Vegas

Forgive But Don't Forget

"So... you're never going to forgive him then?"

Scott blew out a huff of air, laying on his back and staring at the plain white ceiling until his eyes stung. "I don't know, Es. If I'm being honest, I miss him so incredibly much. It's only been like a week but he's literally my soulmate, I feel lost without him."

"Then talk to him, Scott. It's not that complicated," their tour manager spoke with a mouthful of salad. "Just talk to him and say, 'Hey Mitch, I'm sorry for yelling at you and I hope we can move past everything and become friends again.''

"That's my problem! I don't really know how I feel anymore," Scott exclaimed and sat up on the bed. "Do I want to be his friend again? Do I want something more? Oh my gosh, I shouldn't even be thinking these things. I'm married for goodness sake!" He flopped down on his bed again and smashed the white pillow over his face.

"Okay, let me ask you this question," the tour manager said seriously. "And be honest with me now, it's the only way I can help you. Have you ever, throughout your entire marriage to Alex, doubted your love for him? Ever wondered it would be like if you were with Mitch instead?"

"I'd be lying if I said I've never thought about it..." he replied, his words coming out muffled due to the pillow covering his face.

Esther sighed. She wished she could help her dear friend - actually she felt more like a mother to all of them than a friend. She hated seeing the emotional pain and stress he was going through, she truly wished she had a magic wand she could wave over him and Mitch to make everything better. 

"Listen, I can't tell you what to do because I don't know exactly what you're feeling right now. But from what I'm hearing from you, it sounds like you have some feelings for Mitch that you're trying to push aside and in the meanwhile you're also pushing Mitch aside. Personally, I think it's not fair that you're angry at Mitch just because you don't know how you're feeling. Talk to Mitch and sort everything out. Maybe in the meanwhile you'll figure things out."

It hit Scott hard, knowing how true everything was that just came out of the brunette's mouth. She was so, so right, he had to fix things with his best friend. Scott would rather die than to lose Mitch. 

"Fuck, why are you always right?" He groaned and finally moved the pillow away from his face, making it way more clear for Esther to hear him. 

"Because I just am," she giggled, making Scott playfully throw the pillow at her. "Now stop sitting here and sulking, go find your Mitchy."

"You're the best, Esther Koop," Scott said, standing up to hug the mom of the group and he got a brief peck on the cheek in return. "Do you know where he could be right now?"

"Try looking in the arcade for him? I know he told me he's trying to avoid his room with Kirstie most of the time."

"What? Why? Did they have an argument?"

"No, nothing of the sort." Esther leaned in closer and whispered, "You didn't hear it from me, but apparently she just locks herself in the room and cries all day." Scott gulped at this information; he had a slight idea of why she might have been crying. "I have no clue why exactly, but I have a sneaky suspicion it has something to do with my little brother."

"Avi?" His voice squeaked and he cleared it afterwards. "Avi? Why would you think so? They pretty much hate each other, Es."

"I'm not too sure about that anymore. They've grown pretty fond of each other during this trip..."

Oh, you're so wrong about that Esther. They've grown more than just fond of each other.

Scott shrugged and pretended like it was nothing. "Maybe they have gotten a bit closer, but it will do us well to have them actually getting along instead of wanting to slit the other one's throat all the time." 

"Yeah, I just can't help but wonder..." Esther quickly shook her head and smiled. "I'm just reading too much into things. Now go on! Before you change your mind again."

Scott didn't need to be told twice. He set off on a hunt to find his best friend and hopefully convince Mitch to forgive him; Scott felt awful when he thought about the things he said to the smaller male. He knew how sensitive and how fragile Mitch could be, what was he thinking? Scott shook it off. There was no point in beating himself up over what happened in the past, all he could do was look to the future.

The baritone was humming love tunes to himself, hands in hoodie pockets and looking down as he roamed the quiet hallways of the hotel. He was so focused on what he was to say to the pretty boy, that he didn't even notice that he was walking up the same hallway Scott was strolling down. 

Their shoulders collided and Mitch immediately stopped and looked up from his phone to apologise to the stranger, not recognising it was in fact his best friend. "Oh, I'm so sorry, I should've watched... Scott?" 

Scott suddenly felt his chest become tight and he thought his heart would leap out of his chest at any given moment. Calm down, he told himself. It's just Mitch, for goodness sake.

"Uhh, hi. I was actually just looking for you," he said quietly, flashing a shy smile at the end.

"Me?" Mitch asked in bewilderment. "I thought that you hated me though."

"That's exactly why I wanted to talk to you, Mitch. I'm sorry for everything I said, I didn't mean any of it. I was just angry and when I'm angry I don't think straight at all, you know that better than anyone. If you're willing to forgive me, I hope we can go back to being friends."

A grin spread across the tenor's face and Scott swore he could see the glow back in him, like something ignited within. It made him happy to see the old Mitch, his best friend in the whole world. "If I'm willing to forgive you? What kind of question is that? I can barely go thirty seconds without you by my side."

Scott didn't wait another minute to engulf the small boy into a bone-crushing hug, almost lifting him off the ground which cause a high-pitched squeal to escape his friend's mouth, making them both giggle. Scott pulled away from Mitch and took the moment to admire him, almost like a piece of artwork. He tucked a stray piece of hair away from his face and beamed at the brunette. 

He had his soulmate back. 

***

She opened the box which contained her future inside. A future that could make or break her. 

She followed the instructions carefully, there was no way she wanted to get the wrong answer. It was only a two minute wait. A two minute wait. Yet, it still managed to feel like hours passing by. She pushed up the glasses that were falling off the bridge of her nose and chewed on the skin around her thumb - a nervous habit. 

"Come on," she muttered quietly at the small object in her hands. 

When she finally saw the results she immediately felt the lump in her throat. No, this couldn't be happening, not to her. She was too young, she still had so much she wanted to do. And now...

And what would the rest say?

More importantly, what would he say?

dun dun dun