Eternity - 4. Chapter Four

"I don't know how we're going to manage it Matt, he is bound and determined that he won't move into the spare room here," Kyle said. He had spent the past week trying to figure out a plan and so far, nothing he had came up with had worked. He didn't know what else he could possibly try, but he was bound and determined that within the month Jared would be living in his apartment.

"Kyle, you know as well as I do that it's going to take something big to get Jared to accept any help that he doesn't really want. We have to be careful how we go about this. We also have to try to understand where Jared is coming from."

"I know that Matt, but I can't just sit by and let him live in that place. You haven't seen it; I have, and let me tell you, I wouldn't put my worst enemy there."

"I get that, but c'mon Kyle, think with your head for a minute. Maybe the best plan is to not try to get him out of there."

"You want me to leave him there!" Kyle yelled.

"No, not even close. Could it be that he's resisting because you're trying to make him move back in with you? All I am saying is that maybe, rather than trying to get him to move in, never bring it up. Invite him over here as much as possible so that he's not in that apartment, but don't try to talk him into anything."

"How do you expect me to just sit by?"

"Just give it time Kyle, it'll work out, I know it will."

"I wish I could believe that Matt, but I just can't sit by. I'm going to go over there..." Kyle began, only to be interrupted by Matt.

"Kyle, you've went over there every day and many times a day, what makes you think that his answer is going to change?"

"I can hope, can't I?"

"Yeah, you can hope, as long as you realize that more than likely it is just false hope. Admit it Kyle, he's not going to move in just because you want him to. I actually think that he is trying to prove something."

"What could he possibly be trying to prove?"

"What I think, is that he is determined to prove that he didn't come back here and just expect you to fall back into his arms. I think he's trying to prove that he doesn't expect things to just go back to the way they were."

"Matt, no offense, but why do you even care? I mean, its common knowledge that you can't stand Jared, so why are you doing all of this?"

"I may not like Jared all that much Kyle, but obviously the way he's living is hurting you. You should know that I can't stand to see my friends hurting, and if helping Jared will make you quit hurting then that's what I'm gonna do."

"Thanks Matt," Kyle said, standing up to give his friend a hug.

A few minutes later Matt headed home and Kyle continued to sit in his apartment and brood. He couldn't believe that Jared was being so stubborn about moving back into the apartment. He couldn't honestly like the place that he now lived. Kyle didn't imagine that anyone could enjoy living in that kind of place.

~~~~~~
Sitting alone in his apartment, Jared sat munching on Doritos watching the poor excuse of a movie called ‘Dragon Fighter.' He couldn't help but think of Kyle as he attempted to concentrate on the lame movie on his TV. He wasn't all that surprised when a knock sounded on his door as Kyle had been stopping by a couple of times a day to try and convince him to move out of the small apartment. Jared thought about ignoring the door but finally the insistent knocking began to annoy him and he sighed as he dropped the chips on the couch and went to answer the door. He was expecting Kyle to be standing outside his door and was in shock at the person who filled his doorway.

"Matt?" Jared questioned.

"Hey Jared, nice place ya got here," Matt said, not waiting for an invitation as he stepped into the apartment.

"Yeah, right, did Kyle send you?"

"Nah, Kyle doesn't even know I'm here, I'm sure he would have tried to stop me had he found out that I was stopping by."

"Then what are you doing here? Come to see just how bad of a place I lived in so you could gloat?"

"No Jared, I didn't come here to gloat. I came to ask you what the hell you think you're doing."

"What do you mean?"

"To Kyle dipshit. Why are you putting him through this?"

"I'm not putting Kyle through anything, he wants me to move back in with him and I'm not going to do that."

"Why Jared, if you love him so much then why won't you move back in with him?"

"Because I love him. Matt, I didn't come back here expecting Kyle to just forgive me and for things to go back to the way they used to be, but I couldn't not come. You don't know how many times I wish I hadn't left like I did, but I can't change that now. I don't know what, if anything, is going to happen between me and Kyle, but if anything happens, it will be in time. Kyle wants me to move back in with him, but right now, I can't do that. I don't expect things to be like they used to be, but I can hope that one day they'll be that way again."

"You surprise me Jared and I'm not one who's easily surprised. I figured that you came back because you knew that Kyle would take you back in a second."

"No, I never expected that. I knew that if anything was to happen with me and Kyle then we needed to take our time. We jumped into living together before and I'm not going to do that to him again. If I move in there with him, how long do you think we could remain just friends?" Jared asked, moving to sit back down on the futon and motioning Matt to do the same.

"That is one area that you are completely right, you wouldn't be able to be just friends, but if you think that staying here is a guarantee of being just friends then think again. All I want is for my best friend to be happy, he still loves you, and I'm finally beginning to understand why. I'm impressed that you haven't jumped at the chance to move back in with him, but just so you know, it hurts him every time you turn him down."

"Matt, you don't even like me, so why encourage me to move in with Kyle?"

"Let's just say that I got some sense knocked into me. Speaking of getting some sense knocked into me, sorry about knocking you on your ass last week."

"I had it coming; I just expected it to be Kyle that knocked me on my ass."

"You know he'd never hurt you Jared, and if you don't know that then obviously you don't know Kyle as well as you think you do. Now I'm going to head home, I think you have a few things to think about."

"Yeah, I do, thanks for stopping by Matt, feel free to visit anytime."

"I may just take you up on that Jared, but seriously, think about why you're saying no and think about what it's doing to Kyle."

"I will, I promise," Jared said as Matt opened the door and walked out. He was still shocked at the fact that Matt had actually came by the apartment, but he was even more shocked by everything that he'd said. It sounded to him like Matt was all for Jared moving back into the apartment with Kyle. Jared looked over at the bag of Doritos sitting next to him on the couch before getting up and walking out the door. He needed a drink and he needed one bad, otherwise he may have crumbled and agreed to move in with Kyle again.

~~~~~~
Kyle sat around his apartment as long as he could after Matt left, but he finally got tired of just sitting, not doing anything. Grabbing his key's he walked out to his Harley and headed to the bar where him and Jared used to go all the time. It was somehow comforting for him to be in the place that he and Jared had spent so many nights. There were memories there, not as many as in the apartment, but memories just the same.

Walking into the dingy, smoke filled bar, Kyle stopped in his tracks as he spotted Jared sitting at the bar, a mug of beer sitting on the bar in front of him. Kyle stood there and studied Jared as he ran a finger around the rim of the mug. Finally he couldn't take it anymore and made his way over to where Jared was sitting.

"This seat taken?" He asked with a lopsided smile.

"Kyle? What are you doing here?"

"Same thing you are I expect," Kyle said before motioning to the bar tender for a mug of the same stuff Jared had. Settling down on the stool next to Jared, Kyle studied Jared's face for a minute.

"What?" Jared asked as he saw how Kyle continued to watch him.

"Nothing, just thinking."
"About?"

"Nothing in particular. So what made you decide to come down here tonight?"

"Nothing, just didn't feel like staying at the apartment after Matt left," Jared said, looking down into his mug.

"Matt? What was he doing at your apartment?"

"Nothing really, I think he was trying to convince me to move back into the old place. Of course, he didn't really say it in so many words, but I could tell that's what he meant."

"He's just worried about you."

"Yeah, well, he doesn't need to be. There are lots better things that he could be doing rather than worry about me."

"Maybe, and again, maybe not."

"Kyle, please, can we not do this right now? I know all your arguments about why I should move back in with you, but I can't do that right now."

"Why not?"

"I have my reasons, now, if that's all you want to talk about then I'm going to head home. I'll talk to you later Kyle," Jared said before throwing some money on the bar and heading toward the exit as Kyle watched helplessly.

After Jared left, Kyle sat nursing his beer, trying to figure out why he just had to open his big mouth. Apparently he wasn't able to follow Matt's advice, quite the opposite in fact. It seemed like every time he got near Jared the only thing that he could think of was getting Jared to move back into the apartment, and quick.

He had been surprised when Jared said that Matt had stopped by the apartment and he was still trying to decide why Matt would have gone over there. He couldn't help but be slightly suspicious about the way that Matt was acting. Matt was his best friend, but to do such a complete turn around so suddenly made him wonder what Matt had up his sleeve. He tried to shake off the niggling little warning light in his head, but it didn't really want to be ignored.

~~~~~~
Jared walked out of the bar feeling like the bottom had just dropped out of his world. He knew that Kyle wanted him to move back in, but he didn't see how he could without Kyle thinking that that was the whole reason that he had come back. He walked slowly to his truck, his mind thinking a mile a minute. He was so tempted to take Kyle up on his offer, but there was something that held him back. He didn't know how Kyle could be so forgiving; he didn't know if he could be that forgiving if their situations were reversed.

Jared thought about going home to his apartment, but he just didn't feel like facing the dingy building that he called home at the moment. As he drove past his apartment he couldn't help but cringe inside as he glanced at the outside. The small apartment wasn't where he wanted to be, but he didn't feel as though he had the right to be where he really wanted to be. Jared drove for over a half hour before he realized that he was headed out to the lake. Willard bay wasn't a huge lake but for the area it wasn't small either. Fifteen minutes later he pulled up and parked before climbing out of the truck and climbing over the dike.

He and Kyle had come to this spot millions of times to go cat fishing. Nine times out of ten they wound up going back to the truck and making love. Jared missed all of those times that they had come out here; it had always felt so special. Jared couldn't stand being out at the lake too long and pretty soon he found himself back in his truck and heading towards his apartment. Arriving home, Jared was again lost in thought as he climbed out of his truck and locked the doors. He was so lost in thought that he never noticed the figure watching him from underneath the stairs. He was about half way up when he felt something grab his ankles and jerk them out from under him. The last thing he remembered was pain strumming through his body as he started falling down the stairs, then everything went black.

~~~~~~
Kyle stayed at the bar for over two hours after Jared left. He just couldn't face going home to an empty apartment that night. Some of his buddy's had been in and out of the bar all night long and he visited with them for a while, but none of them compared to being in Jared's company. He didn't notice Matt come in the bar until he sat down next to him.

"Hey Kyle, what you doing down here?" Matt asked as he settled himself next to his best friend.

"Not much, just don't really want to go back to the apartment. What about you? I thought that you were going home to Chelsea."

"I did, we got in a fight and so I decided it was better to leave and give her time to cool off."

"Nothing too serious I hope."

"Nah, nothing that won't blow over in a couple hours."

"Good to hear," Kyle said before staring down at his mug.

"What's wrong Kyle? You look like you just lost your best friend, yet I'm sitting right here," Matt said with a laugh.

"Nothing's the matter, I just feel like an idiot I guess. It's just like me to ignore any and all advice that someone gives me."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, remember how you told me not to push Jared? Well, stupid me, that's exactly what I did."

"When did you see Jared?"

"He was here when I got here. I heard that you paid him a visit tonight, what's up with that?"

"Nothing, just wanted to see for myself if that apartment was as bad as you claimed it to be. It was actually worse than what I was expecting; I understand why you'd want him out of there. Don't worry though; I'm sure he'll come to his senses soon."

"Maybe he's the one who has come to his senses; maybe I'm the one who still needs to. I mean, every argument he has makes sense, but I don't want them too."

"I know the feeling buddy, but, no offense; you look like shit, go home and get some sleep, would ya?"

"I was actually getting ready to leave when you came in so I think I'll head home," Kyle said, getting up and making his way out to his bike. He didn't know what prompted him to do it, but he found himself driving over to Jared's rather than his own apartment. Pulling up next to Jared's Blazer, Kyle cut the engine of the Harley and headed towards Jared's apartment. As he got closer to the stairs he saw what looked like a giant lump at the bottom of the stairs. A couple more steps and he was close enough to see that it wasn't just a lump, it was a person. Kyle felt a sense of dread come over him as he approached the body lying at the bottom of the stairs. As he looked down he felt his heart break in two, the person lying at the bottom of the stairs was Jared and there was blood running down his face from a gash on his head.