Leaps of Faith (8/9)
Previous Chapter
Chapter 8
To be perfectly honest, even when Kevin returned to work after Amy’s visit to the hospital, he didn’t accomplish much. On his first day back, he spent the majority of his time staring at the computer screen blankly. Rather than read news releases or prepare speeches and position papers, he daydreamed, remembering back to the lazy morning he shared with Scotty. They had both woken up approximately the same time, slowly blinking the sleep out of their eyes as they stared at each other. Scotty had reached out, intertwining his fingers with Kevin’s. Kevin half-hoped Scotty would lean forward and kiss him - he couldn’t work up the nerve to do so himself. And yet, at the same time, he half-hoped nothing would happen, that they would simply enjoy each other’s company without pressure or hurrying into anything they perhaps weren’t ready for.
Eventually, they had climbed out of bed in response to Amy’s fidgeting and quiet noises. Kevin changed her while Scotty prepared breakfast for the three of them. They then spent the entire day together, hanging out in the loft and later the park. They talked occasionally, laughed a lot, and just…were a family. Kevin felt very strongly that it may have been the final piece in the rebuilt foundation of their relationship. True, Scotty had returned to Jordan’s apartment that evening with no discussion of where they were going next as a couple. But Kevin knew it was just a matter of convincing him the time was right to trust again, to take that leap.
A knock on his door shocked Kevin out of his memories. And the surprise of who it was drove all thoughts on the matter out of Kevin’s head.
“Hi,” he said cautiously, smiling only somewhat sincerely. “I had hoped I’d never see you again.”
“I’m hurt. And here I’ve come all this way with a fantastic proposition for you.”
Kevin smiled more fully as he allowed himself to be sucked into the mock-rivalry that he secretly enjoyed. “Sorry. I’m a married man.”
The guest laughed, stepping further into his office and briefly pointing at a guest chair before sitting down. He leaned back in the chair, steepling his fingers as he stared at Kevin.
***
Kevin could barely contain his excitement when he opened the door for Scotty that evening. Scotty was carrying Amy in her car seat in one hand and a pizza in the other; Kevin quickly reached out, grabbing the pizza from him and walking it over to the coffee table. Then he turned back to Scotty, walking up to him and planting a kiss on his lips. Scotty laughed.
“What’s with you?”
“I had something interesting happen to me today.”
“Oh?”
“I got a visit from Travis March.”
Scotty furrowed his brow in confusion as he sat on the couch and removed his jacket. He reached down and pulled the sleeping Amy from her car seat. “From the campaign?”
“Yeah,” Kevin said, nodding as he sat down next to Scotty and took Amy into his arms.
“What’d he want?”
“To offer me a job.”
“What?!”
“Yeah, with his consulting firm. He’s getting too many clients to handle himself and wanted to know if I’d be his partner.”
“I thought you hated the guy.”
Kevin made a noncommittal noise. “Not…really. I mean, he was on the opposite team, you know? And he said some things that made me… But he was really nice about the Kitty situation, and I actually think we could work really well together, if we were on the same side.”
Scotty nodded cautiously. “OK. But what about Robert and your current job?”
Kevin shrugged. “I’d stay long enough to help him fill the position, but I’ve kind of…outgrown it.”
“So…you took the job?”
Kevin looked up, startled. “Oh! No, sorry. I mean, I want to, but I told Travis I had to talk it over with you first.”
Scotty stared at him for a moment, a small smile on his face.
“What?” Kevin asked nervously.
Scotty leaned forward and kissed him tenderly. Then he cleared his throat. “OK, let’s talk about it. What are the pros?”
Kevin nodded, settling more comfortably onto the couch. “When business is good, it pays a lot. Almost as much, sometimes more, than the firm. Pretty flexible hours. I gave Travis two conditions - that I could work from home whenever possible and I could take on Democrats as candidates.”
Scotty nodded. “Cons? Will you have to travel a lot?”
Kevin shook his head quickly. “No, that’s the great thing. Travis would do national clients, and I would handle state clients - Senate, House, Governors. I might have to travel around California sometimes, but that’s it.”
“This sounds almost too good to be true.”
Kevin laughed. “I know. But business won’t always be good. There might be some years we don’t get as many clients, especially at first. Sometimes, I will have to travel or work late hours in the office. I don’t - ”
“Look, as long as we know and can possibly predict when that will be, we can work around it, right?”
Kevin paused. “Right.”
“If you want the job, I think you should take it.”
“Really?”
“But not if you think it’s just the answer to…I mean, don’t take it on my account and be miserable.”
Kevin smiled. “No. I really want it. Because it does solve quite a few problems and because I think I’ll enjoy it.”
Scotty grinned back at him. “OK, then.”
Kevin started to lean forward to kiss him, but it was then that Amy woke up, somewhat startled. She jerked her upper body away from Kevin’s and scrunched her face in threat of sobs. Kevin focused on her instead, jiggling her slightly and rubbing her back. Amy relaxed then, slowly returning her head to Kevin’s chest and falling back asleep. Kevin sent an amused expression at Scotty who tried not to laugh out loud.
***
Kevin, unsurprisingly, came home late that night. He was unaware, however, that every minute past the promised 6:00 only strengthened Scotty’s resolve to leave. When Kevin finally arrived home just a few minutes before 6:45, he found Scotty sitting on the couch, only one or two lamps on in the apartment.
“Hi,” Kevin said, reaching out to deposit his keys and wallet in their usual location. “Sorry, I meant to get home - ”
“Don’t,” Scotty interrupted. “Don’t bother.”
Kevin walked slowly into the room, finally registering Scotty’s mood and the suitcase at his feet.
“Where’s Amy?” he asked cautiously.
“At Jordan’s.”
“Is he babysitting for the night or something?” Kevin asked, nodding at the suitcase, trying to hope that Scotty had planned an overnight trip for them.
Scotty shook his head, exhaling as he quickly rubbed a palm across his face. “No. I’m…I’m going to spend some time there, I think. I don’t know - I don’t know how long we’ll be gone, but I…”
“Are you sleeping with him or something?” Kevin asked, turning half-hysterical as the shock and fear grew in him.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Scotty shot back.
He was quiet for a moment, and Kevin stared at him, trying to find words.
“I can’t do this anymore,” Scotty nearly whispered. “I’m tired of being angry at you and…and resenting you. I’m tired of feeling lonely.”
Kevin took several large steps and sat next to Scotty on the couch. “I don’t understand.”
Scotty took a deep breath, then steeled himself. “You’re never here, Kevin. You’re always at work or with your mom or something. You haven’t been home before 7:00 this entire week, do you realize? And…the phone calls all night long. The missed appointments and - ”
“I’m sorry; I know that I’ve been busy, but - ”
“Kevin, you’ve ‘been busy’ since I’ve known you.”
Kevin shook his head. “Things have been off between us. You don’t think I haven’t noticed? But I thought things were starting to get better. I mean, this morning…”
Scotty swallowed. “This morning was a mistake. I shouldn’t have done that.”
Kevin tilted his head, trying not to wince. “It was a mistake to make love? What are you saying, that you don’t - ”
“Kevin, please don’t make this about love. That’s not an issue here. You know how much…don’t think for one moment this is easy for me.”
“Then why are you doing this? What is it possibly solving?”
“I don’t know. Maybe nothing,” Scotty stood, picking up his suitcase as he walked to the door. Kevin hurried after him. Scotty turned to Kevin and finally looked him in the eye. “I just need to get away for…a little while. Think things over.”
“Scotty - ” Kevin choked out.
Scotty turned away, opening the door and walking out of the loft. Kevin stared after him, unable to move.
Next Chapter
Main Page
Chapter 8
To be perfectly honest, even when Kevin returned to work after Amy’s visit to the hospital, he didn’t accomplish much. On his first day back, he spent the majority of his time staring at the computer screen blankly. Rather than read news releases or prepare speeches and position papers, he daydreamed, remembering back to the lazy morning he shared with Scotty. They had both woken up approximately the same time, slowly blinking the sleep out of their eyes as they stared at each other. Scotty had reached out, intertwining his fingers with Kevin’s. Kevin half-hoped Scotty would lean forward and kiss him - he couldn’t work up the nerve to do so himself. And yet, at the same time, he half-hoped nothing would happen, that they would simply enjoy each other’s company without pressure or hurrying into anything they perhaps weren’t ready for.
Eventually, they had climbed out of bed in response to Amy’s fidgeting and quiet noises. Kevin changed her while Scotty prepared breakfast for the three of them. They then spent the entire day together, hanging out in the loft and later the park. They talked occasionally, laughed a lot, and just…were a family. Kevin felt very strongly that it may have been the final piece in the rebuilt foundation of their relationship. True, Scotty had returned to Jordan’s apartment that evening with no discussion of where they were going next as a couple. But Kevin knew it was just a matter of convincing him the time was right to trust again, to take that leap.
A knock on his door shocked Kevin out of his memories. And the surprise of who it was drove all thoughts on the matter out of Kevin’s head.
“Hi,” he said cautiously, smiling only somewhat sincerely. “I had hoped I’d never see you again.”
“I’m hurt. And here I’ve come all this way with a fantastic proposition for you.”
Kevin smiled more fully as he allowed himself to be sucked into the mock-rivalry that he secretly enjoyed. “Sorry. I’m a married man.”
The guest laughed, stepping further into his office and briefly pointing at a guest chair before sitting down. He leaned back in the chair, steepling his fingers as he stared at Kevin.
***
Kevin could barely contain his excitement when he opened the door for Scotty that evening. Scotty was carrying Amy in her car seat in one hand and a pizza in the other; Kevin quickly reached out, grabbing the pizza from him and walking it over to the coffee table. Then he turned back to Scotty, walking up to him and planting a kiss on his lips. Scotty laughed.
“What’s with you?”
“I had something interesting happen to me today.”
“Oh?”
“I got a visit from Travis March.”
Scotty furrowed his brow in confusion as he sat on the couch and removed his jacket. He reached down and pulled the sleeping Amy from her car seat. “From the campaign?”
“Yeah,” Kevin said, nodding as he sat down next to Scotty and took Amy into his arms.
“What’d he want?”
“To offer me a job.”
“What?!”
“Yeah, with his consulting firm. He’s getting too many clients to handle himself and wanted to know if I’d be his partner.”
“I thought you hated the guy.”
Kevin made a noncommittal noise. “Not…really. I mean, he was on the opposite team, you know? And he said some things that made me… But he was really nice about the Kitty situation, and I actually think we could work really well together, if we were on the same side.”
Scotty nodded cautiously. “OK. But what about Robert and your current job?”
Kevin shrugged. “I’d stay long enough to help him fill the position, but I’ve kind of…outgrown it.”
“So…you took the job?”
Kevin looked up, startled. “Oh! No, sorry. I mean, I want to, but I told Travis I had to talk it over with you first.”
Scotty stared at him for a moment, a small smile on his face.
“What?” Kevin asked nervously.
Scotty leaned forward and kissed him tenderly. Then he cleared his throat. “OK, let’s talk about it. What are the pros?”
Kevin nodded, settling more comfortably onto the couch. “When business is good, it pays a lot. Almost as much, sometimes more, than the firm. Pretty flexible hours. I gave Travis two conditions - that I could work from home whenever possible and I could take on Democrats as candidates.”
Scotty nodded. “Cons? Will you have to travel a lot?”
Kevin shook his head quickly. “No, that’s the great thing. Travis would do national clients, and I would handle state clients - Senate, House, Governors. I might have to travel around California sometimes, but that’s it.”
“This sounds almost too good to be true.”
Kevin laughed. “I know. But business won’t always be good. There might be some years we don’t get as many clients, especially at first. Sometimes, I will have to travel or work late hours in the office. I don’t - ”
“Look, as long as we know and can possibly predict when that will be, we can work around it, right?”
Kevin paused. “Right.”
“If you want the job, I think you should take it.”
“Really?”
“But not if you think it’s just the answer to…I mean, don’t take it on my account and be miserable.”
Kevin smiled. “No. I really want it. Because it does solve quite a few problems and because I think I’ll enjoy it.”
Scotty grinned back at him. “OK, then.”
Kevin started to lean forward to kiss him, but it was then that Amy woke up, somewhat startled. She jerked her upper body away from Kevin’s and scrunched her face in threat of sobs. Kevin focused on her instead, jiggling her slightly and rubbing her back. Amy relaxed then, slowly returning her head to Kevin’s chest and falling back asleep. Kevin sent an amused expression at Scotty who tried not to laugh out loud.
***
Kevin, unsurprisingly, came home late that night. He was unaware, however, that every minute past the promised 6:00 only strengthened Scotty’s resolve to leave. When Kevin finally arrived home just a few minutes before 6:45, he found Scotty sitting on the couch, only one or two lamps on in the apartment.
“Hi,” Kevin said, reaching out to deposit his keys and wallet in their usual location. “Sorry, I meant to get home - ”
“Don’t,” Scotty interrupted. “Don’t bother.”
Kevin walked slowly into the room, finally registering Scotty’s mood and the suitcase at his feet.
“Where’s Amy?” he asked cautiously.
“At Jordan’s.”
“Is he babysitting for the night or something?” Kevin asked, nodding at the suitcase, trying to hope that Scotty had planned an overnight trip for them.
Scotty shook his head, exhaling as he quickly rubbed a palm across his face. “No. I’m…I’m going to spend some time there, I think. I don’t know - I don’t know how long we’ll be gone, but I…”
“Are you sleeping with him or something?” Kevin asked, turning half-hysterical as the shock and fear grew in him.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Scotty shot back.
He was quiet for a moment, and Kevin stared at him, trying to find words.
“I can’t do this anymore,” Scotty nearly whispered. “I’m tired of being angry at you and…and resenting you. I’m tired of feeling lonely.”
Kevin took several large steps and sat next to Scotty on the couch. “I don’t understand.”
Scotty took a deep breath, then steeled himself. “You’re never here, Kevin. You’re always at work or with your mom or something. You haven’t been home before 7:00 this entire week, do you realize? And…the phone calls all night long. The missed appointments and - ”
“I’m sorry; I know that I’ve been busy, but - ”
“Kevin, you’ve ‘been busy’ since I’ve known you.”
Kevin shook his head. “Things have been off between us. You don’t think I haven’t noticed? But I thought things were starting to get better. I mean, this morning…”
Scotty swallowed. “This morning was a mistake. I shouldn’t have done that.”
Kevin tilted his head, trying not to wince. “It was a mistake to make love? What are you saying, that you don’t - ”
“Kevin, please don’t make this about love. That’s not an issue here. You know how much…don’t think for one moment this is easy for me.”
“Then why are you doing this? What is it possibly solving?”
“I don’t know. Maybe nothing,” Scotty stood, picking up his suitcase as he walked to the door. Kevin hurried after him. Scotty turned to Kevin and finally looked him in the eye. “I just need to get away for…a little while. Think things over.”
“Scotty - ” Kevin choked out.
Scotty turned away, opening the door and walking out of the loft. Kevin stared after him, unable to move.
Next Chapter
Main Page