Close to You
Highs and Lows
Disclaimer: I own no one!
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Randy was floating on air. John made him forget the struggles of his day-to-day life. He made him realize the definition of true love.
Most people thought he was crazy. After all, he had only been on two dates with the older man. They looked at him like he was crazy. They repeated the same sentence to him.
How can you know what true love is after only two dates?
Randy wasn't sure of the answer to this question. He had no idea what love was. All he knew was that love came naturally. If it was there, it was there. There was no set definition.
"Earth to Orton!" John exclaimed, snapping his fingers. Randy shook his head, slowly coming back to the real world. What was going on? What was he missing?
"What?" Randy asked. John rolled his eyes. Was his boyfriend always this forgetful?
"Pizza or Chinese?" John asked. Randy sighed. Dinner, it was a simple decision.
"Pepperoni pizza with a side of fried rice?" Randy suggested. Rolling his eyes, he couldn't believe how foolish he was becoming around the man.
"Sounds good to me," John said. He wasn't a picky eater, not in the slightest sense.
Randy could feel people's eyes boring into him. He loved John. That much was certain. Yet, as much as he loved him, he wasn't quite ready for the world around him to know he was gay. His friends knew. His family knew and had disowned him because of it. Walking down the street, Randy couldn't help but wonder if the world around him knew.
John could sense Randy's uncertainty. Unlike his boyfriend, John was out and proud. People knew he was gay. A few people cared, but most didn't. Women still fainted at his feet. The world didn't treat him any differently.
A car load of teenage boys passed them. The window rolled down, and Randy braced himself for the worst. What would they say?
Just as he had expected, a boy screamed a homophobic slur out the window. Randy considered himself a tough person, but he was unable to deal with the hatred of the world.
"How do you deal with it?" Randy asked, beginning to break down. It wasn't fair. It wasn't right. Why did the world have to be so bigoted?
"I can't say it gets easier, because it doesn't. I don't know. I just remember words can't hurt me," John said, embracing Randy. The young man was obviously shaken.
"I didn't think the world could be that cruel," Randy admitted. John sighed. Randy was new to his world. Luckily, his colleagues respected him. He had worked independent shows where the people he was forced to work with were narrow-minded.
"It gets easier after a while. Do you just want to grab something at the hotel?" John asked. He could feel Randy shaking. He knew from that that being outside was not a good idea.
"Can I get a rain check on dinner?" he asked. John nodded. It was understandable. After all, dealing with homophobic slurs was never an easy task.
John dropped Randy outside his hotel room. With a kiss on the cheek and a promise to call later, John left.
Trish hadn't expected Randy back. She had thought he would be out later. Yet, after seeing the forlorn look on Randy's face, she knew something was wrong.
"What's wrong?" she asked, setting her book aside. Randy sighed, sinking into the plush bed. She sat beside him.
"John and I were walking down the street when a teenage boy called us . . ." He didn't want to even say the word. Trish nodded. She could figure it out.
"Don't let the world get you down. Why should you get upset over one bigot's comment?" Trish asked. She put her arms around him.
Randy closed his eyes. Trish was right. Yet, it didn't stop the hurt.
"Do you love John?" she asked. Randy opened his eyes. Was she crazy? Of course, he loved John! John made life seem so carefree.
"Why would you ask me such a stupid question?" he asked. "Of course, I love him. He makes me feel alive. He's only been my boyfriend for a week and a half and I can't imagine life without him!" Trish nodded knowingly. She had wanted to ignite the fire of love.
"How can I make it up to him? I walked out on him because I couldn't deal with what happened," Randy said. Trish smiled secretively. She had an idea.
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"Hello?" John called. He had gotten a call from Trish to come down to her hotel room.
"Hey, You!" Randy said, appearing in the soft flickering candlelight. "Have a seat,"
"You okay?" John asked, noting that Randy had been rejuvenated. Randy nodded, pulling out a chair out.
"Sit down," Randy said, handing him a glass of champagne. Then, he gently pecked John's lips.
"Why the change? I thought you were upset!" John exclaimed, curious.
"Every relationship has its highs and lows. Just because we experienced a low didn't mean I was supposed to storm off." Randy said. John nodded.
"Thank you, Babe, but you didn't need to do this," John said. Randy sighed.
"I wanted to," was all he said.
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Yes, I had to introduce some drama into this chapter. Don't worry. I'll go back to humor and bad puns in the next chapter. Enjoy!
-JenLea
Read, Review but most of all…ENJOY!