John Paul paced his room, phone pressed tightly to his ear listening to the ringing echoing in his head. It rang once, twice, three times before his call was answered by that familiar voice.
"John Paul, hi." As usual Spike's tone was light, happy to hear from his boyfriend.
"Are you busy?" John Paul asked.
"Not especially, why what's up?"
"I need to talk to you…"
"Yeah? Something wrong?"
"Not on the phone… can you come round?"
"Sure, I'll be there soon."
John Paul let out a sigh as he ended the call. There was nothing to do now but sit and wait for Spike to arrive, he couldn't help but wonder how Craig was getting on with Sarah.
---
"Sarah, please wait…" Craig called out as he ran down the street after her, "Just let me explain."
Sarah stopped suddenly and turned to Craig. The look on her face made him stop in his tracks a few feet away. He had never seen such a look of pure revulsion, her eyes red and swollen with tears glared at him with disgust.
"What could you possibly say to explain that?" She spat at him, "You disgust me… both of you."
"Sarah please," Craig reached out his hands towards her as he scrambled for the words to make everything all right, but he couldn't seem to find the.
"We never meant this," he continued lamely, "It just… happened… I'm so sorry." Even to his own ears Craig's words seemed week.
"Just happened?" Sarah snarled back at him, "What?? You just accidentally fell into bed with him did you?"
"That's not what I'm saying… I tried not to… really I did."
A sudden thought occurred to Sarah and she approached Craig her eyes darkening, "Were you sleeping with him while you were sleeping with me?"
Craig didn't answer but as he cast his eyes downwards the guilt etched across his face was all the answer that Sarah needed.
"You're filth, d'you know that… I can't believe I ever let you touch me."
"I'm so so sorry," Craig repeated, he seemed to be doing nothing but say he was sorry lately and it was beginning to wear him down.
"You will be," Sarah threatened, "You'll be very sorry. Now just leave me alone."
With that Sarah turned and strode away quickly. Watching her departing back Craig had no energy to follow her. What could he say to make things better for her? He'd lied to her, betrayed her, even humiliated her; he could hardly expect her forgiveness so easily.
Slipping his hand into his pocked Craig felt for the weight of his phone, he wanted nothing more at that moment than to hear John Paul's reassuring tone telling him that everything would be OK. But he knew that John Paul has his own problem to deal with before Craig could call him.
---
John Paul's hand shook slightly as he opened the front door to Spike's bright smile. His stomach lurched at the sight of the man. He cared about Spike so much and that made what he had to say so much harder.
As Spike leant forward for a kiss John Paul turned his face resulting in Spike only brushing his lips against John Paul's cheek. If Spike thought this was strange he said nothing.
"So what did you want?" Spike asked.
John Paul looked over to where Mercedes was apparently watching TV.
"Not here," he said and turned to lead Spike upstairs.
Spike sat on the edge of John Paul's bed as the younger man paced the room nervously.
"Are you ever going to tell me what this is about?" Spike enquired, although John Paul's actions were helping to give a fair idea of what was coming.
John Paul swallowed and stopped his pacing to face Spike.
"Meeting you changed my life," he began slowly, "You helped me realise who I was, what I was. You help me learn to be comfortable with who I am… what I am… without you I don't know what I would have done."
"But?" Spike could tell where this conversation was leading; there was always a but
John Paul cast his eyes downwards.
"I can't see you anymore." There was a pause before John Paul lifted his gaze to Spike. His dark haired lover sat motionless his face betraying no reaction.
"There's someone else," John Paul confessed with a mixture of guilt and relief.
"I see," Spike considered John Paul's words for a second. "Just tell me something… is it Craig?"
John Paul's eyes widened at the question, the answer was written across his features.
"So he's finally admitted how he feels then?"
"You knew?"
Spike laughed softly, "I think I knew before he did. I've seen how he looks at you… how he looks at me. I figured he either just hated ME… or he had feelings for YOU… and let's face it… why would anyone hate me?"
John Paul smiled in gratitude at Spike's calm understanding.
"I'm really sorry," John Paul said sadly, "I never wanted to…"
"I know."
Spike rose from the bed and placed his hand against the softness of John Paul's face before leaning forward and pressing a kiss against his mouth. There was nothing sexual about the kiss; it was just the kiss of a friend… a kiss goodbye.
"Be happy John Paul," Spike said as he turned to leave, "But I don't think you will be… not with Craig. He will hurt you in the end."
"You don't know him," John Paul said in defence of the man he loved.
"I know enough… I know his type," Spike replied, "He won't mean to, but he will let you down eventually. I just hope you're strong enough to cope when he does."
With that Spike left the room quickly so that John Paul wouldn't see the tears that had formed in his eyes and even now were escaping down his face.
John Paul took out his phone and quickly scrolled down to Craig's number. Spike's words had shaken him more than he admitted and he needed to see Craig and reassure himself that on this at least Spike was wrong.
John Paul was waiting at the front door when Craig arrived and quickly pulled his friend inside, holding him close for a moment.
"How did it go with Spike?" Craig asked as they parted.
"OK… better than I expected… it's just…" John Paul hesitated not wanting to voice the doubts that Spike's words had raised in him.
"Just what?"
"He… I don't know… he kind of implied that we wouldn't last…"
Craig smiled, "We'll just have to prove him wrong then."
John Paul returned Craig's smile already feeling better just by being in Craig's presence.
"How was Sarah?"
Craig's shoulders slumped as he shook his head.
"Not good. I don't know what I expected but she just seemed so… vicious. I guess I deserved it. I really hurt her."
John Paul snaked his arms around Craig waist and rested his head on the man's shoulder.
"The worst of it's over now," he said, "We can finally start to move on."
Craig returned the embrace holding tightly to the warm body in his arms. What ever else might happen he knew that this was where he belonged. There was nothing else in the world that made as much sense as being with John Paul, no matter what the consequences.
John Paul lifted his head from the comfortable pillow of Craig's shoulder.
"I could do with a drink."
"Me too… the Dog?"
John Paul nodded. "The Dog," he agreed as he slipped his arms into his jacket.
John Paul had the uneasy feeling that everyone was watching as he walked into The Dog with Craig but he dismissed it as silly paranoia after the day they'd had.
Craig strode to the bar and ordered two bottles of lager from Jake.
There was a silence as Jake stared at his younger brother without moving to serve him.
"Jake?" Craig chided, "Beer… today…"
"Tell me it's not true."
Craig frowned at Jake's question.
"What's not true?"
"What she's been telling everyone who'll listen." Jake nodded over to one side of the bar. Craig followed the direction of his gesture until his eyes landed on Sarah. Realising she had been seen Sarah lifted her wine glass as she mouthed the word "Cheers" to Craig.
Craig felt a knot in his stomach, his throat was dry but his hands were clammy.
"Jake… I…"
"Just say she's lying… that you're not…" Jake's eyes narrowed as he looked at John Paul, "with HIM."
John Paul held his breath as he waited for Craig's reply, he knew that this was a moment Craig had been dreading and thanks to Sarah it had been forced upon him before he was ready.
Craig turned his face to John Paul, a confused anguished look played across his features.
Instinctively John Paul slipped his hand into Craig's and held tightly on to his damp flesh, squeezing it as a sign of support.
"I can't," Craig whispered as he turned his gaze back to Jake, "I can't tell you that she's lying."
"No…" Jake shook his head as if trying to unhear Craig's reply.
"Does it matter that much," Craig asked sadly.
"Does it… of course it does… it changes everything," Jake regarded his younger sibling sadly, "I don't even know who you are."
"I'm still your brother."
"No," Jake said as he walked away, "My brother's not gay."
Craig looked at John Paul with pain filled eyes.
"It's just the shock," John Paul tried to sound convincing but he had seen Jake's reaction to his relationship with Spike and knew that the man's prejudices ran deep, probably even more so when it came to his own family. "He'll come around, just give him time."
Craig suddenly realised that half of the customers in the bar were watching them and he self-consciously let go of the support he was getting from John Paul's hand.
"I can't be doing with this," He said, "Let's go up to the flat."
Frankie was stood in the doorway leading up to the private living space above the pub and as her youngest son approached she made no effort to move and let him pass.
"He's not welcome," she said looking at John Paul, "I might have to put up with him in the bar, but I'm not having him in my home."
"Mum," Craig's voice was pleading, "Not you as well."
"You're my son Craig," she said stroking his hair affectionately, "and I love you… I always will no matter what. But I wont have you and HIM in my home… I can't… it's not right."
Craig sighed sadly every reaction he had feared was coming true. It felt as if he risked losing all the people he cared for just to be with the one he loved.
"I don't know what he's done to you," Frankie was continuing, "Why you would give up a beautiful girl like Sarah just so you can…"
"I love him mum," Craig said simply, "Why can't you accept that?"
"It's not right," She repeated, "And I won't be a part of it."
With that Frankie turned and walk back into the flat closing the door behind her.
"Let's just go," John Paul said as he began to lead a stunned Craig from the bar.
As they left neither of them saw Sarah emptying her wine glass with a flourish, a look of triumph on her face.