Fortuitous (BoyxBoy)

Eighteen

            "Si"

            "Don't si me. You should be thanking me, ungrateful bastard!" Sein slapped me on the back of my head before using said hand to pull me in for a hug. "Don't worry." We sat for a while like we used to and we talked as if these past couple weeks haven't been tense. "I didn't know you bought an Xbox."

            He got a sad look in his eyes. "It's Simon's, Max's brother. He brought it over so we could play."

            That reminded me. "Do you remember that thanksgiving when you told me about our sister?" Sein nodded then he sucked in a sharp breath and shook his head at the memory. "Remember my friend that brought over the games?" he nodded again. "That was Max. We were never meant to be together, not that it matters, but I...it wasn't me. I'm no fairytale writer but I kinda think you guys are meant to be together. So yeah. Do you have popcorn? I wanna watch a movie."

✗✗✗

 SEIN

 I FUCKED UP

            I fucked up, and that turned me into a coward. Max said he understood but being understanding didn't mean that he would be willing to forgive me. It just meant that I made a decision and he respected it. If he had fought my decision I knew I'd have stood a better chance to get back in his good graces, but the fact that he didn't just told me how utterly disappointed he was in me.

            The last time I subtly asked about him Simon gave me an earful. "Sein. You have a car. You have a driver's license. You know where he lives. If you want to know how he's doing. Go. Better yet, you have his number. Both of you are annoying. So annoying. Play the game," he had said. Simon was something else.

            Places I had avoided these past couple weeks I made sure to start going there again. It became a thing I did when I went to Starbucks, to look around the coffee shop if I saw him. And I did see him one morning. He wore a grey suit that looked so fucking delicious on him. Fuck. It was tailored to perfection and the beanie he had on to match was the icing on the cake.

            It was no one's fault but my own that I had to see him from a distance and yearn when I could've been standing next to him, and then we would sit and talk for a few minutes before we would be on our way. Hell, there was a bigger chance that I would've brought his coffee to him and he wouldn't have to be standing in this ridiculously long line looking at his watch every couple seconds. And that realization was like a punch in the gut. Shoving my hands in my coat pocket—the one Maxwell got me—I stepped out of line and exited Starbucks.

            Guilt and shame aren't the best combination of feelings to have. Especially when you feel guilty about feeling ashamed and ashamed of feeling guilty. I deserved it. I made a promise I never kept. I did think I was doing the right thing. When Danny tried to tell me it wasn't anything I had thought he was doing so out of brotherly duty. The same one I felt. I was selfish in doing so. Whether it was the right or wrong thing, I didn't consider anyone's thoughts or feelings except for my own.

            We created something together; where we depended on each other to do things we were more capable of doing ourselves. I saw all the fears in his eyes and I tried to erase them because I knew then that they weren't necessary, that he didn't have to be careful with me. I trusted myself to be someone he deserved, someone good to him and good enough for him. What did I do? I let both of us down. I wasn't sure anymore if I deserved a second chance with him. I wasn't sure if I deserved him at all.

  Maxwell

  Solo

            We lived in the same city and we frequented the same places. We were bound to run into each other at some point. I saw him standing in line and I would've said something to him but by the time I said: "thank you" to the Barista and turned around he was gone. That hurt. If he didn't want to see me in person then that was more than fine. I hope to God he didn't think it was alright to pick up the phone and call me after this, for whatever reason.

            I got in the SUV that I carelessly double-parked and got to work. Today was a big day. I had a meeting with an architect about the new building...the new bigger-better-smart-green-office building. I knew without a doubt I wasn't the only one excited about it if the not so subtle questions were anything to go by.

            "Mr. MacQueen, when is work starting on the new building?"

            The game in it was I would always pretend I didn't know what they were talking about. "What new building?" I had frowned when I was first asked about it for added effect. There was even a rumor that we were moving to New York. I actually had to squash that one because I didn't want people to start losing their heads.

            I promoted my old assistant, we had a good relationship going on but she really was overqualified for her job. She was passionate about my company and she deserved it. Now I had to get used to a new assistant. He was all right so far but it would take time to develop a relationship like the one Lola and I had.

            At a quarter to eleven Shawn's voice boomed through the phone. "Mr. MacQueen?"

            "Yes?"

            "Your 11 o'clock is here."

            "Okay. Walk him in for me, please?"

            "You got it."

            My head was down, making sure I had everything I needed. When I heard the door open I looked up. I thought I was seeing things. This was turning out into some type of bizarre reality.

            "You're my architect?" I asked him.

            "I'm representing my firm, yes, and this is you? This just keeps getting better, doesn't it?" Daniel asked with a smile on his face.

            The funny and amazing thing was, we shook hands and got to work as if it were any other businessman and any other architect working together.

I couldn't stop thinking about Sein. I know I could forget everything that happened and move on, but could he? I shoved this morning to the back of my head and welcomed the desperate need I felt to fix us.