Collision chapter 41
Chapter 41
Luke woke just before ten o’clock, which gave him some time to get dressed and make coffee in anticipation of Kevin’s visit.
And surely, a few minutes after ten, the bell from the gate rang, indicating a visitor had arrived. Luke buzzed him in and moved to the front door to wait for Kevin outside.
He leaned against the door frame, looking down the driveway expecting Kevin’s yellow Ferrari to speed up to the house.
But what he saw was an old blue Honda moving slowly towards him. He cringed a little, knowing how much Kevin loved his car. He probably had to sell it to help cover his debts.
Luke walked down the few steps to greet Kevin when he got out of his car.
“Hey man.” Luke said, shielding his eyes from the sun with one hand and holding out the other for Kevin to shake.
“Hey.” Kevin said shortly, grabbing Luke’s hand and shaking it quickly. He released Luke’s hand and stepped back.
Luke furrowed his brow. It wasn’t like Kevin to be so short.
He nodded towards the house and said, “Let’s get inside.” He turned and moved up the stairs quickly.
Once inside, Luke made both of them a cup of coffee and they went outside to sit on the huge balcony, enjoying the morning sun.
They stared into the distance, each with their own thoughts. After a few minutes, Luke cleared his throat and looked at Kevin.
“So… Do you want to talk about it?” He asked. He wasn’t sure if that was the reason Kevin wanted to meet up with him, so he decided to just ask.
Kevin still stared right ahead. “Talk about what exactly?”
Luke gestured with his hand. “About why you were arrested? What’s going on Kevin?”
It took Kevin a few minutes to answer.
“I’m a gambler. Always have been. But lately it’s gotten out of control. I thought I could handle it, but-.” He stood up abruptly and started pacing.
“I lost money, Luke. Serious money.”
“How serious?” Luke didn’t think it could be that bad; Kevin pulled in a very decent pay check. Not as much as Luke, but he still made millions a year.
“Millions. A lot of millions.”
Luke let the information sink in for a moment. “It that why you were arrested for tax fraud?”
“I have never paid the amount of taxes I should. I think it’s ridiculous how much taxes we pay. And I got away with it for years.” He gave Luke a sly grin. “I had better use for that money.”
“But you didn’t get away with it, Kevin. I’m sure if they found out about recent years, they will dig into earlier years too.”
Kevin stopped pacing and stood in front of Luke, forcing Luke to look up to him.
“I don’t have the kind of money I need to pay the taxes or the people I owe money to. And frankly, I’m more concerned about them than about the government.”
“What do you mean?” Luke asked slowly.
Kevin inhaled sharply. “They made it very clear that I don’t pay up soon they will find ways to hurt me or my family or.., my friends.”
Luke looked at him incredulously. “You make it sound like you owe money to the mob or something. I’m sorry, but this sounds like a very bad movie, Kevin.”
“I know, I know. But trust me, it isn’t. I can’t tell you much about it, but these guys are… well, they’re criminals. And they don’t shy away from violence.”
Luke shifted in his chair uncomfortably. “Why are you telling me this?”
Kevin sat down on his hunches in front of Luke, looking Luke straight in the eye.
“I need money, Luke.” He said.
“You want me to loan you money?” Luke asked, not sure if he was understanding what Kevin was saying.
“No.” Kevin said, while putting a hand on Luke’s knee. “I want you to give me the money I need.”
Luke looked down at Kevin’s hand on his knee and suddenly felt threatened. He pushed Kevin’s hand away and stood up and walked a few feet away from Kevin.
“Why should I just give you money? You can’t just come here and demand I give you millions of dollars. That’s insane!” He said, raising his voice in growing anger.
Suddenly Luke realised something.
“Is this what you wanted to talk to me about, back in June? Right before the accident? Were you in trouble already then?”
Kevin stood there, staring at Luke before raising his chin. “Yes, it was. Being injured bought me some time, but not anymore.”
“Again, why should I just give you the money? You don’t even know if I have that kind of money.”
“Oh come on, Luke. Everyone knows how much money you make. You are the highest paid soccer player in the world, that’s just common knowledge.” He gestured around him. “You paid for this house in cash. You told me so yourself.”
Kevin took a few steps towards Luke.
“Even if I have access to that kind of money, why should I give it to you?” Luke didn’t move.
Kevin cocked his head. “Because I know stuff about you that I’m sure you don’t want to get out.”
Luke couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Are you threatening me?
Kevin didn’t even blink. He pretended to think about the question, furrowing his brow before looking straight at Luke. “Yes, I guess I am.
Luke crossed his arms over his chest. “This should be good. What kind of stuff do you think you know about me that I don’t want to get out?”
“Remember the last time I was here, in February?” Luke nodded.
“You really shouldn’t leave your phone and Ipad unattended, you never know who might want to take a peek.” Kevin smiled an evil smile.
“I assume you wanted to take a peek.” Luke said, still not knowing where Kevin was going with this.
Kevin took a few steps towards Luke and leaned forward to breathe in Luke’s ear.
“Let’s just say that, based on the porn I found, I think the reason you’re single is that you’re into guys.”
Luke jerked his head back to get away from Kevin.
“Well, that’s hardly a secret now is it? I know you’ve been out of the loop because of the accident, but I thought you would have caught up by now. “
Kevin stared at him, his face blank. “What?”
“I mean, I told the team during the Championships, before our last match, that I am, in fact, gay. They all know, Kevin.” Now it was Luke’s turn to lean close to Kevin.
“But the fact that you thought you could blackmail me with it disgusts me. I thought we were friends, Kevin. Good friends. I really don’t know what I did to make you treat me this way.” There was anger and disappointment in Luke’s voice.
Luke turned and went back into the house and after a few moments Kevin followed him.
“So maybe the team knows, but I haven’t read anything about it in the press. Only speculation, Luke. I’m sure you don’t want the public to know that their hero, their soccer god, likes to suck cock, do you?”
Luke stopped walking and turned to face Kevin once more. “You would do that to me? You would deliberately try to ruin my life? My career? Why?”
Kevin didn’t have it in him to look into Luke’s eyes at this point. “I don’t want to.” Desperation was evident in his voice.
“Then why?”
Kevin shrugged. “I need money. A lot of money. And since you’re not denying that it’s true, I’m guessing you’re going to give it to me.”
Luke’s eyes immediately turned cold and his face hardened. “I’m not denying or confirming anything. I think we’re done here. You can leave. Now.”
“Think again Luke. I’m not joking around, if you don’t give me the money, then-“
“I don’t care. Leave, before I do something I might regret.” Luke clenched his fists, trying to remain in control and not physically attack his former friend.
“Luke, please-.” Kevin started to beg.
“No. You ruined every chance of me giving or even loaning you any money with your ridiculous threats. Now go.” Luke wanted to walk away, but didn’t trust Kevin to leave his house on his own. So he stood there and watched Kevin walk away, his shoulders slumped. It wasn’t until he heard the front door close with a bang that he allowed himself to give in to the emotions that were running through him.
He collapsed onto the couch and buried his head in his hands. What was Kevin going to do?
The demands and threats that Kevin made hurt him more than he wanted to admit. They had been friends, they hung out, Luke had even invited him into his home. Luke was always very careful who he invited, but he had trusted Kevin.
But now the remarks, the looks, it all made sense. Kevin knew. And so far he hadn’t told anyone. But now, he needed serious money. Luke believed that, for the right amount of money, Kevin would sell his story to the tabloids.
Reid, I need Reid.
Not bothering with the time difference, he pulled out his phone and called Reid. To Luke’s disappointment, it went straight to voicemail. Fuck!
Luke got up and started pacing. He knew there was really only one thing he could do. But he needed to talk to Reid about it. Luke abruptly stopped pacing when his phone rang.
“Reid?”
“Yeah, hey. It’s me.”
“Where are you?”
“I’m at the hospital, I was called in for emergency surgery. I just got out and saw that you called. Is there something wrong?”
Luke let out a dry laugh. “You could say that.”
“What? Are you hurt? What happened?” The worry was evident in Reid’s voice.
“No, I’m fine, I’m not hurt. Well, not physically anyway.” Luke tried to reassure Reid, but failed spectacularly.
“Okay. Talk to me.” Reid walked into his office and shut the door. For Luke to be calling him in the middle of the night something big must have happened.
Luke took a deep breath. “I talked to Kevin this morning. He just left.”
“And?” Reid asked impatiently.
So Luke continued and told him everything that happened that morning between him and Kevin.
When Reid heard about Kevin’s threats, he cursed out loud. “Son of a bitch!”
After hearing the whole story, he didn’t really know what to say to Luke.
“What are you going to do?” He asked, wanting nothing more than to wrap Luke into his arms and keep him safe from everything and everyone that might hurt him.
Luke sighed. “Well, I think there is only one thing I can do, don’t you?”
“Meaning?” Reid didn’t know for sure if he understood what Luke was saying.
“There’s this magazine here in Spain, the biggest in the country and they’ve been asking me for an interview for ages. I think I’m going to agree to give it to them.”
“And tell them what exactly?” Reid asked cautiously.
“Uhm.. everything?” Luke said, hoping Reid would understand what he meant.
“Define ‘everything’, Luke.” Reid asked again.
Luke started pacing again. “Everything about me being gay. I’m even prepared to admit that I’m in a relationship, but I won’t give them your name. I promise.”
Reid swallowed. Even though he had always wanted Luke to come out and stop hiding who he was, this was definitely not the way he wanted it to happen.
“God, Luke. This is- I can’t believe that asshole would do this to you. If I had known what he was up to, I wouldn’t have fixed him.” He didn’t have an opinion on Kevin before, he didn’t care, but now he hated him with everything he had.
“Yeah, you would have. You’re a doctor, you fix people. No matter how bad of a person they are.” Luke smiled, in spite of everything.
Reid just grunted. He knew Luke was right, but didn’t want to admit it.
“Luke, if you’re really going to do this, you can tell them my name. I don’t care and neither does my family. You know that. I don’t want you to feel like you still have to hide something.” He said in stead.
Luke felt a warm feeling spread through his body upon hearing Reid’s words. “Are you sure?” He asked softly. “Because-“
“I’m sure.” Reid cut him off. “I only wish I was there right now, with you. I’m sorry you have to go through this alone.”
“But I’m not alone. I have you even though you’re not here.” Luke paused for a moment.
“I love you. I love you so much.” He said, his emotions almost taking him over.
Reid closed his eyes, he felt Luke’s emotions and his own were just as strong. “I love you too.”
Luke cleared his throat, composing himself. “I better go call my dad and grandmother, let them know what’s coming.”
“Yeah, that’s probably a good idea.” Reid hesitated a moment before asking, “Have you heard from your mother?”
Luke shook his head. “No. She’s not going to take his well.” He said sadly.
“I’m sorry, Luke.” Reid said sincerely.
Luke shrugged. “It’s not your fault. I can’t sit around and wait for her to accept me for who I am. It hurts, but there’s nothing I can do about it.”
“I know, but still…” Reid trailed off.
“Okay, I have some calls to make. I’m gonna get to it. You go home and rest.” Luke said.
“I’ll do that.” Reid promised. “Let me know how everything goes, okay?”
“I will. I miss you, Reid.”
“I miss you too.” Reid admitted easily. “Take care of yourself for me.”
Luke promised to do so and he ended the call after a quick goodbye. He stared at the ceiling. This was it. He was going to come out of the closet and admit he was in a relationship with a man. How different was his life going to be after everyone knew the truth about Luke Snyder, soccer legend?
*
Luke woke just before ten o’clock, which gave him some time to get dressed and make coffee in anticipation of Kevin’s visit.
And surely, a few minutes after ten, the bell from the gate rang, indicating a visitor had arrived. Luke buzzed him in and moved to the front door to wait for Kevin outside.
He leaned against the door frame, looking down the driveway expecting Kevin’s yellow Ferrari to speed up to the house.
But what he saw was an old blue Honda moving slowly towards him. He cringed a little, knowing how much Kevin loved his car. He probably had to sell it to help cover his debts.
Luke walked down the few steps to greet Kevin when he got out of his car.
“Hey man.” Luke said, shielding his eyes from the sun with one hand and holding out the other for Kevin to shake.
“Hey.” Kevin said shortly, grabbing Luke’s hand and shaking it quickly. He released Luke’s hand and stepped back.
Luke furrowed his brow. It wasn’t like Kevin to be so short.
He nodded towards the house and said, “Let’s get inside.” He turned and moved up the stairs quickly.
Once inside, Luke made both of them a cup of coffee and they went outside to sit on the huge balcony, enjoying the morning sun.
They stared into the distance, each with their own thoughts. After a few minutes, Luke cleared his throat and looked at Kevin.
“So… Do you want to talk about it?” He asked. He wasn’t sure if that was the reason Kevin wanted to meet up with him, so he decided to just ask.
Kevin still stared right ahead. “Talk about what exactly?”
Luke gestured with his hand. “About why you were arrested? What’s going on Kevin?”
It took Kevin a few minutes to answer.
“I’m a gambler. Always have been. But lately it’s gotten out of control. I thought I could handle it, but-.” He stood up abruptly and started pacing.
“I lost money, Luke. Serious money.”
“How serious?” Luke didn’t think it could be that bad; Kevin pulled in a very decent pay check. Not as much as Luke, but he still made millions a year.
“Millions. A lot of millions.”
Luke let the information sink in for a moment. “It that why you were arrested for tax fraud?”
“I have never paid the amount of taxes I should. I think it’s ridiculous how much taxes we pay. And I got away with it for years.” He gave Luke a sly grin. “I had better use for that money.”
“But you didn’t get away with it, Kevin. I’m sure if they found out about recent years, they will dig into earlier years too.”
Kevin stopped pacing and stood in front of Luke, forcing Luke to look up to him.
“I don’t have the kind of money I need to pay the taxes or the people I owe money to. And frankly, I’m more concerned about them than about the government.”
“What do you mean?” Luke asked slowly.
Kevin inhaled sharply. “They made it very clear that I don’t pay up soon they will find ways to hurt me or my family or.., my friends.”
Luke looked at him incredulously. “You make it sound like you owe money to the mob or something. I’m sorry, but this sounds like a very bad movie, Kevin.”
“I know, I know. But trust me, it isn’t. I can’t tell you much about it, but these guys are… well, they’re criminals. And they don’t shy away from violence.”
Luke shifted in his chair uncomfortably. “Why are you telling me this?”
Kevin sat down on his hunches in front of Luke, looking Luke straight in the eye.
“I need money, Luke.” He said.
“You want me to loan you money?” Luke asked, not sure if he was understanding what Kevin was saying.
“No.” Kevin said, while putting a hand on Luke’s knee. “I want you to give me the money I need.”
Luke looked down at Kevin’s hand on his knee and suddenly felt threatened. He pushed Kevin’s hand away and stood up and walked a few feet away from Kevin.
“Why should I just give you money? You can’t just come here and demand I give you millions of dollars. That’s insane!” He said, raising his voice in growing anger.
Suddenly Luke realised something.
“Is this what you wanted to talk to me about, back in June? Right before the accident? Were you in trouble already then?”
Kevin stood there, staring at Luke before raising his chin. “Yes, it was. Being injured bought me some time, but not anymore.”
“Again, why should I just give you the money? You don’t even know if I have that kind of money.”
“Oh come on, Luke. Everyone knows how much money you make. You are the highest paid soccer player in the world, that’s just common knowledge.” He gestured around him. “You paid for this house in cash. You told me so yourself.”
Kevin took a few steps towards Luke.
“Even if I have access to that kind of money, why should I give it to you?” Luke didn’t move.
Kevin cocked his head. “Because I know stuff about you that I’m sure you don’t want to get out.”
Luke couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Are you threatening me?
Kevin didn’t even blink. He pretended to think about the question, furrowing his brow before looking straight at Luke. “Yes, I guess I am.
Luke crossed his arms over his chest. “This should be good. What kind of stuff do you think you know about me that I don’t want to get out?”
“Remember the last time I was here, in February?” Luke nodded.
“You really shouldn’t leave your phone and Ipad unattended, you never know who might want to take a peek.” Kevin smiled an evil smile.
“I assume you wanted to take a peek.” Luke said, still not knowing where Kevin was going with this.
Kevin took a few steps towards Luke and leaned forward to breathe in Luke’s ear.
“Let’s just say that, based on the porn I found, I think the reason you’re single is that you’re into guys.”
Luke jerked his head back to get away from Kevin.
“Well, that’s hardly a secret now is it? I know you’ve been out of the loop because of the accident, but I thought you would have caught up by now. “
Kevin stared at him, his face blank. “What?”
“I mean, I told the team during the Championships, before our last match, that I am, in fact, gay. They all know, Kevin.” Now it was Luke’s turn to lean close to Kevin.
“But the fact that you thought you could blackmail me with it disgusts me. I thought we were friends, Kevin. Good friends. I really don’t know what I did to make you treat me this way.” There was anger and disappointment in Luke’s voice.
Luke turned and went back into the house and after a few moments Kevin followed him.
“So maybe the team knows, but I haven’t read anything about it in the press. Only speculation, Luke. I’m sure you don’t want the public to know that their hero, their soccer god, likes to suck cock, do you?”
Luke stopped walking and turned to face Kevin once more. “You would do that to me? You would deliberately try to ruin my life? My career? Why?”
Kevin didn’t have it in him to look into Luke’s eyes at this point. “I don’t want to.” Desperation was evident in his voice.
“Then why?”
Kevin shrugged. “I need money. A lot of money. And since you’re not denying that it’s true, I’m guessing you’re going to give it to me.”
Luke’s eyes immediately turned cold and his face hardened. “I’m not denying or confirming anything. I think we’re done here. You can leave. Now.”
“Think again Luke. I’m not joking around, if you don’t give me the money, then-“
“I don’t care. Leave, before I do something I might regret.” Luke clenched his fists, trying to remain in control and not physically attack his former friend.
“Luke, please-.” Kevin started to beg.
“No. You ruined every chance of me giving or even loaning you any money with your ridiculous threats. Now go.” Luke wanted to walk away, but didn’t trust Kevin to leave his house on his own. So he stood there and watched Kevin walk away, his shoulders slumped. It wasn’t until he heard the front door close with a bang that he allowed himself to give in to the emotions that were running through him.
He collapsed onto the couch and buried his head in his hands. What was Kevin going to do?
The demands and threats that Kevin made hurt him more than he wanted to admit. They had been friends, they hung out, Luke had even invited him into his home. Luke was always very careful who he invited, but he had trusted Kevin.
But now the remarks, the looks, it all made sense. Kevin knew. And so far he hadn’t told anyone. But now, he needed serious money. Luke believed that, for the right amount of money, Kevin would sell his story to the tabloids.
Reid, I need Reid.
Not bothering with the time difference, he pulled out his phone and called Reid. To Luke’s disappointment, it went straight to voicemail. Fuck!
Luke got up and started pacing. He knew there was really only one thing he could do. But he needed to talk to Reid about it. Luke abruptly stopped pacing when his phone rang.
“Reid?”
“Yeah, hey. It’s me.”
“Where are you?”
“I’m at the hospital, I was called in for emergency surgery. I just got out and saw that you called. Is there something wrong?”
Luke let out a dry laugh. “You could say that.”
“What? Are you hurt? What happened?” The worry was evident in Reid’s voice.
“No, I’m fine, I’m not hurt. Well, not physically anyway.” Luke tried to reassure Reid, but failed spectacularly.
“Okay. Talk to me.” Reid walked into his office and shut the door. For Luke to be calling him in the middle of the night something big must have happened.
Luke took a deep breath. “I talked to Kevin this morning. He just left.”
“And?” Reid asked impatiently.
So Luke continued and told him everything that happened that morning between him and Kevin.
When Reid heard about Kevin’s threats, he cursed out loud. “Son of a bitch!”
After hearing the whole story, he didn’t really know what to say to Luke.
“What are you going to do?” He asked, wanting nothing more than to wrap Luke into his arms and keep him safe from everything and everyone that might hurt him.
Luke sighed. “Well, I think there is only one thing I can do, don’t you?”
“Meaning?” Reid didn’t know for sure if he understood what Luke was saying.
“There’s this magazine here in Spain, the biggest in the country and they’ve been asking me for an interview for ages. I think I’m going to agree to give it to them.”
“And tell them what exactly?” Reid asked cautiously.
“Uhm.. everything?” Luke said, hoping Reid would understand what he meant.
“Define ‘everything’, Luke.” Reid asked again.
Luke started pacing again. “Everything about me being gay. I’m even prepared to admit that I’m in a relationship, but I won’t give them your name. I promise.”
Reid swallowed. Even though he had always wanted Luke to come out and stop hiding who he was, this was definitely not the way he wanted it to happen.
“God, Luke. This is- I can’t believe that asshole would do this to you. If I had known what he was up to, I wouldn’t have fixed him.” He didn’t have an opinion on Kevin before, he didn’t care, but now he hated him with everything he had.
“Yeah, you would have. You’re a doctor, you fix people. No matter how bad of a person they are.” Luke smiled, in spite of everything.
Reid just grunted. He knew Luke was right, but didn’t want to admit it.
“Luke, if you’re really going to do this, you can tell them my name. I don’t care and neither does my family. You know that. I don’t want you to feel like you still have to hide something.” He said in stead.
Luke felt a warm feeling spread through his body upon hearing Reid’s words. “Are you sure?” He asked softly. “Because-“
“I’m sure.” Reid cut him off. “I only wish I was there right now, with you. I’m sorry you have to go through this alone.”
“But I’m not alone. I have you even though you’re not here.” Luke paused for a moment.
“I love you. I love you so much.” He said, his emotions almost taking him over.
Reid closed his eyes, he felt Luke’s emotions and his own were just as strong. “I love you too.”
Luke cleared his throat, composing himself. “I better go call my dad and grandmother, let them know what’s coming.”
“Yeah, that’s probably a good idea.” Reid hesitated a moment before asking, “Have you heard from your mother?”
Luke shook his head. “No. She’s not going to take his well.” He said sadly.
“I’m sorry, Luke.” Reid said sincerely.
Luke shrugged. “It’s not your fault. I can’t sit around and wait for her to accept me for who I am. It hurts, but there’s nothing I can do about it.”
“I know, but still…” Reid trailed off.
“Okay, I have some calls to make. I’m gonna get to it. You go home and rest.” Luke said.
“I’ll do that.” Reid promised. “Let me know how everything goes, okay?”
“I will. I miss you, Reid.”
“I miss you too.” Reid admitted easily. “Take care of yourself for me.”
Luke promised to do so and he ended the call after a quick goodbye. He stared at the ceiling. This was it. He was going to come out of the closet and admit he was in a relationship with a man. How different was his life going to be after everyone knew the truth about Luke Snyder, soccer legend?
*