CHAPTER EIGHTEEN!!!!!!!

A/N- 1. DO NOT PM ME!!! I am, for unknown reasons, not receiving mails (review alerts, story alerts, etc) from this site, so I see no reasons why I should be receiving PMs either. Mail me at the id given in my profile.

2. I'm a little late, I had said that my next post would be today, but its nearly twelve here…but that depends on the country in which you live.

2. Since I have enough reviews/readers now (finally), I have decided to dedicate this chapter to them, whether they review regularly, have reviewed one or two times, or have not reviewed at all (but have added this story to their favourite lists). Your reading this is a big deal to me. I love you people. Now, because I have so always wanted to do this, I shall name you guys. Thank you's to islington bus no199, Missy Lynne, siavv,Ice-Spirit Phoenix, Suzumi's Wings, the-red-robyn, the one called RJLG, and Kuroi Neko 13. and now, since I have so nicely named you all, I expect more reviews (nice ones), though some of you have not added this to your alert list. However will you know when a new chapter comes out? Adding this to your favourite list won't work. Neway, read on.

A week had passed since the "Dr. Evil turned out to be Cinna" incident. Cinna was instantly forgiven because of what was said to be the forgiving nature of the "heaven" residents, but most probably because they loved any excuse for free ice cream. Barely days after his identity was revealed, he all of a sudden, became extremely popular and his poetry was sold by the millions. He soon became a billionaire and spent most of his money on ice cream, which he distributed to the poor, needy and homeless. Heaven did not have any poor people as such, but everyone pretended to be, for the sake of something as heavenly and chocolately and totally undescribably yummy as chocolate ice cream. Cinna must have been, to some extent, aware of the fact that everyone was only pretending to be poor, and that the rags they wore must had cost them a lot of money, but he needed a hobby and distributed ice-cream anyway. But he had, however, explained his ignorance of the fact that people were wearing expensive rags, and had said that he thought those "rags" had cost nothing, at a recent press conference, with the excuse that he knew nothing about the latest fashion and preferred to live in his own quiet world.

-'But,' someone had argued, 'that Dr. Evil gag didn't seem like something from the quiet world of a peaceful poet.'

The questioner had been given extra ice-cream to be shutted up.-

Cinna the poet smiled at himself while handing out free copies of his poems to people in expensive rags.

'But where's our usual ice-cream?' Caius asked, obviously disappointed. He never missed these "meetings".

'Poetry is food for the soul,' explained Cinna wisely, even though he didn't quite know what he was talking about. He was rich enough to give out anything for free, and that was all he really cared about.

'Damn…' said Caius and then turned to his friend Casca, who was sitting cross legged on the ground. Casca had not quite looked properly at what was handed to him, and had, upon confusing it with ice-cream, already stuffed it into his mouth.

Caius wrinkled up his nose, quickly got over his disgust and said, 'By the way Casca, do you like my new designer jeans? For a million trillion kazillion bucks they came, honest... Portia said they had too many holes, but she's just upset I didn't tell her about the love triangle.'

'What love triangle?' Casca asked casually.

Caius could've hit himself. He and his big mouth. What would he tell Casca?

But he was saved from answering by someone who had just arrived. Not in designer jeans, but in a nice and clean-crisp suit and tie.

Titinius.

Caius blinked. But then, people do that like once every few seconds so it wasn't that big a deal.

'Hey,' he said.

'Hello,' replied Titinius, lending out a hand for Caius to shake. Caius did not take it. So this was what Titinius was actually like without love potion running through his veins? So….serious?

'Cassius,' said Titinius, 'I do have some recollection; or rather all of it, not some, of what has happened between us in the past few days. I am here to discuss our break-up.'

'What's to discuss?'

'I know this must be hard to you,' Titinius continued, his tone business-like, 'but this is a love triangle from what I heard. There are other fish in the sea, or the ocean or whatever. Plus, as you must know, I don't run that way. I am really very sorry, but this is very awkward for me, and just as harsh as it seems to you, it feels strange to me. We could be friends, but that may be difficult for you, after what happened. I do understand, but I like girls, and that's something you're not. You're one hell of a guy, and you make great coffee, but you know this won't work.'

Caius nodded, not letting his eyes mix with his ex-boyfriend's.

'I do feel really bad about this, really, and I apologise-,'

'It wasn't your fault,' said Caius.

'But I think it would be appropriate for me to apologise nevertheless.'

Caius stood up and wiped the dust off his jeans, 'I'm sorry too.'

'It is you who is on the suffering end. It's very easy for me to forget everything that happened, because it wasn't me that was with you, it was the love potion.'

Caius nodded gloomily.

'Listen, I'll make it up to you…would you like to take a walk?'

Honestly, Titinius did not want to walk with Caius, and no matter what he had said, it did make him nervous, of course it did, it had to. Caius was GAY for Pete's sake…

'Sure,' said Caius, and turned to tell Casca that he was leaving, but didn't bother because his dear friend was busy spitting out the paper, with a very cute girl trying to help him out. He would call him later on his mobile phone anyway.

'C'mon then,' said Titinius.

Gloomily, Caius stood up. Titinius walked by his side with no visible emotion in his eyes.

For a second, Caius closed his eyes in that dramatic way that crushed lovers do, but he didn't want to bump into someone something, so he opened them right away.

It felt rather odd without the presence of Titinius' hand on his, even though he was standing, or rather walking right next to him.

Titinius wasn't saying anything, so Caius decided that it was his turn to do the talking; Titinius had already said enough. But, honestly, what should he say? What could he say? That it was okay? That everything was fine now that Titinius was straight?

But the words that came out of his mouth were not even close to what he had planned. The words seemed to have blurted themselves out without his consent-, 'You know, I was on rebound when we first met, it was the reason we met, and the reason we started dating and all. But as time passed, I really started to like you.'

'Oh,'

'And, I mean, it'll pass. I did like someone else, but then you came along, and I thought it was over, you know. Over. I thought that he-,'

'Who?'

'This guy,'

Caius wasn't sure whether he wanted Titinius to ask who "this guy" was or not, but didn't have to ponder over that point for long. Titinius didn't ask. It didn't seem like he was going to either. He simply wasn't interested.

So Caius' shut up. Time passed.

After a long five minutes that seemed like they were stretched till eternity, Titinius spoke again, 'That person you liked wasn't me. It was someone created by a potion. I do not call myself Tity, the potion made me do that. I'm like this, not that "T-Shirt-Torn-Jeans" person that potion made me. You liked-,' he was careful enough not to use the word "loved", '-a make-believe created person who never even existed.'

'Yeah,' said Caius, breathing deeply, 'yeah.'

'And I do like you, in a friendly way, Caius, really.' He held out his hand, once more, for Caius to take. The hand wasn't taken.

'I need time.'

------------------------------------------------------

Portia's POV

Geez, my own best friend is keeping secrets from me, so I'm not exactly on top of the world.

But from my information, I'm involved in a love triangle, a love triangle in which he too, is involved. And the only person I love is Brutus-and he isn't telling me anything. And Caius is gay-

Hold on a second.

It doesn't take a genius to figure it out.

------------------------------------------------------

Brutus' POV

Portia has been asking me about some kind of a love triangle of late. She's involved in it, Cassius is involved in it, Titinius was involved in it, and she, that is Portia loves me. That obviously means that I too, have somehow been dragged into this.

Unless of course, she doesn't love me-but wait, I love her so I have to be involved anyway. And she does love me. She's my wife for crying out loud.

Well, who cares anyway? I'm watching over a taped episode of "PPG", and the mayor has been kicked out by a pink fluff ball that's too big to be a bunny.

------------------------------------------------------

Back to Cassius

'Take your time,' said Titinius patiently.

'That's easy for you too say,' said Caius angrily, and then stopped, 'wait-I got all heated up there for a second-its not your fault, its not anybody's-except-,'

'Except?'

Caius didn't answer and screamed into the open sky, 'DAMN YOU AUTHOR! PLAYING WITH OUR LIVES! Oooh look, a note fell from the sky-lets read it-,'

Caius opened it and read-,

"To my very dear Caius Cassius,

This is to tell you that all suffering makes you stronger, and if looked at from a higher point of view, helps you grow and evolve.

Oh, and I have totally given you free will. I do not write this, it's not planned out or anything. The only planned out thing was who Dr. Evil was, and that was decided much after "Evil guy" was introduced. I let the story, including the plot unfold by itself (I, or rather, Dr. Evil had decided it all while I was writing it), and I just edit it. I had not planned the love potion, and many other things till the very moment I wrote it down, because I knew that you guys were real and that you're not too fond of "tyranny".

And you are all going to get your soul-mates in the end so don't worry.

-love,

The author.

PS. I know, self insertion is soooo turning of. I hate it my self, but you were cursing me, so it's not like I had much choice."

'So, this is supposed to help me?' Caius asked the wind, but I have a strong feeling he was talking to me. Not that it mattered, since I didn't reply either way.

'It may make you stronger, yes,' Titinius replied from my side. OKAY-OKAY. This time, I made him do it. So sue me! One sentence…jeez…

'Right,' said Caius, trying to think of new fast ways of draining out one's mom's temper from one's body. (His temper was, of course, not his mother's fault. It was his own, but he needed someone to put the blame on too.)

'Maybe meditation,' suggested Titinius, 'or yoga.'

'You know me well. Barely took you a second to know what I was thinking.'

'You're easy enough to understand.'

'My best friends have never managed to understand me despite the millennia we have spent together, and here, not even two weeks, and -BANG!-you know me by heart-,'

Titinius wasn't stupid. He could see where this was heading-somewhere from where it would be difficult to back out.

'I don't know you by heart-,'

'You can tell what I'm thinking!'

'It was obvious what you were thinking.'

'Was not.'

'Was too. You're like an open book!' Titinius, now, too was fighting to hold his patience.

'I am not an open book. I'm thinking of a colour…what is it?'

'Red.'

'Wha-?'

'I'm right.'

'How on earth did you know?'

'You looked for a brief second at my tie, which is red. I'm not that stup-,'

'Ooooh look,' sneered Caius, 'Tity is soooooo smart.'

'Listen-,'

'Why did you drag me along here when you never wanted to come here in the first place? When you simply hate the very sight of my face? When you-,'

'I don't hate-,'

'You don't hate what, my ever so precious Tity? I know you hate me. You're only breaking up with me as part of the formality, aren't you? And why not, you're such a formal guy anyway? What's that, Tity-a tie?'

'You know I was under a spell! Why are you doing this? Didn't you just state some time back, when I asked for your forgiveness, that it wasn't my fault?'

'It wasn't till you started being so unreasonable! You could've ditched me there and then itself, it couldn't have taken more than a minute! We could've both forgotten this, walked our own separate paths, never looked back even once… Why this stupid walk?'

'I'll tell you why this walk! Because unlike me, that relationship meant something to you! Didn't you say sometime back that you needed time-I decided on this walk because I wanted to help you get over it! I couldn't have left you alone there-,'

'I would've been better if I hadn't talked to you,' said Caius, calming down again. His temper was very uncertain. Up there one moment, down there the next, 'You're the last person who can help me-not that I need help-but you get the meaning-,'

'Well, since you're too self centred to appreciate-,'

'I am not self centred, alright? The talking can come later.'

'Fine.'

'Fine.'

'Goodbye.'

'Bye.'

'Take care.'

'If you insist.'

'Okay, bye, just bye.'

'Bye.'