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SERENDIPITY- CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Luke slowly walks to answer the door. He can’t think of anyone who’d be calling on him tonight.
“Dr. Oliver?” Luke is shocked to see him.
“Mr. Snyder, are you going to invite me in?”
“Oh yeah, come in.” He moves to the side, allowing Reid to walk past him. “What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be out celebrating with your boyfriend?”
“Jason is my best friend, my straight best friend. And the celebrating is all over.”
“Oh. Why are you here?”
“Luke, I need to know. Why did you come to the hospital today? Why did you want to talk about Boston?”
“Uh, well I-I found something today and wanted to ask you about it.”
“What?”
Luke walked over to the far side of the sofa and picked up a paper off the end-table. He stared at it while he walked back to Reid.
“I got a phone call at work today from a potential donor. As I was sorting through all the information I had for this gentleman, I came across this note. Apparently it had been lost amongst all the papers and then filed away until I found it today. I-I hadn’t seen it before this afternoon.”
He handed the paper over to Reid.
Reid immediately recognized the note he’d left Luke when he had to leave Boston.
“You never read it? You didn’t even see it?” He looked up and stared into Luke’s eyes, which were filled with unshed tears.
Luke just shook his head.
“That’s why you didn’t call me.” Reid says sadly. One lost note and both of them had been left heartbroken.
“Did you mean it?” Luke whispers.
“Yes.”
Luke’s hands grasp the sides of Reid’s head and he kisses him deeply. He slowly softens the kiss to pull away and lean against Reid’s forehead.
“I’m sorry.”
“Luke I don’t understand. I left the note on top of all your papers, thinking that you couldn’t miss it. What happened?”
“I don’t know exactly. Somehow all the papers were on the floor. I was upset and just threw them haphazardly back into the folder without really looking at any of the papers. Somehow I missed this note. But-”
“But…what?”
“I saw two crumpled up notes that you started but didn’t finish. I thought you didn’t want me anymore. That you just wanted to leave and forget about me.”
“Oh god Luke. No. I could never forget you. You are a part of me.”
“Really?”
“Yes.” Reid kisses him softly. “But Luke, we can’t do this.”
“What? Why not? I want you. I think you want me.”
“Yes Luke I want you. I’ve always wanted you.”
“Then why, why can’t we be together?”
“Noah.”
“What? What’s he got to do with this?”
“He’s your boyfriend.” Reid said flatly.
“No, he’s not. We broke up.”
“Since when?”
“Uh, the day you told him that you wouldn’t perform his surgery if he was dating me.”
“What?! I never said that.”
“That’s what he told me. It was that first day we ran into each other at the hospital. He came over here that evening and told me that you wanted him to no longer see me. Then we argued, as usual and I told him I wanted all or nothing. He chose nothing.”
“But that was a month ago.”
“Yeah.”
“You’ve been single this whole time? That day in my office?”
“Wait, did you think I’d kissed you while I was still with him? Reid, I couldn’t have done something like that.”
“I know. I just…I thought you were with him and I didn’t want you to feel guilty for kissing me…so I avoided you.”
“I knew you were intentionally avoiding me. I just thought you didn’t want me. I thought you knew Noah had broken up with me.”
“No. I never told him to break up with you. I did tell him to keep you away from me.”
“You did?”
“Yeah, after seeing you in the hallway earlier, all I could think about was kissing you and I knew that I would not be able to handle seeing you with him, without wanting to kiss you. If I was going to restore his sight, I needed to separate myself from you.”
“Were you jealous of him?” Luke asked incredulously.
“Yes.” was the quiet reply.
“Why?”
“You love him.”
“What?”
“Luke all I ever got were small moments of your time, he got your love. You love him. Yes, I’m jealous.”
“Reid, I may have loved him in the past but not now. I’ll always care about him but that is it. He and I are over. Just so you know, those small moments we shared, you and I, were the most important moments of my life. I wouldn’t change one second of the time that I spent with you.”
Luke gives him a brief, gentle kiss.
“What about now? That’s why I came to see you, I wanted to know if you still felt what you wrote. If you want to try to be together.”
“I do.”
“Yeah?”
“Luke, for some reason I’ll never understand, I’m drawn to you. I think we need to give ourselves a chance. So much has kept us apart, but I know that I don’t want to lose you.”
“Me too.” Luke hugs him. “Maybe, you should take off your coat. Stay awhile.”
“I’d love to.” As he pulls his arms from the sleeves of his coat, he feels a weight in one of the pockets. He removes the book. “You won’t believe this.”
“What’s that?”
Reid hands the book to Luke. He starts to laugh. “You found it.”
“Yeah. Well no, not really. Jason gave it to me as a birthday present.”
Luke just smiles that beautiful, happy smile that Reid loves. He’s missed that smile.
“Come here Reid.” Luke holds out a hand for Reid to grasp. He pulls Reid into him and starts to kiss him. “I’ve missed you, so much.”
“Damn Luke, can I stay? Just let me kiss you and hold you. It’s been so long.”
“Please stay. I want more than just to be held, Reid. I need you, all of you.”
Luke stepped back and still holding Reid’s hand, led him to his bedroom.
*******
“Happy birthday Reid.” Luke leans up to kiss him softly before laying his head on Reid’s chest. This was his favorite position in which to sleep, snuggled together with Reid holding him.
*******
Reid reaches for his beeper, stopping the noise before it wakes Luke. He groans as he reads the 911 message. He looks at the time, four am. He quietly rolls out from under Luke and searches for his clothes. Once dressed, he sits on the bed and shakes Luke’s shoulder.
“Luke. Luke, wake up.”
“Reid?” Luke asks groggily. He tries to wipe the sleep from his face. “What’s going on? Are you dressed?”
“My beeper went off. There’s an emergency at the hospital, I need to go. I just wanted to let you know.”
“Oh, okay. Thanks for waking me.” Luke grins at him. Reid can’t help but kiss him.
“I’ve got to go.”
“Okay, maybe I can stop by before work?”
“That would be great. I’ll see you then. Go back to sleep.” He kisses Luke one last time.
“Bye, go be brilliant.”
NEXT
Luke slowly walks to answer the door. He can’t think of anyone who’d be calling on him tonight.
“Dr. Oliver?” Luke is shocked to see him.
“Mr. Snyder, are you going to invite me in?”
“Oh yeah, come in.” He moves to the side, allowing Reid to walk past him. “What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be out celebrating with your boyfriend?”
“Jason is my best friend, my straight best friend. And the celebrating is all over.”
“Oh. Why are you here?”
“Luke, I need to know. Why did you come to the hospital today? Why did you want to talk about Boston?”
“Uh, well I-I found something today and wanted to ask you about it.”
“What?”
Luke walked over to the far side of the sofa and picked up a paper off the end-table. He stared at it while he walked back to Reid.
“I got a phone call at work today from a potential donor. As I was sorting through all the information I had for this gentleman, I came across this note. Apparently it had been lost amongst all the papers and then filed away until I found it today. I-I hadn’t seen it before this afternoon.”
He handed the paper over to Reid.
Reid immediately recognized the note he’d left Luke when he had to leave Boston.
“You never read it? You didn’t even see it?” He looked up and stared into Luke’s eyes, which were filled with unshed tears.
Luke just shook his head.
“That’s why you didn’t call me.” Reid says sadly. One lost note and both of them had been left heartbroken.
“Did you mean it?” Luke whispers.
“Yes.”
Luke’s hands grasp the sides of Reid’s head and he kisses him deeply. He slowly softens the kiss to pull away and lean against Reid’s forehead.
“I’m sorry.”
“Luke I don’t understand. I left the note on top of all your papers, thinking that you couldn’t miss it. What happened?”
“I don’t know exactly. Somehow all the papers were on the floor. I was upset and just threw them haphazardly back into the folder without really looking at any of the papers. Somehow I missed this note. But-”
“But…what?”
“I saw two crumpled up notes that you started but didn’t finish. I thought you didn’t want me anymore. That you just wanted to leave and forget about me.”
“Oh god Luke. No. I could never forget you. You are a part of me.”
“Really?”
“Yes.” Reid kisses him softly. “But Luke, we can’t do this.”
“What? Why not? I want you. I think you want me.”
“Yes Luke I want you. I’ve always wanted you.”
“Then why, why can’t we be together?”
“Noah.”
“What? What’s he got to do with this?”
“He’s your boyfriend.” Reid said flatly.
“No, he’s not. We broke up.”
“Since when?”
“Uh, the day you told him that you wouldn’t perform his surgery if he was dating me.”
“What?! I never said that.”
“That’s what he told me. It was that first day we ran into each other at the hospital. He came over here that evening and told me that you wanted him to no longer see me. Then we argued, as usual and I told him I wanted all or nothing. He chose nothing.”
“But that was a month ago.”
“Yeah.”
“You’ve been single this whole time? That day in my office?”
“Wait, did you think I’d kissed you while I was still with him? Reid, I couldn’t have done something like that.”
“I know. I just…I thought you were with him and I didn’t want you to feel guilty for kissing me…so I avoided you.”
“I knew you were intentionally avoiding me. I just thought you didn’t want me. I thought you knew Noah had broken up with me.”
“No. I never told him to break up with you. I did tell him to keep you away from me.”
“You did?”
“Yeah, after seeing you in the hallway earlier, all I could think about was kissing you and I knew that I would not be able to handle seeing you with him, without wanting to kiss you. If I was going to restore his sight, I needed to separate myself from you.”
“Were you jealous of him?” Luke asked incredulously.
“Yes.” was the quiet reply.
“Why?”
“You love him.”
“What?”
“Luke all I ever got were small moments of your time, he got your love. You love him. Yes, I’m jealous.”
“Reid, I may have loved him in the past but not now. I’ll always care about him but that is it. He and I are over. Just so you know, those small moments we shared, you and I, were the most important moments of my life. I wouldn’t change one second of the time that I spent with you.”
Luke gives him a brief, gentle kiss.
“What about now? That’s why I came to see you, I wanted to know if you still felt what you wrote. If you want to try to be together.”
“I do.”
“Yeah?”
“Luke, for some reason I’ll never understand, I’m drawn to you. I think we need to give ourselves a chance. So much has kept us apart, but I know that I don’t want to lose you.”
“Me too.” Luke hugs him. “Maybe, you should take off your coat. Stay awhile.”
“I’d love to.” As he pulls his arms from the sleeves of his coat, he feels a weight in one of the pockets. He removes the book. “You won’t believe this.”
“What’s that?”
Reid hands the book to Luke. He starts to laugh. “You found it.”
“Yeah. Well no, not really. Jason gave it to me as a birthday present.”
Luke just smiles that beautiful, happy smile that Reid loves. He’s missed that smile.
“Come here Reid.” Luke holds out a hand for Reid to grasp. He pulls Reid into him and starts to kiss him. “I’ve missed you, so much.”
“Damn Luke, can I stay? Just let me kiss you and hold you. It’s been so long.”
“Please stay. I want more than just to be held, Reid. I need you, all of you.”
Luke stepped back and still holding Reid’s hand, led him to his bedroom.
*******
“Happy birthday Reid.” Luke leans up to kiss him softly before laying his head on Reid’s chest. This was his favorite position in which to sleep, snuggled together with Reid holding him.
*******
Reid reaches for his beeper, stopping the noise before it wakes Luke. He groans as he reads the 911 message. He looks at the time, four am. He quietly rolls out from under Luke and searches for his clothes. Once dressed, he sits on the bed and shakes Luke’s shoulder.
“Luke. Luke, wake up.”
“Reid?” Luke asks groggily. He tries to wipe the sleep from his face. “What’s going on? Are you dressed?”
“My beeper went off. There’s an emergency at the hospital, I need to go. I just wanted to let you know.”
“Oh, okay. Thanks for waking me.” Luke grins at him. Reid can’t help but kiss him.
“I’ve got to go.”
“Okay, maybe I can stop by before work?”
“That would be great. I’ll see you then. Go back to sleep.” He kisses Luke one last time.
“Bye, go be brilliant.”
NEXT