Well, a few things have happened since the last I updated but hopefully I'll be able to post each week Anywho, here is chapter 88, enjoy!
Chapter 88
John was having a hard time listening to Randy. He was half sobbing, half rambling and was unable to clearly speak. John strained his ears to hear but it wasn't working.
"Randy, Randy. I can't understand what you're saying. Why don't you start from the beginning?" John asked. He heard a loud sigh before Randy spoke up.
"Oookay. Well, as you know, Cody has been staying with me since the…incident and things have been kinda slow but progressing…." Randy stopped for a few seconds before continuing.
"…Anyway, the other day we went to the hospital to get Cody's full exam to see if he has healed…and…and…" John could hear the sniffling on the other line and spoke up.
"Randy, you know you can tell me anything."
"John….the doctors….he….Cody can't…it's damaged too much. He won't be able to receive…"
Both men were silent. John knew that if this was any other of his friends, it wouldn't be a big deal. But this was Cody. He liked being pampered. He liked being the bottom. That was his role as Cody would always tell John.
"John?"
"I'm here. Listen, I'm sure when things heal up, everything should be fine."
"NO! Things are not fine. This was just one thing this week. The other part is even worse!"
"What? What else happened?"
"We got a call and…they want Cody to testify at Paul's trial in Florida. How can they force him to do that!? To go through all that shit! You know they're gonna paint him as some spoiled brat who can't close his legs!" Randy cried out, unable to control his sobbing.
"I don't believe it! Why? Why does Paul have a trial?"
"Because our wonderful justice system is screwed up! They put people in jail for stealing bread but when it comes to kidnapping and rape 'oh they need to be proven guilty first'. Bullshit! I'm not allowing him to go through that crap again." Randy almost screamed into the receiver, making John pull back his phone. He slowly brought it closer and waited for his friend to continue. When all he heard was soft breathing, John tried to console him.
"Randy. I'm sorry for all of this, I really am. I wish I could do something for you guys. Maybe we can call someone in Florida that we know who can get this sorted out."
"Pfft! There's no point. No one cares about us. They never do. We're just a bunch of low-life degenerates who deserve it. I know how people think. They would rather watch us all get kidnapped and die than to help."
John could feel the vitriol in Randy's voice and knew the man was having a hard time with this. But he didn't know what to do.
"Listen. I know you and Phil are sorting your own stuff out and I'm sorry that I had to drag you into this. I just needed to talk to someone. Cody has been holed up in the bedroom for 3 days now. I'm afraid to leave him. He might try to….anyway, I'll let you go. Thanks for listening and tell Phil I said hi." Then without waiting for a good-bye, John heard a click and the phone when dead.
The larger man sat on the bed for few minutes, looking at his phone. He was shocked and scared for both of his friends. He got up and went downstairs towards the living room. He saw Phil watching the sports channel and sat down beside his husband. Phil looked over and noticed the worry in John's face.
"What happened? Is something wrong?" Phil asked.
John told Phil what Randy told him and how he was scared for his friends' relationship.
"I just…I don't know what to do. I wanna help but should I really get involved?"
"Well, maybe they're just looking for support. You can always go down there for a weekend and hang out with them."
John's eyes widened at Phil's suggestion.
"Really? You don't mind if I go there?"
"Why would I mind? They're your friends. You should be there for them."
The larger man smiled as he wrapped his arms around Phil's neck.
"I love you so much!" John exclaimed, kissing Phil all over his face. The smaller man laughed as he allowed John to pepper him with his lips.
"Ahhh! Okay. Stop, my face can't handle any more kisses." John let go and looked over at his beautiful husband.
"I'm so lucky to have you. Why don't you come with me?"
"I would love you but I just opened my shop."
"So…you trust me being with Randy alone?"
Phil looked at John's eyes and smiled.
"Yes, I do trust you."
The two men smiled, placing a small kiss on each other's lips as they settled in for the evening.
After calling Randy back and getting everything sorted, John was on his way to St. Louis. He kissed his husband good-bye before leaving and promised to call when he got there. Fours hours later, he reached the apartment complex and followed the steps to Randy's and Cody's place. He knocked on the door, waited for a few seconds and smiled when he saw Randy.
"Hey, here I am!" John replied, grinning in his goofy way. Randy chuckled, giving John enough room to get inside and closed the door. The other man placed his bags on the floor and turned around to face his friend.
"I'm glad you're here John. Cody will be happy to."
"Where is he?"
"He's taking a nap. He's been sleeping a lot these days." Randy replied. John looked over and noticed the sadness in his friends' eyes and couldn't help but feel for him. He reached over and gave his friend a hug.
"I know things are tough but you'll overcome this. I know you can." John continued to soothe Randy who didn't hug back but only stood there, allowing John to console him. Once done, the two men gathered John's bags and walked over the spare room.
Randy gave John some time to settle and call Phil while he went into the kitchen to make a snack. Once done, they sat in the living room and watched some TV. Randy didn't bring up Cody and John wasn't too sure how to broach the subject so they focused on the screen instead. After about three hours, they heard the bedroom door open and both turned their heads to see Cody walking towards them.
John's heart sank. His once vibrant and bubbly friend was just a shell before him. His hair looked like it hasn't been washed in weeks, and he could see the dark circles under Cody's eyes. What was even more disturbing was the young man's figure. He looked like he lost almost 20 pounds. John had to looked away briefly, while Randy went over and guided Cody towards the couch. He sat down beside John and smiled softly.
"Hi John, John." Cody barely whispered, not making direct eye contact with his friend. John looked over and upon instinct wrapped his arms around him.
"Hey Cody. I'm so glad to see you. To see both of you. I've been wondering what you two have been up to."
The smaller man shrugged his shoulders, not really replying to John's statement. Randy sat down on the other side of Cody and held onto his boyfriend's hand.
"So ummm…Cody, are you hungry? We can order a pizza or maybe make something?" Randy asked quietly.
Cody shook his head. "I'm not hungry."
"You sure? Cause I was thinking of making my special tacos. I know you like them." John stated, looking over at Randy with a smile. The young boy looked up slightly at John.
"Tacos?"
"Yeah. I'll even add some extra spice just for you."
Cody looked over at John then Randy. A small smile showed on the boy's face, making Randy sigh in relief.
"Okay. If you wanna make them and if Randy is having some, I'll have some to."
"Of course. We'll all eat tacos tonight. Why don't I go to the grocery and grab some ingredients while you two catch up." Randy stood up, nodding his head to John walked over to the front door.
"Randy?" Cody asked. The other man turned around, surprised at Cody's voice being louder than usual.
"Yes?"
"Can you buy a chocolate bar? Mars?"
"Of course. Anything for you Cody." Randy smiled, and for once John saw the love in his friend's eyes for his boyfriend.
Randy then opened the door and walked out, leaving John and Cody alone.
The two didn't say anything at first. They watched some TV for a bit and John had to use the bathroom but over the course of the first 10 minutes it was silence between them.
Finally, Cody got the courage to speak.
"So….how are things in Chicago?"
"Good. Wade is opening up a new location and has asked me to be manager of it. I'm really excited."
"That's nice. What about Phil?"
"He's well. He opened his tattoo parlour last week. A lot of people came by. He would have come here but he couldn't leave his shop so soon. But he say's hi."
Cody nodded softly, focusing on a small hole on his pajama pants.
"How are you Cody?"
"I'm fine."
John moved closer, wrapping his arm around his friend.
"You know you can tell me anything. I won't judge."
The smaller boy could feel his eyes welling up and he couldn't hold it any longer. He placed his head on John's shoulder and began to cry. John brought his friend closer to him, engulfing him with his arms and did his best to console him.
"Shhh….it's okay. Let it all out. I'm here for you Codes."
The boy let a sniffle, moving his head away to look at John.
"Codes. I haven't heard that in a while. Randy only calls me Cody now."
"Well I'm sure that's okay. He still loves you regardless."
"No…no he doesn't. He thinks I'm damaged goods. A nobody."
"Don't say that Cody. You know Randy loves you very much and you love him."
"Really? Then how come he's been coming home late these past couple of weeks? Can you tell me that? And every time I see him on his phone, he quickly hides it. I ask him what he was doing and he just replies, 'it's nothing.' He's seeing someone else. I know it. I don't blame him anyway. No one wants to be with someone like me."
John sternly grabbed his friend's chin, forcing the boy to look at him.
"Now you listen to me. You are not damaged goods and Randy is not, I repeat, is NOT cheating on you. He loves you very, very much. But if you think something is fishy then I can talk to him for you if you like."
"No, don't do that. Then he thinks I don't trust him and he'll really leave me."
"Hey, I'm your friend Codes. We've been through a lot and I'm there for you. Let me talk to Randy and see what's going on, okay?"
Tears fell on Cody's face. He nodded his head and hugged his friend tight.
"I love you John. You're like my brother, my family."
"I love you to Codes. Now why don't we wash that face and I can make some tea."
The boy agreed, going over to the bathroom while John went into the kitchen.
As soon as Randy came back, John immediately went to work on the tacos. The two men asked if he needed any help but John declined. He wanted to make them something special. Randy joked how only John would drive four hours to make supper for his friends. All three laughed as they kept each other company for the rest of the evening.
It was close to midnight and Cody was fast asleep on Randy's lap. The other man picked him up and went over to the bedroom where he placed his boyfriend under the covers. He leaned in for a good night kiss and whispered I love you before leaving the room.
John was on the floor, stretched out as he was focused on the sports channel. Once Randy came back, he looked up and lowered the volume.
"Hey, you liked the tacos?"
"For the tenth time yes I did. Cody loved them to. He had like four. I haven't seen him eat so much in weeks. Thank you." Randy smiled, looking at John before turning over to the TV. The other man positioned himself on the couch, across from his friend.
"Randy, can I ask you something?"
"Sure."
"Are you cheating on Cody?"
The other man looked over at John in shock.
"What?! NO! Why would you think I was cheating on him?"
"Well, I was just wondering…."
"Why?" Randy asked, narrowing his eyes.
"Relax. Don't get all suspicious. Cody was telling me that you've been coming home late after work and hiding your phone. He was just concerned and I wanna make sure that you're taking care of him." John was poised during that statement but inside he could feel his blood boil. He hoped that Randy wasn't doing anything behind his friend's back but if he was, the man wasn't going to be responsible for his actions.
Randy let out a sigh as he rested his head on the back of the couch.
"I thought he wouldn't notice."
"Notice what?" John spat out.
"I didn't want him to find out."
"WHAT?"
Randy looked over at John.
"The reason why I've been coming home late is…well….I was shopping."
John's face turned from anger to confusion.
"Shopping? But…you hate to shop."
"Well, it's not the type of shopping that Cody enjoys. It's more specific."
"Okay, you're losing me here Randy. What the hell are you talking about?"
"I've been going to certain stores that sell certain types of ornamental jewelry that you would give to a particular person in your life."
John only stared at Randy like he had three heads.
"What in God's name are you talking about?"
"Rings! Damn it John. I've been looking at engagement rings." Randy replied.
John realized what his friend was saying and smiled wide.
"OH my GOD! You're gonna ask Cody to marry you?! Holy shit, this is awesome! Where have you been going? What kind of ring are you gonna get? Is it custom made? How many diamonds? How much? When are you gonna ask him?..." John kept on questioning Randy, much to the delight of the man and began to laugh.
"John relax. I'm still looking. I just thought because I've known him for so long that I know I wanna be with him. I love him."
John reached over to give his friend a hug, congratulating him on this big step.
"Cody is gonna be so happy. I know it!"
"But he thought I was cheating on him." Randy stated, frowning.
"I'm sorry. He's just really vulnerable right now. You get why he would think that."
"I guess. But it's not like I've been the greatest in relationships. I wanna make this one right though. I want him as my husband."
"Believe me. You two will be happy together. I know when I got married, it was the best moment of my life…" Before John could continue, he realized what he just said and covered his mouth with his hand.
"Wait, what?!"
"Nothing! Nothing! I….said nothing! La, la, la….oh look at the time. I'm going to bed now. Good night!" John rushed over to his room with Randy quickly following behind. He tried to close the door but Randy was quick and pushed his way in.
"Woah, woah, woah! You got married?" Randy whispered, smiling at his friend's revelation.
"It's not a big deal!"
"Not a big deal? Christ, I've known you for over ten years and all that time you were going on about how you wanted a big wedding with cake, and a band and flowers and shit. And you went ahead and eloped! HAHAHA!" Randy held onto this stomach from all the laughter while John glared at his friend.
"Are you done now?"
"Okay…hold on…let me catch my breath…phew! Okay, this is serious stuff." Randy stated but was unable to hide the smile on his face.
"Okay, okay. Not more screwing around. I take it no one else knows about this."
"Well except for Phil's friend Colt."
"Sooooo….you don't want Cody to know." Randy said, grinning mischievously.
"What do you want?"
"Oh well….nothing…just…there's this new playstation game well games that are coming out soon and I know Cody would like them."
"Are you blackmailing me? I'm your friend!"
"A friend with a very big secret."
"Well, I can just go ahead and tell Cody where you're going after work."
"What? No you can't do that. It's a surprise!"
"Listen, I won't tell your secret and you won't tell mine. That makes us even." John held out his hand and waited for Randy to shake it. The other man huffed out in frustration but begrudgingly shook John's hand anyway.
"Good. Now, I'm going to bed. Get out of my room." John smiled at friend who flipped him off as he opened the door.
"Whatever! Bye loser." Randy replied in a joking way and closed the door leaving John happy and nervous at the same time.
Well that was chapter 88. Hope you liked it and let me know your thoughts! Thanks
