Chapter 1: December-2
562 Words
Elliot only had time to kick off his shoes at home before his phone went off. He leaned his back against the door with a deep sigh, pulled out the phone, and answered without looking at the display. He knew who the caller was.
“Yeah?”
“Elliot? Where are you?” Mick spoke in a hushed tone, and Elliot could hear other voices in the background, letting him know Mick wasn’t alone.
“I went home.” He squeezed his eyes shut and slid down the wall until his ass hit the floor.
“What? Why?” The irritation crept into Mick’s voice, even though Elliot doubted anyone else would recognize it.
“Why do you think?” Elliot didn’t want to do this over the phone, but he guessed he only had himself to blame since he hadn’t texted Mick immediately after leaving. But he still wasn’t in the mood to make it easy.
“I’ll call you back in a minute,” Mick said after a moment’s silence.
The line went dead and Elliot considered getting off the floor. Instead, he put the phone down next to him and started unbuttoning the peacoat. He had managed to struggle out of it when the phone rang again.
“Hello?” No response. “Mick?”
“I’m sorry.” The words were low and full of misery.
“Aw, s**t, honey.” Elliot groaned and doubled over, feeling like someone punched him in the gut. He rested his forehead against his knees.
“I wanted to tell them. I did. But…” Mick’s voice trailed off.
“I know,” Elliot muttered. He scratched his chin before his fingers began twisting strands of his beard, forcing them into half-hearted curls, as he listened to Mick breathing on the other end of the line.
“I don’t know what to do.”
Elliot exhaled sharply. How hard could it be? “You have to tell them. If you want us to work, you have to be honest. I’m not going back into the closet for anyone.”
“I’m not asking you to.”
“Not on purpose. But it feels like you’re shoving me in there and slamming the door in my face when you introduce me as a friend.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah, oh.”
“I’ll…I’ll tell them.”
“Thank you.” More silence. “You don’t have to do it today. Just…soon?” Elliot already felt like crap. No need to force his lover to do something that would make him feel shitty, too.
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah. Go mingle.”
“Are we okay?”
Elliot grimaced at the vulnerability in Mick’s voice. Great, now he felt like an even bigger asshole for making his lover feel like that.
“We’re okay, honey. I promise.”
“I love you.”
“I love you, too.” Elliot hesitated a second before continuing. “Come over after the party?”
“Yeah?”
“Of course. Now go.”
“I will. Thank you.” Mick hung up.
Elliot didn’t get off the floor. Why was Mick so insecure when it came to his sexuality and their relationship? He was a force to be reckoned with at work, and he was a highly sought-after divorce attorney, incredibly successful for his young age. He could intimidate anyone into agreeing to his terms during a negotiation in a delicate case, but he couldn’t stand up to his boss and let him know he was gay. And it wasn’t like he’d had a bad experience with his parents, like Elliot, to influence his decision. Mick’s parents had always been supportive of him, especially his mom.
Elliot chewed on his lower lip and pulled on the strand of beard he had twisted around his index finger. He probably shouldn’t be so hard on Mick. He needed to be more patient. After all, Elliot knew what it meant to lose everything because of who he loved, and he didn’t want that for Mick.
He groaned and banged his head against the door. s**t. He’d have to apologize to Mick for being insensitive. And practice patience.
- Writer
