"You idiot! Why the hell did you have to hit the bastard?"
"You know why Lennie! You heard what he said!"
"Well I hope hitting him satisfied you in a lot of ways Mikey, because after that little stunt, the brass is gonna send your sweet little ass off to Staten Island, and that's the end of you and me."
"Wait! What do you mean that's the end of you and me?"
"What, you think I'm gonna risk getting outed by carrying on an affair with you once your transferred out of Manhattan? Think again, lover."
"But Lennie"-
"Get out!"
Mike was stunned and he felt a lump forming in his throat and tears misting his eyes.
"Are you deaf, you stupid Mick? I said get out!" Lennie yelled at him.
"Why are you treating me like this?" Mike asked, his voice was almost a whimper.
Suddenly it was Lennie's turn to be stunned, he didn't have a ready answer. He wasn't sure why he was angry with Mike or why he so vehemently wanted the younger man out of his life. While he vamped for time, he flung out one of his first ex's favorite lines, "You never loved me!"
"Fuck You! You're the only person I ever have loved!" Mike argued.
"Yeah sure, if you gave a damn about me, you would have thought about how that right hook to Crossley's jaw was going to affect us, but no. You act first and think later, and to hell with me!" Lennie countered.
"Oh I see; I failed to think before I lost my cool, something I've done all my life, and somehow that means I don't love you? You know what, I think maybe you're the one who never loved me," with that remark Mike opened the door and left.
Lennie stared at the door for a moment, crossed to it and put his hand on the knob, but he couldn't make himself open the door and go after Mike. He leaned his head against the door. 'Why did I do that? Why did I push him away like that?'
He turned and slid down the door until he was sitting with his back against it. He rested his forearms on his knees. Lennie was pretty sure he'd just chased the last person who would ever love him out of his life and damned if he could figure out why.