Thanks for reading and reviewing. Sorry for posting this a day late but for some reason I was unable to log in…kept getting service unavailable. Anywho, here is chapter 72. Enjoy!

Chapter 72

The ride back home was pleasant. John and Phil talked about general topics of interest, mostly sports and the Super bowl scandal. Phil glanced every now and again to look at John's blue eyes but whenever the other man would make contact, he quickly turned away and focused on the road. This wasn't unnoticed by John who smiled to himself at Phil's shy nature.

They entered the city and the traffic was getting slower by the minute. As they waited for the red light to turn green, Phil spoke up.

"Ummm…just so you know, some people are gonna be at Eve's place and they invited us."

"Who, my mom?"

"Yeah, your mom, dad, Shawn, Cody, Randy, Mark and some of her friends…."

John let out a groan. He really didn't want to spend time with them, not that he didn't want to see his friends and family, but he just wanted to take it easy and focus on his relationship with Phil.

"Are you mad? I can say that you're not feeling well or something?" Phil asked.

"No, don't bother. They'll just hound me even more. I just wanted to spend the weekend with you Philly…I miss you." John whispered softly. Phil blushed, smiling. The car behind them honked and Phil snapped his head up to see the light turn green. He put his foot on the gas and sped away until they reached the house a few minutes later.

Once inside and settled, they headed over to Eve's house. As expected, John's parents, along with Shawn, Mark, Randy and Cody were there among Eve's close friends. As soon as the duo entered the house, they all stopped their chattering and ran over to John.

Stephanie was the first to get close and wrapped her arms around her son.

"Oh John sweetie! I'm so glad you're here! We all are."

Everyone nodded their heads as John begrudgingly hugged back. He really didn't want this right now. Not after all that's been happening. He scanned the crowd to see Phil creeping away and heading over to a more secluded area.

Next it was John's dad. The two looked at one another in an awkward silence.

"I'm glad you're here son." Hunter managed to say, patting John on the arm and nodding his head.

"Thanks." John replied, waiting impatiently for the others to greet him.

Soon after was Mark, Eve, and her friends. Finally came Randy.

The other man smiled softly and took a few steps toward John.

"I'm happy you're getting better John. Cody….Cody is to. Right Codes?" Randy turned his head to face Cody who was standing beside him.

John looked at the younger boy and realized this would have been the first time since their kidnapping that they have seen each other. Cody looked over at John and without saying any words, went over and gave his friend a large hug. Tears flowed down his face as he rested his head on John's broad shoulder.

"Shhhh….it's okay Codes. I'm here for you."

The boy cried a little more, until the tears stopped. He slowly let go of his friend, wiping away any stains from his face and smiled.

"I'm here for you to John." The young man responded quietly.

After a few seconds, Eve proclaimed that there was some sandwiches and desserts in the dining room and everyone rushed over to get their share. John stood in the hallway, watching the crowd disperse. He looked over in the living room and noticed Phil watching him.

"So I guess the riff raff is done?" Phil asked smiling.

"Yeah, thank god for that!"

The two stepped closer to one another and managed to kiss each other on the lips. It was a quick peck but they both felt the sparks ignite within them.

"Come on boys! Better get your helping before Mark eats it all!" Eve exclaimed to the two men.

John and Phil went over to the table and helped themselves out to the meal.

John and Phil were still at Eve's house two hours later. They really wanted to get out as soon as they finished eating but everyone was persistent that they stay a while longer. Phil went into the kitchen to help his sister with the dishes while John went upstairs to use the bathroom. The door was locked and he waited a few minutes outside until the person on the other side finished. When the door opened, it was Randy.

"Oh…sorry pal. I didn't know you were waiting."

The two were alone upstairs and John decided that maybe now was a good time to confront his friend.

"We need to talk." The other man replied, grabbing Randy's arm and walking over to the spare bedroom. The man closed the door and stared at Randy's shocked face.

"Now John, I know you have a lot of things to say but first hear me out…." But before Randy could continue, John held up his hand stopping him.

"No. You hear me out. I had to go through a lot of shit in my life and this time was no better. You were my best friend and I'd like to think that you still are but before we go any further, I have a couple of questions."

The other man shifted in his place, as he cleared his throat nervously.

"Ummm…okay…."

"Do you love Cody?"

"Yes! I do."

"Do you love me?"

"I….I love you as a friend…."

"No…don't give me that Randy. Tell me the truth." John crossed his arms and waited for the response. It felt like a lifetime for Randy to reply but eventually he did.

"Okay, I'll be honest. I will always have a special place in my heart for you John. I can't help it. I mean with Cody…I want to take care of him and make sure he's safe. I want to be there for him, through everything but I can't change the fact that a part of me wishes I was with you. I don't know if it will ever go away but I do know that I will never be able to replace Phil. He's your soul mate and he makes you happy. And if you're happy then that's all I care about." Randy finished his rambling and waited for John to react.

The other man looked over at his friend carefully, studying his face to make sure that what Randy was saying was true. When he didn't see anything different John knew Randy was speaking the truth.

"Fine. I can accept that but I want to make sure that Cody knows it to."

"He does. He knows that you're special to me but he also knows that I love him."

John took a step closer, pointing a finger at Randy.

"You better love him cause if I find out that you screwed him over and broke his heart, I will personally go over to St. Louis and stick a knife in your back. You hear me?"

Randy held back a breath. The aggressiveness in John's voice and determination that was glowing in the man's eyes made Randy a tiny bit scared. The man nodded his head slowly as he looked down to see John's hand reach out. The two shook their hands, confirming their conversation and John's promise to Randy before opening the door and leaving the room.

Once downstairs, John was greeted with Phil.

"Hey, where you been?" Phil asked, noticing Randy walking behind briskly towards Cody.

"I had a talk."

"Talk?"

"Yeah. I had to clear up some things." John replied, watching Randy hold onto Cody affectionately while the boy giggled. Phil nodded his head slowly but didn't say anything. He had a feeling that things were somewhat cleared up between the two.

After the gathering, both men left the house and went over next door. It was 8pm and they've been at Eve's since their arrival. They were tired and stuffed but neither one wanted to sleep yet. Instead, Phil went over to the living room and grabbed the remote.

"Hey, we can watch a move if you like?"

"Sure. But can I take a shower first?"

"Yah okay."

John smiled, grabbing his bag that they left on the foyer and going upstairs to the bathroom. He walked over and looked at his room. Dropping the bag, he pushed the door open and looked at his nice comfy bed. The sheets were all messy and he had to smile at Phil's way to trying to make them neat again.

'I wonder if I should sleep here tonight with him.'

The man thought to himself. They never really discussed sleeping arrangements, not that they had a chance to since John's arrival but the man didn't want to think about that now. He just needed to take a nice warm shower and spend time with Phil.

After the shower, John went downstairs where he saw Phil under some blankets and a bowl of popcorn.

"What you couldn't wait for me?"

"Oh don't worry. I'm just watching a re-run. You wanna get under?" Phil asked lifting the covers up so John could join him. The larger man settled himself in, wrapping an arm around Phil and smiled.

This is what he was waiting for and John didn't want it to end.

"Okay, so we got Batman, Superman and Star Trek? Which one you want?"

John looked over at smiled.

"Doesn't matter to me. As long as I'm here with you Philly." The smaller man blushed and decided on watching Star Trek.

As the two got more comfortable throughout the movie, John was becoming less interested what was on the screen and more on Phil. He would looked over now and again and studied the man's face; his scruffy beard, that lip ring, those green eyes, everything about Phil was so perfect in John's mind.

Halfway through the movie, Phil paused it, saying he had to go pee. He quickly jumped out and ran upstairs, making John smile. The larger man kept on smiling, thinking about Phil. Soon his emotions got the better of him and walked upstairs to the bathroom and waited for Phil to come out.

The smaller man opened the door startled that John was there.

"Whoa! You scared me man. Are you okay? Is everything fine? I can…." Without warning, John grabbed Phil by the waist and slammed his lips against his. The other man was shocked at first but it soon disappeared from the moan that came out.

Their kissing escalated quickly, as they both stumbled over to the bedroom. Phil knew this wasn't right. The doctor warned him of John's attempt to get close in a physical way but damn it, trying to stop it was harder than saying it.

The two separated their kissing for a few moments as they looked into each other's eyes.

"I want you Philly." John said in a husky tone. He licked his lips and moved his head closer but was stopped.

"We…can't. We can't do this. You're not ready."

"What do you mean I'm not ready? I want to be with you. I want you in me." John whined, dropping his hands above Phil's jeans and unzipping them slowly. Phil was torn. He really, really wanted this to happen but he was afraid of the reaction that John might have. He grabbed hold of John's hands, freezing them in place.

"No. We can't."

John's face turned from arousal to annoyance.

"Why not?"

"Because….because…."

"Because my doctor said so!" John huffed out, prying his hands away and slumping down on the bed. Phil slowly sat down beside him, rubbing his back.

"I'm sorry John. I don't want you to get any….flashbacks…."

The other man turned his head, a look of frustration and anger in his face.

"Right because I'm such a delicate little flower. Christ! I wanna fuck and you're shutting me out because my doctor told you to."

"But it's for your good! It's too early!"

"Too early for what? To be loved and wanted? Fine, let's watch the rest of the movie." John got up and stomped back downstairs, leaving Phil alone. The smaller man felt guilty about what happened but he just wanted John to get better. Letting out a sigh, he went downstairs into the living room. John was not under the covers but sitting on the opposite end of the couch, having a staring contest with the TV screen. Phil went over and sat next to him, getting the remote and starting the movie again. After a few minutes, John reached over and held onto Phil's hand but didn't look at him.

"I know you mean well Phil. It shows that you love me very much."

"I do love you. And believe me, that was hardest thing I ever had to do."

John smiled, turning his head to face Phil.

"Thank you for being in my life. I don't know what I would do without you."

"Me too John."

The two kissed again but this time it was soft and sweet as they continued to watch the rest of the movie in silence.

Well, that was chapter 72. Hope you liked it and let me know what you think. Thanks!