Choices - 21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

As Liam watched Alek approach his father, he debated whether to step out of the truck, or if that would just make the brewing situation more volatile. Deciding not to add any stress, he stayed put and waited.

“Dad?” Alek said, approaching the older man. “What are you doing here?”

“Your mother asked me to invite you for dinner tonight.”

“She did?”

“You have not visited her for weeks, Aleksei. You’re breaking her heart.”

Although Liam couldn’t hear the sigh, Alek’s body language conveyed his irritation loud and clear. “We’ve been over this. You don’t accept me, so I’ve stayed away. Besides, I already have other plans.”

“You should be over this… thing by now. We’ve given you time.”

“I’m gay, Dad. Say it with me… Aleksei is gay.”

“There is no need for such attitude.”

“Well, you haven’t listened to me when I’ve tried to be polite.”

Alek’s father turned his head and met Liam’s gaze again. “Who is this? One of your guloboi friends? The one you have plans with?” The disgust in the older man’s face was startling. If Alek wasn’t nearby, Liam might have been afraid for his safety.

“Don’t you dare call him that!” Alek’s angry voice drew both men’s attention away from one another. “Don’t you ever speak so hatefully to him. You want to be mad at me, go ahead, but leave Liam out of this.”

“Liam?” Alek’s father turned to him again, his eyes cold and assessing, making Liam squirm. “You should have your… friend go inside while we talk this over.”

“He’s not going anywhere unless he wants to.” Alek turned to him with a concerned expression. “Are you okay in there, Li?”

Liam nodded and gave Alek a tight smile. Alek looked into his eyes for several seconds before nodding and turning back to his father. “He stays.”

The senior Petrov snorted in disgust. “I don’t understand you, Aleksei. You’re throwing away your business… your family, and for what? That… man?”

“Get something straight. You threw me away, not the other way around. I. Am. Gay. That’s not going to change. I made a mistake and lied to my family and friends, and hid who I really was. I lied and hurt the only man I’ve ever loved, and I did it to make you and Mom happy. I destroyed the best thing that ever happened to me, just to keep up the charade. Well, I’m done. I told you before, and I’m saying it again. I you can’t accept that, or me, then there’s no sense talking. I’m through.”

His father tried to speak, but Alek held up his hand to silence him. “Unless you’re going to say you accept my decision, you can leave. This isn’t up for discussion.”

“You love this man?” Liam couldn’t decide if it was confusion or disgust in the man’s tone.

Alek looked at Liam again, with eyes reflecting sadness in their chocolate brown depths. “I do, and I fucked it up… to make you happy.” Alek looked back at his father. “You can leave now. I need to take Liam to eat something. He’s had a tough day, and doesn’t need you here making things more stressful for him.”

Sergei’s jaw tightened as he faced off against his son. Without another word, he turned on his heel and got into his car, slamming the door and driving away. Alek continued to stare at the empty space where the car had been, unmoving. Concerned, Liam climbed out of the truck and approached Alek. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a couple of the garage employees standing at the open bay door. Ignoring them, Liam put his hand on Alek’s arm.

“Hey,” he said softly. “Are you all right?”

Alek blinked as if coming out of a daze before peering down at Liam. “I’m fine. I’m just sorry you had to see that. My dad is an asshole.”

“I’m not sorry.”

Alek’s eyes widened in surprise. “What? What do you mean?”

“You stood up for me.” Liam placed his hand gently on Alek’s cheek. “You didn’t let your dad intimidate you. God, I’m so proud of you right now.”

“I couldn’t let him talk to you that way. You don’t deserve his bullshit.”

“Neither do you. You were great. I can’t believe you actually told him about me… who I was to you. I would have understood if you hadn’t.”

“No, you wouldn’t have,” Alek replied, a smile softening the rebuke. “I understand though. I denied you for so long. I just can’t do it anymore. I did… I do love you, Liam. So much. I know I screwed this… us… up beyond repair, but I won’t ever deny you again. I promise you that.”

Liam’s eyes drifted briefly to the shop door and he saw that the men had left them alone again. “I....” Liam paused for a deep breath, his heart hammering in his chest. “I believe you.”

Alek’s shocked expression was almost comical as Liam pulled him down for a kiss. “Kiss me back,” Liam mumbled against the other’s man’s lips when Alek failed to respond.

With a noise that sounded like the cross between a sob and a laugh, Alek did just that. His hands gripped the sides of Liam’s head as he deepened the kiss. Without thought, they moved until Liam’s back met the cold side of the truck. Panting, Liam pulled away.

“Stop,” he said, placing a palm against Alek’s chest when the man tried to kiss him again.

Looking stricken, Alek quickly stepped back, putting space between them. “I’m sorry,” he started to apologize. “I shouldn’t have pushed you so far. It was stupid of…”

“Hey, enough of that,” Liam chastised, grabbing Alek’s hand and pulling him closer. “I just didn’t think you’d want your staff to watch us groping each other in the parking lot.

Alek blinked and looked around them, as if just now realizing where they were. After a moment he started to laugh. “I see your point.” Alek’s grin faded into an affectionate smile. “Come on, let’s get out of here. I promised you food.”

They decided on their favourite pizza place, and after ordering, sat across from each other, not speaking, except for a few pleasantries.

“I think we should talk about the kiss,” Liam said, finally breaking the awkward silence.

Alek fidgeted in his seat and didn’t seem to want to meet Liam’s eye. “We can just forget it happened if you want. I know you’re probably not ready for this. I can….”

“Alek,” Liam interrupted. “Can you let me finish?”

“Sorry… what were you saying?”

“I don’t regret the kiss.” Liam smiled bashfully. “I enjoyed it.”

“So did I,” Alek responded, reaching across the table to take his hand. “More that you know.”

Liam felt a blush working his way up his neck and face. “I think I know.”

Alek cleared his throat. “So what does this mean for us? Does it mean anything for us?”

Liam squeezed Alek’s hand, and took the strength he found there to steady himself. “I’m still not ready to jump into a relationship, but I would never forgive myself if I walked away from the possibility of an us.”

“Anything you want, Liam. Just tell me what you want me to do.”

“I want us to start dating again. Really dating. Last time we just jumped into bed together, and skipped past everything else. Can you do that? Can you date me?” It seemed funny to discuss dating with the man he’d been, and was still in love with, but this was important.

“I would love to date you,” Alek replied with happiness lighting up his face. “It was more than I expected… more than I deserve after….”

“Stop,” Liam interrupted again. “We won’t be able to make this work if we’re still playing the blame game, even against ourselves. I know you’re sorry… you’ve told me more than once, and I believe you. I also believe you never meant to hurt me when we were first together. Now is not the time for words. What I need is to see that this time will be different. Do you understand?”

Alek nodded his head vigorously, and his smile could light up a room. “I can do that,” he said. “I’ll be honest, there might be times when it’s going to be hard for me—I had been in the closet for a long time—but I won’t take you for granted again.”

The conviction in Alek’s voice, and the determination in his intense, brown eyes, made Liam’s body warm with pleasure. “So far, you’re doing a great job in showing me you’ve changed. I never would have believed we’d ever get to this point, with your father knowing who I am, and you standing up for me.”

Alek’s smile slipped, and was replaced with a scowl. “He had no right to talk about you that way.”

“I’m fine. He didn’t hurt me,” Liam tried to reassure him. “You made a stand. I couldn’t have been more proud.”

Liam could have sworn he saw a blush stain Alek’s cheeks.

“Now,” he said, deciding to change the subject. “What should we do for our first official date?”

They proceeded to make plans: dinner at a local seafood restaurant with a movie after, as Alek drove him home. When they arrived, Alek seemed reluctant to let him leave the truck.

“Are you sure you shouldn’t see a doctor about that eye?”

Liam gently touched the bruised flesh. “I’m sure. I don’t have a headache anymore and there’s no dizziness.” He held up his hand in anticipation of Alek’s protest. “I promise, if I get worse I’ll call you.”

“Don’t be a martyr,” Alek admonished him as he stroked a gentle hand over his cheek. “It you’re hurting at all, call me. I’ll be here.”

“I know you will,” Liam replied, leaning in for a nearly chaste kiss. Breaking away, he stepped out of the truck. “I’ll see you for our date Friday.”

“Six o’clock sharp.”

Liam smiled and nodded, and then shook his head as Alek finally drove away. The man was as protective as ever. Once the vehicle was out of sight, he ran, two steps at a time, up to his apartment and let himself into the small, but comfortable space. How different things were from when he left here yesterday. A meow drew his attention down to his cat, currently rubbing up against his pant leg. “You hungry, Tux?” He went to check the bowl, with the feline hot on his heels. Sure enough, there was a little food gone from the dish, which would incite panic in any self-respecting cat.

He’d just refilled the food and water bowls and was in the process of scratching Tux behind the ears when his cell phone rang in his pocket. Fishing it out, he quickly checked the call display before answering. “Nathan, hey, it’s been awhile.”

“Hey, bud. How’s it going?”

“Great,” Liam replied, hearing the smile in his voice.

“You sound happy. Did you get more good news? A scholarship or something?”

Liam laughed. “No, but that would be great. I’ve applied for everything, so we’ll see.”

“Okay, if it’s not school, is it work? Did Corey give you a promotion? A raise?”

Liam snickered, unable to contain his happiness. “Nope, not work. Alek and I decided to try again.”

There was silence on the other end of the line, and Liam had to check to make sure Nathan hadn’t hung up. “Nathan?”

“Are you sure about this, Li? I know how much you got hurt last time. Do you really want to go there again?”

“Things are changing,” Liam replied, feeling himself becoming irritated with his friend. “There are things you don’t know.”

“What things?”

“Listen, I don’t really want to do this over the phone. Why don’t you come by in say… three hours? I desperately need a nap first.” He was still pretty tired from being woken up every couple of hours the previous night. “We can talk, and I can make pasta or something.”

“Okay,” Nathan replied, still sounding concerned. “Six o’clock. I’ll be there.”

Once he ended the call, Liam returned his attentions to his pet, scratching behind the soft ears and earning a purr as a reward. “I don’t know if anyone’s going to understand this,” he said, moving his fingers to rub under Tux’s chin. “Hell, if Nathan is acting like this, I wonder what Marty’s going to say.” With a sigh, he leaned his head back on his shoulders and stared up at the ceiling. “At least Corey knows, and he seemed fine with everything.”

With a contented meow, Tux turned and stalked back towards the livingroom, not even sparing him a backward glance.

“Thanks for listening,” Liam called after him, stifling a laugh.

Liam took a short nap and woke refreshed. In no time at all, the pasta sauce was simmering gently on the stove, and the kitchen was clean. Liam would wait to start the noodles until after Nathan arrived.

Nathan showed up promptly at six with a loaf of fresh bread in hand. “What the hell happened to your eye?” he said as soon as the door opened.

“An asshole at the bar decided he was offended I liked dick” Liam said trying to downplay the incident.

“Jesus, Li. I hope you pressed charges.”

Liam nodded. “Alek convinced me to, and went with me to the station.”

“Alek was involved in this?”

Liam bristled at his friend’s accusatory tone. “Not in the way you think,” he snapped.

“Sorry,” Nathan replied bashfully. I’m just concerned about you… as a friend. So tell me. What happened?”

“Well,” Liam started, his irritation receding and a smile pulling at his lips. “It all started with a hockey game.”

A huge thank you goes out to my rockstar editor and friend, Gary     Thank you to everyone who reads and supports this story.