Face to Face

Part 7

Jackson had been in the process of paying for their meal when Aaron had charged passed.

"Aaron?" Bewildered by the seemingly panicked exit he hurriedly pulled out several notes from his wallet and pressed them into the hand of the curry house's owner. Mumbling his thanks he then hurried outside.

There was a small car park at the side of the building, for patrons use only and that's where he'd left his car, but Aaron wasn't making for there, he was heading down the empty street in the opposite direction.

"What the hell?" Jackson was at a loss as to what was happening, and was growing increasingly concerned. "Aaron!" he yelled before breaking into a run.

When he was within reach of the younger man he caught hold of his arm and hauled him around to face him. "What you doing?" Aaron instantly bowed his head but not before Jackson had seen the anger in his eyes. Wary now he released his grip but stood his ground. Something had happened in the few minutes he and Aaron had been apart but what could possibly have provoked such a reaction in such a short space of time? Lowering his voice and forcing some calm into his tone he said, "What happened in there Aaron, I need to know."

"Bastard!" Aaron spat."

Certain the remark wasn't aimed at him Jackson looked back up the street at the restaurant. He thought about the rowdy crowd in the corner, and knowing that it wasn't long since Aaron's face had been plastered across the local paper he began to think they might have had something to do with it. "Did somebody recognise you? Did they say something?"

Aaron's head snapped up, "He recognised me alright! But he didn't say a word! He didn't have to I could tell what he was thinking. I told you the bastard hated gays!"

"What?" Jackson didn't want to believe what he was hearing. But there was hurt now and not anger in Aaron's eyes, seemingly confirming his suspicions, "Not your dad?"

In answer to that question, Aaron just turned and walked away.

Jackson quickly followed, moving along side and falling into step with Aaron.

"Where you going?"

His question going unanswered, Jackson again caught hold of the younger man's arm, and forced him to stop. Gesturing in the direction they had just come from he said, "The car's that way!"

Aaron looked around him, trying to get his bearings and realised he'd took off with no thought of where he was going, he'd not given any thought to Jackson either and was suddenly desperate to put that right, "Sorry. I had to get out of there."

"I know!" Jackson acknowledged. The younger man's distress was painfully obvious and wanting to put some real distance between them and what had caused it Jackson said, "C'mon lets go back to the car, I'll take you home."

Aaron's heart sank, had his behaviour put Jackson off? "I thought we were going to Bar West?"

"You still want to go?"

"Don't you?"

"I thought you might want to talk about what happened, a noisy bar isn't the best place to do that."

"Well I don't want to talk about it!"

"So you're just going to bury the hurt and hope it stays dead! Well it won't..."

"You're starting to sound like Paddy." Aaron snapped, he hated all this 'airing of the emotions' stuff, all it did was show how weak and pathetic you were.

"Well maybe that's because like him, I care about you."

The earnestly made statement was the slap down Aaron needed and he looked away,

Certain the younger man would be a bit more receptive now, Jackson continued, "If things are going to work between you and me then we have to be able to talk about things like this, about things that could come between us. You can't get close to someone unless you open up and let them in!"

Heaving a sigh Aaron said, "Alright! But I'm not going home, not yet. Paddy will know something's up..."

"You should tell him about this."

"Why?

"Because..." Jackson paused and pointed towards the curry house, "Paddy stepped into that 'bastards' shoes! He willingly took his place and that means he's earned the right to know why you're snapping at him over breakfast in the morning!"

Aaron couldn't argue with that, "Ok, but we stop for one in Bar West?"

Jackson grinned, "Ok, I can only have one anyway, I'm driving."

The two men began to walk back up the street, Jackson breathing a sigh of relief when they passed the door to the restaurant, another ten yards or so and they would turn the corner into the car park, they would be well out of the area in minutes.

"Hey! Is that your girlfriend?"

The voice was mocking and laced with loathing, Both Jackson and Aaron turned around, knowing the remark had been intended for them. Three men were stood by the restaurant door, two seemingly holding the third upright.

"Sorry mate!" The tallest of the three men offered looking more than a little embarrassed, "Gordo here's had too much to drink; he doesn't know what he's saying.

"See him!" Gordon Livesy pointed at his estranged son, "That, that thing there. He should've been drowned at birth!"

The words cut through Aaron like a knife, but while he remained motionless, frozen to the spot, Jackson had stormed towards the three men, the target of his anger now being hastily manhandled back inside the restaurant. The man who had earlier apologised for Livesy's behaviour had managed to shut the door behind the other two men, and was preventing Jackson entering through it with his own bulk and words of reason.

Aaron knew that the set-to was all his fault and that he couldn't just stand by and do nothing. He lunged forward and grabbing hold of Jacksons arm started to pull him away, pleading with the older man as he did so, "Leave it, he's not worth it!"

Jackson finally backed down, pacing back and forth trying to walk off his anger while the apologetic stranger turned his attention to Aaron.

"I don't know what's got into him! I've never seen him like that before. He'll regret it in the morning I know."

"Forget it." Aaron said, "I will."

TBC