Forever Love, Inc. - 11/12
11/REID
In the void left by Luke’s departure, Reid’s fists curled at his sides. He had never been a violent man by nature, and fistfights weren’t exactly a recommended pastime for a man whose career depended on his manual dexterity, but never had the range of potential metacarpal fractures seemed so appealing as they did now, at the thought of earning them in the process of breaking Noah Mayer’s generous nose.
Reid leveled a positively blistering glare at the dark-haired young man. “I’ve met some prize jackasses in this town,” he said, “but you and Fashion Scarf Ken here are in a class by yourselves.”
Noah’s face darkened with temper as he turned his head to look at Reid. “Who the hell are you?” he asked truculently.
Reid smiled at the question, the curl of his mouth as sharp and cutting as a shark bite. “I’m the man who’s going to make sure you never have the chance to take back the gift you just threw away.”
With one final glare at the unrepentant duo, Reid turned to follow after Luke-but he was still a few steps away from the outside entrance when he heard a voice calling after him.
“Dr. Oliver,” Bob Hughes queried, bustling over to intercept him, “you’re not thinking about sneaking out, are you? There won’t be much of a program without our keynote speaker.”
Reid made a discomfited face. “Look, Bob-o,” he said, “I have something I need to take care of. I’ll… be back when I’m back.”
Alarm settled over the older man’s features. “Reid,” he said gravely, “they’re guiding everyone to their seats now; we’re about to start the program. Whatever else you need to do will just have to wait.”
Reid looked back and forth between his Chief of Staff and the open entranceway through which Luke had disappeared, but there was no real decision to be made. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the stack of note cards on which he’d meticulously transcribed his notes for the speech.
“Here,” he said, shoving the note cards into Bob’s hand. “Those are my notes, and Dr. Carter’s over there.” He gestured at a nearby alcove, where the sandy-haired orthopedic surgeon was blatantly schmoozing a man Reid thought might be one of the hospital trustees. “If he’s so damned special, why don’t you have him do it? Right now I have somewhere more important to be.”
And then Reid was off, with barely enough time to puzzle over the oddly beaming smile he’d left on Bob Hughes’ wizened face.
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Reid hit the parking lot at a near-sprint, expecting to arrive only to find Luke’s nondescript hybrid peeling off into the distance-but the parking lot was quiet, and a moment’s survey of the area turned up a solitary figure in a white suit, seated on a bench near the club’s vacant driving range. He hurriedly made his way over to the Luke’s side.
“Hey,” he said softly, approaching with a few cautious steps.
Luke jumped from his seat as if a firecracker had gone off beneath him. “Reid!” he cried, startled. Red color stained his cheeks and his eyes wavered uncertainly; then, the younger man lowered his head and curled his shoulders forward, as if trying to physically minimize his presence there.
“Reid, I…. I’m so sorry,” Luke said meekly. “I was supposed to be here to help you, but I couldn’t even go ten minutes without making exactly the kind of scene you were worried about. I… I can’t apologize enough for embarrassing you, I just… God, I’m such an idiot!” He broke off with a moan of self-reproach and threw himself back on the bench, burying his face in his hands.
“What?” Reid asked, in a strident voice. “No, you’re not; you’re… What are you apologizing for? Luke,” he said urgently, willing the young man to lift his bowed head. “Hey!”
Luke looked up from his hands, his eyes hovering somewhere in the vicinity of Reid’s chin, and Reid’s heart sputtered miserably in his chest. That damned look of shame was back again, and Reid found himself thinking somewhat melodramatically that he’d give his right hand if he could banish that look forever from Luke’s expressive eyes.
“Okay, first of all,” Reid said, “I don’t get embarrassed.” Reid’s shrug was intended to convey just how alien the concept was to him. “And second, you’re not the idiot, your boyfriend is. You trusted him to be honest with you, even if you were having problems, and instead he stepped all over that trust. If anyone should be ashamed right now, it’s him.”
Luke seemed as if he were having trouble believing the words of absolution; biting his lip, he flashed a penitent look up into Reid’s eyes before once again lowering his gaze the ground.
Reid stood there awkwardly for a moment, his stomach lodged in his throat in an agony of helpless concern. “Oh-kay,” he said slowly, scrambling for words that might lift the younger man’s spirits, “I guess you feel pretty bad right now, about the… boyfriend thing, but you know what they say about time healing all wounds, right? Except… yeah, that’s a stupid expression, because obviously if it’s a fatal wound, time isn’t going to heal anything. But that’s with physical wounds, and this is just an emotional one. I mean…” Reid cringed, “not that emotional wounds aren’t as important as physical ones, they’re just not as important… uh, medically speaking.”
Luke’s shoulders had begun to tremble, and Reid broke off from his attempted pep talk, a cold wash of dismay sweeping over him. “You’re not… Are you crying?” he asked, damning himself for his ineptitude.
Luke raised his head again, and Reid had a moment’s befuddlement over the tremulous smile on Luke’s face-only to realize the younger man was inexplicably struggling to contain the urge to laugh. The look of confusion that must have been gracing Reid’s face appeared only to add to the other man’s hilarity, as Luke collapsed into a peal of laughter.
“God, you’re terrible at making people feel better,” Luke gasped. “I mean, emotionally speaking, not medically, of course.” He let out another hearty laugh.
Reid considered taking offense, but he figured his goal had been to cheer Luke Snyder up, and so long as he’d achieved that goal, he supposed he could stand being the butt for a joke for a few moments. “You’re okay, then?” he asked.
“More than that,” Luke said, growing serious again, “I’m… relieved. Isn’t that horrible? I feel like a huge weight has been lifted from my shoulders. I’ve been struggling for weeks-months!-with the idea that Noah and I weren’t working, and fighting all the harder to keep us together because I thought it made me some kind of monster to just check out on a three-year relationship like that… and all this time he’s been screwing around on me.” Luke gave a snort of laughter. “Can you believe it? What a complete comedy!”
Reid felt a smile playing at the corner of his lips. “So… he didn’t break your heart, then?” he asked tentatively.
The blond lay a hand over the organ in question. “Still ticking, Dr. Oliver,” he reported dutifully, his voice warm with affection. He slid a few inches down along the bench, and patted the space beside him.
Reid was happy to take Luke up on the invitation, sitting gingerly next to him on the bench. The shadows were lengthening in the chilly summer night, but Reid could feel the warmth radiating from the man beside him.
“So,” Reid remarked with a deceptively casual air, directing his comment at the ground beneath them, “you’re a young, healthy gay man who’s just getting out of a long-term relationship. I guess you want to enjoy the single life for a while, sow some oats, work your way through a couple of rebound guys?”
Reid’s simple question was greeted with complete silence, and when he looked up again, he found Luke studying him with a deeply derisive eye. “In all the time you’ve known me,” Luke said, “what have I ever said or done to give you the impression that would appeal to me?
Reid conceded the point with a sheepish smile.
“You know, my dad-the adoptive one-is a horse trainer,” Luke went on, “and he always says when you fall off a horse, the best thing to do is get right back on one again. I’m a relationship kind of guy. I guess I just need to do a better job of choosing someone this time around.”
Reid cleared his throat self-consciously. “You know, I have some experience with matchmaking,” he offered. “Maybe I could help. Have you made a list of criteria?”
“Criteria?” Luke asked, with a quick smile. He looked up at the evening sky with the air of a man in deep thought. “Hmmm… Well, first of all, I think I’d like someone a little bit older than I am. Not too old, of course, just… maybe five or six years?” He turned a sideways glance at Reid, as if examining his reaction to the suggestion.
“I’d say ten or twelve years,” Reid said scrupulously. “You want someone who’s been around long enough to appreciate his good fortune in finding you.”
Luke turned on the bench to face Reid, laying an arm on the back of the bench behind him. “And after this fiasco with Noah,” he continued, “I think honesty is at the top of my list. I want the kind of person who tells it like it is, even if the truth may upset people.”
Reid shifted in his seat, pressing his side up against Luke’s arm on the bench. “Politeness is overrated,” Reid agreed, scooting a bit closer to the younger man.
Luke’s fingers began tracing patterns almost unconsciously along Reid’s shoulder. “I think it might be nice to find someone who’s established in his career,” he added, his eyes holding Reid’s, “but even if his work is very important, I hope he’d make an effort to manage his schedule so that we can spend some time together? I don’t want to be a boyfriend in theory only.”
“That… could be arranged,” Reid said hesitantly. “But I hope you’d be a bit patient with… him. Even with good intentions, sometimes work can be demanding.”
“Well, it’s quality, not quantity, that matters,” Luke conceded. A twinkle of merriment lit his fathomless eyes. “For example, I’d expect him to be wildly romantic. Roses on Valentine’s Day, dinner and dancing on my birthday, a gift or a card sometimes just to show he cares, and not tied to any special occasion.”
Reid drew back at that. “What are you, a teenage girl?” he mocked. “Do you also want a lock of his hair so you can put it in a heart-shaped locket that you wear everywhere?”
“Reid!” Luke said, with a glare of feigned disapproval. He gave Reid a pinch on his shoulder, then just as swiftly soothed the wounded area with a slow massaging motion. “I’m not asking for the world,” he clarified, his eyed searching Reid’s intently, “just a few simple gestures to let me know I’m important to him.”
“All right, all right,” Reid surrendered grudgingly. “Flowers, dinner, and a bunch of big gooey greeting cards just because you’re you. Check.”
“Also,” Luke said, a mischievous grin tugging at his lips. “I like my men to be big and brawny, like that bodybuilder you dated. In fact, maybe if I’m still searching when he comes back from Minnesota, I’ll give him a call.”
Reid felt as if a cruel fist had crushed the seed of hope in his chest before it had even flowered to life. “You what-?” he exclaimed, bristling with a combination of hurt and anger. “If your think your forever love is a muscle-bound meathead like that, you’re not nearly as intelligent as I thought you were! Physical attributes are one thing, but sooner or later, you’re gonna want to have a conversation that involves more than grunts and crude hand gestures! You can’t honestly…”
In some corner of Reid’s mind, he was aware that Luke had called his name several times, but it wasn’t until Luke’s hand reached up and cupped Reid’s face tenderly that Reid broke off from his wounded tirade. He focused in on Luke’s face with a mixture of disappointment and confusion.
“Reid!” Luke said again, softly. “I was just joking; I’m sorry. I really don’t want a muscle-bound idiot like that.”
“Oh,” Reid said, the rush of hot air from his lungs leaving him feeling a bit deflated. “Well, what kind of idiot do you want, then?”
In response, Luke lunged forward to press his lips against Reid’s. Luke’s hand slid behind Reid’s neck, and Reid’s hands found Luke’s waist, and for a moment the only sounds Reid could hear were the thundering of his own heart and the low murmur of pleasure Luke made when Reid opened his mouth to deepen the kiss.
When Reid finally pulled back again, gasping from a combination of breathlessness and surprise, Luke met his dazed eyes with a smile-a wide, joyful grin that sent sparks dancing in Luke’s eyes and cast a wonderful glow to his skin.
“I want an idiot like you,” Luke replied.
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