Of Honesty And Denial
Chapter 1
Mikey groaned as he pushed himself out of bed to answer the door. He pulled on a t-shirt and glanced at the clock on his bedside table. 6:37 AM. Even the birds weren’t awake yet. Who the hell could be knocking this early? Even Verilyn didn’t usually come over until 7:15. Whoever was at the door was responsible for interrupting a very, very pleasant dream.
“Yeah, yeah, I’m coming,” he grumbled as the early morning nuisance knocked again. As he feebly pulled his apartment door open, the visitor dropped his suitcase and swung his arms around the college sophomore. Mikey screamed like a girl. “Oh my God!”
The visitor dropped him and took a good look. “Baby brother,” he said with a smile playing over his pale features. “My how you’ve grown.” The visitor frowned when he received no response. “Hey there, Mike. Look alive.” He slapped Mikey softly across the face.
It was then that Mike properly opened his eyes and hung his mouth open in disbelief as realized what was going on. “Guh…Guh…” he said cleverly. “Joo…Gerard!” He threw himself back into his older brother’s arms with an ecstatic laugh. “I can’t believe you’re here! I thought you were leaving Jersey to get a job!” He rambled happily as he poured some coffee for himself and his brother.
Gerard helped himself to toast with a goofy grin. “I knew you’d be happy to see me.” He looked around the apartment. “And you’re clean. That’s just weird, man.”
Mikey looked sheepish as he sat down at the table with Gerard. “Yeah, long story Gee. In a nutshell, my girlfriend’s parents were over last week and since then, well, I haven’t exactly been the same.” The older man nodded knowingly. He’d been through all that. “So why’re you here?”
It was Gerard’s turn to look sheepish. “I got kicked out. I couldn’t pay rent or bills or anything.”
“I thought you were on vacation?”
“I was supposed to be. I used up my funds on a week’s worth of doing whatever the hell I wanted to in New York. I was totally dry by the time I got back, so I’ve been staying at Ray’s place while job hunting.”
Mike raised an eyebrow. “And he let you?” He knew for a fact what an awful houseguest his brother was.
Gerard coughed into his mug. “There were some, uh, issues. But it all worked out in the end.” The younger Way brother decided not to pursue the subject. Gerard was a little touchy about Ray, especially after The Incident. “Anyway, I finally got a job a few days ago and Ray kicked me out. Besides, your place is closer.”
“Once again, I thought you were leaving Jersey to get a job.”
Gerard shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. “It didn’t work out. But I got a cool job anyway.”
“What is it then?” Mikey took a long gulp of his coffee.
“I officially work in the comic book industry!” Gerard smiled with all his teeth. “Just like I always wanted. Nana would be pleased.”
“She would be.” The alarm clock in the bedroom began to beep annoyingly. “Hang on,” Mikey turned off the alarm and poured himself some more coffee. “Its seven,” he grumbled. He did not want to cut his chitchat with Gerard so short. He barely arrived a half hour ago! “I have to take a shower, Gee.”
Gerard set his coffee cup in the sink. “You do that. Where do I put my stuff?”
“Just put it in my room.” The younger man closed the bathroom door. It was great to his older brother again. He just knew they’d have a blast living together. Verilyn would just love him. She adored those artist types and she’d kill just to analyze him. Mikey rolled his eyes at this thought. Psychology majors. Always analyzing. But his life really would be perfect now. He had the perfect girl and now his brother, the one person he loved more than anyone else would be here with him.
Mikey relaxed as the hot water hit his back. Perfect mornings. Perfect showers. Perfect. As he stepped out of the shower and turned the water off, he realized that perhaps something was not perfect—two high-pitched screams sounded from the living room. Quickly wrapping a towel around his waist, he rushed out to see what was happening.
He looked from Gerard to Verilyn and they both looked back at him with strangely amusing fear written on their faces. Gerard had a lamp in his hands, raised over his heads as though he were going to attack Verilyn. Verilyn was using her laptop as a shield, holding it in front of her face.
Unable to help himself, Mikey burst out laughing as he clutched onto his towel while trying to stay standing. “Oh my God,” he gasped, still laughing. “Oh God…” he collapsed into a fresh fit of laughter and fear turned into confusion. “You should see yourselves,” he managed to breathe as he calmed down, now holding the towel tight. “That was so hilarious.”
Gerard raised a shapely eyebrow. “We should see ourselves? Neither of us is wearing a towel.” Verilyn giggled. “Do you by any chance care to tell me who she is and how she just randomly burst into your apartment?”
Mikey held back more laughter and put an arm around Verilyn as she came to his side. “This is my girlfriend Verilyn. She has a key to my apartment; she didn’t break in.” Verilyn shook Gerard’s hand. “Verilyn, this is my older brother Gerard. I told you about him, right?”
“Only every single day,” Verilyn smiled. “It’s nice to finally meet you.”
“And it’s nice to know my brother’s not gay after all,” Gerard smirked. “You might want to put on some clothes Mikey.”
Mikey collapsed into a chair, exhausted from laughing. “I don’t know about that. I’m considering nudism. I might just wear a towel for the rest of my life.”
“I wouldn’t mind,” Verilyn said playfully. “Maybe you should get rid of the towel too.” She toyed with his still-wet hair.
“You know, Lyn, that might be the best idea you’ve ever had.”
Gerard pretended to puke, knowing that neither Mikey nor Verilyn was paying the least bit of attention. He cleared his throat when the girl moved into his younger brother’s lap. They blushed and looked up at him. “I’m…going to go take a shower,” he decided. “I have to be at work in twenty minutes. You two behave.” He smirked at them before going into the bathroom.
Mikey glanced at the kitchen clock ruefully as Verilyn got off him. He really did need to get dressed; it was time for school.
“Yeah, yeah, I’m coming,” he grumbled as the early morning nuisance knocked again. As he feebly pulled his apartment door open, the visitor dropped his suitcase and swung his arms around the college sophomore. Mikey screamed like a girl. “Oh my God!”
The visitor dropped him and took a good look. “Baby brother,” he said with a smile playing over his pale features. “My how you’ve grown.” The visitor frowned when he received no response. “Hey there, Mike. Look alive.” He slapped Mikey softly across the face.
It was then that Mike properly opened his eyes and hung his mouth open in disbelief as realized what was going on. “Guh…Guh…” he said cleverly. “Joo…Gerard!” He threw himself back into his older brother’s arms with an ecstatic laugh. “I can’t believe you’re here! I thought you were leaving Jersey to get a job!” He rambled happily as he poured some coffee for himself and his brother.
Gerard helped himself to toast with a goofy grin. “I knew you’d be happy to see me.” He looked around the apartment. “And you’re clean. That’s just weird, man.”
Mikey looked sheepish as he sat down at the table with Gerard. “Yeah, long story Gee. In a nutshell, my girlfriend’s parents were over last week and since then, well, I haven’t exactly been the same.” The older man nodded knowingly. He’d been through all that. “So why’re you here?”
It was Gerard’s turn to look sheepish. “I got kicked out. I couldn’t pay rent or bills or anything.”
“I thought you were on vacation?”
“I was supposed to be. I used up my funds on a week’s worth of doing whatever the hell I wanted to in New York. I was totally dry by the time I got back, so I’ve been staying at Ray’s place while job hunting.”
Mike raised an eyebrow. “And he let you?” He knew for a fact what an awful houseguest his brother was.
Gerard coughed into his mug. “There were some, uh, issues. But it all worked out in the end.” The younger Way brother decided not to pursue the subject. Gerard was a little touchy about Ray, especially after The Incident. “Anyway, I finally got a job a few days ago and Ray kicked me out. Besides, your place is closer.”
“Once again, I thought you were leaving Jersey to get a job.”
Gerard shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. “It didn’t work out. But I got a cool job anyway.”
“What is it then?” Mikey took a long gulp of his coffee.
“I officially work in the comic book industry!” Gerard smiled with all his teeth. “Just like I always wanted. Nana would be pleased.”
“She would be.” The alarm clock in the bedroom began to beep annoyingly. “Hang on,” Mikey turned off the alarm and poured himself some more coffee. “Its seven,” he grumbled. He did not want to cut his chitchat with Gerard so short. He barely arrived a half hour ago! “I have to take a shower, Gee.”
Gerard set his coffee cup in the sink. “You do that. Where do I put my stuff?”
“Just put it in my room.” The younger man closed the bathroom door. It was great to his older brother again. He just knew they’d have a blast living together. Verilyn would just love him. She adored those artist types and she’d kill just to analyze him. Mikey rolled his eyes at this thought. Psychology majors. Always analyzing. But his life really would be perfect now. He had the perfect girl and now his brother, the one person he loved more than anyone else would be here with him.
Mikey relaxed as the hot water hit his back. Perfect mornings. Perfect showers. Perfect. As he stepped out of the shower and turned the water off, he realized that perhaps something was not perfect—two high-pitched screams sounded from the living room. Quickly wrapping a towel around his waist, he rushed out to see what was happening.
He looked from Gerard to Verilyn and they both looked back at him with strangely amusing fear written on their faces. Gerard had a lamp in his hands, raised over his heads as though he were going to attack Verilyn. Verilyn was using her laptop as a shield, holding it in front of her face.
Unable to help himself, Mikey burst out laughing as he clutched onto his towel while trying to stay standing. “Oh my God,” he gasped, still laughing. “Oh God…” he collapsed into a fresh fit of laughter and fear turned into confusion. “You should see yourselves,” he managed to breathe as he calmed down, now holding the towel tight. “That was so hilarious.”
Gerard raised a shapely eyebrow. “We should see ourselves? Neither of us is wearing a towel.” Verilyn giggled. “Do you by any chance care to tell me who she is and how she just randomly burst into your apartment?”
Mikey held back more laughter and put an arm around Verilyn as she came to his side. “This is my girlfriend Verilyn. She has a key to my apartment; she didn’t break in.” Verilyn shook Gerard’s hand. “Verilyn, this is my older brother Gerard. I told you about him, right?”
“Only every single day,” Verilyn smiled. “It’s nice to finally meet you.”
“And it’s nice to know my brother’s not gay after all,” Gerard smirked. “You might want to put on some clothes Mikey.”
Mikey collapsed into a chair, exhausted from laughing. “I don’t know about that. I’m considering nudism. I might just wear a towel for the rest of my life.”
“I wouldn’t mind,” Verilyn said playfully. “Maybe you should get rid of the towel too.” She toyed with his still-wet hair.
“You know, Lyn, that might be the best idea you’ve ever had.”
Gerard pretended to puke, knowing that neither Mikey nor Verilyn was paying the least bit of attention. He cleared his throat when the girl moved into his younger brother’s lap. They blushed and looked up at him. “I’m…going to go take a shower,” he decided. “I have to be at work in twenty minutes. You two behave.” He smirked at them before going into the bathroom.
Mikey glanced at the kitchen clock ruefully as Verilyn got off him. He really did need to get dressed; it was time for school.