Fresh start: chapter 30
Series: Fresh start
Chapter: 30
Written by: Parishs
Rating: pg-13
Summary: Reid is a neuro surgeon in Dallas with a burn out who tries to figure out what life is really about (Reid's POV).
Disclaimer: I own nothing
Thanks to zzzfreckles (Pamela) for the beta!!!
PREVIOUS CHAPTER
Awkward didn't even begin to describe the situation. Luke obviously hadn't told Noah that I was coming too so when the guy opened the door he was already in a bad mood.
"You brought him with you", Noah said softly.
"He is my boyfriend so you are going to see him a lot", Luke said lightly.
"And what is he doing here? I thought this was a night to figure out things between us", Noah hissed.
"He is here as my partner Noah, and there is no us, that's the reason why I am here. I have asked Reid to join me because he and I are together so this also affects him. And I want you two to get to know each other. Can we please sit down?".
I saw how the whole thing stressed him out, how being here brought back demons from the past and how Noah already pushed his buttons in all the wrong ways. I felt so terrible for not foreseeing what this visit would do to him.
But we were here and there was no way back so we sat down on the couch and waited for Noah to bring us coffee. I held Luke's sweaty hand in mine and kissed it to show him my support.
He did this for me. To make sure that I didn't have these nightmares anymore. And to show me that he was serious about us, that he was ready to draw a line between the past and our future. He said during dinner that he was going to live with me. I had nothing to be afraid of so I had to help him through this night as a necessary step towards his own happiness and mine.
When Noah came back we drank our coffee in silence. And although I had promised Luke and myself that I would let him do the talking I had to say something before the ex-lovers started to discuss things.
"Luke asked me to join him Noah because he needs support, to stay focused. I am not here to interfere or tell you guys what to think. I am an outsider and I won't say anything. I hope you realize that I have Luke's best interest at heart but this is something between you two".
"That's true Noah", Luke said, "he doesn't know what I want to talk about with you, so the things I need to discuss here are strictly my concerns".
Noah seemed a little more relaxed. "Okay, what did you want to talk about with me? I have a few things I want to say to you too. I think you embarrassed me and your mother when you left the lunch at Emma's with Reid, I waited and gave you time to talk to the guy but when you didn't come back and I found out you were gone I was so mad".
I heard Luke inhale through his nose and saw the sweat on his upper lip. Why on earth did he live with this man for so long? A guy who didn't see how tough this was for Luke, who thought that he had the right to talk to him as if he was a little child. I had to bite my tongue to keep quite as I had promised.
Luke changed in a heartbeat into a guy I didn't recognize, his shoulders leaned forward and his lips formed a straight thin line. I wanted to jump up from the couch and defend my man but he looked at me and shook his head. He could do it, I knew it, he didn't need me to rescue him. He only had to re-group for a minute.
"Noah, yes I left the lunch through the window but that was because I was not ready to face the family, I didn't want to explain things, I just wanted to go home with the man I love. I know my mother and you wanted what was best for me but I didn't feel like staying with my mother was of my best interest. I wanted to be with Reid'.
I was so proud of him for not falling into the accusation-trap, for not starting the fight Noah was definitely trying to start; he just said what he needed. Noah couldn't fight that. My Luke was so smart but also sensitive, he didn't speak badly about his mother's attempts to keep me away. It didn't matter now, we were together.
Noah didn't know what to say for a moment, this was obviously not the way they had been communicating when they were still together, he was waiting for Luke to say sorry but Luke wasn't.
"So, why are you here Luke?", he asked a little uncertain.
"I have made a list of things I want to talk to you about, and maybe you have some things you want to talk to me as well Noah", Luke said. "The first thing I want to say is that I am going to sell this apartment. You can buy it if you want to stay here or you can go looking for something new. I am not throwing you out but I want the deal settled in 6 months from now".
"And after that I am on the streets, Noah asked? "I can't believe you have turned into a hard man like this, or is Reid asking this of you?".
"I am not hard Noah, I am giving you time to find something else or buy this place for a reasonable price. You have lived here for free for years and I didn't mind but we have to cut the cord, I want to start a new life and I don't want to drag weights from the past with me anymore.
We are not together so you have to find you own way to earn money. I understand that that takes time. I know that you have done a lot for me the last months so I am going to recommend you to another foundation Brian is running. I already talked to him and asked if he has a job for you. He has, but you need to call him and talk things through".
"You have a foundation, I asked stunned?
"Yes I do, and Noah runned it for me while I was working for my father but I don't want to go back to the stock market, I want to take over the management of the foundation, that's where my heart lies. Brian is the CEO and he can use Noah in other projects, but Noah can decide for himself if he wants to do this or find something else".
Both Noah and I looked surprised at Luke. He had thought this through with Noah's best interest in mind but he also drew deadlines in order to make clear that this free-riding from Noah was ending. He provided the guy with a new job; he really wanted to help him to get independent so Luke would be free. I thought that he had been sitting in my rocking chair doing nothing but he had worked hard to figure this out. I was so fucking proud of him.
"Can you send the administration to Nathalie Noah", Luke said. "I have the email address here; send her all my financial things then she can take it from there. I want to thank you for taking care of my stuff when I wasn't able to do it myself".
With that he stood up and searched in his bag till he found what he was looking for, an envelope. He gave it to Noah who had no idea what was going on anymore.
"You are giving me money", he said after he had opened it.
"Yes", Luke said. "I want you to make a fresh start so I want to pay you for what you have done for me. Like I said, I am grateful that you took care of my things after I left. From now on I like to try and run my own life so that means that I have to say goodbye to things that keep me sucked into the past.
We have been together for years Noah, and although we have ended things I still want you to have a good life. I hope you are going to figure out what you need to be happy, I have found my destination. I don't want to fight anymore; I hope we can be friends".
Noah shook his head while he looked at me. "You have had quite an influence on him already", he said. "Luke isn't anything near the person I have been with".
I smiled and looked at my man. "I have absolutely nothing to do with this", I said. "I had no idea that Luke had a foundation or that you were working for it. I want Luke to be just happy, that's all".
"And you think that I didn't, Noah asked softly?
"I don't know you Noah, but when I listen to what Luke just said I think you and he shared a history together that was good but now it ended. During your life needs can change and I am grateful that he likes to be with me now. He is everything I need. I didn't know what he wanted to discuss tonight but I think that Luke has been very generous towards you. I hope you can start a life you like".
Luke walked to the kitchen and came back with crystal glasses. It was weird to see that this had been his home, that he had lived here for years and that he knew his way here.
He opened his bag again and got a bottle out of it. Filling the glasses with something that looked like champagne he looked at Noah and me. He gave us both a glass and held up his own.
"Noah, thank you for spending your life with me for so long. I want to remember the good times and learn for the bad ones. I hope you are going to think about what you want. I know I may have surprised you tonight with my ideas but this is the only way I can go further. I hope we can be friends, the three of us. Maybe I am naïve and maybe you guys don't want that, we'll see how things are going. Let's toast to .....the future".
NEXT CHAPTER
Chapter: 30
Written by: Parishs
Rating: pg-13
Summary: Reid is a neuro surgeon in Dallas with a burn out who tries to figure out what life is really about (Reid's POV).
Disclaimer: I own nothing
Thanks to zzzfreckles (Pamela) for the beta!!!
PREVIOUS CHAPTER
Awkward didn't even begin to describe the situation. Luke obviously hadn't told Noah that I was coming too so when the guy opened the door he was already in a bad mood.
"You brought him with you", Noah said softly.
"He is my boyfriend so you are going to see him a lot", Luke said lightly.
"And what is he doing here? I thought this was a night to figure out things between us", Noah hissed.
"He is here as my partner Noah, and there is no us, that's the reason why I am here. I have asked Reid to join me because he and I are together so this also affects him. And I want you two to get to know each other. Can we please sit down?".
I saw how the whole thing stressed him out, how being here brought back demons from the past and how Noah already pushed his buttons in all the wrong ways. I felt so terrible for not foreseeing what this visit would do to him.
But we were here and there was no way back so we sat down on the couch and waited for Noah to bring us coffee. I held Luke's sweaty hand in mine and kissed it to show him my support.
He did this for me. To make sure that I didn't have these nightmares anymore. And to show me that he was serious about us, that he was ready to draw a line between the past and our future. He said during dinner that he was going to live with me. I had nothing to be afraid of so I had to help him through this night as a necessary step towards his own happiness and mine.
When Noah came back we drank our coffee in silence. And although I had promised Luke and myself that I would let him do the talking I had to say something before the ex-lovers started to discuss things.
"Luke asked me to join him Noah because he needs support, to stay focused. I am not here to interfere or tell you guys what to think. I am an outsider and I won't say anything. I hope you realize that I have Luke's best interest at heart but this is something between you two".
"That's true Noah", Luke said, "he doesn't know what I want to talk about with you, so the things I need to discuss here are strictly my concerns".
Noah seemed a little more relaxed. "Okay, what did you want to talk about with me? I have a few things I want to say to you too. I think you embarrassed me and your mother when you left the lunch at Emma's with Reid, I waited and gave you time to talk to the guy but when you didn't come back and I found out you were gone I was so mad".
I heard Luke inhale through his nose and saw the sweat on his upper lip. Why on earth did he live with this man for so long? A guy who didn't see how tough this was for Luke, who thought that he had the right to talk to him as if he was a little child. I had to bite my tongue to keep quite as I had promised.
Luke changed in a heartbeat into a guy I didn't recognize, his shoulders leaned forward and his lips formed a straight thin line. I wanted to jump up from the couch and defend my man but he looked at me and shook his head. He could do it, I knew it, he didn't need me to rescue him. He only had to re-group for a minute.
"Noah, yes I left the lunch through the window but that was because I was not ready to face the family, I didn't want to explain things, I just wanted to go home with the man I love. I know my mother and you wanted what was best for me but I didn't feel like staying with my mother was of my best interest. I wanted to be with Reid'.
I was so proud of him for not falling into the accusation-trap, for not starting the fight Noah was definitely trying to start; he just said what he needed. Noah couldn't fight that. My Luke was so smart but also sensitive, he didn't speak badly about his mother's attempts to keep me away. It didn't matter now, we were together.
Noah didn't know what to say for a moment, this was obviously not the way they had been communicating when they were still together, he was waiting for Luke to say sorry but Luke wasn't.
"So, why are you here Luke?", he asked a little uncertain.
"I have made a list of things I want to talk to you about, and maybe you have some things you want to talk to me as well Noah", Luke said. "The first thing I want to say is that I am going to sell this apartment. You can buy it if you want to stay here or you can go looking for something new. I am not throwing you out but I want the deal settled in 6 months from now".
"And after that I am on the streets, Noah asked? "I can't believe you have turned into a hard man like this, or is Reid asking this of you?".
"I am not hard Noah, I am giving you time to find something else or buy this place for a reasonable price. You have lived here for free for years and I didn't mind but we have to cut the cord, I want to start a new life and I don't want to drag weights from the past with me anymore.
We are not together so you have to find you own way to earn money. I understand that that takes time. I know that you have done a lot for me the last months so I am going to recommend you to another foundation Brian is running. I already talked to him and asked if he has a job for you. He has, but you need to call him and talk things through".
"You have a foundation, I asked stunned?
"Yes I do, and Noah runned it for me while I was working for my father but I don't want to go back to the stock market, I want to take over the management of the foundation, that's where my heart lies. Brian is the CEO and he can use Noah in other projects, but Noah can decide for himself if he wants to do this or find something else".
Both Noah and I looked surprised at Luke. He had thought this through with Noah's best interest in mind but he also drew deadlines in order to make clear that this free-riding from Noah was ending. He provided the guy with a new job; he really wanted to help him to get independent so Luke would be free. I thought that he had been sitting in my rocking chair doing nothing but he had worked hard to figure this out. I was so fucking proud of him.
"Can you send the administration to Nathalie Noah", Luke said. "I have the email address here; send her all my financial things then she can take it from there. I want to thank you for taking care of my stuff when I wasn't able to do it myself".
With that he stood up and searched in his bag till he found what he was looking for, an envelope. He gave it to Noah who had no idea what was going on anymore.
"You are giving me money", he said after he had opened it.
"Yes", Luke said. "I want you to make a fresh start so I want to pay you for what you have done for me. Like I said, I am grateful that you took care of my things after I left. From now on I like to try and run my own life so that means that I have to say goodbye to things that keep me sucked into the past.
We have been together for years Noah, and although we have ended things I still want you to have a good life. I hope you are going to figure out what you need to be happy, I have found my destination. I don't want to fight anymore; I hope we can be friends".
Noah shook his head while he looked at me. "You have had quite an influence on him already", he said. "Luke isn't anything near the person I have been with".
I smiled and looked at my man. "I have absolutely nothing to do with this", I said. "I had no idea that Luke had a foundation or that you were working for it. I want Luke to be just happy, that's all".
"And you think that I didn't, Noah asked softly?
"I don't know you Noah, but when I listen to what Luke just said I think you and he shared a history together that was good but now it ended. During your life needs can change and I am grateful that he likes to be with me now. He is everything I need. I didn't know what he wanted to discuss tonight but I think that Luke has been very generous towards you. I hope you can start a life you like".
Luke walked to the kitchen and came back with crystal glasses. It was weird to see that this had been his home, that he had lived here for years and that he knew his way here.
He opened his bag again and got a bottle out of it. Filling the glasses with something that looked like champagne he looked at Noah and me. He gave us both a glass and held up his own.
"Noah, thank you for spending your life with me for so long. I want to remember the good times and learn for the bad ones. I hope you are going to think about what you want. I know I may have surprised you tonight with my ideas but this is the only way I can go further. I hope we can be friends, the three of us. Maybe I am naïve and maybe you guys don't want that, we'll see how things are going. Let's toast to .....the future".
NEXT CHAPTER