"I'll give you two some space..." Holden murmured as he opened the door to go and find Lily and Lucinda. The tension in the air had been too heavy for him to handle, and he knew that the best thing for the two boys to do was talk in private.

Luke set his duffle bag down and crossed his arms, curving his back so that he leaned back slightly. He studied Noah scrutinizingly, watching as his adam's apple bobbed with each nervous swallow. "Why are you here, Noah?" He hadn't meant for it to come out as harshly as it seemed to have, but he made sure not to flinch or show any form of weakness to his former boyfriend.

"I...er... I was just visiting." Noah stumbled over his words. "I was in Illinois and thought-"

"You're lying."

"What?" Luke glared at him, causing Noah to sag his shoulders in defeat. "Faith called me," he admitted.

Luke sighed in exasperation. "She just can't stop interferring," he chuckled wryly.

"She's worried about you," Noah stated in her defence. "Everyone's worried about you: your family, friends..."

"Psh, yeah right!" Luke snarled. "That's why Casey and Alison are still in Carbondale, Maddie hasn't even called since she went back to Wesleyan, I haven't seen Katie since Reid..." He couldn't. "Just... Why did you come back? I'm not ready."

"I'm sorry," Noah sighed. "I shouldn't have come. It's just... When Faith told me last week you'd been drinking again and were currently in rehab... I was going to just just stay put – I figured the last thing needed was me returning. But last night I just couldn't stop thinking about it. I figured that I could at least see how your family were holding up if I didn't get the chance to see you." He took a couple of steps towards Luke, tentatively putting a hand on the blond man's shoulder. "How are you bearing up?" he asked.

Luke looked up into the blue eyes that watched him with concern. "Honestly," he said with a shrug, "I'm not. I mean, I feel much better than before – much better. But I had people helping me in rehab – professionals. Now I'm out, and I don't know how I'm supposed to cope on my own."

"Luke, you're not on your own," Noah soothed. Soon Luke found himself in Noah's arms, clinging on as though his life depended on it. He squeezed his eyes shut as he tried to keep the tears away, inhaling deeply through his nose and exhaling through his mouth just as heavily. The warm scent of Noah appeased his nostrils, and he felt somewhat secure in the embrace. "Luke," Noah whispered. "Come to LA with me."

Luke suddenly flinched away as though scalded by the words. "I can't believe you," he began to yell. "I just get out of rehab and you think that means we can just pick up from where we left off?"

"Luke-"

"I know you don't like it, Noah, and you may still find it hard to understand, but I loved Reid. I was in love with Reid. And the fact that he's gone...that he's not coming back..."

"Luke. Luke." Noah placed his hands on Luke's shoulders, forcing him to face him. "I get it," he said. "I get it. And I...I accept it." He swallowed hard. "What I'd meant about coming to LA with me was that it might give you some time to get used to life on the outside without the added pressures of work. You need to take it easy; you can't just jump in the deep end."

"But the neurology wing-"

"Is under construction now. There's nothing else you can do except keep your phone beside you in case they have any queries."

Luke frowned. "How did you know that?"

"It's been local news," Noah explained.

"In LA?"

"No, no, in Oakdale. I kept searching on Google to check the progress of the wing. Reports are confident that it is going to be the best facility in the country – just like you wanted." Noah only just noticed the small smile that momentarily crossed Luke's lips. "What?"

"Mission accomplished," Luke whispered.

"I understand if you're not comfortable staying with me for a couple of weeks; it was just a suggestion."

"No." Luke took a step closer to Noah so that he had to tilt his head to look up at him. "No, it's fine. I'll come with you."

"You will?"

"You're right, Noah. I need to take it easy – therapist's orders." He gave a little shrug followed by a little lopsided grin. "Besides, I promised you we would go get hot dogs on la Brea."

"Yeah," Noah chuckled. "You did. I actually forgot about that." They stood silent for what may have been less than a minute, awkwardly smiling at one another, yet it felt like several. Luke didn't know what to say or do. What were you supposed to say or do when you are going to spend a few weeks in LA with your ex boyfriend whom you haven't seen in over six months?

"So, um... How long are you staying in Oakdale for?" Luke asked eventually, breaking eye contact as well as the silence that had held them.

"I was only going to stick around til the end of the week," Noah said. "But you don't have to come. I – I mean you don't have to get the plane with me – you could get a later flight, at a later date, so you can spend some time with your family first."

"No," Luke insisted. "I'll come with you. I'll only find myself being drawn to going back to work – it's been my leverage since Reid died." There was another awkward silence. "I'm sorry," Luke said quickly. "I shouldn't keep bringing him up – it's not fair."

"Luke, it's fine. I told you – I get it." He paused as he studied Luke properly. He noticed that the blond hair had been left to grow long enough to reach under his chin, probably to try to hide the weight that had been lost in his face and the dark circles under his eyes. His cheekbones were more protrudent, and the v-neck of the shirt he wore only proved to cause more concern for Noah – the collar bones jutted out unnaturally, and there seemed to be a significant loss in muscle in Luke's arms. "You haven't been eating properly," he stated.

"Is that your way of telling me I look dreadful?" Luke joked.

"Actually, yeah, it is. I think we need to talk. Tell me how you've been."

"You know how I've been."

"I've only heard from Faith, and although she means well...she hasn't really helped you much." He brought a finger under Luke's chin to lift his downcast gaze to his own. "Talk to me. I can handle it."

Luke sighed before gesturing for Noah to sit down.