Mark was taken back by the slap Jeff had just given him. He stood there for a moment, unsure of what to do. He rubbed his hand over his red cheek. It was a hard slap, stung like hell, but what Jeff did was hit Mark with the truth. All of their years together, on and off relationship, Jeff was never able to tell Mark what it was that bothered him so much. Although it should have been obvious to him, Mark realized why Jeff always had a chip on his shoulder. Why they could never be together, completely.

Of course, Mark never made it easy on him, but Jeff had plenty of opportunities to tell him what it was that bothered him so much. It wasn't anything small, but it could surely be worked out had they had the chance to do so.

"My family." Mark said, after what seemed like hours of them standing in front of each other.

Jeff just lowered and shook his head, "forget, Mark."

"That's why you've always had one hand on the door? What is it exactly, so that i'm sure, are you jealous of them?" Mark questioned.

"What are you talking about? I'm not jealous of your family, Mark. Why would I?" said Jeff. "I shouldn't have slapped you, i'm sorry for doing that."

Jeff turned back towards his bag, but this time it was Mark who turned Jeff to meet his glare, "You slap me in the face, so you stand here and talk to me like a man."

The younger man kept distance between them, "look, let's not do this. I was just upset and I didn't mean anything by it."

"DAMN IT, JEFF!" Mark shouted, pounding his fist on the table. "For once, just once Jeff, will you grow up and be a man and just tell me what the hell is going on in that head of yours? Stop hiding the truth from me. I've never done anything to make you feel you weren't important to me. I've helped you get over your addictions. I've helped you get your job back. I've kept you from losing your job. I've been there to listen, to hold you hand even when I knew you were slipping away from me. I've always been there for you when Matt couldn't be. When your dad couldn't be. Why is it so damned hard for you to be straight with me just once?"

"Because every time you were there to help me, to listen to me, to hold my hand when I was slipping away, you would just turn your back on me and leave me for your family," with a renewed sense of strength and power, Jeff got right back in Mark's face. "You said you loved me and would do anything to help be get better, but you never once hesitated to drop me for them. I love your kids, Mark, I do. I would never expect to take you away from your family. That was never what I wanted."

"No? Then why all of this hassle, all of these years?" Mark asked.

Jeff waited, "sooner or later you would have given up on me. I was too much of a hassle for you to keep spending time on me. At least, playing this relationship, I was able to hold onto you a lot longer. I gave you breaks. I gave you the space I knew you would need in hopes that you wouldn't realize what a waste of time I was. I kept you at arms length so that you'd keep reaching out to me. I didn't want to lose you and I couldn't stand for you to give up on me when I needed your help," Jeff snorted in disgust. "Shit. I sound like some crazed lover."

Mark looked stunned, never did he think that Jeff was such a mess. How could he think that i'd think of him as a waste of time and that i'd just drop him. Mark was at a loss for words.

"Mark, you're not like Matt. Matt's relationships always seemed to crumble when I was in trouble and when I needed him to help me. He wasn't just going to let me down when I needed him. He sacrificed so much for me because he's my brother. And I'm so sorry that he had to, but who was I to you to keep you away from what I know means more to you than anything else? You had a family. You had the greatest reason in the world to leave me."

Mark continued to stare at Jeff. He reached out to grab his bag.

"So all this time, you didn't think enough of me and what I felt for you to trust that I wouldn't, that I couldn't leave you? I needed you just as much as I know you needed me." Mark moved past Jeff and grabbed his phone and wallet from the bedside table.

Jeff flinched inwardly. All the fears he had about telling Mark the truth were building and were ready to topple over into a giant heap, but this time he didn't have anything to say to him.

"You made sure that I could never get close to you, but you didn't mind that I was there to help mend the pieces of the life you're ruining. Maybe you're not the only one at fault here, i'm sure that you're not. I've done my share of wrecking as well, but my intentions were always true. You wanted to keep me away, well, you've succeeded, Jeff. I'm going home to my family, but unlike all those other times, I'm not coming back to you. Not anymore and never again." Mark, holding his bruised ribs, walked past Jeff, unable to look him in the eyes he knew were ready to spill over with tears.

At the sound of the door shutting, Jeff's shoulders slumped over and he continued to fight the tears from falling down his face.

Man, when those Musi start biting, they bite hard, don't they? I know this is short, but it was the best place to stop. I've had a few REVIEWS on the last chapter. I hope I haven't lost too many readers in my absense. Please continue to REVIEW. They really do serve as a motivation to continue writing. So what i'm saying is REVIEW, REVIEW!! REVIEW!!!!

Thanks.
FortheLoveofWrestling.