They had been drifting apart.
As the bottle spun, they laughed. Their hungry eyes all watched the bottle, and everyone was sipping at their drinks, save for Lukas. He never laughed. He never drank. He kept himself composed decent. The only reason he was here to begin with was because of Mikkel. The man loved to party, loved to go out on the town and hit up a few local bars or strip clubs. Once a week, though, the plan diverged and they all went to the house of one of their friends. It was "couples night," as they called it. The night passed quickly with the games they played, from Spin the Bottle, to Truth or Dare.
The bottle landed on Mikkel, and the man letting out a loud laugh.
"Okay Mikkel. Truth, or, dare?" Alfred questioned
"Oh, what the hell? I'll go with truth this time!"
Lukas' world could come crashing down, at any moment.
Alfred shuffled the cards containing truths in front of him, pulling one randomly out of the pile. "Ready for this? Have you…ever cheated on Lukas?"
The other man started to blurt out an answer, his mouth working faster than his brain. "Yea-No! I...I would never!" Alfred's smile faltered, his eyes darting to the British man sitting next to him, who watched the Norwegian warily. Without a word, Lukas stood. He wasn't stupid; far from it.
"I'm leaving," his voice was strong, his fists at his side. Mikkel stood as well.
"Lukas, hey, where are you going?" The two walked out, Lukas ignoring the man he called his lover.
They were about halfway home, snow falling around them, when Lukas suddenly stopped. He stared ahead of him, his purple orbs trying hard to keep any and all emotion out of them. "Who was it?" He asked, knowing full well Mikkel was behind him.
"I…don't really know." Mikkel muttered, for once quiet. Lukas scoffed.
"You slept with someone else, and didn't even have the decency to get their name?" he snapped. Mikkel shrunk back.
"Listen to me, Lukas: I love you! I was drunk-"
"When are you not!" Lukas kept facing forwards, away from him.
"I…I'm sorry, Lukas. Please forgive me…"
"How many times have you cheated on me?"
"What? O-once! Only once."
"You stuttered…" Lukas scowled.
"No, I didn't! You're hearing things! Lukas, please listen to me! It was only once, and I'll never do it again!"
"I've had enough of you, Mikkel."
"What?"
Lukas started walking again, with Mikkel running to catch up. "Hey, hey, Lukas! Lukas, stop! Lukas, we can talk about this! We can get through this!"
"No, we can't, Mikkel. It's been a long time coming. First thing tomorrow, I'm gone." Lukas stopped as Mikkel ran in front of him.
"Come on, Lukas… We can get through this… Please, give me another chance." He leaned forwards, pressing their lips together. Lukas allowed him to do this, not showing any signs of returning it. Mikkel pulled back slowly, his eyebrows stitched together. "Please, Lukas…I love you."
"You should have thought about that before you slept with some whore," Lukas snapped, shoving past him. Lukas didn't say another word on the rest of the journey home, leaving Mikkel to try and change the mind of the white haired man.
As the two walked into their home, Lukas made a beeline for the bedroom, locking the door as soon as he was inside. Alone was the only time he would let any emotion show. All it took was shutting the door for the tears to start flowing.
He had been betrayed by one of the only people he had let in. He knew it was bound to happen, but it still hurt. Lukas slid down to the ground as he leaned back against the door, bringing his knees to his chest, allowing the tears to drip onto the fabric of his jeans.
It took him a while to finally crawl into bed. His purple eyes scanned the walls, traced every outline he could see in the darkness. "This isn't my home any longer."
He hadn't even realized he had fallen asleep. The alarm went off, the music of his favorite radio station bringing him to his senses.
"A new song now, Youth by Daughter," the radio announcer spoke to the slowly waking world. Lukas stared at the ceiling as he listened to the soft lyrics.
"Shadows settle on the place, that you left. And if you're still breathing, you're the lucky ones. We are the reckless,
Our minds are troubled by the emptiness.
Destroy the middle; it's a waste of time.
From the perfect start to the finish line.
'Cause most of us are heaving through corrupted lungs.
Setting fire to our insides for fun.
Collecting names of the lovers that went wrong
The lovers that went wrong.
We are the wild youth.
Chasing visions of our futures
One day we'll reveal the truth
That one will die before he gets there.
And if you're still bleeding, you're the lucky one. ... and you caused it... Well I've lost it all, I'm just a silhouette, And if you're in love, then you are the lucky one, …And you caused it…
'Cause most of our feelings, they are dead and they are gone.
We're setting fire to our insides for fun.
Collecting pictures from the flood that wrecked our home,
It was a flood that wrecked this home...
... and you caused it...
... and you caused it...
A lifeless face that you'll soon forget,
My eyes are damp from the words you left,
Ringing in my head, when you broke my chest.
Ringing in my head, when you broke my chest.
'Cause most of us are bitter over someone.
Setting fire to our insides for fun,
To distract our hearts from ever missing them.
But I'm forever missing him.
…And you caused it…
…And you caused it…"
Lukas hit the button, turning the radio off. He sat up, his body feeling numb. Lifting his legs, he let them fall off the bed, standing slowly. It was all over; everything he had built up, everything he had taken precious time to keep from breaking was gone.
Opening the door, a bag slung over his shoulder with all of the clothing he owned, Lukas looked at the wall across from the door. Mikkel slept, snoring obnoxiously, holding a picture of the two together. Lukas bent, taking the picture from the sleeping man without waking him.
His feet led him to the kitchen, where he grabbed a pen and notebook. Ripping out a page, the male wrote something, before he taped it to the door, walking out.
It wasn't but a few hours later that Mikkel stirred, and then noticed the bedroom door open and the picture gone. He ran towards the door, calling for his ex-lover in desperation. The letter hanging on the door made him pause.
"Goodbye," in crisp, clear handwriting.