1 year later
"Well well, I didn't think this day would come."
"C'mon… please, isn't there anything?"
"Why do you all of a sudden want this? It's been way over a year."
"I just need some extra money." Gerard looks down at his shoes, hating this situation. Eric continues smirking
"Well there isn't anything in your area but one of the guys here quit and we haven't found a replacement yet."
"Great! What's the job?" Gerard's face brightens up
"An assistant." Eric can't seem to stop smiling. His unnaturally bright teeth look very disturbing.
"An assistant to whom?'' Gerard asks narrowing his eyes
"Me." he answers simply, dropping the bomb on him.
"Forget about it, I'll just find something else." Gerard mumbles disappointed and takes a step back ready to leave
"We both know you won't find anything better." Gerard stops and stares at Eric for a while, locking his eyes with his bright blue ones, knowing he's right but hating to admit it.
"For how long?" he asks reluctantly. A triumph smile spreads across the blonds face
"Until we find someone to fill in full time, shouldn't take more than a few weeks."
"What will I have to do?"
"Bring me coffee, help me deal with people I don't like, that sort of thing." not to mention making you embarrass yourself on a daily basis…
Gerard huffs and stomps just a little before saying
"Fine, I'll come on Monday." and leaves the office quickly. It's only for a few weeks he keeps telling himself. His mother's fiftieth birthday was coming up and while he can live just fine with his regular salary he wants to throw her something special. He doesn't dare ask Mikey anymore favors.
He checks his watch. It was a little after 5pm and his manager would be gone by now so he'll have to settle things with him tomorrow. He hears the elevator door opening and walks out to the lobby finishing typing a message to his brother about the details to their mother's birthday. He's barely two steps out of the elevator when he presses send and lifts up his head in one swift movement.
The lobby is getting darker and there are fewer people there. Every single step echoes in the large empty room. Gerard inhales deeply but some of the air seems to catch on and get stuck in his throat as it starts to ache. Then a cough breaks out which echoes unpleasantly and he feels his throat burn. It was probably something he picked up on his way to work. It has been a rather chilly November week.
He turns towards the coffee machine with the intention of getting tea to warm up a bit. He can't afford to get sick on his mother's birthday and when he has so much work. He fumbles with the coins from the back of his pocket, though his cold shaking hands fail to hold them in and half of them drop and roll on the ground.
"Shit." he breathes but before he has time to crouch down someone is already there doing it for him.
"Thanks." Gerard says with a smile before being handed the coins. He looks up to his helper and his heart freezes.
"Hi." Frank says fighting away a smile, cramming his hands to his front jean pockets looking tense and uncomfortable.
Gerard opens and closes his mouth. To say he was shocked would be an understatement. No matter how many times he imagined it there was still no way to be ready for this. No way to expect it. Why now?
In the early days of his recovery he imagined every possible conversation and reaction that would take place when they meet again. But he abandoned those dreams along with everything else that had to do with this man in order to move on. Gerard was convinced he no longer feels anything for that man, that if ever a day would come when he will meet Frank again he would be indifferent and nothing in his life would change.
Yet he stands there and feels a wave of emotions crash on to him from that second when his eyes fell upon those familiar face features he drew and traced with his fingers so many times and he doesn't know what to make of them. The emotions are so intense and there are so many he has trouble picking out what he's feeling. Time seemed to have slowed down or maybe his thoughts just picked up the pace and he finds himself not being able to look away. Hypnotized more by his own memories and thoughts rather than the man in front of him.
It seemed that the universe was not quite done taunting him yet even after this long, Gerard thinks.
Frank looked the same, Gerard even recognized the shirt he was wearing, but it also seemed like he was seeing him for the very first time since he spent a great deal of his energy and time trying to forget. And now those doors are opened again and everything about this man is settling in his thoughts again.
He stares at the familiar, warm eyes that seem just a bit older than the last time he saw him, and a bit more tired. Gerard can't understand what's happening inside his guts anymore. His head starts to swim and he realizes he's not breathing so he takes a deep breath and looks away. For Gerard it seemed that that moment lasted for minutes rather than a few seconds
"Hey, you're back from tour?" he asks. It seemed that once his eyes were averted his thoughts became quieter and more organized.
"Yeah, I've been back actually for about a month now, we started to record again today." Frank answers. Gerard swallows loudly from hearing that familiar voice again.
"How have you been?" Frank adds quickly
The past year flashes across Gerard's eyes in a swift second: the worries, the breakdowns, recovery and relapses
"Good good. Same old job, same old… everything." he stammers a bit and becomes aware of the fact that he's been standing there with the coins in his hand for some time so he turns to the side and starts to jam them into the machine a bit roughly.
"Oh well that's good. Gerard, listen…" Gerard's muscles tighten and his jaw clenches "We didn't exactly part on good terms but… can we just agree that it was both our fault and just-" Frank starts to stammer
"I understand what you mean and it's all okay. Really." Gerard cuts him off taking his cup of tea smiling, honestly smiling and dares himself to look at the man's eyes again. He repeats the same sentence in his head and nods unnoticeably to himself.
"Okay well that's a relief." he says with a genuine, bright smile "Anyway I have to go back to the studio, bye." he shrugs, turns on his heels and walks away
"Bye, Frank." Gerard says. The name feels old and foreign on his tongue like something out of a dream. He turns away, walking towards the exit putting another lock on the door at the back of his mind corridor just to be safe and repeating in his head I will not let this affect me.
…
His favorite old desk from his mother's house was brought here to his new apartment, that's only a few block away from the company. Gerard takes out an unfinished project and sets to work, turning on the TV for background noise. It's the way he's used to working and a way to keep him distracted. Though after he's done with it and the next one his mind is still buzzing with unwanted thoughts so after a lot of thinking he gives in and dials up his brother's number nervously
"Hey, what's up?"
"He's back." Gerard says plainly
"Yeah, I know. Did you talk to him?" Mikey sounds a bit concerned
"Very briefly, yeah. We just agreed that we're going to put the past behind us and act like adults, that sort of thing."
"And? How are we feeling about this?"
"Stop sounding like a psychiatrist, it's not helping." Gerard sighs frustrated
"How would you know if I sound like one since you refused to go to one." Mikey shoots back
"Oh shut up." he drops hearing his brother chuckle lightly on the other end of the line for winning an argument and feels himself start to smile slightly as well
"I just wasn't expecting this" he admits.
"Just try not to worry or over think too much, try to do what he does." Mikey advises seriously
"I won't worry, I'm over him" he says with false confidence. "How do you even know what he did or how he acted?" Gerard asks suddenly, again feeling like he doesn't know something
"Honestly ask yourself, do you really want to know?"
Gerard takes a moment thinking it through "Yeah, I'd rather not."