Believe Me, I'm Lying

“Jack came by your apartment yesterday.”

Alex looks up at Zack, rolling his eyes and adjusting his hold on Devyn. He holds the sleeping four year old closer as he says, “I don’t care. I can’t deal with his bullshit anymore.”

“I’m proud of you, you know?” Zack asks, wrapping one arm around Alex’ shoulders and leaning back in his seat. “It’s about time you did something for yourself. I mean, as much as I hate the fact that you’re leaving me and Rian, I know you’re going to be much better off in New York. You won’t have to sleep on a couch anymore.”

“That’s true,” Alex laughs, letting his eyes move to the ‘Departures and Arrivals’ board. He finds the time at the top, sighing when he sees that he still has a good amount of time until his flight even starts boarding. “I’m gonna miss you and Rian, though. Devyn’s gonna freak when he realizes you won’t be coming over every morning.”

“Trust me, I’ll be visiting. I’ve always needed a legit excuse to go to New York so now I have one,” Zack smiles. “And besides. You’ll be putting him in Daycare and he’ll make awesome friends and he won’t miss us as much.”

“Yeah… Josh said there’s one a few blocks away from his apartment and he’s going down there today to sign him up. He also said he’s going to talk to someone about getting me a job interview. I’m not really qualified to do much, considering I’ve only got two semesters of school on my résumé but maybe I could just like, file shit. That’s easy enough.”

“I’m sure Josh will find a good spot for you. As long as the court sees you have a job, it’ll be one less thing Nicole has over you.”

“I don’t wanna think about that right now,” Alex says as Devyn stirs in his arms, rubbing at his eyes. “I still have to tell her I’m going to be in the city. She’s gonna want to see Devyn again soon.”

Zack makes a face, clearly unsettles by the mention of Devyn’s mother. “She’s delusional. There’s no amount of time that she can spend with Dev to even come close to what you have done for him.”

“Moving on,” Alex says, deliberately stopping the conversation when Devyn opens his eyes completely, looking confused as to where he is, exactly. He looks from Alex over to Zack, confusion painting his features and although he looks adorable, Alex feels bad that he doesn’t know where he is. “Devyn, we’re in an airport. Remember what I said this morning?”

“Oh,” Is all he says and he just reaches his arms out to Zack, indicating that he doesn’t want to be held by Alex anymore. So Alex hands him over to his best friend who takes him more than willingly. The four year old still seems to be tired, because he curls up on Zack’s lap and rests his head against his chest, eyes glued to his father’s form.

“Did you have any good dreams?” Zack asks him, wrapping his arms around him.

Alex feels badly that he’s taking Devyn away from Zack, and vice-versa, but there’s really no other option for him right now. He can’t stay in Maryland and risk losing his son. New York is the only place for him and he’ll get used to it. Devyn will learn to live there too, especially once he starts making new friends. Zack and Rian can visit, anyway. So it’ll all work out for the best in the end.

“I’m gonna go take him to get something to eat. Is that okay?” Zack asks, standing up with Devyn resting on his hips.

“Yeah, sure. He hasn’t eaten since breakfast anyway,” Alex nods. He knows Zack just wants to spend as much time with Devyn before the plane boards.

“Okay. Do you want me to get you anything?”

“No. I’m good, thanks.”

“Alright, be back in a few.”

Alex watches them head towards the food court, Devyn wrapping his arms around Zack’s neck and Alex notices that he looks sad. As if he knows what he’s about to leave behind. But Alex can’t figure out how he would possibly know that. Alex didn’t tell him anything more than, ‘We’re going to stay with Josh for awhile'. And he seemed to take it well. He got excited and said that he would have to remember to pack his coloring books. Alex didn’t have the heart to tell him that most of his books were already packed away, going to be put on a moving truck. That’s where Rian is right now – packing up the rest of their stuff so it can get to New York by the end of the day. It was rough saying goodbye to him but, he’ll definitely see him again soon.

By the time Zack gets back and Devyn is eating a Happy Meal from McDonald’s, their flight number is announced over the loudspeakers and Alex grabs his backpack, which is packed with two coloring books and the Nintendo DS that Josh bought for him while he was visiting. Hopefully those will be enough to keep Devyn occupied while on the plane. If not…then he really doesn’t know what he’s going to do.

“You have your tickets, right?” Zack asks for the fifth time while they stand on the check-in line.

Alex rolls his eyes and holds the tickets up for Zack to see. “I have the tickets. I have everything I need so quit panicking and just chill.”

“Okay…Sorry. I’m just nervous,” Zack says sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Well I’m the one moving, not you-”

“Alex! Alex wait!”

Alex frowns, the voice coming from behind him seeming way too familiar for his liking. He looks at Zack who’s now looking over his shoulder, his eyes angry and his lips forming a thin line.

“Does he ever fucking stop,” he mumbles, his hand running through his hair. “Seriously, I don’t get it.”

So Alex turns around, facing the other end of the airport and finding the scene quite chaotic. And right in the middle of it all is Jack and the sight of him makes Alex feel two things – resentment and adoration. He’s not really sure how he could possibly feel bother of those things at the same time but he does, and he can’t help but laugh as he watches Jack trip over someone’s luggage, sending it toppling to the floor. He stumbles over it, though, turning back to apologize to the now irritated people and he keeps running.

“Alex, ignore him,” Zack begs behind him, “Seriously he’s just here to lie to you and get you to stay but-”

Alex turns and gives Zack a warning look, telling him to shut up, just as Jack slides to a stop right in front of them, panting and clutching at his chest where his heart is.

“I just ran through the entire fucking airport,” he gasps, fingers tightening around the straps of his backpack. “So please, just let me talk.”

The girl behind the counter, only a few feet away from them, makes another announcement for boarding the plane, claiming that this is the last warning. Alex looks between her and Jack, knowing that he only has a few seconds to decide what he’s going to do.

“Alex I swear to God if you don’t get on that plane,” Zack starts, hand gripping Alex’s shoulder but Alex shoves him off.

“Zack stop it; let me think for a second.” His own hand takes a better grip on Devyn’s, who’s still standing beside him looking up at Jack with a huge smile as he eats his French fries and he looks happier than Alex has seen him all day.

“You’re seriously going to pick him over the flight to New York? Alex, think about everything he’s put you through-”

Alex cuts him off again, holding up his hand and saying, “Zack, take Devyn somewhere else, please? I wanna hear what Jack has to say.”

Zack gives Alex an exasperated look, clearly unhappy with his decision. But he takes Devyn’s hand, telling the little boy that they’re going to go hang out by the chairs for a little while, and walks him over there. That leaves Alex standing there with Jack, an uncomfortable silence between them.

“So,” Alex breaks it, “Say what you need to. I’m listening.”

“I-really?” Jack’s shocked expression makes it clear that he wasn’t expecting Alex to listen to him at all. But he quickly regains his confidence, pulling his backpack off and un-zippering it, eyes glues to Alex’s face. “O-okay, so when I found out yesterday that you were gone, I wasn’t sure what to do because Rian and Zack refused to tell me how to find you or what plane you were going to take. So I um. I did some research.”

He pulls out his laptop from the bag, struggling to support it while holding the bag at the same time and Alex realizes this, so he takes the bag off Jack’s hands. “What do you mean by research, exactly…?” He says this just as the announcement about checking in for the flight to JFK airport ending, and Alex knows that he’s just chosen Jack over starting a new life. Whether that’s a good decision, or the stupidest one he’s made in his life has yet to be proven.

“Well, I drove by your apartment building this morning and I saw a moving truck. So I figured that that meant that you were leaving today. Then, I looked at the websites of all these different airlines to find out which ones had flights to New York this afternoon and I narrowed them all down until I came down to two. This one, and the one at six later tonight,” Jack explains. “After I did that, I called this guy I know who sells real estate and I got him to find me an apartment in a decent part of town, not too expensive, but still a nice place. And I put the down payment on it and I can show you pictures of the place online and… And I guess, what I’m really trying to say is that I’m fully committed to starting a new life with you. And only you.”

Throughout Jack’s entire little speech he just made, Alex’s heart was telling him to take him back, but his brain was telling him to remember the whole Ashley situation, the fact that Ashley came and talked to him and told him Jack wasn’t breaking up with her. He narrows his eyes as he says, “I don’t understand, exactly. Did you actually leave Ashley? Like… for real? You’re not just trying to trick me into giving you another chance?”

“No! No, I’m not trying to trick you. I swear, I left her! I have proof.” The older man clutches the laptop close to his chest as he digs his hand into his pocket, his face concentrated. “There it is,” He mumbles after a few seconds, then pulling his hand back out and revealing a ring with a large diamond glinting in the sunlight. “She gave me this back before she left my apartment.”

Alex reaches out, taking the ring from Jack and holding it between two fingers. “So. You’re serious, then. No more fooling around, sneaking around. It’s just me?”

“And…and Devyn. Yes.”

“What about your parents? The company?”

Jack’s lips form a small smile and he shakes his head. “They’re not important. My parents will forgive me eventually but for now, I don’t mind their silent treatment if that’s what they want to give me.” He opens up the laptop, using one hand to balance it precariously and asks, “Wanna see the apartment we’re gonna live in? Well, I mean, if you want to be with me, that is.”

Alex stays quiet for a moment, staring at the ring between his fingers. The fact that it’s in his hands right now, and not on Ashley’s ring finger, is making his heart pound and the sound of blood rushing through his ears is way too loud for him to even really focus. All he knows is that Jack is here, in the airport, telling him that he wants to commit to him. It’s what he’s been waiting for since October. Maybe a little late, but still.

And he knows that Zack and Rian and his brother are going to be really, really pissed off. They’re going to tell him that his decision was stupid, that he’s never going to win the fight against Nicole now, but Alex knows better than they do. If he can prove to a judge that he is better suited to take care of Devyn, as he’s been doing for nearly five years now, then he can win. Jack’s not going to hurt or ruin his chances. Not now that he’s not splitting his love between two people. Nicole will have already told her lawyer that Alex is gay, so there’s no point in trying to deny it.

With confidence and a smile, he says, “As long as I get to sleep on the right side of the bed.”