[just_muse_me] 4.2.3. Fate
4.2.3. Do you believe in fate?
[Follows THIS]
Luke laughed and shook his head. “It was so not my turn to be Santa this year,” he protested. He swirled the last few mouthfuls of beer around in the bottle and then set it down on the step beside him. When a phone call from home had signalled on his cell phone, he’d excused himself outside so his voice wouldn’t wake Riley who was out like a light on the sofa complete with one arm and leg hanging off the side. Plus, he figured the conversation would no doubt turn to Tab, so he went outside so he could confide in his family without that nervous nip in his gut. “Red’s not my colour, anyway.”
“Oh, I don’t know, curly. I think you’d look cute with a pudgy belly and little red hat,” Luke’s oldest sister, Kara, teased. She had always been the one Luke was closest to; the one he’d go to first whenever he was in trouble and she’d bail him out without telling their parents. She was the one who caught him during his first experimentation with pot and when he’d ran his first car up the bar of a little old lady’s Volvo, she was there to assure him he didn’t suck. “We’ll miss you, you know, Lukie. But how can I possibly protest when it’s a love interest keeping you in America?”
Luke smiled, looking down at his shoes. “I’ll see you all a few weeks after Christmas, anyway. I want you all to meet her. She’s… well, she’s fantastic.”
“We’ll have Crownie and snag sandwich in your honour, curly,” Kara promised. She made a cooing sound down the phone. “Aww, is my baby brother in lurve? It must be serious if you’re staying in New York for Christmas with her.”
Luke couldn’t help but give a small, shy laugh. “I want it to be serious, but it’s only new. Things are going fast, but neither of us are freaking out about it and it feels right. I think it’s fate. It could’ve gone the complete opposite…” he admitted and scratched his arm. He’d felt more than a little awkward when the subject of Tab’s ex had come up that morning. It wasn’t like he was one of those irrational new boyfriends who couldn’t handle the notion there were any exes, but in a mere selfish moment on his part. He wanted to be able to enjoy Tab’s album and be abundantly proud of her for it without thinking about how he nearly missed his chance with her because of the ex every time he looked at the cover of it. Of course, he didn’t say anything like this to Tab. If she wanted her ex's art on the cover, who was he to even have an opinion in that?
“If it’s fate, poss, how could it have gone the complete opposite?” Kara asked rationally.
“Fate helped us meet,” Luke began, “but after that, it was all in our hands. She was just out a relationship and her brother-” He stopped and frowned. He wouldn’t have blamed Tab one bit if she pushed away any relationship during the tough times of Riley’s diagnosis. He was just glad she let him be there for her and catch her when she fell.
“Her brother…” Kara prompted, “threatened to cut your bollocks off if you hurt her? Disapproved? Hates your car? Wants you to be blond?”
Luke shook his head. “No, no… nothing like that. They’re twins. Extremely close with one of those cool twin bond type relationships. She calls him her second half and it really is like that. I mean, to look at them, you wouldn’t pick the twin thing, but when you look closer and see them together, it’s obvious. And it’s great. She doesn’t really need anyone other than her brother but I’m just glad she wants me…” He wet his lips and rearranged his shoe laces. “But there’s more.”
“So, he wouldn’t just threaten to cut your bollocks off, he would actually do it if you hurt her. Check.” Kara cleared her throat. “But she wants you and the twin approves… what’s the more, curly?”
“Do you remember when Zoë got the needlestick?” Luke murmured and realised then that he already cared for Riley by default of Tab. Witnessing the aftermath of the HIV diagnosis was painful and Luke felt nothing but helpless.
“Yeah, of course. It was nothing. There was never any real risk to her. You know she’s fine, right, poss?” Kara asked in concern. “What’s this got to do with your lady friend and her twin?”
Luke drew in breath and then let it out slowly. He sat back and pushed his hand through his hair. He didn’t expect his sister to judge the situation in any way, but it wasn’t the norm. It wasn’t the standard news one would call home about when talking about a new girlfriend. “Riley - her brother - is a doctor. He’s an ER doctor and he got a needlestick injury. Only, it wasn’t an accident like Zoë’s. He was attacked by a mentally ill patient wanting drugs and he was stabbed in the neck with a needle covered in dried blood.”
Kara was silent, the shock evident in her lack of an immediate answer. “But the chances are slim. He’ll be fine, Luke,” she tried to assure him.
“He’s not fine, Kar,” Luke mumbled.
“Oh… shit…”
Luke nodded. “He was in a car accident when he was sixteen and lost his spleen. It made him more susceptible to getting sick or something? Zoë would know that sort of shit. Anyway, about a week and half ago after waiting three months to find out, he got the HIV results back and found out he was Positive. It’s been… awful, basically. Riley has been extremely sick from side effects of the pile of pills he has to take four times a day. Tab has been beside herself because she hates seeing him hurt and is petrified of losing him. He’s not coping emotionally with any of it and that is affecting Tab, understandably.” He paused, trying to gather his thoughts. “But she called me and asked me to come. She said she needed me, so I’ve been here for her ever since. And you know me. I wouldn’t normally… stick around anywhere for very long.”
“What about you, poss? Are you okay?” Kara asked softly. “That’s a massive, massive thing to shoulder, Luke. Are you sure about this?”
“Yes,” Luke answered immediately with no hesitation. “I know it’s huge, sis. I’ve witnessed it. All I feel is helpless and wish I could offer more to them both, but I can’t. I can be here, though, and help when it’s needed. And I can take care of Tab when her brother isn’t strong enough to… I think I’m falling in love with her,” he admitted quietly.
Kara sighed softly. “Then it really must be fate, poss. You enjoy every minute,” she told him. “And don’t be scared of it this time, honey.”
Luke bit down on his lip. “I’m not. This time, it feels perfect.”
asinthecity & pullmysteth referenced with permission
Word Count | 1,188
[Follows THIS]
Luke laughed and shook his head. “It was so not my turn to be Santa this year,” he protested. He swirled the last few mouthfuls of beer around in the bottle and then set it down on the step beside him. When a phone call from home had signalled on his cell phone, he’d excused himself outside so his voice wouldn’t wake Riley who was out like a light on the sofa complete with one arm and leg hanging off the side. Plus, he figured the conversation would no doubt turn to Tab, so he went outside so he could confide in his family without that nervous nip in his gut. “Red’s not my colour, anyway.”
“Oh, I don’t know, curly. I think you’d look cute with a pudgy belly and little red hat,” Luke’s oldest sister, Kara, teased. She had always been the one Luke was closest to; the one he’d go to first whenever he was in trouble and she’d bail him out without telling their parents. She was the one who caught him during his first experimentation with pot and when he’d ran his first car up the bar of a little old lady’s Volvo, she was there to assure him he didn’t suck. “We’ll miss you, you know, Lukie. But how can I possibly protest when it’s a love interest keeping you in America?”
Luke smiled, looking down at his shoes. “I’ll see you all a few weeks after Christmas, anyway. I want you all to meet her. She’s… well, she’s fantastic.”
“We’ll have Crownie and snag sandwich in your honour, curly,” Kara promised. She made a cooing sound down the phone. “Aww, is my baby brother in lurve? It must be serious if you’re staying in New York for Christmas with her.”
Luke couldn’t help but give a small, shy laugh. “I want it to be serious, but it’s only new. Things are going fast, but neither of us are freaking out about it and it feels right. I think it’s fate. It could’ve gone the complete opposite…” he admitted and scratched his arm. He’d felt more than a little awkward when the subject of Tab’s ex had come up that morning. It wasn’t like he was one of those irrational new boyfriends who couldn’t handle the notion there were any exes, but in a mere selfish moment on his part. He wanted to be able to enjoy Tab’s album and be abundantly proud of her for it without thinking about how he nearly missed his chance with her because of the ex every time he looked at the cover of it. Of course, he didn’t say anything like this to Tab. If she wanted her ex's art on the cover, who was he to even have an opinion in that?
“If it’s fate, poss, how could it have gone the complete opposite?” Kara asked rationally.
“Fate helped us meet,” Luke began, “but after that, it was all in our hands. She was just out a relationship and her brother-” He stopped and frowned. He wouldn’t have blamed Tab one bit if she pushed away any relationship during the tough times of Riley’s diagnosis. He was just glad she let him be there for her and catch her when she fell.
“Her brother…” Kara prompted, “threatened to cut your bollocks off if you hurt her? Disapproved? Hates your car? Wants you to be blond?”
Luke shook his head. “No, no… nothing like that. They’re twins. Extremely close with one of those cool twin bond type relationships. She calls him her second half and it really is like that. I mean, to look at them, you wouldn’t pick the twin thing, but when you look closer and see them together, it’s obvious. And it’s great. She doesn’t really need anyone other than her brother but I’m just glad she wants me…” He wet his lips and rearranged his shoe laces. “But there’s more.”
“So, he wouldn’t just threaten to cut your bollocks off, he would actually do it if you hurt her. Check.” Kara cleared her throat. “But she wants you and the twin approves… what’s the more, curly?”
“Do you remember when Zoë got the needlestick?” Luke murmured and realised then that he already cared for Riley by default of Tab. Witnessing the aftermath of the HIV diagnosis was painful and Luke felt nothing but helpless.
“Yeah, of course. It was nothing. There was never any real risk to her. You know she’s fine, right, poss?” Kara asked in concern. “What’s this got to do with your lady friend and her twin?”
Luke drew in breath and then let it out slowly. He sat back and pushed his hand through his hair. He didn’t expect his sister to judge the situation in any way, but it wasn’t the norm. It wasn’t the standard news one would call home about when talking about a new girlfriend. “Riley - her brother - is a doctor. He’s an ER doctor and he got a needlestick injury. Only, it wasn’t an accident like Zoë’s. He was attacked by a mentally ill patient wanting drugs and he was stabbed in the neck with a needle covered in dried blood.”
Kara was silent, the shock evident in her lack of an immediate answer. “But the chances are slim. He’ll be fine, Luke,” she tried to assure him.
“He’s not fine, Kar,” Luke mumbled.
“Oh… shit…”
Luke nodded. “He was in a car accident when he was sixteen and lost his spleen. It made him more susceptible to getting sick or something? Zoë would know that sort of shit. Anyway, about a week and half ago after waiting three months to find out, he got the HIV results back and found out he was Positive. It’s been… awful, basically. Riley has been extremely sick from side effects of the pile of pills he has to take four times a day. Tab has been beside herself because she hates seeing him hurt and is petrified of losing him. He’s not coping emotionally with any of it and that is affecting Tab, understandably.” He paused, trying to gather his thoughts. “But she called me and asked me to come. She said she needed me, so I’ve been here for her ever since. And you know me. I wouldn’t normally… stick around anywhere for very long.”
“What about you, poss? Are you okay?” Kara asked softly. “That’s a massive, massive thing to shoulder, Luke. Are you sure about this?”
“Yes,” Luke answered immediately with no hesitation. “I know it’s huge, sis. I’ve witnessed it. All I feel is helpless and wish I could offer more to them both, but I can’t. I can be here, though, and help when it’s needed. And I can take care of Tab when her brother isn’t strong enough to… I think I’m falling in love with her,” he admitted quietly.
Kara sighed softly. “Then it really must be fate, poss. You enjoy every minute,” she told him. “And don’t be scared of it this time, honey.”
Luke bit down on his lip. “I’m not. This time, it feels perfect.”
asinthecity & pullmysteth referenced with permission
Word Count | 1,188