This chapter continues immediately from the last one.
All four people in the room were silent for what seemed like an eternity. Chris and Lucy exchanged a look, silently agreeing to talk to them separately.
"Greg, why don't you help me with the drinks in the kitchen?" she suggested
Greg nodded slowly and allowed Lucy to lead him out of the room, leaving Chris and Jem in the dining area.
Once Greg and Lucy were alone in the kitchen, she shut the door, "Are you ok?" she asked gently
Greg let out a deep breath, "Yeah, I think I am"
"You're alright with Jem being here?" she checked
Greg nodded, "Of course I am, he's my son" he replied before pausing, "Which is why this is weird"
Lucy let out a laugh, "This was weird before we even knew you two were related"
Greg nodded, "I guess so" he agreed, "But I'm fine with it, although I'm not sure that Jem is"
Lucy glanced at him quizzically and Greg shook his head, "We haven't really spoken for a while" he explained dismissively.
Lucy nodded slowly, but realised that there was more to this story than just losing touch with his family. However, she didn't want to push the subject, so she focused on sorting out the meal and drinks.
Meanwhile, in the dining area, Chris turned to Jem, "Did you know Lucy's new man was your dad?"
Jem nodded hesitantly, "When you told me that his name was Greg and he was a paediatrician, I realised who he was"
Chris recalled Jem's discomfort after he had learnt about Greg, "But why didn't you say something straight away?"
"How do you admit something like that?" Jem questioned, "Besides, I didn't want to ruin this for Lucy, and I thought if I told her then she'd cancel the date"
Chris considered this before asking, "Are you ok with your dad possibly dating Lucy?"
Jem shrugged, "It's not my decision, is it?" he countered, "If they like each other, they should go for it"
Chris nodded, "Why don't we invite Zach over? He'd want to know what's going on, right?"
Jem shook his head quickly, "No, he's busy tonight" he argued weakly, "I'll tell him when I next see him"
Chris watched his boyfriend suspiciously, guessing that there was something else going on. However, he knew that this wasn't exactly the right time or place to question him considering that their guests were in the next room, so he let the subject drop.
xxx
Despite Chris claiming that arranging a double-date would prevent awkward silences, the only sounds that could be heard during the meal were that of cutlery against plates and guests sipping drinks. Neither Chris nor Lucy knew what to do to break the silence and kept exchanging uncomfortable glances across the table. Fortunately, the lack of conversation meant that the meal itself was consumed quite quickly so Chris jumped at the chance to collect the plates and excuse himself from the room. He was even tempted to wash the dishes by hand instead of using the dishwasher, but he realised that would look suspicious.
Reluctantly returning to the dining area, he heard Greg clear his throat, "That was a really good meal, thanks"
Lucy glanced away coyly, "I'd love to take the credit for it, but I didn't actually make it" she admitted
Greg shrugged, "Well you did a good job of serving it" he replied light-heartedly before glancing at Jem, "Did you make this by any chance? You've always had a knack for cooking"
Jem shook his head, "Nope, I only found out about this meal a few minutes before it started" he revealed flatly, making Chris feel even more awkward
"I ordered in" Lucy interjected, "Not that we can't cook, but I didn't know what to make"
"That's fine" Greg replied dismissively, "I've practically been living off of takeaways and pasta for the last few years, so I'm not going to complain" he joked, glancing at Jem quickly.
Chris noticed Jem glaring at his dad and wondered what had happened to cause so much tension between them.
Fortunately, Chris and Lucy managed to find a temporary solution to the problem by engaging their respective dates in separate conversations. However, it didn't fix anything, and it was obvious that the date was a disaster when Greg made his excuses to leave as soon as the dessert bowls were collected. Lucy was glad that he had the decency to stick around as long as he had, and couldn't blame him for wanting to leave as quickly as possible. Chris wanted to confront Jem about his behaviour, but the other man made his escape only a few minutes later. Once it was just the two of them left, Chris and Lucy exchanged bewildered looks and wondered what was going on between the two men.
xxx
The following morning, Chris was still confused about the disastrous date and decided to visit Jem as soon as he possibly could. At the door he was greeted casually by Zach, who automatically stepped aside for Chris to enter, since it had become habit recently.
Chris made his way into the living room, "So, how do you feel about your dad and Lucy?" he asked Zach tentatively
Zach looked confused, "What about my dad and Lucy?"
Chris hesitated, "They're dating" he replied, puzzled that he didn't know about what had transpired the previous evening
"They are?" Zach asked
"Yeah" Chris responded slowly, "Didn't Jem tell you?"
"No, he didn't" Zach muttered with an unreadable expression. As Jem wheeled himself in from his bedroom with a regretful look on his face, Zach glanced at him coldly before hurrying into his own room.
Jem sighed, "You just told him about last night, didn't you?"
"Yeah, sorry" Chris apologised sheepishly, "I assumed that you already had"
Jem shook his head, "No, I hadn't"
"Why not?" Chris asked
Jem shrugged, "Because I didn't think it was that important" he replied unconvincingly
"There's more to it, isn't there?" Chris questioned suspiciously, "You were acting weird all night, especially when I suggested that we invite Zach over, and now he's all upset about Greg and Lucy being together so what's going on?"
Jem held his gaze for a moment before glancing away, "You know how I told you that I had a closer relationship with dad than mom?"
Chris nodded as he sat down on the sofa, "Yeah"
"Well it was the other way around for Zach" Jeremy replied, "Once he was diagnosed with Asperger's, mom went above and beyond to care for him, putting his needs above everyone else's. And I guess I felt a bit neglected so dad stepped up, and it was like Zach and I were being raised by two different people even though we were living in the same house"
"So he wasn't close to Greg?" Chris asked
"Not really, it was all about mom for him" Jem explained, "After she died, Zach really struggled. We all did, obviously, but because of his condition Zach could barely handle his own emotions, let alone recognise anyone else's"
"Yeah, that's got to be tough" Chris murmured
"It was worse for dad" Jem argued, "Even though he and mom had been separated a while, he was really affected by her death. You know, regretting how things ended between them and having to cope with his job and taking care of Zach"
Chris narrowed his eyes at him, "What about you?"
"I'd moved out by then" Jem replied, "I did visit sometimes to help out when I wasn't working, but I guess that wasn't enough"
"What do you mean?" he questioned
"Just after mom's funeral, Zach's behaviour got worse and he ended up lashing out and attacking dad" Jem began, "Dad did recover but it took a while, so he could barely work and he definitely couldn't take care of Zach after that. So he basically kicked him out of home and forced him to move in with me, and he's been here ever since"
"Wow, that sounds really difficult" Chris murmured, "So you resent what Greg did?"
"Not really" Jem shrugged, "Ok, I wasn't thrilled about Zach moving in because I finally had my own space and I'd kind of looked after him at school and all that, but now I can't imagine not having him here. Besides, dad didn't have much of a choice considering what had happened, so I would have done the same if I'd been his position"
"Then what happened at dinner?" Chris questioned, "You were giving Greg the death-stare all night"
Jem sighed, "It was just the way he was acting as though nothing had ever happened" he replied, "You know, joking around, apparently not caring about Zach at all"
"Well he seemed as uncomfortable as the rest of us did" Chris pointed out, "And maybe he didn't know whether he should bring Zach up in conversation. I mean, considering what you just told me, I'd image he was probably feeling conflicted"
"I guess" Jem shrugged
Chris gazed at him for a few moments before asking, "So they haven't spoken since Greg kicked Zach out?"
"Nope" Jem replied as he shook his head, "Dad calls him a few times a year to check up on him, but Zach's never really jumping at the chance to have a chat"
"I can't really say I blame him, to be honest" Chris muttered
"Me neither, but you'd think we would have pulled together after mom died" Jem responded, "She'd be so upset if she knew what things were like between us now"
"Then maybe you should do something about it" Chris suggested
"You think I haven't tried?" Jem questioned in annoyance, "It's not like I've been sitting here for the last five years accepting that this is the way things are"
"Sorry, I wasn't trying to suggest that" Chris quickly assured him, "I mean, now that we're together and Greg's with Lucy it's brought you and Zach closer to him, so maybe now's the right time to try to help them reconcile"
Jem considered this. He thought that he had exhausted every option for bringing his father and brother back together, and didn't think that there was anything else that could be done. However, if Chris could come up with another method then Jem was on board for doing whatever his boyfriend suggested in order to get his family back.
Thanks for reading! Apologies if this chapter seems a bit disjointed; I was trying to cover quite a lot of different ideas to maintain the movement. I have a vague plan of where I want the story to go, but if anyone wants to contribute their ideas for other points in the story, don't hesitate to let me know. In the meantime, reviews are always welcome!
