Brotherly Bond
•••
Two days later, Harry is at the waiting room of a hospital, waiting to learn from the doctor why he is having the new brush and the reason he is spitting blood. The doctor eventually tells him to come inside and take a seat.
"Look Harry, I'm going to be straight with you...I have no idea what's causing you the symptoms. However either way your results are not good.
"What do you mean doctor?", Harry nervously asks the doctor, who takes his time before starting to explain everything to his patient.
•••
Meanwhile, George is finally back on campus for his third year on majoring art. He never felt more pressure than having to do so many art projects for one semester. Angel joins him and walks him to his next class before she heads for another audition.
"So, have you talked to Harry since that eventful night?", she asks her best friend.
"Yeah, we talked on the telephone last night. Elektra wanted to sleep so we didn't exactly talked that much...why?"
Angel hesitates before revealing one of her concerns to George, but she is not able to hide this from him, "I think something is going on with him. When you went missing and we waited for you to return, he started coughing, which is pretty normal but even though he tries to hide it, every time he coughs, he spits blood."
"Oh, maybe I should give him time to tell me by himself or maybe it just happened.", George is trying to find a solution.
Angel hugs him and before she leaves, she says to him, "Look Georgie, I'm not going to tell you how to handle this, but as your friend I should warn you."
George nods and the two best buddies part ways, each heading to their own responsibilities and lives.
•••
Dante along with Scotty are leaving from Dante's new record label. He feels so much better and more free since this label actually allows him to be whoever he wants to be as long as he produces music only for them.
"Seriously buddy, it's so great to see you being able to stand in your feet again. I missed you like that.", Scotty says to his friend.
"I'm feeling a lot better too. Hey, how are you doing? We kind of haven't seen each other in weeks."
"I'm better than ever. I like a girl who I believe that she likes me back and it's not Angel before you ask."
Dante gives a devious smile, like he was about to ask that and waits to find out who that girl is.
"It's Elektra. We haven't proceed yet to that area but I like her and if she wants to wait I'm okay with that."
"I'm so happy for you man, you know that she is a trans-", Scotty stops Dante before he concludes.
"Honestly I don't even care. What's the point when she felt like a woman from the start?"
"Wow, that's what I call progress.", Dante thumbs up his friend for his new beliefs and they keep walking towards Dante's penthouse. Outside the building however, Harry is waiting for him.
"Brother, hey...what are you doing here?", Dante is really curious about this unexpected visit.
"Come on, join me. I thought about a weekend getaway for us. Are you in?"
"Weekend getaway? But it's Monday.", Dante points out and Harry is annoyed that his brother doesn't answer to his proposal. He takes the situation into his own hands and orders Dante to go up and pack his bag since they are leaving for a road trip.
Dante decides not to break his brother heart and nods, heading upstairs to get what he needs. Then Scotty turns to Harry and asks him about his coughing.
"Everything is fine Scotty, thanks. Can you inform George about the trip? Tell him I will be back before he knows it."
Scotty agrees and goes to meet Elektra, since they have a date, not being able to hide his excitement in the five words he exchanges with anyone he meets on his way to her.
•••
The two brothers are leaving New York city with Harry's motorcycle and two backpacks. Dante is curious on where his brother plans to take him, so he doesn't hesitate to ask.
"Where to, big bro?"
Harry looks at the road and smiles before he answers, "It's a surprise, I think that you will like it."
Dante sighs and agrees not to make any other question until they finally arrive.
Time passes, more precisely, one hour and forty minutes until they arrive in their destination. The moment Dante realizes where they are, he laughs for a second before they step off the bike. He looks at Harry and Harry looks at him before the younger brother says...
"Whatever happens in New Haven, stays in New Haven. Man I can't believe you still remember this place."
"Relax Dante, I'm twenty seven, not sixty. Plus, how could I forget the town you had your first concert?", he asks Dante, not waiting for an answer but a nod.
"Let's go have a drink, shall we, big bro?", Dante says and they go to a bar from the past.
They walk inside a small bar, hidden among greater venues. The man behind the bar, who is also the owner, is delighted to see again the two brothers visiting. He walks towards them and they all exchange a handshake.
"My men! I thought you would never come back again since our little Dante over here is a big rockstar.", the owner says to them.
"Nice to see you too Roy and just for the record I sing folk rock.", Dante tries to correct his friend.
Harry takes a seat at the bar and both of the brother start with a beer before the night. Tequilas and more beer follows as the sun goes down. Dante is singing at the karaoke and dedicates every song to his dog who is missing for months.
Then a Bob Dylan song starts playing in the back and drunk Dante lights a cigarette to honor his rival. While the young brother is having fun, Roy notices that Harry is a little too quiet.
"Harry, something tells me that your sudden road trip is not just to have fun, is it?", Roy looks at Harry and waits for an honest answer. Harry drinks one more glass of vodka before he says anything to Roy.
"I just want for Dante to have a nice memory of us. Lately I screwed up everything and I lost him."
"He probably just needs some time, don't worry, nothing is stronger than the bond of two brothers."
Harry looksat Dante and turns back to Roy while a tear drops from his eye, "That's all good in theory Roy, but what if I don't have time?"
"Then he deserve to know that, before he believes that his brother abandoned him.", Roy responds to Harry and heads to make some orders.
Harry pays for the drinks and offers Dante to go for a walk with him. The other brother asks where to and Harry says to his favorite place of course.
"Fine brother, let's visit the porch.", a semi drunk Dante says to him and they leave.
•••
Back at New York, Scotty returns Elektra back to her apartment and waits for her to invite him in, unfortunately Elektra has other plans.
"Scotty I'm really sorry but George and Angel are upstairs and we are having a sleepover.", Elektra says to him.
"It's okay, can I ask you for one last thing before we call it a night?", he asks Elektra. She nods and waits for his question.
"Can I kiss you? I know we already have kissed but somehow I feel I haven't kissed you the way you deserve.", Scotty says to her and lowers his head. She smiles and plays with his hair, waiting for him to come closer to her.
Scotty looks at her lips and bites his, not being able to hold his desire to kiss her again and again. Elektra gives him an assuring look that she wants this and their lips finally touch. Both of them feel like it's their first kiss, fireworks appear all over again
They stop after a few minutes and Scotty gives her a big smile. Their heads touch and they close their eyes, trying to enjoy their moment to the fullest. Then Scotty let's her go upstairs and once Elektra is gone, he jumps out of happiness.
•••
Meanwhile, the two brothers are enjoying a walk outside in a city with so much past for both of them. Harry looks at a porch and teases Dante...
"Remember that porch? It's where you made out with that fangirl of yours."
The moment Dante remembers that he turns red and both of them start laughing. Then Dante points out that this is fun and that he misses his brother.
"I missed you too Dante, I'm really sorry that I did what I did with George. I knew you liked him but it didn't stop me.", Harry apologizes to his brother, since he is ashamed that he did something like that behind his only family's back.
While Dante responds to his brother, Harry starts feeling very dizzy and in his attempt to hide it, he starts sweating.
"Harry are you alright? You seem lost.", Dante says to him and helps him get to the closer porch to leave him for a second and go buy water. While Dante is away, Harry has a hallucination of George looking at him while he holds his hand.
"If you are going to break my heart, please let me be ready for it.", the hallucination says to him and disappears the moment Dante comes back and gives him the water.
"You know what? I think that maybe you should finally let me drive your motorcycle on our way back. I may be drunk, but you are worse.", Dante points out and Harry even though he hates the idea, agrees.
•••
Two hours later, Dante drops off Harry by his apartment and they find George waiting on the stairs outside of Harry's apartment. Dante waves at his friend and leaves his brother to deal with his boyfriend.
Harry walks towards George, who hugs him and then slaps him, since he is obviously mad that he just disappeared for two days without a warning.
"Harry ever since we helped that friend of yours, you are acting weird. I'm your boyfriend, I care about you."
Harry kisses George and hugs him like it's the last time he is ever going to see him. George calms down and apologizes for his behavior.
"No baby, you are right, I had to deal with something, which I'm going to tell you about it soon...Now if you don't mind, I would like to spend some time with the sexy side of George.", he responds and grabs George, taking him inside.
•••
The next morning, while George is sleeping next to him, Harry notices that the bruise he has on his right arm is getting more evident to the eye. He looks at the ceiling and thinks what he should do.
Then he looks over at George and touches his skin. He wants to be honest but he also needs a few more days of happiness. A few more days of not treating him like a sick person.
He thinks about it and then turns to the left, he hugs George and let's him get cozy while he sleeps on his chest. He looks at him one last time, before he closes his eyes and starts sleeping, joining George a few hours late to the party.
•••
In Times Square, Dante is having his morning jog until a limousine stops him. A man walks out of the car and it's his new agent. Dante takes a breath before he asks what's going on.
"Dante, we have a new proposition for you or more of an announcement actually."
"I'm waiting, just say it already...", Dante responds.
"I'm here to offer you a tour across the USA. What do you say?"
Dante is left speechless while the manager waits for an answer.
To be continued...