Disclaimer:
As this is chapter 40 and you've been probably been reading all along by now, I'm sure you realise that this is the next chapter in an ongoing story about Stephen Gately from Boyzone and Eloy de Jong, formerly of Caught in the Act. With the new year, my resolution is to get more to you in a timely fashion, so you don't have to wait as long. Please continue you let me know what you think. All writers abhor a vacuum, and this one in particular would be pleased to know what you think whether good or bad. Hopefully good.
Cheers!
Musicfan
By the time Stephen woke up, Jordan was gone and the sky outside the window was dark. He could hear Jordan chattering downstairs to his father and the noise told him it was close to dinnertime. He stayed where he was for a moment, enjoying the peace and quiet before getting up and spending time with his family.
After a few moments, he sat back up, stifling a groan as sore muscles protested. He grinned ruefully as he felt aches in places he hadn't thought could ache, reminding him of his Amsterdam exertions. Massaging his leg, he stood up and tried to stretch the muscles in his thighs. Walking gingerly to the door, he went to the bathroom to freshen up. Once he was finished, he went back to find some clothes that didn't appear too wrinkled and put them on. Barefoot, he made his way down the stairs and through the living room into the kitchen, where Jordan was sitting on his father's lap and telling him about his day.
Alan looked up and grinned at his brother-in-law. Stephen still looked like he should be sleeping, but he knew well enough how hard it was to get any sleep with Jordan around. Michelle had told him of the minor miracle earlier that day that Jordan had even gone to take a nap after the excitement of finding his uncle here.
"'Lo, Stephen." Alan called in a greeting as Stephen took a seat at the table. Jordan waved but didn't stop his narrative about what had gone on that day. Stephen wiggled his fingers back at Jordan, which caused a giggle. Arms encircled his neck from behind and he accepted a hug from his sister.
"Feeling better?" She murmured softly into his ear. He nodded as he turned to smile up at her. "Good. Hungry?"
"Mmm, getting there." Stephen admitted. He sniffed appreciatively, knowing she was cooking a roast. "And that's helping!"
"Good," she said with satisfaction. "Because you're too scrawny for your own good."
"Please!" He protested with a laugh. "I could only wish." The one drawback of staying at his sister's was this need of hers to fatten him up. He shared an amused glance with Alan as he shook his head. Jordan crawled off his father's lap and headed off to the den to watch one of his cartoons. "Enough of that, Shel. What can I do to help?"
"Absolutely nothing!" She said, shaking a spoon at him from where she stood at the stove. "This is your time to relax. Don't even think of doing any work!"
"Wish she'd say that to me sometimes," Alan said in a low voice to Stephen. Obviously not low enough, because he had to duck her blow. Stephen grinned as Alan pulled her into his lap and stopped her with a kiss. "None of that in my household, missy!"
"Oh, you!" She said laughingly admitting defeat. "Sometimes, I don't know what I'm going to do with you."
"Exactly what you're doing right now, love." Alan grinned down at her. She made a face before looking over his shoulder and seeing her pot about to bubble over. With an exclamation, she got out of his embrace and ran to the stove, barely catching it from spilling onto the stove. Alan good-naturedly took her abuse from the other side of the kitchen, undermining what she said each time by telling Stephen something funny so that he laughed. Michelle brought the present Stephen had brought with him over to Alan to open and Alan obediently unwrapped the package as she watched from the stove, tapping her foot impatiently. She had been dying to find out what was in the box, since it felt so heavy when she picked it up.
Alan opened the box and pulled out a glass paperweight with a windmill etched inside. He held it up and moved it about, letting the facets refract the light. "Oh, that's lovely. Thank you, Stephen." He said turning to smile at his brother-in-law. Stephen smiled at his obvious delight, silently taking credit for Eloy's present. Michelle showed off her glass blown flower and vase, which Alan admired. A hiss from the oven grabbed her attention and she went back to make sure that nothing was burning.
"So I hear you're in town for a while," Alan said to Stephen as he sat back in his chair. He had taken off his tie and his suit jacket was slung across the back of the chair.
"Yeah, a while for me, I guess." Stephen said with a grin. "Though I have a side trip or two planned to stay with friends."
"Well you know you're always welcome here. Anyone who can get Jordie to take a nap as quick as you did would be welcome as a permanent house guest!" Alan said with a laugh.
"Aww, that was nothing." Stephen said, dismissing his accomplishment with a laugh of his own. "He was just wound up and once he settled down, he dropped right off."
"Ooh, Alan, tell him about that house." Michelle said eagerly as she took the roast out of the oven and moved it to a platter. "Stephen, you have got to see this place. It's absolutely fantastic!"
Stephen turned back to Alan, who rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Well, I wouldn't go that far. It needs a bit of work, but it's something I think you might like. I actually have a few leads on places, but this one is at the top of the wife's list."
"Oh? What's it like?" Stephen asked, leaning on the table. Alan described the mill house in Wicklow, talking about the potential it had. He also went on to mention three other places that he and Michelle had driven by and had checked out as potential homes.
"Stephen, I think you'd love it!" Michelle said excitedly. "They're all lovely, but the first one just has the right personality, if you know what I mean." Stephen nodded dutifully. He didn't know the first thing about having a house, but figured that it was high time he had one of his own. His accountant had been telling him for some time that he needed to invest his money in property of some kind, so he thought that this would just serve to kill a couple of birds with one stone. Plus, it would provide him some privacy from his family when he needed it. Gone were the days of sharing a room with his brother, or living at home. He just felt like he had passed that threshold of his life.
"I'm sure Michelle will take you by to look at them at the first opportunity," Alan said with a twinkle in his eye. "She hasn't been talking about much else lately!"
"Oh, stop it, you!" She said as she swatted him with the tea towel. They both laughed at her and for revenge she put them to work carrying the food to the dining room table. In the meantime, she went into the den to collect Jordan and make sure he was cleaned up for dinner. Alan and Stephen carried the various dishes into the other room as Alan continued to tell him about the houses.
"Hopefully you'll find one you like and from there, if it needs any kind of modifications, I can come up with something for you." Alan assured him. "Mark has already volunteered to do any work that needs doing, so you're all set there."
"Mark knows you've been looking for a house for me?" Stephen asked in surprise. He supposed he shouldn't be surprised, knowing the way his sister could talk.
"I think half the known world knows, actually." Alan said with a grin as they set the table. "Though I will give you a heads up that Margaret didn't seem too thrilled with the idea." He gave his brother-in-law a sympathetic look as Stephen groaned. "Probably because any of the choices are outside the city."
"Oh God, do you remember how bad she was when Shel moved out? With Mark she was the same. I was kind of hoping to break it to her gently. After all, it's not like I'm home that much, anyway." Stephen said, wincing at the thought of having to have that conversation with his mother. At that point, Michelle entered with Jordan.
"What?" She asked, looking from one to the other of them, feeling like she had just walked into something.
"Nothing," Alan assured her. "Just talking about the houses is all." He took Jordan from her and dropped him down into a seat next to Stephen. Jordan crowed with delight, effectively distracting his mother from questioning what else they had been talking about. Stephen was grateful for the distraction. He knew better than to say something to his sister, who had been so excited with the idea of finding him a home. And the more that he thought about it, it was probably better that his family found out that way and got used to the idea before seeing him.
They had a nice quiet meal together, enjoying some time catching up with each other and making plans for Michelle to take him around to the different property they had found. Jordan kept on interrupting with questions, asking Stephen different things all the way through to dessert. Stephen enjoyed the cake that his sister had baked, teasing Jordan by putting some frosting on his nose. When they had finished, they went into the den to relax. Jordan pulled Stephen over to the throw pillows on the floor where they sat down together and watched cartoons. Alan sat back on the loveseat with Michelle and watched them indulgently.
It wasn't long before Jordan had drifted off, lulled by the sound of the television. Michelle was amused to see that Stephen wasn't that far behind him and roused the two of them by shutting off the television and telling them to go to bed. They both complained loudly, to which she sighed in exasperation, sending them both off to bed with a swat to their butts. Stephen winked at her as he followed his nephew out the door and up the steps to the second floor. Together, she and Alan could hear Stephen encouraging Jordan to wash up and brush his teeth. They stayed on the loveseat for some time, quietly talking about Alan's day and how his latest project was going.
"I suppose I should see how Jordan's doing," Michelle said with a sigh. Alan kept her from getting up with his arm around her shoulders.
"I'm sure Stephen's gotten him settled. Your brother is great with kids. Some day he's going to make a great dad," Alan said as he brushed her temple with his lips. He felt her sigh at the comment and he looked at her curiously. "What?"
"I just hope you're right, honey. He loves kids so, I think it would be criminal for him not to have any. But the way his life is these days, I'm not sure when he's ever going to find time." Michelle said, sitting back into his embrace again.
"Because he's gay?" Alan asked, trying to figure out which way his wife's thoughts were going. He knew she fretted about her brother a lot, and it pained him to see her so pensive where he was concerned. Stephen was a great guy, and he would also like to see him happy.
"Well, that's part of it. How many gay Irish men are allowed to adopt children?" She asked softly. "Never mind the fact that he doesn't allow himself to have any sort of life at all. He just doesn't realise it can't be all work."
"I'm sure he knows that," Alan assured her. "He also knows that any day the whole thing can disappear on him. I think he just wants to take advantage of things while he can. Eventually he'll have time to sit back and enjoy himself. And Michelle, I wouldn't be so hasty about saying he won't have a family of his own someday. Ireland isn't the only place where one can adopt. And with science the way it is, it's not unlikely that he could have a child of his own, too."
"I guess that's what I'm afraid of," she said softly, admitting her fears for the first time to her husband. "That he's going to settle down elsewhere and start a family that I won't be able to be a part of."
"Do you think he'd honestly do that?" Alan asked, seeing the root of her concern. "Is that why you're so eager for him to have a house here? To put down roots?"
"I guess so," she said in an odd tone of voice. In actuality, until that moment she hadn't really thought of why it was so important for him to be in a house of his own. "Oh, Alan, I love him so. I just want him to be happy."
"He seemed happy enough to me, though a bit tired," Alan said with a chuckle. "Though he would do with hiding that love bite before your mother sees it." He muffled gasp told him that she hadn't even noticed it and he laughed at her reaction. "What, you don't think I don't know that your brother has sex occasionally?"
"Oh my God!" She said, giggling. "He'd be mortified if anyone saw that. I didn't even see it! Oh Lord, we'll have to do something about that before taking him home, I'm sure!" Quietly, she shared the news with her husband that her brother was in love, and that she was determined to make sure that it all worked out for them.
"Michelle, you can't run your brother's life," Alan admonished her softly. "If it's meant to work out, it will or it won't. With luck, it will work out. But you know what that means if it does, don't you?"
She turned in his arms and stared up at him, nodding. "Yeah, I do. I'll see even less of him than I do now. I know that, but Alan, I'm so thrilled to see him happy for a change that I know that it will be worth it. And who knows? Maybe some day he can live here with Eloy and people will accept it."
"Yeah, someday," Alan said, trying to reassure her. But he also knew his in-laws and that when the news of this finally got out, that it would be a rough road to hoe. He didn't mention any of his thoughts to his wife, and after a while, they headed up to bed. Alan looked in on Jordan and saw him fast asleep, clutching the new stuffed animal that Stephen had brought him. It was a horse, and Alan smiled as he tucked his son in and closed the door over. Michelle was just coming out of Stephen's room and he waggled his finger at his wife. She stuck her tongue out at him and headed for the bedroom. He trailed after her, knowing that nothing he would say would ever change her mind about things. Not that he wanted it any other way.
Morning brought the sounds of giggles from the hall and Michelle rolled over, smiling at the sounds of her brother and son playing. Occasionally she could hear Stephen whisper that they had to be quiet and Jordan would whisper loudly that he was being quiet. Eventually, she heard them go downstairs and she knew that Stephen was trying to let her and Alan sleep in. She rolled over and snuggled against Alan, who wrapped his arm around her waist, muttering in his sleep.
The next time she woke up, it was to giggles that were a lot closer than before. Opening her eyes, she focused in on her son on the floor with his face propped up on his hands as he leaned against the bed. The smell of fresh brewed coffee woke up Alan, who rolled over and looked over her shoulder.
Stephen had a tray on the table by the window with a pot of coffee and breakfast. Jordan was bouncing with excitement as he waited for them to wake up.
"Mama, Dada! Uncle Stephen and I made you breakfast!" Jordan beamed at them. He reached out and tugged on his mother's hand. "It's getting cold! Hurry!"
"Okay, okay!" Michelle laughed, reaching out with her other hand to ruffle Jordan's hair. "We're up!"
"How could anyone sleep through all those giggles?" Alan said wryly as he sat up in bed. Stephen grinned, shrugging.
"All I'll say is this wasn't my idea!" He said, warding off his sister's look as she got out of bed. Jordan tugged on her nightgown as she moved over to the table to inspect breakfast. Stephen and Jordan had made French toast and Alan came behind her to snake a hand around and grab a slice of bacon before kissing her neck.
"Great job, lads." He said approvingly before sitting down at the chair provided. "Are you going to join us?"
"Nope!" Jordan said, giggling as Stephen held out the other chair for his sister to sit down. "We already ate lots and lots while we were making it." He pointed to his stomach and rubbed it in satisfaction. Michelle laughed at his expression and pulled him onto her lap while Stephen sat down on the foot of the bed.
"So I see, little man. Any more and I think you wouldn't fit into your shirt anymore!" She tickled him and he giggled some more. Alan poured himself a cup of coffee and one for his wife before taking some of the french toast off the platter and onto his plate. He added the bacon and bangers, sniffling appreciatively at the offering. Michelle laughed at him before putting some on her plate and trying it.
"Oh, this is good!" She said, beaming at her son. "You're a great cook, Jordan!" She winked at her brother who sat back, watching them enjoy the meal. Michelle sent Jordan down for another cup so his uncle could have some coffee and he came bouncing back into the room with a cup that he handed to Stephen. Stephen thanked him before getting up and pouring himself a cup from the pot.
"Sugar?" Michelle asked, holding out the bowl.
"Just a little. I'm trying to wean myself off of it." Stephen said, taking a spoonful and dropping it in the cup.
"Why ever for?" Michelle asked in amazement.
"Because it's just one more thing that I don't need," Stephen said with a grin as he returned to the foot of the bed, sitting cross-legged as he sat down. "One of eliminating toxins out of the body."
"Oh really, Stephen! Since when is sugar a toxin?" His sister protested with a laugh.
"Actually, he has a point," Alan said as he sat back in his chair. "How many creatures in the animal kingdom sprinkle sugar on their meals before eating?" Michelle laughed at his analogy.
"We're human, we're not animals!" She protested. She shook her head at the two of them and finished with her meal. When she and Alan were done, Stephen picked up their dishes onto the tray and took it downstairs to wash, brushing away their offers to help.
"This is your day to be together and enjoy yourselves. No working!" He said, giving them a wink and asking Jordan to help him with the dishes downstairs. Jordan jumped off his mother's lap and followed him down the stairs.
"Wow, time to ourselves on a Saturday morning!" Alan said in wonder. "What are we going to do with ourselves?"
"I have no idea!" Michelle said, laughing back at him. "It has been a while, hasn't it?" She reached forward impulsively and touched her husband's hand. "I know one thing I'd love to do that we haven't done in a while."
Alan smiled in interest. "And what would that be, love of my life?"
"Take a nice leisurely shower together," she said with a laugh. "Would you like to join me?" She pulled back her hand and stood up, undoing the ties of her nightgown and flashing him seductively. Laughing, he stood up from the table and followed her into the master bathroom, eager for some time alone together without their son interrupting.
Downstairs, Stephen was drying off the dishes and looked up as the water turned on upstairs. Knowing what his sister was probably up to, he decided to take his nephew for a walk. He called out to Soirise, who was lying down in the den and she came bounding through the door at the sound of his voice.
"Jordan, let's go for a walk on the beach," he suggested, looking on the back of the door for Soirise's lead. Jordan eagerly agreed and ran off to get his shoes. He came back with his sneakers and Stephen helped him put them on. For himself, he decided to go barefoot. It had been ages since he had been able to sink his toes in the sand.
They left out the back door, Stephen nicking the spare key off the hook and locking the door behind them. Carefully they made their way down to the beach, seeing a few people wandering about as they went. Once on the sand, Stephen let Soirise off the lead and she went bounding into the water, barking at the waves. Jordan led the way along the water, pointing out interesting rocks and shells that Stephen obediently picked up and put in his pocket. He smiled, remembering doing the same when he was a little boy.
They ended up on a rocky outcropping, watching a ferry from Dun Laoghaire making its way across the water. Jordan sat between his uncle's outstretched legs out of the wind and listened as Stephen told him stories about the people on the ferry, making him laugh as he described the silly man with the mustache who had his favourite seat stolen by a naughty little boy. Jordan crowed with delight at his stories as they sat there, whiling away the time.
From there, they slowly made their way back home, Stephen looking at his watch and thinking that his sister had more than enough time to herself. He had to call Soirise away from where she was playing with some fish in the tide pool left behind by the receding tide. They met a few people walking along the beach and they nodded pleasantly at him as he walked back the way he had come.
Eventually Jordan got tired of walking and Stephen hiked him up onto his shoulders so he could have a break. They soon reached the house and Stephen climbed the stairs back up to the porch, which overlooked the ocean. There, he sat down at the table and brushed the sand off his feet, also making sure that Jordan's sneakers were free of anything that would track into the house. He went inside briefly and grabbed a napkin to clean off Soirise's paws. She obediently lay down and raised her feet up for him to clean. Alan had taught her well over the years, neither one of them wanting to experience Michelle's wrath at having sand tracked into the house. When he heard movement about in the kitchen behind him, he figured it was safe enough to go inside, so he opened the door and told Jordan to go play for a bit while he talked to his mother.
Michelle was making another pot of coffee. She smiled radiantly at him as he entered through the back door.
"Thank you, sweetheart. That was a lovely thing you did." She said, throwing her arms around her brother who hugged her back enthusiastically. Soirise snuffled his bare feet for a few moments before heading off to the other room for a well-deserved rest.
"It was nothing, Shel. And I'm sure it's about time that you two had a nice leisurely morning together." He said, smiling at his sister.
"Something that doesn't happen much around here," a voice said behind him with a laugh and he turned to smile at his brother-in-law. Alan was dressed in a pair of jeans and a polo shirt, quite the contrast to the suit he was wearing the night before. "Jordie keeps on asking for a little brother but he never gives us enough time to make one!"
"Alan!" Michelle scolded, laughing. "Please, don't mention sex in front of my brother. It makes him blush." She laughed over Stephen's protests and they both noticed he did look a bit flushed at her comment.
"Jordan wants a brother?" He said, trying to draw their attention away from his discomfort. Michelle went on to tell him of Jordan's fascination with the family down the street who had just had a baby, and it was bringing out all sorts of questions that they had to answer.
"Already?" Stephen said in surprise. They had moved out onto the porch with their coffee, Michelle leaving the door open so she could hear if Jordan needed them. "Isn't he a bit young to be asking those kinds of things?"
Alan shrugged. "Not really. He's a sharp lad. Though he still thinks you can go to the store and pick one up, like you do anything else you want." Michelle laughed at the analogy, telling them a story about Jordan wanting to be taken to the store where they could find him a baby.
"I told him they came from hospitals, so now he wants to go there and pick one out," she said. "I told him those were already on order with someone else and we'd have to put an order in for one ourselves."
"Which made him come to me and ask me to put an order in, so Mama didn't have to," Alan said with a laugh. Stephen smiled as he pictured Jordan walking up to his father and asking.
"Oh good Lord, that was priceless!" Michelle said with a giggle. "That was the first time Alan had heard about all this and he didn't know what to make of it!"
The object of their discussion came running out the door, chattering excitedly about one of his cars. Under his arm was the toy horse that Stephen had given him the day before. He climbed into his uncle's lap and gave him the horse to hold while he played with the car on the table. Stephen stood the animal on the table and shared a warm glance with his sister.
"So what would you like to do today?" She asked over her son's chatter. Stephen shrugged, feeling a bit lazy after his walk and not particularly motivated to do much of anything. He knew from the way she was fidgeting that she had something in mind.
"What did you have in mind?" He asked. She went on to talk about the houses and he bit back a smile. He had a feeling that was what she was thinking of. He agreed readily enough and stifled a chuckle. She was almost bouncing in her seat with the same kind of excitement her son showed. Alan shared an amused glance with him as they both noticed how she was acting.
"Hey Jordie, would you like to come and build something with me today?" Alan asked, tugging on Jordan's car to get his attention. Jordan listened as he explained he was going over to help Grandpa Carr and the little boy jumped off Stephen's lap without a second thought. Alan had him pick up his stuff and go put it away before leaving.
Alan leaned down and kissed his wife before slanting a glance at her brother. "Don't let this one talk you into anything, Stephen. Take a look at them all, but unless you absolutely love one, don't budge."
"Oh hush, you!" Michelle protested, spanking him on the rear. "Go on with you. What time will we see you back?" She looked up at him with a twinkle in her eye and Stephen smiled. They were so good for one another and he hoped that someday he and Eloy could have such an easy relationship with one another.
"Probably late afternoon, since we're getting such a late start," Alan admitted, looking at his watch. "Dad knew that Stephen was coming in so that we wouldn't get started until late, anyhow. Jordan!" He called. "We have to go now!"
"Well be careful, will you?" She asked. He nodded and gave her a kiss before clasping Stephen's shoulder in farewell. "And call Mark if you get into something you don't think you can handle!"
"Who do you think it was who taught me how to do this?" Alan said with a wink. Stephen laughed. Jordan came out of the house to give his mother and uncle a hug and a kiss before heading off with his father to the car.
After a few minutes of quiet Michelle sat back with a sigh and smiled at her brother. He leaned on the table and smiled back at her. She stretched, making a comment about how making love in the morning was a good way to start the day. He looked down with a grin, shaking his head at his sister's comment.
"You're wicked," he said warmly. He knew she was trying to get a rise out of him and he was determined not to react to any of her audacious comments. "Where are we heading first?"
"Hmm, south, I imagine," she said, not giving him any ideas. "I figured we'd drive around and if you do see something you really like then we can check out the agent's office and see if we can get in." He nodded and got up from the table heading upstairs to get his shoes. Up in his room he put his sneakers on and picked up his mobile where he had left it on the nightstand. He made his way outside where Michelle sat in her car waiting for him. He locked the front door on his way out and climbed into the passenger's seat.
"All set?" She asked, putting her sunglasses on. He nodded as he put his own on and turned on his mobile to see if anyone had left messages. He had one message waiting for him so he dialed up his answering service and punched his password in.
Michelle glanced over, noticing the expression his face as he listened to the message on his mobile. She had a good idea who had left the message and was curious as to what was said.
"Come on, share!" She demanded, driving down the road and heading inland towards the mountains. Stephen glanced at her, weighing his answer before shrugging and putting his mobile on speaker while pressing the button to replay the message. He wanted to gauge her reaction to it.
"Good morning, honing," Eloy's voice echoed inside the car and Stephen saw Michelle shiver at the warm velvet quality of his voice again. "I'm just headed off to the aeroport but wanted to leave you a little morning message before I got on the plane. We're headed off to Oslo next." Michelle could hear the tired sigh he gave as he paused.
"Zusje, I miss you so damn much right now." Stephen closed his eyes as he listened to the needy tone of Eloy's voice. "And to answer the question that I know you're asking, the answer is no. I couldn't sleep at all last night. Every time I close my eyes, all I can see is you. I ache to hold you in my arms again. The next two weeks can't move fast enough for me." Stephen opened his eyes to see that his sister had pulled over to the side of the road, unable to drive as she listened to Eloy's message. This was all he had had a chance to listen to before restarting the message for his sister.
"Ik hou van jou, Ik hou van jou, Ik hou van jou." Eloy repeated over and over again, his voice breaking down a bit before he cleared his throat and tried again. "I want to be able to say that every morning to you, baby. Every night. I want to wake you up with kisses, to see those beautiful eyes of yours open up and look at me that way that you do.
"Come back to me baby. It's only been a day and I feel as if I've lost a part of my soul when you got on that plane. I miss you." Eloy's voice trailed off into a whisper as he paused, murmuring in Dutch again.
"Oh Stephen," Michelle whispered, moved by Eloy's message. Stephen held up a trembling hand to forestall her and in a moment Eloy continued.
"I'm sorry," Eloy said softly, having switched back to English again. "This is not the message I wanted to leave you, honing. Ah, I don't have time to say it. But I love you. I want you here with me, always. I pray that the days pass quickly until I can hold you in my arms again, liefste. Zusje. My baby. Hold me in your thoughts as I keep you in mine." A knocking on the door could be heard in the background and Eloy sighed again. "Verdomme," he cursed softly. "I have to go, zusje. But I'll try to call again tonight when I get back to the hotel. Love you." With a click he hung up. Silence filled the car in the wake of his message and Stephen shut off his mobile with a sigh.
Michelle's eyes were filled with tears as the echoes of Eloy's voice filled her head. She silently cursed the world that kept them apart and reached out to grab her brother's hand. He squeezed her hand, afraid to look at her reaction. He had only gotten through a small bit of the message before hitting the replay and hadn't known that Eloy was going to go on the way he did.
They sat silently in the car, neither saying a word for a long time. Stephen rested his head back against the seat and stared up at the roof, tears blurring his vision. He couldn't help but respond to the raw tone in Eloy's voice, and his own heart ached with the need to hold the other man again in his arms. The upcoming weeks loomed ahead as an almost insurmountable barrier and he had to deliberately push it aside. If he thought about it long enough, it would be the only thing he thought of and he didn't want it to spoil the time he had with his family.
With a bone weary sigh he wiped his eyes with his free hand and looked over at his sister. It had taken her a bit of time to get her own reaction under control and she looked at him soberly.
"Stephen, whatever it takes, however you need to, don't lose hold of him." She said. "It's too special to let separation get in the way, to have someone love you like that."
"I know," he said in a low voice, trying to keep his voice from trembling. "Michelle, I love him so damn much. I think I would do anything to be with him. Damn, I wish he didn't have this promotion right now!" He cried in frustration. "I have the whole month free and all I want to do is spend it with him. I know that's not practical, but it seems like anytime we do see each other, it's like its bits and pieces snatched where we can get them. Then on the other hand, it seems so damn greedy to ask for more than we can get right now."
"I think you have a right to be greedy, love." Michelle responded. "Its not like you've ever had enough time for yourself, you know. It's about time you did."
"Then why can't our schedules work out?" Stephen said, a smile trembling on his lips.
"Because, dear heart, if it were easy, it wouldn't be worth it." She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around her brother. "And I think that he's definitely worth it." She rested her forehead against her brother's shoulder as she hugged him.
"Oh, you do, do you?" He asked, knowing she was right.
"And do you know what else I'm thinking?" She asked. He shook his head. "I think you should leave him a message on his phone for him to listen to for when he gets in later. You don't have to leave one now, but think of what you want to say to him and then leave him a message." She felt him nod slowly as he considered her suggestion.
"I think I might just do that." He said, looking down at her. He brushed his lips against her forehead as he hugged her back. "Well, you wanted to know about us, you're finding out big time, aren't you?"
"I am," she smiled tremulously up at him. "And you know what? I think it's a grand thing that you've found someone to love who loves you like that." She pulled back out of his arms and turned so that she was facing forward. "Oh my, what an act to follow!"
Stephen laughed at her sudden change of direction, the tension inside of him loosening a bit. He knew it wasn't going to be easy, and was resolved to make it work. But messages like that were the type to make him break down. He thought about his sister's suggestion that he leave a message of his own for his lover and as she started up the car and pulled away from the side of the road, he mulled over possible things he could say that might make Eloy feel a bit better. As they drove down the road he decided to put it out of his mind, not wanting to spoil the day he had planned with his sister.