Good Company

Chapter 21

~September 20th 1974~

Brian stirred as his cell mates got dressed for breakfast. He did not feel like getting up, but it wasn't up to him. The choice was to either get up on your own or getting dragged out to the cafeteria by the guards. 

'Oi pal, you coming?' Matthew was ready and stood by the door while Ben struggled to get his socks on. Brian yawned before deciding he didn't want to be humiliated in front of a great number of men. He sat up and tied his hair in a low bun. He had gotten used to wearing his hair up, but he dearly missed the days where he could just brush it, flatten it down and leave it be for the rest of the day. 

Even though it had been a few months, Brian was astonished by the amount of fellow prisoners that fit in the cafeteria. It seemed to go on forever. He grabbed a tray and joined Matt and Ben in line for food. 

'I heard the Queen's sleeping with her cousin,' Matt's conversation starters were never the best, but this took it to another level. Ben frowned, and Brian choked on the air he was just inhaling. 'What? It's early, I don't know what you fuckers want to talk about!' 

Ben and Matt bickered for a while and Brian zoned out. He thought about life back at home. About Roger, the kids... He even missed Marianna, the dog that once was Roger's but belonged to the both of them now. He hadn't heard from Roger since the last time they called. Roger had picked up the birthday cards from the front desk, for they were not allowed to see each other until six months had passed, and he could not bear to eat or drink on that day. For his love to be so close, yet so far... It was too much for Brian. He had spent his time in the sound proof rooms, for peace and undisturbed guitar practise. 

The food was only barely edible: the bread was dry; the tea was cold; the eggs were undercooked; and he didn't eat bacon. He'd gotten used to it, although he longed for regular cereal, perhaps toast... John developed a liking for cheese on his toast, a combination that seemed weird at first but was actually pretty good, according to Brian. Roger hated it, though. Brian chuckled at the thought of Roger trying John's cheese on toast. He pretended to love it, of course, but he never ate it again. 

Matt poked Brian's side. 'You've got mail, April.' He waved the letter in Brian's face, but it was snatched away by Ben. 

'We rarely get mail, though you seem to be popular. Who keeps sending you letters? Got a girl back at home, huh?' Ben grinned before handing Brian his mail. 

'Oh, well... Not exactly...' Brian mumbled. 

'Whatever dude, we don't care if you're gay. Got a man?' 

'I do, actually... I thought...' Ben seemed to be satisfied with that answer and left it at that, but Matthew was desperate for more information. 

'What's he like? Just some basic stuff, I wanna know what I'm dealing with here.' 

'He's short, blond, has a temper... He's amazing with children and animals though, he wouldn't hurt a fly. A spider, perhaps, but only if it's a small one. He's got me for the big ones. He alwas insists I kill it, but I usually just put it outside. They come back, and the whole thing starts from the start. He's simply the best.' Brian was blushing at the sight of Matt and Ben listening carefully to his words. 

'That sounds amazing man, we're happy for you.' Ben patted his shoulder as Matt continued his meal. Brian could finally open his letter, but his state of happiness faded away as he unfolded the letter. This is not Roger's handwriting. Who could..?  

May,

I've won. You challenged me and I am the victor, fair and square. Your children are safe with me, or, actually, my children. I love them with all my heart. They don't know it yet, but they love me. They were biologically programmed to love me, they simply need some time to warm up to their new environment. Roger stopped by the other day. Remember him? He brought John and Freddie their birthday presents accompanied by a card each, a message from you. You can try, May, but you can't climb back up from the pit you've fallen into. You will linger in the shadows alongside thieves and murderers, never to go back to your old life. I live your life now. Everything's in place: the children, the boyfriend, the dog. A happy home. Only, the children don't know about the boyfriend. You see, I need to keep him secret. I need to keep him safe. He is a precious angel, not ready for the outside world. It will destroy him. He depends on me, we love one another. I've known him much longer than you have, anyways. You kind of blocked my path to happiness, did you know? Roger was working in his stall when I was planning on making a move on him. He left. He had a job interview for a nanny position with some kind of teacher. He rarely showed up again. After a while, he left his stall to a girl, Claire. He found true love, she said. I was a broken man, but I did not give up. And now, after four long years, I've got him all to myself. All mine. My love. My precious. You will never see your guy again. 

Brian's mind was completely blank with rage. Roger was in danger. And he would do everything in his power to get his fiancé back. 

Heya guys,
I know, I know, I promised to update more frequent..... I got this huge project I needed to hand in at 00:00 today and I'm finally done so now I'll have more time to actually write and update. 
BYEEEE