Fulton's POV
I had just fallen asleep two hours before when my bedroom phone started ringing. Keeping my eyes closed I rolled over and poked around my nightstand for the phone. Unfortunately in my blind fumbling I stuck my hand directly in a bowl melted ice cream from the night before and knocked over a glass of lemonade. Needless to say I was not happy at all. When my sticky fingers actually found the receiver I was pretty cranky.
"Huh-" I cleared my throat. "Hello."
"Good morning Fulton, it's Gordon, did I wake you?" The voice on the other end greeted.
"Oh hey coach, nah I've been up for hours" I lied "What's up?"
"Well I'm calling because I have something of yours here and I was hoping you'd come pick it up."
"Something of mine, are you sure?"
"Positive do you think you could get over here today?"
"Uh, yeah, I'll be by in a few."
I hung up the phone and pulled on a crumpled pair of jeans off the floor and over my boxers. Tying my bandana around my unbrushed hair as I left the room, I went in search of my sneakers. I slid them on, stuck my car keys in my pocket and was out the front door. Shockingly I didn't even trip over my own feet as I clambered down the stairs.
The entire ride to Bombay's I sat at the wheel of my Bronco, wondering what in the hell he could have of mine. I hadn't been to his condo in over two months, so I was pretty certain if I'd left something there he would've found it a long time ago. But still if there was something Bombay needed to see me so badly that he'd lie, I was willing to go to him and find out what. Besides, I had nothing better to do.
The doorman wasn't on duty when I parked my truck, so I just walked right in and directly to the elevator. Funny thing, I petrified of airplanes and them falling out of the sky with me in them, but elevators don't frighten me. When in fact if the elevator was to come crashing to the ground, I would probably be killed. This after Averman was trapped in one with a girl from high school that he hated, for a whole afternoon. I guess I'm just strange like that.
Coach's door was wide open when I got to his floor and it was obvious he'd been impatiently awaiting my arrival. I stuck my head in and looked around, hearing sounds from the kitchen I went it.
"Coach, I'm here!" I yelled out, looking around the hallway for a sign of life.
"Oh, hey Fulton." Gordon appeared next to me with a cup of coffee. "I believe your belonging is in the guest room."
"You know, I don't know what you could possibly have of mine."
"Well it's in there, trust me you'll know as soon as you see it."
With a nod I set out down the hall toward the spare bedroom. That door was shut tightly, it and it actually annoyed me to have to open it. It was sort of like Christmas, I just wanted to know what was in there. Then as soon as I saw what was inside, I wished I'd left it closed. Portman was sitting on the bed, with a look on his face, telling me he'd been waiting attentively for my arrival.
"You're my missing possession?" I scowl, crossing my arms.
"I couldn't think of any other way to get you here. Fulton we really need to talk, or rather I need to talk, you need to listen to me." Portman sighs and gets up from the bed. He reaches for my shoulders to direct me into a chair in the corner but I shrug him off.
"I don't have to do anything,"
"Fult, really just give me a minute. Then if you don't like what I have to say, you can go. All I want is for you to hear me out, I earned that."
He was right, after the way I ran him out of the house last night, I owed him the chance to speak his own mind. So reluctantly I deposited myself on the chair and waited.
"We've been friends for a long time Fulton, haven't we?" He started by asking before going in his speech.
I rolled my eyes, uninterested in where this was going already. "Yeah."
"Okay, so right now I want you to talk to me as a long time friend, not the dreaded ex. Tell me why broke up with your boyfriend, now be honest, you can always be honest with friends."
"Are you serious? I broke up with you because I've got too much shit to deal with in my own life right now!"
"Not me, him."
"Fine, him."
"Do you love him?"
That made me groan. "Of course I do."
"Do you think he loves you?" He inquired.
"Yeah, I guess so."
"Enough to drop out of college, move in with an old coach and get a full time job that pays crap to be near you?"
"I don't know, I've never asked."
"Ask him."
The conversation was starting to give me a headache but still I humored him. "Okay, Portman , do you love me enough to drop out of college, move in with an old coach and get a full time job that pays crap to be near me?"
"Yes," He replied "I do. And I've already done it, Bombay got me a job in the mail room at his office, I called the University of Illinois last night and dropped out and you're looking at my new bedroom."
"What are you talking about?"
"I'm not going anywhere, I'm not leaving and I'm not letting you push me away. I love you Fulton Reed and I know you love me. I don't care what sort of medication you're on, I don't care if you're going to have severe ups and downs, I just want to be with you. I want to be here for you through all of that." Portman dropped onto his knees in front of my seat and put his hands on mine. "All I want is for us to be together, I'll take you however you come. Don't be scared for me, I'm not, I can deal with anything you can dish out. Besides that, you need me."
I've never been one to cry but tears started to trickle the length of my face, I'd never felt so much love in my life. I couldn't stop crying, but they weren't depressed tears, they were happy tears. Burying my face in his shoulder I continued to blubber like a baby. He was right, I did need him and it was evident he needed me too. If we needed each other, I couldn't see a reason for us to be apart.
I had just fallen asleep two hours before when my bedroom phone started ringing. Keeping my eyes closed I rolled over and poked around my nightstand for the phone. Unfortunately in my blind fumbling I stuck my hand directly in a bowl melted ice cream from the night before and knocked over a glass of lemonade. Needless to say I was not happy at all. When my sticky fingers actually found the receiver I was pretty cranky.
"Huh-" I cleared my throat. "Hello."
"Good morning Fulton, it's Gordon, did I wake you?" The voice on the other end greeted.
"Oh hey coach, nah I've been up for hours" I lied "What's up?"
"Well I'm calling because I have something of yours here and I was hoping you'd come pick it up."
"Something of mine, are you sure?"
"Positive do you think you could get over here today?"
"Uh, yeah, I'll be by in a few."
I hung up the phone and pulled on a crumpled pair of jeans off the floor and over my boxers. Tying my bandana around my unbrushed hair as I left the room, I went in search of my sneakers. I slid them on, stuck my car keys in my pocket and was out the front door. Shockingly I didn't even trip over my own feet as I clambered down the stairs.
The entire ride to Bombay's I sat at the wheel of my Bronco, wondering what in the hell he could have of mine. I hadn't been to his condo in over two months, so I was pretty certain if I'd left something there he would've found it a long time ago. But still if there was something Bombay needed to see me so badly that he'd lie, I was willing to go to him and find out what. Besides, I had nothing better to do.
The doorman wasn't on duty when I parked my truck, so I just walked right in and directly to the elevator. Funny thing, I petrified of airplanes and them falling out of the sky with me in them, but elevators don't frighten me. When in fact if the elevator was to come crashing to the ground, I would probably be killed. This after Averman was trapped in one with a girl from high school that he hated, for a whole afternoon. I guess I'm just strange like that.
Coach's door was wide open when I got to his floor and it was obvious he'd been impatiently awaiting my arrival. I stuck my head in and looked around, hearing sounds from the kitchen I went it.
"Coach, I'm here!" I yelled out, looking around the hallway for a sign of life.
"Oh, hey Fulton." Gordon appeared next to me with a cup of coffee. "I believe your belonging is in the guest room."
"You know, I don't know what you could possibly have of mine."
"Well it's in there, trust me you'll know as soon as you see it."
With a nod I set out down the hall toward the spare bedroom. That door was shut tightly, it and it actually annoyed me to have to open it. It was sort of like Christmas, I just wanted to know what was in there. Then as soon as I saw what was inside, I wished I'd left it closed. Portman was sitting on the bed, with a look on his face, telling me he'd been waiting attentively for my arrival.
"You're my missing possession?" I scowl, crossing my arms.
"I couldn't think of any other way to get you here. Fulton we really need to talk, or rather I need to talk, you need to listen to me." Portman sighs and gets up from the bed. He reaches for my shoulders to direct me into a chair in the corner but I shrug him off.
"I don't have to do anything,"
"Fult, really just give me a minute. Then if you don't like what I have to say, you can go. All I want is for you to hear me out, I earned that."
He was right, after the way I ran him out of the house last night, I owed him the chance to speak his own mind. So reluctantly I deposited myself on the chair and waited.
"We've been friends for a long time Fulton, haven't we?" He started by asking before going in his speech.
I rolled my eyes, uninterested in where this was going already. "Yeah."
"Okay, so right now I want you to talk to me as a long time friend, not the dreaded ex. Tell me why broke up with your boyfriend, now be honest, you can always be honest with friends."
"Are you serious? I broke up with you because I've got too much shit to deal with in my own life right now!"
"Not me, him."
"Fine, him."
"Do you love him?"
That made me groan. "Of course I do."
"Do you think he loves you?" He inquired.
"Yeah, I guess so."
"Enough to drop out of college, move in with an old coach and get a full time job that pays crap to be near you?"
"I don't know, I've never asked."
"Ask him."
The conversation was starting to give me a headache but still I humored him. "Okay, Portman , do you love me enough to drop out of college, move in with an old coach and get a full time job that pays crap to be near me?"
"Yes," He replied "I do. And I've already done it, Bombay got me a job in the mail room at his office, I called the University of Illinois last night and dropped out and you're looking at my new bedroom."
"What are you talking about?"
"I'm not going anywhere, I'm not leaving and I'm not letting you push me away. I love you Fulton Reed and I know you love me. I don't care what sort of medication you're on, I don't care if you're going to have severe ups and downs, I just want to be with you. I want to be here for you through all of that." Portman dropped onto his knees in front of my seat and put his hands on mine. "All I want is for us to be together, I'll take you however you come. Don't be scared for me, I'm not, I can deal with anything you can dish out. Besides that, you need me."
I've never been one to cry but tears started to trickle the length of my face, I'd never felt so much love in my life. I couldn't stop crying, but they weren't depressed tears, they were happy tears. Burying my face in his shoulder I continued to blubber like a baby. He was right, I did need him and it was evident he needed me too. If we needed each other, I couldn't see a reason for us to be apart.