Carter's Duty - 3. Chapter 3

Andrew's rolling gait kept pace with his best friend, his hands in his pockets and a lot thoughtful expression drifted across his face. Jared was talking about nothing as usual; sports, cars, girls and Andrew enjoyed the fact that Jared could just get lost in a conversation.

He grinned as he caught what Jared was hinting at, "I can't afford to buy another mustang right now." He said simply, "What between school and everything else I can't afford to keep a car."

Jared flashed him a sympathetic look, Andrew had sold his prized car to pay for his tuition, and the classic Mustang his father had left to him had been sold to give him a chance at a future. That had been a sad day for both of them, though Jared had taken it harder than Andrew had, he had done his best to get a good price for it. Andrew sighed looking over his should beck towards Will's house and then up at his friend.

"You okay buddy?" Jared asked in concern.

Andrew noted the look, casting one of his own and he shrugged, "Carter's not been himself lately, I don't know..."

They were both making the trek to the local beer store for a two-four and it had given them a chance to get out of the house and talk. Andrew appreciated that it was Jared's way of easing the tension.

"Will gets like that at times," Jared said in understanding, "You just have to picture him with that indignant `I'm British, you can't say that to me,' look on his face and that silly grin he gets whenever he is being sarcastic..."

Andrew couldn't help but smile, "But... but..." he spluttered imitating Will's British accent, "...I don't really do that do I?"

Both Canadian's chuckled at their friend's eccentric behaviour, and Andrew shrugged, "I don't know, just he's broken and I don't know how to fix him."

Jared stepped down off of the sidewalk as they crossed the street; contemplating that, "Well look at where he works, if I had to deal with a Human Resource department day in day out, I'd be a morose mother fucker too."

Andrew punched Jared in the arm a light tap that said "hey watch it, that's my boyfriend you're talking about."

Jared rubbed his tenderized arm as he looked at his old friend, "But you see what I mean right? It's not that he's deliberately an asshole or anything."

Andrew sighed staring about him at the rows of brown wood town houses that made up their neighbourhood, it was quiet in the early evening, kids playing a game of street hockey, clearing their nets out of the way of passing cars, their parents sitting on stoops keeping an eye on their kids sipping beer from bottles and talking amongst themselves. Andrew liked the area; it was a place for families, a place for settling down and making a life for themselves.

"Carter..." Andrew began.

"Why do you still call him Carter?" Jared asked suddenly, curiosity burning in his eyes.

Andrew hesitated, as if he had never really considered something he just did instinctively now, "I don't know," he replied honestly, "Started in school and I just kept doing it. It suits him better than Will does." He watched as one of the kids missed a slap shot and the tennis ball bounced in their direction.

Jared looked thoughtful as he absently kicked the rogue tennis ball back to the kids, who cheered in thanks at his kind gesture, "Just it does describe him though doesn't it. How are..." he grew mildly uncomfortable, "well you know... how's it going?"

The way Jared stressed the `it' Andrew knew he meant the relationship. He stuck his hands in his pockets and nodded to Mrs. Twineham, the old woman cheerily waved before returning to watering her flowers with a garden hose.

"It's going," he said resignedly, "But I don't think Will's ever going to relax, like I said he's broken and I don't know what its going to take to fix him, if I even can. I love him, and I think he loves me, but you know its tough when I barely see him..."

"Yeah," Jared admitted, "Tough one, but you just need to see the way he looks at you to know he thinks the world of you."

"And he means the world to me," Andrew admitted as they began to cross the Beer stores parking lot. He rounded the obligatory Police Cruiser permanently stationed there, and reached out to hold the door open. "The problem is making him believe that."

They walked into the store, watching the long line of Sen's fans buying beer for their victory parties, or commiseration ones. Andrew gave Jared a look, both young men had no idea how the Sen's had fared and it was the playoffs. It was sacrilege to miss a playoff game in Canada, but the girls had categorically refused to watch the game on a movie night. The argument had grown heated, until Lisa, Farah and Will had each made it very clear that it was hockey or them. And hockey had nearly won out.

Life was hockey, everything else was a detail.

The trick was to find out the score without appearing like a couple of guys who were whipped by their significant others. Jared gave Andrew a determined look and leaned on the counter, "What about that penalty?" he said a little loudly, "Man..."

Andrew picked up on it quickly; suppressing his grin, "Tell me about it."

"I know, eh?" one of the other guys in line wearing his Sen's jersey said as he turned, "The ref was blind."

Jared nodded sagely, "Yes, and the goal..."

The Sen's fan rolled his eyes, "They would never have scored were it not for the power play..." He grinned, "Though we showed them, eh?"

"Yes, we sure did," Jared said in total agreement, agreement for what he had no clue.

Andrew turned to the cashier and placed his order for a two-four of `Fifty' a rather noxious, if cheap brand of beer. He leaned back, into the hockey conversation, "You think we're going to win it in six?" he asked the fan jovially.

The fan nodded enthusiastically, "We got the split tonight, stole home ice advantage from them, it'll be Ottawa in six."

Andrew grinned, they'd won, and set it up so that they would win the best of seven games and that was good news. He gave Jared an applicative look and the two paid for the two-four, and carrying it between them they started on the return walk.

Something Jared had said was weighing on Andrew's mind and as they each held a side of the two-four and crossed the parking lot, "What did you mean when you said he gets like that sometimes?"

"Aw man," Jared said seeming to regret ever having said it, "You know him better than I do..."

"Actually I don't," Andrew replied softly, regretfully, "He's been distant lately, I think there's something going on at work he's been staying late and coming home exhausted. I catch a ride with him when I can, but even then..."

"Yeah," Jared said with a sigh of his own, "He's working too hard, Will's out to prove something to himself. But that's what happens when a person gets bumped up the ladder too fast, responsibility changes people. He's just ... different. Like a bit of him is missing or something."

Andrew sighed; they'd had their rough patches. The odds had been stacked against them. There was supposed to be only so long a teenaged relationship could last before the pressures of real life tore it apart. He remembered how much pain he had been in sitting on the train heading for his university leaving Will behind him on the platform. Long months of separation had nearly broken their relationship, and they had almost drifted apart. Letting go of Will would have been the hardest thing he had ever had to do, and it dawned on him that Will might be fading away from him, and that scared him.

"He'll be ok, he got you back didn't he?" Jared said as if reading Andrew's thoughts, nudging his leg with the beer.

"Yeah," Andrew said with a faint ghost of a smile, Jared had helped so much in those first few years, as if he wanted nothing more than to make sure Will and Andrew stayed together despite all the pressure to just give up. But that was a true friend, someone who looked out for your interests, even when you didn't. He'd kept Andrew up to date through messengers and Emails. Reminding Andrew to call Will, and generally being a pain in the ass whenever he could.

Andrew blew out a sigh of regret, "I just wonder if I'm going to get him back."

Jared nodded, "He's getting better, just don't expect too much. Lisa... Lisa thinks he's trying to figure out what he wants from life..."

"You and Lisa have discussed this?" Andrew asked, not sure if he should be amused or irked with them discussing his relationship with his boyfriend.

"Yeah," Jared admitted, "we were getting worried about him... about both of you."

Andrew nodded, "Alright well what with the wedding and everything maybe I can show him that he doesn't have to feel so alone."