Always Attract (Chapter 16)
Title: Always Attract (Chapter 16)
Rating: G-NC-17
Word Count: 1,711
Chapter Summary: Luke runs into Noah
Notes: This takes place a month from the last chapter! Sorry I'm posting so late tonight. I just got home from my shift at the hospital. Hope you enjoy! <3
One Month Later
Luke had never really thought of Oakdale as a strange place before, but the more he thought about it, the more he was convinced that Oakdale wasn’t like anywhere else. Over the course of the past week, he pretty much convinced himself that Oakdale was cursed. Not only that, but if you were a resident of the town (even for a short while), you too, would also be cursed….for the rest of your life. He thought about the life he had had thus far; the events that had taken place. Then he thought about the other people in his life and the things that have happened with them. For some reason, before now, he never really thought about how everyone in this town had been so severely fucked before. He couldn’t believe that he had never realized it, but the events of the past week and the past couple months finally sealed the deal for him. Oakdale was a Devil Town and once you’re an inhabitant of it, it’s impossible to escape the craziness. You’re trapped…..forever.
It was early Saturday morning and Luke decided he needed coffee. He had thrown himself into work at the foundation and found himself putting in about 60 hours a week. After a month it was finally starting to catch up to him. Mix that in with the emotional stress of the past week and he found himself having what he was pretty sure was the biggest migraine known to man. He needed caffeine and he needed it now. He walked into Java and strolled up to the counter and there he was. Noah.
“Hey Luke,” Noah said nervously.
“Hey Noah.”
“I haven’t seen you in awhile. Not since, well, you know.”
“Not since you broke up with me,” Luke said with a bit more attitude then he intended.
“Well, yeah.”
“Can I just have my usual please?”
“Sure.”
After Noah handed Luke his coffee, he went to a table in the corner to sit down. He pulled out his phone and began responding to some emails he hadn’t been able to get around to. Noah watched Luke from afar and couldn’t help notice that he seemed upset…and annoyed. He decided to go over there and see what was wrong, even if Luke didn’t want to talk to him.
“Luke,” Noah said as he sat down. “I know things ended between us, but I can still tell when something’s bothering you. What’s wrong?”
Luke looked up. He didn’t really want to do this, especially not with Noah, not right now, but the fact was, he did need to talk to someone. He felt like he was going crazy. He couldn’t talk to anyone in his family. Not about this. No one would really understand. Luke’s eyes started to water. Noah’s hand jerked forward on top of Luke’s.
“Luke, what’s wrong?” Luke pulled his hand away. “Sorry.”
“It’s fine Noah, I just….I don’t even know where to begin.”
“The beginning would be good.”
Luke flashed a quick smile. “Well let’s see. My mom’s in the hospital.”
“Oh my god, is Lily okay?”
“Yeah, she’ll be fine. It’s all Damian’s fault.”
“Damian? What did Damian do?”
“Apparently Damian knew the whole time that my dad was really alive.”
“What?” Noah said in disbelief.
“Yeah. He knew the DNA they had tested really didn’t belong to my dad, but he never said anything. He didn’t want us knowing that he was alive because he wanted him out of the way. He wanted to be the only one in my life and in my mom’s. He wanted her back and wanted to marry her and it worked like a fucking charm. We both fell for it. Everything he told me about how sorry he was when Holden had died. I should’ve known then, but I wanted to believe him. I wanted to think he really did care about how much pain I was in. He didn’t. It was all part of his manipulations. Then when dad did come back, he hated Damian. He hated the fact that him and mom were together now and I didn’t know what to do. Damian and me had started to get really close and I wouldn’t turn my back on him. It started to create a rift between me and my dad and it got to the point where I wouldn’t talk to him if he started to say anything about my mom or Damian. My dad’s always been such a good judge of character. I don’t know how I could’ve been so stupid. I mean, this was Damian. What did I expect?”
“Luke, there’s no way you could’ve known he would do something like that. I mean, Damian’s been great since he came back. He saved both of us. He finally accepted you’re gay. It seemed like he had really changed for you. I’m sure no one blames you for wanting to believe in him.”
“I still should’ve known better.”
“So, what does this mean? What’s going to happen?”
“That’s the thing. I don’t know. This past week Damian told me he was leaving. He said he had to go. I didn’t know why at the time. He told me he loved me. I didn’t want him to go. I finally felt like we were in a good place. He was something I could be proud of. He wouldn’t tell me why he had to leave, just that he didn’t know when he’d get to see me again and to just remember that everything he did was out of love; for me and for my mom. What a joke that turned out to be. And that wasn’t even the worst part.”
“There’s more?”
“Oh yeah. Aunt Meg had found out about what Damian did. Let’s see, and then they started sleeping with each other. He was trying to shut her up and was manipulating her. When she was going to spill the beans about everything, he tried to kill her and almost succeeded until my dad showed up. My mom was there and took quite a hit to the head. That’s why she’s in the hospital, my dad’s pissed off because he knew somehow Damian was partly responsible for his whole “death”, and I’m pretty sure my Aunt Meg is slowly starting to lose her mind….all thanks to him. Oh and to top all that off, I got a call yesterday and apparently Damian has left me Grimaldi Shipping to take care of while he’s hiding out from going to prison.”
“Wow. I don’t even know what to say to all that.”
“Yeah. I’m still not quite sure what to think of all of it myself.”
“I really thought Damian was okay. I mean, I know of the stories you told me in the past, but as long as I’ve known him, he’s been alright. Are you afraid he might try something again?”
“I don’t really know what Damian’s capable of anymore. As long as he’s free though, he can always cause more trouble. He’s still my father. I’m just not sure what I feel for him at the moment.”
“I know that feeling.”
“Yeah, I guess you would.”
“Maybe they’ll find him and him and my dad can share a cell.”
“Oh, I’m sure Colonel Mayer would love that. An every day constant reminder of something to do with me,” Luke smirked.
“I’m sorry.”
“Noah, you can’t help who your father is. Trust me, I know.”
“No, not about that. I’m sorry about how things ended with us.”
“Noah, we really don’t have to talk about this.”
“I was an idiot Luke.”
“I’m sorry, what?”
Luke was confused. Noah stared straight at him. “I should’ve never broken up with you. It was a huge mistake. I miss you Luke. I want you back.”
“Noah, what in the hell are you talking about?” Luke said in disbelief.
“Leaving you for Mason. God, it was just so stupid. I don’t even know what I was thinking. I wasn’t even really leaving you for him, I was just angry that you interfered when I told you nothing was going on. You didn’t have any trust in me.” Luke stared at Noah incredulously.
“Mason broke up with you didn’t he?”
Noah shook his head no and looked down. “We broke up with each other.”
“Uh-huh. And when did this happen?”
“A couple of weeks ago.”
“And by break up with each other, what does that mean? What actually happened to cause you two to end things?”
“We just realized that things had run its course. It was fun while it lasted, but that was it.”
Luke started fuming. “So, let me get this straight. You break up with me for not having enough trust in you, after I find you making out with your advisor in our living room. You have “fun” with him for a couple of months and then when he breaks up with you because I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that it wasn’t completely mutual, you decide that you miss me and you want me back?”
“Luke, I love you. I always have.”
Luke starts laughing. “Oh my god, I can’t believe you are actually doing this right now.”
“I’m just trying to be honest.”
“Honest? Okay, here’s some honesty for you. I think you suck. That may not be the most mature thing to say, but it’s what I think. You suck! You break up with me after I catch you cheating. You basically get used and then dumped and then when I need a friend during a time when I’m basically falling apart and need someone, you use it as an opportunity to try to get me back? Poor vulnerable Luke, right!? Now’s my chance. I’ll just swoop right in and take control like I always do. Well, newsflash Noah. I’m not your whipping boy! Not anymore!”
Luke picked up his coat and stormed out of Java, leaving a speechless Noah behind. It may have been a tad dramatic, but damn it, who the fuck did Noah think he was? Luke didn’t need a boyfriend, he needed a friend and once again, it was all about Noah. Well fuck that! I’m done!