Horrible Holiday - 1. Chapter 1

The final decorations were up and the fog machine pumped mist across the floor. Everything was just the way Desean would want it, but Camilo pushed that thought away. Desean was gone and he had to try to make things continue without him. He just had to plug in one more thing and he could leave the hall.

“Camilo, damn, everything looks perfect!” Christina stood smiling as she looked over the hall. “You did a fantastic job, bro. I still can’t believe you did this all by yourself.”

“I’m glad you like it. This is just stuff I’ve been collecting with…well, stuff I had. It should help your fundraiser. The library is important to this town.” Camilo connected the final string of lights, and a huge spider web lit up in purple and white lights, while a giant inflated spider seemed to dance across it. “Just hope you all enjoy it.”

“What do you mean, you hope we all enjoy it?” Christina marched over to her brother and grabbed his shirt. “You are going to be here!”

“Chrissy, look--”

“No, you look! I know you fucked up. I think half the town knows you cheated on Desean, but either you two will make up or you’ll move on. It’s been two months, and you haven’t talked to him.” Chrissy jabbed her brother sharply in the chest. “I love you, Cam, but grow a pair and do what needs to be done.”

Camilo sighed and nodded. It was time to move on with his life. He headed out to his car to grab his costume and get ready.

The band was playing Monster Mash as he made his way toward the dessert table carrying a tray of bloody snack cakes, vanilla heart-shaped cakes with raspberry jam spilling out. There were a dozen more trays in the kitchen, which is where Camilo wanted to hide. He set the tray down and was about to head back for more snacks when a werewolf came over and stood before him.

“We need to talk.” Dark brown eyes looked out of the mask, as the werewolf positioned himself to block the way.

The voice of the werewolf shook Camilo, as he immediately recognized it. Why on God’s green earth would Terry come to the fundraiser?

“Don’t you think we’ve done enough?” Camilo tried hard to push past Terry, but the man was strong and not about to be ignored.

“You’re coming with me.” Terry grabbed Camilo’s arm, forced it behind his back, nearly frog marching him out the side door and into the parking lot.

“What the hell do you want, Terry?”

Terry pushed Camilo into the alleyway before ripping off his mask and gloves.

“What do I want? How about someone talking to me? I don’t know, maybe, checking on me? What about not seeing the whole town treating me like a goddamn leper?”

Camilo leaned against the wall, feeling nauseous.

Terry hugged himself and stared at Camilo.

“I screwed up. This my fault. I’m sorry,” Camilo whispered as he glanced at Terry.

“Fuck you! We fucked. Then you just left me, like Desean did to both of us. I have no one.”

Camilo looked at Terry and burst into tears.

“Goddamn it. Stop crying. You’re not the only one who lost everything.” Terry’s voice quavered with emotion.

Camilo fought for control of his emotions, and slowly took a few deep breathes as he stared at Terry who appeared equally raw.

“You’re the one I wanted. All those months watching you two together. Seeing how happy Desean was. I’ve been alone a long time. I just wanted to be happy, like you were together. Desean told me what you liked sexually. He told me how you treated him, the romantic dinners and silly gifts, I had to know for myself. I wanted to feel loved.” He broke down, his emotions overwhelming him as he fell to his knees on the street.

Camilo remembered all too well what Terry felt like to hold, touch, and make love to. He was living with the fallout from that now. Desean had moved out, taking Melissa, Desean’s daughter who they’d been raising together, and their dog, Champ. He’d come home to find his home an empty shell. He had a house, but the heart and soul was gone. No laughter from Melissa, no licks from Champ, and the unconditional love he’d found with Desean was shattered and gone.

“Get up,” Camilo said as he pulled Terry into a standing position.

Terry moved to hug Camilo, but Camilo put his hand on Terry’s chest. “No. We can’t.”

“But he left you.”

Camilo nodded. It took a moment to compose himself before he spoke again.

“Yes, he left me. We broke his trust, and he walked out of our lives. That doesn’t give us permission to keep going, Terry. I’m old enough to know better.”

Camilo walked back into the hall, leaving Terry alone on the street.

Chrissy met Camilo as soon as he walked back in.

“Where the hell have you been? I’ve been looking everywhere for you.” Chrissy’s witch’s hat bounced with her agitation.

“Terry and I had a talk.”

“Oh.” Chrissy walked over and hugged Camilo. “You okay?”

Camilo tucked some loose straw back into his costume. “Yeah, I’m good. Scarecrow, remember. Don’t have a brain.”

Chrissy swatted his arm. “No brain, maybe. But you so have a heart.”

Camilo kissed his sister’s cheek and headed back to the kitchen to see what else they were sending out.

Camilo grabbed a tray of finger sandwiches and had nearly reached the main food table when he spotted a little lion come flying right toward him. He quickly slid the platter onto the table, just as the lion launched itself into his arms.

“Woah,” Camilo said and suddenly the lion’s face came into view. “Melissa?”

“Camilo!” The little girl threw her arms around Camilo and kissed his cheek. “I missed you. Happy Halloween.”

Camilo hugged Melissa tight and tried not to cry.

“Happy Halloween, Melly. What are you doing here? Where is your dad?”

Melissa smiled and pointed across the room. “He’s over there with Daniel.”

Camilo froze. Desean stood dressed as Sherlock Holmes while some older gentleman stood beside him dressed as Robin Hood.

“Camilo, can I get down now? I wanna see Christina.”

“Sure, Princess. Chrissy is dressed like the Wicked Witch.” He pointed to where Chrissy stood surrounded by kids. “She is going to read ghost stories soon.”

“Yeah!” Melissa smiled and rushed toward the stage where Chrissy was getting ready to read.

Camilo watched as Desean followed Melissa’s path. His attention was focused on Melissa. Robin Hood reached out and wrapped his arm around Desean’s waist. Camilo watched as Desean’s body stiffened for a moment. He wanted to run over and deck the guy, but realized he’d lost the right to say anything.

The party seemed to be going well. Camilo found he couldn’t stand to watch Desean anymore, so he entered the kitchen, which had cleared as the last of the trays of food had been brought out. Camilo sat on one of the prep tables and went through his betrayal again.

“I figured this is where you’d be.”

Camilo looked up to find Desean leaning against the doorframe.

“Desean, I--”

“No. You don’t get to speak.” Desean stepped into the room, allowing the door to close behind him.

Camilo looked at the man he’d spent the last five years of his life with, and for the first time he had no idea what he was thinking.

“I’d…I’d never do that to you. I hurt so much. I can’t unsee that. I close my eyes and it replays immediately, you and Terry having sex on the couch. It’s like my own personal horror movie.” Desean stalked the doorway, keeping his eyes on Camilo, but never moving toward him. “You know I trusted you despite my past. Hell, my ex broke bones, but you – you fucking ripped out my heart.”

Both men began crying. Camilo moved to stand, but froze when Desean looked at him with such pain. It made Camilo feel sick knowing he caused it.

“Don’t you dare! Don’t you dare act like you care or you hurt.” Desean paused and wiped his face with his sleeve. “I just want to know if the reason you threw us away was because he was younger?”

“No. It--”

“I don’t want to know, Cam.” The tears left Desean’s eyes red and swollen. “Melissa asks for you every night. She wants to know what she did wrong. With every new thing she learns and says I turn to tell you and I can’t. You’ve hurt us all, and I can’t forgive you.”

With a sob Camilo finally spoke. “I’m so sorry, De.”

Desean glanced at Camilo and nodded. He hurried out the door back into the hall.

When the door clicked shut, Camilo broke down, crying uncontrollably as the man he loved walked out.

It was ten minutes later when Chrissy found him.

“Well at least you both look like train wrecks, Cam.” Chrissy grabbed a towel and wiped her brother’s face.

“It’s over, Chris. He left me. It’s all my fault.” Camilo started to tear up again.

“You’re both idiots, you know that. You know you’ve both made mistakes.” Chrissy sat beside her brother and hugged him. “You need to forgive each other. I mean you don’t eat or sleep, but you beat yourself up daily over this. He came with that guy who hung all over him. Even I can tell he is miserable. You two evidently didn’t work out crap, but you need to.”

“Don’t talk about him that way!”

“Oh, knock it off and grow up.” Chrissy stood up. “Go home, Cam. I need to get started on cleaning up. You can come back tomorrow and help us take your stuff down. Now go home.”

Chrissy kissed Cam’s cheek and headed out into the hall.

Camilo pulled himself together and went to his car. There was a piece of paper under his windshield wiper. He opened it to see Desean’s handwriting.

I’ll call you tomorrow.

Camilo smiled for the first time in weeks.