Indecision and a Chance to Restart

After Tony left I didn't know what to do. The house just felt completely empty and my heart did too. Just because I felt like we should take a break didn't mean I wanted him to agree... And he didn't, but he left anyways. My heart was broken and my head was splitting with trying to understand what was going through his mind. He didn't even turn to face me when he bursted out the door and slammed it behind him. And when I heard his car roar to life and leave our house several hours ago, he hadn't called me to say where he was or anything. I knew he wouldn't though, that wasn't like him at all. He wasn't clingly and I didn't blame him. I had basically shut him out last night and this morning. I felt like everything was my doing, I had caused everything and that made me responsible for fixing it. I stood up after hours of laying on the couch and thinking to myself, and headed into the bathroom to take a shower and think some more. I undressed, grabbing a towel out of the closet and turning the water on in the process. I tested until it was hot enough for me and I climbed in. I reached for some shampoo but I discovered that there wasn't any left. Tony had taken it with him. I groaned and opened the shower curtain, walking over to the vanity and opening the drawer. I found a small bottle from a hotel that Tony and I had stayed at over a year ago and the memories came flooding back. The hotel we had booked for our one year anniversary, and I surprised him by taking him to New York. We had booked a suite in the Marriot Hotel and we toured the entire city together. That was also our first time, and I remembered how special it had been for the both of us. I missed that love that we had back then and found myself crying because of it. I shook the thoughts out of my head and walked back over to the shower, climbing in and letting fresh tears mix with the hot shower. I used the shampoo to wash my hair and let the suds fall over my face. I didn't feel like scrubbing it out or wasting energy on anything like that. I sat down on the floor of the shower and thought of what I could do to get Tony back here, into my arms and forget this whole thing ever happened. But I knew it couldn't be as easy as just telling him all of this. I needed a new approach and a new perspective.
The bathroom door swung open and I jumped up to standing, surprised that I hadn't fallen. I opened the curtain slightly and I found Vic in my bathroom, looking in the mirror at me and smirking. He had a beanie on over his pin-straight hair and was wearing a tank top and skinny jeans, making me notice his hard-on in his pants.
"Vic? How the hell did you get here? And more importantly, why the fuck are you here?" I said loudly over the running water. He just smiled bigger.
"Jaime I know you're depressed over what happened with Tony. I can help you with that." He said to me and turned, twirling his hair and winking at me.
"Vic, I'm okay, but how do you know what happened?" I asked, confused on how he knew Tony and I had taken a break. Had Tony told them?
"Tony's at my place right now. He probably needed time to think or something." He said. That made sense, he could talk it over with Mike and everything and the situation would fix itself. I hoped. I gulped; why was Vic here then?
"Okay, but Vic, why are you here?" I asked him. He moved closer until his body was only separated from mine by the shower curtain. He put his face three inches from mine and I could feel his cool breath as he spoke.
"I think you know why i'm here." He breathed and closed the gap between our lips. I backed away from him quickly, but his eyes were filled with lust. This wasn't right and it needed to be stopped right now.
"Vic, Vic stop. Please stop." I said frantically. He stepped into the shower, still fully clothed, and I backed up against the wall. There was no way out of this situation.
"Jaime, you know you want this." And then he put his lips on mine and shoved his tongue in my mouth. I gasped, but I couldn't back away because of the wall behind me. He wrapped his hand around my dick and started warming me up, but I lifted my hands to his chest and pushed back.
"Vic, don't. Please don't do this!" I said and ran out of the shower, grabbing a towel and running to my room. I locked my bedroom door and got dressed, but Vic started banging on the door.
"Jaime, i'm sorry. I don't know what came over me. Please come out here.
"No, Vic, I'm not gonna fall for that." I said and opened my bedroom window. I looked out; the ground wasn't too far away. I could jump and run around the house to my truck and leave.
Vic had other ideas. He somehow unlocked my door- with a bobby pin?- and ran over to me. He took my hands and pushed me against the wall next to the window, and ground his hips into mine.
"Jaime, please. I want this." He whispered into my ear and licked my earlobe. I shuddered, but I stayed in control.
"Vic, no! I don't want this. Leave. Get out of my face, NOW!" I shouted, and mistakenly looked at his face after. His eyes held realitization; he was being rejected.
"So let me get this straight, even after all our conversation and flirting restaurant the other day and everything we talked about, and after you kissing me yesterday in truth or dare and feeling that connection, and even after knowing that Tony doesn't even WANT you, you still won't listen to me and are HOPING that somehow he'll 'come to his senses' and run back to you? Tony doesn't want you! He wants to FUCK my brother!" Vic yelled at me.
I was in shock. I didn't understand what Vic was talking about. Tony and Mike were hooking up?
"What the hell are you talking about, Fuentes?! Tony loves me!" I yelled back.
"Then why is he at my house having sex with my brother right now?! That's why I left, god damnit. I didn't wanna hear any of that shit going on! And I figured that maybe since you were depressed I could help TAKE YOUR MIND OFF OF EVERYTHING. But no, you have to sit around and wait for Tony to crawl over to you, begging on his hands and knees for you to come back, for him to say he's sorry, and everything is right, when he's just gonna go and do this again! How are you gonna deal with it next time this happens?!" Vic was screaming at me and I tuned him out. I cried out at him in reply,
"That's impossible. I don't believe a word you say."
"Say that to the tears running down your face and your eyes that know." He spat at me.
"Leave. Get the fuck out of my house and don't come back." I mumbled into my hand as I wiped the tears from my face. He scoffed and walked out of my room.
Tony couldn't leave me. He still loved me. I still loved him. He couldn't just leave and fuck Mike... could he?
~~~ Vic's POV
Jaime should want me. He shouldn't want Tony after this. I mean, I had lied about him and Mike, but that should've thrown him into my arms. Why after all this did he still want Tony?
I stomped out of Jaime's room without a backward glance and ran down the stairs and out the door. I didn't want to go home because I knew Tony would just be depressed and Mike would be too pissed to talk to me, even after hours of silence. He even talked to Tony and he still wasn't speaking to me.
I couldn't stay here, and I didn't want to go home, but I decided I had to face up to my brother somehow. I hopped into my car and started the drive home.
And then I got an idea. If Tony was as good a guitar player as Jaime had said he was, and if Jaime really was a good bass player, then I had the perfect idea to fix this whole problem. Mike and I had been having problems in Before Today anyways. This was the perfect idea. It would erase the drama, start something fun and new, and even if someone was angry or whatever we could channel it into songs. I had the solution!
I arrived at home to see Tony asleep on the couch and Mike at his feet, watching Harry Potter on TV.
"Mike, yo. I got the perfect idea to fix everything." I walked over to the TV and turned the volume down.
"Hey, dude, i'm watching something!" He said and scrambled around for the remote. He turned it up but I started talking anyways.
"No, dude, listen. We should all form a band. Jaime, me, you, and Tony. We should do that."
"Uh, dude, where have you been? We're currently in our own band?" He replied with confusion all over his face.
"Mike, c'mon, Before Today's not gonna last. We haven't talked about music in MONTHS. It's worth a try. And we'd have a bass player and two guitars, it would work." I tried convincing him, and I could see the reluctance in his face.
"It would solve our problems. Anything we had going on, we could channel it into the music." I pushed. Mike was easing up; I knew I had him.
"I... ergh, okay, fine. We'll try one song, and if it doesn't work, then no." He finally replied back to me.
"Perfect. I'm gonna call Jaime." I said and turned toward my room.
"You have his number?" Mike asked skeptically.
"Tony's got it. Wake him?" I pleaded with my puppy-dog face.
"My god, Vic, howcome you're in this mood?" He asked and shook Tony's leg. Tony kicked out softly and stretched, rubbing his eyes and sitting up.
"Hey, guys, what's up? What time is it?" He asked tiredly.
Mike turned to Tony and said softly to him, "It's 11 p.m., babe. You've been asleep since like, 8. Remember? We took a short nap earlier, and then woke up and played video games..." Tony's face contorted and he looked a little agitated.
"Uh, Mike? You delusional? Cause I don't think we played video games at 4 p.m. ..." He said and smirked. Mike blushed furiously- what the hell did I miss?
"No, remember? Ugh, anyways, Vic wanted Jaime's number." He rubbed Tony's leg soothingly and Tony stretched his arms behind him and sat up completely, snuggling into Mike's shoulder a little bit.
"Uhm, it's in my cell phone, hangon." He stood up and stumbled over to his bag, apparently where his phone was. He pulled out a little black thing with a turtle on the back.
"Oh, damn..." He whispered and pressed a couple buttons before handing me his phone. "2nd number. The first is our old landline." He said and I swore there was sorrow in his eyes. I wasn't going to bother him about it though, because I had other things on my mind.
I pressed the call button and put it to my ear. I put it on speakerphone so that everyone could hear. It rang twice before Jaime frantically answered.
"Tony, i'm so sorry. Are you okay? Is everything-"
"Jaime, it's Vic."
"...oh. What do you want?" He groaned into the phone.
"Listen, Jaime, i'm sorry about earlier. Okay? But I came up with an idea. If you play bass as good as you say you do, I have the answer to all our problems."
"And what would that be?" He asked skeptically. I could hear the sarcasm seeping through his voice.
"Let's form a band, the four of us." I said with as much excitement as I could muster.
"What about Before Today?" He asked me.
"Seriously, you and Mike think so much alike. We haven't done anything in forever and I need a fresh start. I think it would work. Please?"
"I... Alright, I guess. One song, and that's it."
"God, you and Mike are so alike." I muttered.
"What was that?" He said with a tone that made me want to punch him.
"You. And. Mike. Think. Alike. You. Bitch." I put emphasis on each word and said them all slowly.
"Can you just go to bed? I'm tired as fuck and I really don't want to hear about what Tony and Mike get up to behind my back."
"What?!" Tony shrieked.
"Tony? Is that you?" Jaime asked through the phone. His voice had risen super high and he was squealing. "Tony, I need to talk to you!"
"Vic, what did you even say to Jaime?!" He was looking frantically at Mike and Mike shrugged his shoulders, almost like he was scared. Tony was shaking and he looked like he was going to have a panic attack.
"I- no Jaime, listen, I lied about that, I just wanted... I don't even know, okay? I just wanted to talk to you and that was the only way I knew how to get your attention, I- I'm sorry, okay." I ran away with the phone and turned speakerphone off. I put the phone to my ear and Jaime was babbling.
"Vic, why the hell would you do that? I don't even- I don't understand why you would do something so stupid, and you knew it would hurt me, and lying, I don't... even if it had happened I wouldn't want you to tell me because that's utter bullshit!" He was crying, I could hear his voice cracking.
"Jaime, really, i'm so sorry, I don't know what came over me. Okay? Can we just, can we have a fresh start?" I let the tears run over my cheeks.
"Vic, I... can I come over?" He said. My heart rate sped up and my breathing hitched.
"I, uh, sure!" I squealed and hung up. I ran back into the living room. Tony was on Mike's lap and Mike was rubbing his back soothingly, trying to get Tony to calm down. He still had tears falling from his face and Mike looked really worried.
"Tony, i'm really sorry..."
"Vic, it's fine, I just... You probably weren't lying, depending on what you told him..." He mumbled through sobs.
"I- wait what?" I realized what he had said and I looked at Mike.
"Uh... yeah.... Tony and I..." He couldn't get the words out the right way.
"We kind of... I was having a rough time, and..." Tony voiced.
"Yeah, uh... I don't... Is Jaime coming over?" Mike changed the subject, since Tony was getting worked up again. He kissed his cheek softly and Tony seemed to relax.
"Uh, yeah.... Why?"
"Please, don't tell him about this? I don't think it's fair, and you already told him you lied, so... I think it would just hurt him..." Tony nodded his hand frantically as Mike spoke soothingly to me.
"Uh, fuck it, alright. I'll do the best I can." I said.
I had no idea what I was getting myself into.