Apartment 4C

Unfortunately, the time came when Jake and Alfie had to leave Abilene. They’d spent a further week in Jake’s parents’ house after his momma came out of hospital, Jake taking care of her as much as he could while Alfie helped his brothers move things around in the house. Jake had spent a lot of their second week in tears, not complete sobbing but still enough, and it got to the point where Jake’s dad didn’t even frown when Alfie joined Jake in his bed at night to hold him in comfort. Alfie had been so sweet, so wonderful to him, especially in the second week, and Jake couldn't be more grateful to him. But they had to leave. They had their own lives to lead and they couldn’t delay getting back to Chicago any longer.

Not if Alfie still wanted to have a job.

So, with great reluctance, Jake and Alfie said their goodbyes and got into Alfie’s car.

“She’ll be okay, Jake. You know that,”

“Doesn’t mean I want to leave her. This is the first time I’ve been back here in three years, and even over the four years before that there was only a handful of visits. I just…”

Jake trailed off as his eyes pricked with tears, cursing under his breath. He needed to stop crying. Alfie had seen enough of that by now.

But Alfie just placed a gentle hand on his jaw, turning Jake’s head to face him, frowning slightly.

“Don’t be ashamed of showing your emotions, not to me. Please,” Alfie said softly.

Jake just nodded, taking a shaky breath as Alfie dropped his hand, his own hands trembling slightly as well. He needed to stop crying, regardless. He couldn’t keep crying once they’d left.

“Can you start the car?” Jake mumbled.

Alfie smiled sadly. “Yeah, sure,”

*

The 10 hour drive back to Chicago was mostly quiet, the silence filled with Alfie’s scratch radio. Jake’s tears stopped after the second hour, and he spent the rest of the time drifting in and out of sleep, eyes stinging with overuse. He wasn’t being fair to Alfie right now, he knew that, but he needed this time to compose himself before they reached their building. Then, and only then, would he be able to make it up to his boyfriend. Hopefully Alfie would forgive him.

By the time Alfie parked his car, Jake was just exhausted and Alfie looked the same. Maybe a night apart would do them good, after two solid weeks together. When Jake suggested so, Alfie just looked sad, so Jake surged forward to kiss him, and then kissed him again until the tension bled out from Alfie’s body. That was better.

In his usual gentlemanly fashion, Alfie carried Jake’s bag into the building, along with his own.

“Thank you,” Jake blurted, once they’d started walking up the stairs.

“What for?”

“For being you. I don’t think I would’ve survived this week if you hadn’t been there,” Jake said quietly.

“Oh Jake,” Alfie said sadly.

Jake offered him a weak smile, desperate not to tear up again, earning a fond should bump.

“We can always visit later in the summer, when your momma has the first lot of her physical therapy done?” Alfie offered.

Jake gaped at him, mouth open slightly, eyes wide. Alfie…Alfie really wanted that?

“You mean that? You really want to go back? My brothers didn’t scare you off?” Jake said incredulously.

Alfie shook his head, laughing. “No, they didn’t scare me off. They might’ve threatened grievous bodily harm if I ever hurt you, but they didn’t scare me off,”

Well that was good.

Wait, grievous bodily harm? That had to be Greg. He’d definitely put money on Greg.

Alfie smiled even more at the relief on Jake’s face, laughing as it turned to suspicion.

“They’re your family, Jake, and they love you. Why wouldn’t I want to be around that?” Alfie said simply.

This man was perfect. He was ridiculously perfect.

“I just…thank you,” Jake sighed, smiling.

Alfie smiled back, wide and genuine. Jake’s heart melted a little.

They walked up the final set of stairs in content silence, until they reached Jake’s floor, where Alfie put their bags down.

“I know you want some space tonight, but can I see you before I go to work tomorrow?” Alfie asked hopefully.

Did Alfie really think, after all of this, that Jake didn’t want to spent more time with him?!

In answer, Jake just kissed him firmly, leaning up on his tiptoes slightly as he threw his arms around Alfie’s neck. Alfie laughed into his mouth, hands immediately clutching at Jake’s hips as Jake kissed him fiercely, matching Jake’s intensity.

“Really? Didn’t you get enough of that over the past two weeks?”

Gabe. Whoops. And damn it. Jake laughed as he stepped away, picking up his bag from the floor. Alfie just grinned, unashamed as he picked his own bag up.

“Thank you, again,” Jake said softly.

Alfie just smiled and pecked a gentle kiss to his lips before walking backwards. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

Jake just nodded, a stupid sappy smile on his lips now, watching his boyfriend walk up the stairs. Was it bad that he was going to miss the constant companionship he’d had with Alfie over the past two weeks?

Gabe whistled low at the expression on Jake’s face. “You two are the real deal now huh?

Was he that obvious? Actually, yeah he probably was.

And he wasn’t ashamed of that.

“Yeah, we are,” Jake nodded, smiling.