's fine," Tyler replied. "These things happen to everyone. Really, it's okay." "All right," Jake said as he headed out. Kim followed. "Jake, I am so sorry," Kim said catching up to Jake. "If I realized that was your section I wouldn't have mentioned it to Tyler." "It's okay," Jake replied. "It's not your fault." "But now Tyler is going to be keeping an extra eye on you," Kim said feeling bad. "What do you mean?" Jake asked. "He said it was all right." "Yea, but that's what he always says," Kim explained. "He expects perfection out of us, if we make one mistake he makes note of it and if it happens again then we get fired." "He's not that strict," Jake said, not believing Kim. "I swear to God," Kim replied. "Well, thanks, I'll watch my back," Jake said. "Yea, you should," Kim warned. "Trust me on this, he's not a good guy." Kim then went over to her section as Jake glanced back at Tyler. This is the first time he'd ever heard anyone say anything negative about him and he was really curious if what she said was true. That evening Marcus was cooking in the kitchen with Trevor. "You know something?" Trevor asked. "What's that?" Marcus replied. "I am incredibly happy," Trevor said as he and Marcus wrapped their arms around each other. "I am too," Marcus replied giving Trevor a kiss. "In fact, I don't think I've ever been this happy with someone before." "Me neither," Trevor said. The two then began kissing, they kissed for a few minutes before Marcus broke it up. "All right, we have to get back to cooking if we want everything all done by the time everyone gets here," Marcus said, but right after he finished his sentence the doorbell rang. "Too late," Trevor said with a smile. "I'll get it," Marcus said. "Can you finish making the salad?" "No problem," Trevor replied. Marcus went and opened the front door to Kyle and David. "Hi," David said with a smile. "I know we're early, but Kyle needed some time to do the dessert." "Yea, I made the cake and everything, but I just need to put the frosting on it and I didn't want to be late so I thought I would just finish it here," Kyle said. "Oh no problem," Marcus said. "Trevor's in the kitchen." They all walked into the kitchen and got to meet Trevor. "Hey I'm David," David said friendly, shaking Trevor's hand. "We've heard a lot about you." "Yea, I've heard a lot about you too," Trevor said. "I'm so happy for you guys," Kyle said forgetting any formalities and gave Trevor a hug. "And I want to talk and get to know you more Trevor, but I have to finish this dessert. Can you help me David?" "Of course," David replied. The two of them got started on the dessert while Trevor and Marcus put the finishing touches on dinner. About fifteen minutes later the rest of the guys came and got to meet Trevor all giving him a warm and friendly welcome. A few minutes after that two of Trevor's friends came. "All right everyone this is Luis and this is Zack," Trevor said introducing his two friends. "Hi," Luis said, Luis was 5'10, black hair, green eyes, nice strong build. "Nice to meet you guys." "Hey good to meet you all," Zack said afterwards. "Good seeing you again Marcus." "You too," Marcus replied. "Zack is a really good cook. He made Trevor and I this great tiramisu the last night." "Where's Miles?" Trevor asked. "He's going to be a little late, he had to do some stuff at the store," Luis replied. "Well, let's have a drink while we wait for him," Trevor suggested. They all went and got a beer and went to the living room and hung out. The time went by nicely, they all got a good chance to talk and meet. The guys found out that Luis is a kickboxing instructor at the gym that Trevor works at. Zack has a great ambition to be a chef and is soon going hoping to go to a culinary school and wants to open up his own restaurant. Trevor, Luis and Zack found out a lot of things about the guys and what they all do. After another five minutes of them talking the doorbell rang. "That must be Miles," Trevor said. Marcus went and answered the door and sure enough was greeting Miles. "Hi, you're Miles right?" Marcus asked. "Yup, that's me," Miles replied. "Hi, I'm Marcus," Marcus said as they shook hands. "We're all just having a beer in the living room." "Sorry I'm late," Miles said. "Busy day at work." "It's no problem," Marcus said as the two of them entered the living room. "Kyle, David, Jake, Tyler, Randal and Stanley this is-" "Miles," Jake said cutting Marcus off. "You two know each other?" Marcus asked. "Yea," Miles replied. "Good seeing you again Jake." "How do you two know each other?" Stanley asked. "We worked at Star Clothing together," Jake replied nervously. "Oh wow, small world," Trevor said. "Wait," Tyler said, "Jake, is he the guy?" Jake looked down ashamed and slowly nodded. "Oh my God," Tyler sighed. "What?" Kyle asked. "I think Jake and Miles have a little history," David said quietly to Kyle. "Oh my God," Kyle said understanding now who Miles is. "He's the one that you kissed?" Tyler asked Jake. Again Jake just slowly nodded. "Oh," Randal said not sure what to say. Everyone in the room grew silent, none of them knew what to do to break the silence. Marcus, not wanting the evening to be ruined tried getting everyone to eat. "Dinner's ready," Marcus suggested. "Sounds good," Randal encouraged. "Come on guys." Everyone quietly went to the dinner table and sat down to eat. As they all got their food none of them said a word. Tyler kept glancing over and looking at Miles, Jake kept his head down in shame. The rest of the guys all looked at each other trying to find something to talk about. "You know, funny thing happened today," Randal said breaking the silence. "I was working out today and I was getting up from the bench press and I hit my head against the bar of the weight." A few of the guys laughed politely, but the awkwardness still stayed. "I guess you kinda had to be there for it to be funny," Randal said. The room went back to being silent. "So, Trevor did Marcus tell you how we all used to love that billboard of yours in town?" Kyle asked. "Yea, he did," Trevor replied with a slight laugh, "Thanks for looking at it." "Gladly," Kyle joked. Then the room went quiet again. "So, Marcus," Luis began, "Trevor told us you're a lawyer." "Yea," Marcus replied. "That's pretty impressive," Luis said. "I thought about going into law for a bit." "Oh really?" Marcus asked. "Yea," Luis replied. Once again the room went quiet and that's how it remained the rest of dinner. After dinner was over Luis, Zack and Miles headed to one area of the living room. Jake, Tyler, Kyle, David, Stanley and Randal went to another area. Marcus and Trevor stayed in the middle. "Are you okay?" Jake asked Tyler gently. "I'm fine," Tyler replied quickly. "Do you want to leave?" Jake asked. "No, I don't want to give him the satisfaction," Tyler replied. "We'll leave you two alone to talk," Randal said. "Actually, there is something I want to talk to you about," Stanley said getting up and him and Randal went to another area of the living room to talk privately. Kyle and David got up and went to the kitchen to get the cake. "What's up?" Randal asked as he and Stanley got to the corner of the living room. "I got a call today from this girl I used to date in high school," Stanley began. "her and I had sex on prom night and then I left Seattle after high school. Well, that night we had sex, she got pregnant." "Whoa," Randal said in shock. "So, that means..." "I have a son," Stanley finished. "A son I didn't know about for all these years." "Oh my God," Randal whispered still in shock by all of this. "Yea, and now she met someone and wants me to sign some papers giving up all my rights to my son," Stanley said. "Are you serious?" Randal asked. "Yea, and I don't know what to do," Stanley replied. Randal stayed quiet for a minute. "Are you okay?" Stanley asked. "I know this is a lot to take in and I hope you'll be okay with all this." "Oh, don't worry about me," Randal said giving Stanley a hug. "What are you going to do?" "I don't know," Stanley said. "I find out I have a son and the next second I find out that she wants me to give up all my rights to him." "It's a tough decision," Randal said. "What is your heart telling you?" "Well, I just found out about him and I can't imagine not having him in my life now," Stanley said. "I mean when she told me about him I just filled up with all this love and paternal feelings towards him, and I haven't even seen him yet. Is that weird?" "No, it's perfectly understandable," Randal said. "He's a part of you." "I think that he can have an easier life if he didn't know about me and had Nicole and her fiancee as his parents," Stanley debated. "But on the other hand, I want to know him, I want him to know me and I want to love him." "You should talk to Kyle," Randal suggested. "Why?" Stanley asked. "Kyle has a little baby brother, but his mom and dad had told him that he's not allowed to see him," Randal said. "And it kills Kyle. So, if you're thinking of giving up your rights and possibly never getting a chance to see him then you should talk to Kyle and let him tell you what it's like not being able to see or be in contact with your own blood." Over on the other side of the room Luis and Zack were talking to Miles. "Jake was the guy you liked at work?" Luis asked. "Yea," Miles replied. "That's him." "This is going to make things so complicated," Zack sighed. "I know, but there's nothing we can do about it now," Miles said. "It's not like we can really avoid seeing each other now." "Maybe you can," Luis suggested. "No, we can't. Trevor and Marcus are together," Miles said. "I'm friends with Trevor and Jake is friends with Marcus. We're going to see each other from time to time now." "Do you still have feelings for him?" Zack asked. "I'd be lying if I said I didn't," Miles said quietly. "You just have to find a way to get over him," Luis said. "He's with Tyler." "I know, and I know he won't leave Tyler," Miles explained. "But it's not easy to get over someone. I can't just flip a switch and not be attracted to him anymore." "I know," Luis said patting Miles on the back. "This turned into a real interesting night," Zack quipped. In the middle of the living room Trevor and Marcus were sitting together observing the two separate groups. "This did not turn out the way we hoped it would," Trevor said. "I know," Marcus replied. "We wanted our friends to meet and become friends, but I don't see that happening anytime soon." "What are the odds of two of our best friends having a history together?" Trevor asked. "Maybe we should end this thing before it gets any worse," Marcus suggested. "I think you're right," Trevor replied. The two then got up and went to their perspective groups to tell them that the night's over. "Hey guys," Trevor said going up to his friends. "How's it going?" "I'm freaking out Trev," Miles said quietly. "I know and I'm sorry," Trevor replied. "I had no idea that Marcus was friends with the guy you used to like." "I don't think I can stay much longer," Miles said. "Yea, well, Marcus and I decided to end the night early since it's kinda weird for everyone," Trevor said. "Good idea," Luis added. Over on the other side of the room Marcus was talking with Tyler, Jake and Randal and Stanley who re-joined them. "We're going to call it a night," Marcus told them. "Why?" Tyler asked. "There's no need to." "Tyler, we both know that this isn't going to turn into a pleasant evening," Marcus said. "No, I do not want this night to end on account of a mistake that happened between Jake and him," Tyler said refusing to use Miles' name. "Tyler, please. I really want to leave. Don't make me stay here," Jake pleaded. Tyler looked in Jake's eyes and saw how desperate he was to leave and get out. Tyler sighed, "All right, fine. We'll leave." The group looked over and saw Trevor's friends heading for the door. "It was nice to meet everyone," Zack said politely. "Wait, where's everyone going?" Kyle asked as he and David walked into the room. David was carrying the cake Kyle made. "We're calling it a night," Marcus informed the two. "But we have dessert," David said holding up the cake. "Another time guys," Randal said patting them on the back as they headed for the door as well. "Hey Kyle, do you think tomorrow we can meet up?" Stanley asked. "Of course," Kyle replied. "Something wrong?" "I just need your advice about something," Stanley answered. "All right," Kyle said. "I have the day off so we'll grab lunch okay?" "Sounds good, thanks," Stanley said as he and Randal headed out. "Thanks for dinner," Luis said as he and Zack headed out. "Sorry for the evening," Miles said to Marcus as he left. "I'll see you guys later," Tyler said and hurried up to catch up to Miles. "Tyler, wait," Jake said as he quickly tried to stop Tyler. Outside of Marcus' place Tyler went up and tapped Miles on the shoulder. "So why'd you do it?" Tyler asked pissed off. "Excuse me?" Miles asked. "Why did you kiss Jake when you knew he was with someone," Tyler replied. "Look, I'm sorry," Miles said. "I don't know what else to tell you. I fell for Jake and I just needed to do it to see if he fell for me, but he didn't. He loves you." "So you think it's all right to just kiss other people's boyfriends?" Tyler asked. "Tyler, stop please," Jake said grabbing Tyler's arm. "Let's break this up," Randal said stepping between Tyler and Miles. "To tell you the truth, I'm sorry I hurt you, but I'm not sorry I kissed him," Miles said. "Son of a bitch," Tyler said and tried to hit Miles, but Randal held him back. "Miles, let's just go," Luis said grabbing Miles. "Come on, we'll hang out at my house," Zack said. The three of them walked off, leaving Randal, Stanley, and Jake holding onto Tyler. "Tyler, I know you're pissed, but just try and calm down," Randal said. "Let's go home," Jake said taking Tyler's hand. "Fine," Tyler replied as he and Jake walked to their car. "Some night," Randal said wrapping his arms around Stanley. "Yea," Stanley replied. Back in Marcus' house Kyle and David were still standing in the kitchen holding the cake, not quite sure what just happened. "So, I guess we're not doing dessert tonight," Kyle said a little surprised at how quickly everyone left. "Yea, sorry guys," Trevor said. "It's okay," David replied. "Since the four of us are here why don't we just eat the cake?" Marcus suggested. "Sounds good to me," Kyle replied. "More cake for us," David said. "It'll give us a chance to get to know you better," Kyle said to Trevor as the four of them went to the table to eat the cake. In the car ride home Tyler was very quiet. Jake looked over at him from time to time, not sure what to do or say. "Are you okay?" Jake asked. "I'm fine," Tyler said quickly. "Are you mad at me?" Jake asked. Tyler sighed, "No, but I do need to ask you a question." "What?" Jake asked. "Is there any part of you that still has feelings for him?" Tyler asked. "No," Jake answered with out hesitation. "There is not one part of me that still wants him. I love you, I want you. I don't ever want to lose you again." "Promise?" Tyler asked. "I promise," Jake replied leaning over and kissing Tyler on the cheek. "Okay," Tyler said giving a little smile. "Let's go home." Over at Zack's apartment, Zack, Luis and Miles were hanging out. "Well, tonight was interesting," Luis said. "There's a big understatement," Zack replied. "You okay Miles?" Luis asked. "Actually, yea," Miles replied. "I'm great." Zack and Luis both exchanged a confused look. "You're great?" Zack asked. "You think you might be exaggerating a bit?" Luis asked. "No," Miles replied. "Really, I'm great." "Why?" Zack asked. "Because," Miles began, "Jake's back in my life." "But he's with someone," Luis retorted. "Before, I didn't know where he went or how to reach him," Miles explained. "But now I have contact with him again. I can fight for him." "Miles," Zack warned. "You can't." "Why?" Miles asked. "Because, like I said earlier, he's with someone," Luis said. "And like I said before," Miles countered. "I'm going to fight for him." ************************************************************************** To Be Continued.... Hope everyone enjoyed. Any comments, questions or feedback of any kind please e-mail me at ilj4ever44@yahoo.com. Thanks!