FIC: Oakdale is Not So Bad - Part 8
Title: Oakdale is Not So Bad - Part 8
Author: sleeper6
Characters: Reid/Luke, Snyders, Lucinda
Rating: R
Disclaimer: All belongs to As the World Turns, not me.
Summary: Sequel to Dad is Not So Bad. After Reid moves to Oakdale to be with Luke, he has trouble adjusting to his new life and relationship.
Previous: Part 1/ Part 2/ Part 3/ Part 4/ Part 5/ Part 6/ Part 7
“Hey. Just calling to see if you’re still joining me and the kids tonight. Want us to pick you up?”
Reid held the phone to his ear as he opened the five large pizza boxes on the kitchen counter, smiling contentedly as he inhaled the delicious aroma. “How about pizza instead?”
“Pizza?”
“Good ol’ Hank had five large pizzas-all different toppings-delivered to my place an hour ago. I can eat them all myself, but I don’t mind sharing with you and the little Snyders this one time,” Reid said.
“Why is Henry buying you dinner? He hates your guts,” Luke said.
“Correction: he hated my guts. But now that he knows I want in your pants instead of Katie’s, he’s treating me like a long-lost friend.”
Luke laughed. “Because he saw us kissing at Memorial?”
Reid closed the pizza boxes. “I would’ve given anything to see his face.”
“You sure you don’t mind us going over there?”
“Nah, as long as you don’t mind staying over? And by that, I mean just you.”
“All right, we’ll be there in a bit. Don’t eat the pizzas,” Luke teased.
“Stop chatting and get your butts over here or I will,” Reid said before hanging up. He stared at the boxes before him. In Dallas, Reid would’ve never imagined dinners for two. Hell, he’d never imagined meeting a guy’s parents for dinner either but the night before, he’d done just that. And now he was about to share his food with his boyfriend and his siblings. Reid shook his head, wondering how things had changed so much for him. It didn’t matter how or when, though, because Reid wouldn’t have it any other way.
He reread Henry’s note-the one he’d attached to the top of the pizza stack: Have a gay old time in Oakdale. And lots of pizza! -Henry
Reid crumbled the note and laughed. He was definitely having a gay old time in Oakdale.
Fifteen minutes later, Reid opened the door to find a short, brunet kid looking up at him with large, brown eyes.
“Did you eat all the pizza?”
“Who are you, the midget pizza police?”
The little boy laughed. “No! I’m Ethan Snyder.”
Reid stuck out his right hand. “Ethan Snyder, I’m Dr. Reid Oliver.”
“You’re a doctor of brains?” Ethan asked as he shook Reid’s hand.
Reid smiled. “Yes, I am.”
“Do they really look like spaghetti?” a girl not much older than Ethan asked as she appeared next to him.
Reid nodded. “And they feel like jello.”
“Eww,” the girl said, shaking Reid’s hand. “I’m Natalie Snyder.”
“Nice to meet you, Natalie.”
“We’ve met,” Faith Snyder said coldly as she walked right past Reid and into the living room. She unzipped her jacket to reveal a pink v-neck sweater, which she’d paired with a lilac skirt and white tights. “Is this okay, or are you gonna call me a skank again?”
“What?”
“Faith, that’s enough,” Luke warned as he shut the front door. “And don’t use that word in front of Ethan and Nat.”
Faith rolled her eyes before joining Ethan and Natalie at the small dining table in the kitchen.
Reid leaned close to Luke. “Did I miss something?”
Luke patted Reid’s arm. “She hasn’t forgotten the night you two met when you didn’t exactly approve of her dress.”
“Okay, I know I said a lot of things that night but I don’t think I ever used that word, right?”
“You didn’t,” Luke said.
“Then why does she hate me?”
“She’s a teenager. She hates everyone,” Luke said with a laugh. “Come on, let’s eat.” As he sat down with Reid and his siblings, Luke noticed he had another text message from Noah. He stared at it for a few seconds before putting his phone back in his jeans pocket. He’d deal with it later.
“So how old are you, really?” Faith asked an hour into the meal. She stared curiously at Reid while tapping a fork against her teeth.
“Faith.”
“How old do you think I am?” Reid asked, swallowing the last bite of his seventh slice of pizza.
“Fifty!” Ethan shouted.
Everyone except Faith laughed.
“Not yet, Ethan,” Reid said.
“Forty?” asked Faith.
“In about three years,” Reid answered. He wasn’t sure what Faith was up to, but he wasn’t going to let her get to him either.
“And Mom and Dad have no problem with you hooking up with a guy fifteen years older than you?” Faith asked Luke.
“What’s hooking up?” Ethan asked, his eyes focused on Luke.
Reid and Natalie laughed.
“Uh, it’s when two people like each other very much and become, um, special friends,” Luke said. He turned to Faith. “And why would they? It’s just a number.”
Faith dropped the fork onto her plate. “Just a number? Is that what they said?”
“They didn’t say anything about it.”
Faith huffed as she crossed her arms across her chest and sat back in her chair.
“What’s your problem?”
“Mom and Dad won’t let Faith hook up with older guys,” Natalie said.
“Not guys, just a guy,” Faith said. “And he’s not older. He’s only nineteen.”
“He’s in college,” Natalie said.
“You’re only seventeen,” Luke said. He was surprised that this was the first he’d heard about this since he usually knew what was going on with his siblings. Whenever any of them had issues with their parents, they’d run to Luke.
“That’s two years apart!” Faith said, her voice becoming louder. “Reid is fifteen years older than you, and no one says anything.”
“But we’re also not minors. We’re two mature adults who know what we’re doing,” Luke said.
“He is mature. He’s in college!” Faith said. “Mom and Dad should be glad I’m not dating a bratty kid.”
“She’s got a point there,” Reid said, lifting the beer bottle to his lips.
Luke looked at him questioningly.
“I didn’t date anyone in high school,” Reid said, “and I know you didn’t either.”
Luke chuckled. “I think the reasons for us not dating in high school are far different from Faith’s.”
Reid shrugged as his eyes travelled to an unopened pizza box on the table. “All I’m saying is that college men are better.”
Faith smiled at Reid before turning to Luke. “See? Reid doesn’t see anything wrong with it.”
“Reid is not your parent,” Luke said. “And why haven’t you talked to me about all this? You know you can tell me anything.”
“You’ve been busy,” Faith said, taking out her phone. “Ever since you broke up with Noah, you’re never around anymore. You left to Dallas and then you came back and started school and now you’re always at the hospital or here at Reid’s.”
“Where’s Noah?” Ethan asked, his mouth full of pizza.
“Noah moved to Hollywood, remember? He’s going to make movies there,” Luke said.
“Is he gonna come visit?” Natalie asked.
Luke glanced at Reid, shooting him an apologetic look. He did not want to discuss Noah in front of him. “I don’t know. He didn’t-”
“He’ll come during the holidays,” Faith said as she texted.
“She talks to Noah all the time,” Natalie explained.
“You what?”
“Not all the time, just whenever I need someone to vent to. He broke up with you, not me. Isn’t that what you said when he left?”
“Yes, but-”
“Actually, he might come back sooner. Ever since I told him about you and Reid hooking up, he hasn’t stopped asking about you.”
“You what?”
“What?”
“You told him about me and Reid?” Luke asked.
“Was I not supposed to?” Faith asked.
Reid stopped chewing. “He doesn’t know about us?”
“No. I-I didn’t tell him. He-he left and-”
“And what?” Reid asked.
Luke took out his phone as he stood. “I’ve got to call him.”
“Luke, sit down,” Reid said.
Luke held up a hand. “I’ll be right back.” And before anyone could say anymore, Luke walked to Reid’s bedroom and closed the door.
The foursome stared at each other in silence.
“I wanna hook up!” Ethan suddenly shouted. “I want a special friend like Reid.”
Faith and Natalie dissolved into giggles.
Reid stared at his bedroom door for a few seconds before standing up. He wiped his mouth on a napkin. “I’ll be right back.”
Reid opened the door without knocking and closed it behind him. Luke stood beside Reid’s bed, his fingers rapidly tapping his phone.
“Luke, put the phone away.”
“I need to talk to him, Reid. He’s been trying to get a hold of me recently and I kept ignoring him because I didn’t know what he wanted but now that I know it’s about us, I have to talk to him. I have to explain.”
“Why didn’t you tell him about us?” Reid asked, his voice stern.
Luke looked up from his phone. “Because there was nothing to tell, Reid. After you fixed him and-and before he left, you were in Dallas and I was here. There was no us.”
“And after?”
Luke ran a hand through his hair. “I-I don’t talk to him much anymore.”
“Because he’s a part of your past, and that’s why I don’t see how you and I are any of his business.”
“You don’t get it.”
“No, I don’t,” Reid said, his voice growing louder by the second. “You don’t have to explain us to him. He wasn’t the perfect boyfriend so you don’t owe him anything.”
“Perfect boyfriend or not, he still deserved to learn about our relationship from me, not my sister.”
“He’s a big boy. He can handle the truth.”
“I still should’ve told him,” Luke said, gripping the phone tightly in his hand.
“Why? He moved on a long time ago and so did you. Why does he care now? Why do you?”
Luke laughed wryly. “You cannot be serious.”
Reid stared at him, his eyebrows wrinkled in confusion.
“You’re jealous of Noah, really?” Luke held up a hand. “You know what? I can’t deal with this right now.” Luke scrolled through the contacts on his phone. “I just have to call Noah and-”
“Not here.”
“What?”
Reid walked to the door. “If you insist on talking to him, do it somewhere else. Not here.” Reid opened the door and waited.
Luke stared at Reid. Reid stared back. Luke didn’t want to leave, he really didn’t, but he didn’t understand why Reid was acting like this. And he didn’t like Reid telling him what to do. Luke sighed and then walked out.
“Come on, guys, it’s time to go,” Reid heard Luke say.
“What about the ice cream?” Ethan asked.
“No ice cream tonight, Ethan. Let’s go.”
The front door slammed shut, and Reid banged his head on his door.
Reid wanted to give Luke some time to realize what an idiot he’d been. Once he did, Luke would call Reid to apologize and make amends.
So Reid waited for Luke to call.
An hour went by. Reid watched TV.
Another half-hour passed. Reid ate cold pizza and surfed the Internet.
After twenty more minutes, Reid grabbed his jacket, wallet and car keys and walked out of the apartment.
Reid exhaled as he prepared to ring the doorbell. He still couldn’t get used to the idea of having a boyfriend who lived with his parents, thus, having to talk to one or both of them before getting through to Luke. And though Holden and Lily weren’t so bad, Reid still wasn’t entirely comfortable in their presence. He wasn’t comfortable talking to people other than Luke and Katie either.
Reid rang the doorbell and tapped his right hand against his thigh as he waited. An older red-headed woman in a gray suit answered the door.
“Yes?”
Who is this? Damn, I wish I had my trusty napkin. “I’m looking for, uh, is Luke here?”
“Who’s asking?”
“Me.”
“Is that your full name?”
Reid had to smile. “Dr. Reid Oliver.” He held out his hand. “Luke and I are-”
“Yes, I know exactly what you and Luke are,” she said, shaking Reid’s hand. “Ms. Lucinda Walsh, and that is my full name.” She released Reid’s hand and looked at him from head to toe. “So you’re the one Damian Grimaldi handpicked for my grandson.”
“Nobody picked me for Luke except Luke himself.”
Lucinda tapped her perfectly-polished fingernail against her lip. “On Damian’s recommendation.”
“And nothing more,” Reid said. “But if you’re insinuating anything else, tell me so I can correct any assumptions you may have.”
“You mean clarify?”
“No, I mean ‘correct’ because I’m right and you’re wrong,” Reid said, grinning. “I have no association with Damian other than that I’m dating his son.”
Lucinda smiled. “Unless my private investigator tells me otherwise, I’m going to take your word for it.”
“I’ve got nothing to hide.”
Lucinda’s smile grew wider. “No, you certainly don’t.”
“Mother, let him in,” Lily said as she came up behind Lucinda. “Reid, hello.”
“Ms. Walsh.”
“We were just getting acquainted,” Lucinda said, moving aside to let Reid in.
“We’re practically best friends already,” Reid said with a smirk.
“Luke is in his room,” Lily said, pointing to the stairs. “The children are really impressed with you, by the way.”
“I’m really impressed with them too. They weren’t as . . . loud as I thought they’d be.” He smiled at the women before making his way up the stairs.
Standing at the top of the stairs, Reid suddenly realized he’d never been inside Luke’s bedroom and therefore had no idea which room was his. He was about to knock on the door of the first room when it swung open and Luke appeared. Luke’s eyes widened in surprise. “Reid, what are you . . .?”
“May I come in?”
“Uh, yeah, yeah, of course.” Luke closed the door once he and Reid were inside his room. “What are you doing here? I thought you were, um, mad at me.”
Reid walked around the room with his hands in his pockets. “Nice room.” He paused and looked at Luke. “I was mad. I am-kind of.”
Luke looked at the floor. “Look, Reid, I-”
“I know what you’re going to say, Luke. You can’t help yourself. It’s who you are. You’re too forgiving and too accommodating and although I might not always like it, that’s you.”
Luke stared at him.
“You believe in second and third and fourth chances for everyone. Noah didn’t treat you well-and one day I’d really talk to him about that, believe me-but you’re still his friend. You care about him.”
Luke slowly nodded and looked back down at the floor.
“And apparently, from everything I’ve learned and heard, Damian isn’t the best father figure for you and yet he’s still your father.” Reid walked closer to Luke and lifted Luke’s chin. “I’m not going to ask you to be a selfish bastard for me. If you want to keep on forgiving and forgetting, then that’s your business. I’m not Mr. Social Butterfly like I think you’d prefer but you still accept me. And love me.”
Luke smiled.
“I just don’t want anyone to make you think that they matter more than you do because they don’t.”
“You’re biased.”
“Maybe I am but that’s because I love you,” Reid said. He was getting really good at saying that. “You look out for me; you stand up for me. It’s time someone did the same for you.”
“Thank you.”
Reid pinched Luke’s chin. “You’re welcome.”
“I am sorry I acted like a jerk, though,” Luke said.
“I know. That’s my job.”
Luke laughed. “The kids really liked you, even Faith since you took her side on the boyfriend issue.”
“I am a likeable guy, huh?”
Luke put his arms around Reid’s neck. “You are very likeable, Dr. Oliver.”
“So are you, Mr. Snyder-too likeable in fact.”
Luke raised an eyebrow.
“You’ve got three guys fighting for you at this very moment. I have a right to be jealous,” Reid said.
Luke shook his head. “Noah doesn’t want me. He just wants to have a say in what I do.”
“And Trevor?”
“Reid.”
“He wants to hook up with you bad.”
“I don’t want him.” Luke closed the distance between them as his lips fell upon Reid’s. “I want you.” Luke kissed Reid again. “I want you right now.”
Reid pulled back. “We’re in your mom’s house.”
“So?” Luke asked, his breath moist against Reid’s neck.
Reid groaned as Luke’s lips began sucking on his collarbone. “Your mom and grandma are downstairs.”
“Yeah, they are,” Luke whispered.
“And your sisters and brother . . .” Reid trailed off as Luke closed his mouth over Reid’s.
Luke, his lips fastened on Reid’s, pushed Reid back toward the bed until they both fell onto it. Reid stopped kissing Luke and glanced nervously at the door.
“Luke.”
“Hush,” Luke said as he began unbuttoning Reid’s shirt.
“Luke, we-we have to stop,” Reid said, trying not to shut his eyes in pleasure as Luke’s mouth worked wonders.
“Why so shy? We did it in the hotel room with Damian in it, remember?”
Reid sat up and cradled Luke’s head in his hands in an effort to stop him from going further. “I don’t think your mom is as easygoing as Damian.”
“Too bad for her,” Luke said, forcefully pushing Reid down and straddling him. He put his mouth against Reid’s ear. “Come on, lemme show you how much I don’t want Trevor or Noah.”
Reid couldn’t resist that. He pulled himself up so he could reverse their positions. Luke ended up on his back grinning up at Reid.
“Oh, now I know what really gets you going.”
“Not really,” Reid said, unzipping Luke’s jeans. “I just remembered you left before we could have dessert.” He pulled Luke’s pants down and then leaned forward to kiss him.
“Wow, I think that’s the quietest you’ve ever been during sex,” Reid said as he pushed himself off Luke. He removed the condom and tossed it into the trash can next to Luke’s bed before wiping his hands on the bed sheets.
“Well, my mom is downstairs,” Luke said with a grin. He lay on his stomach and rested his head on a pillow as he looked at Reid. “Hey, Reid, thanks for earlier-what you said. I know I have to stop being a pushover.”
“Luke, I didn’t mean it like that.”
“No, but you’re right. I let people betray me and yet I keep forgiving them over and over again. It’s not healthy.” Luke sighed. “I think I let Noah act like he did because that’s how my mom and dad and dad acted sometimes. They let me down a lot but since I love them so much, I overlooked their behavior. I’ve done that a lot for one in particular.”
“That’s why I’ve asked you to tell me when I do something to upset you or something you don’t like,” Reid said, running his hands though Luke’s hair. “I don’t want you to do that with me.”
Luke nodded.
“So who are we talking about?”
“Damian. I know you think he’s a great guy and he kind of is but he’s also kind of not so nice.”
“Tell me.”
And so Luke told him about the kidnappings, the fake illness, the attempted murders, the plan to get Luke to sign away his inheritance, the violent conflicts with Holden and all the lies Luke could remember.
“You want to know something? Even if he did something worse than what he’s done, I’d forgive him. I’ll forgive him anything because he brought you to me.” Luke shook his head.
“I love you.” Reid gently kissed Luke. After hearing everything, Reid wanted to hate Damian but he couldn’t. He’d given him Luke. “You know, if he wasn’t so scary, I’d give him a good talking to.”
Luke laughed and playfully slapped Reid’s face. “Wanna go downstairs for some ice cream?”
“You’ve just finished telling me about your dad’s thwarted attempts at killing members of your family and you ask me if I want ice cream?”
Luke shrugged. “That’s Oakdale for you.”
"I owe your sisters and brother their own ice cream treat too, by the way. You all left before we could get to it."
"Aww, you wanna hang out with kiddies again? We're really growing on you, huh?"
Reid’s laughter was cut short by the buzzing from Luke’s phone.
“Speak of the devil,” Luke said, reading the text and holding up his phone to Reid. “It’s Damian. He’ll be arriving tomorrow.”
Part 9
Author: sleeper6
Characters: Reid/Luke, Snyders, Lucinda
Rating: R
Disclaimer: All belongs to As the World Turns, not me.
Summary: Sequel to Dad is Not So Bad. After Reid moves to Oakdale to be with Luke, he has trouble adjusting to his new life and relationship.
Previous: Part 1/ Part 2/ Part 3/ Part 4/ Part 5/ Part 6/ Part 7
“Hey. Just calling to see if you’re still joining me and the kids tonight. Want us to pick you up?”
Reid held the phone to his ear as he opened the five large pizza boxes on the kitchen counter, smiling contentedly as he inhaled the delicious aroma. “How about pizza instead?”
“Pizza?”
“Good ol’ Hank had five large pizzas-all different toppings-delivered to my place an hour ago. I can eat them all myself, but I don’t mind sharing with you and the little Snyders this one time,” Reid said.
“Why is Henry buying you dinner? He hates your guts,” Luke said.
“Correction: he hated my guts. But now that he knows I want in your pants instead of Katie’s, he’s treating me like a long-lost friend.”
Luke laughed. “Because he saw us kissing at Memorial?”
Reid closed the pizza boxes. “I would’ve given anything to see his face.”
“You sure you don’t mind us going over there?”
“Nah, as long as you don’t mind staying over? And by that, I mean just you.”
“All right, we’ll be there in a bit. Don’t eat the pizzas,” Luke teased.
“Stop chatting and get your butts over here or I will,” Reid said before hanging up. He stared at the boxes before him. In Dallas, Reid would’ve never imagined dinners for two. Hell, he’d never imagined meeting a guy’s parents for dinner either but the night before, he’d done just that. And now he was about to share his food with his boyfriend and his siblings. Reid shook his head, wondering how things had changed so much for him. It didn’t matter how or when, though, because Reid wouldn’t have it any other way.
He reread Henry’s note-the one he’d attached to the top of the pizza stack: Have a gay old time in Oakdale. And lots of pizza! -Henry
Reid crumbled the note and laughed. He was definitely having a gay old time in Oakdale.
Fifteen minutes later, Reid opened the door to find a short, brunet kid looking up at him with large, brown eyes.
“Did you eat all the pizza?”
“Who are you, the midget pizza police?”
The little boy laughed. “No! I’m Ethan Snyder.”
Reid stuck out his right hand. “Ethan Snyder, I’m Dr. Reid Oliver.”
“You’re a doctor of brains?” Ethan asked as he shook Reid’s hand.
Reid smiled. “Yes, I am.”
“Do they really look like spaghetti?” a girl not much older than Ethan asked as she appeared next to him.
Reid nodded. “And they feel like jello.”
“Eww,” the girl said, shaking Reid’s hand. “I’m Natalie Snyder.”
“Nice to meet you, Natalie.”
“We’ve met,” Faith Snyder said coldly as she walked right past Reid and into the living room. She unzipped her jacket to reveal a pink v-neck sweater, which she’d paired with a lilac skirt and white tights. “Is this okay, or are you gonna call me a skank again?”
“What?”
“Faith, that’s enough,” Luke warned as he shut the front door. “And don’t use that word in front of Ethan and Nat.”
Faith rolled her eyes before joining Ethan and Natalie at the small dining table in the kitchen.
Reid leaned close to Luke. “Did I miss something?”
Luke patted Reid’s arm. “She hasn’t forgotten the night you two met when you didn’t exactly approve of her dress.”
“Okay, I know I said a lot of things that night but I don’t think I ever used that word, right?”
“You didn’t,” Luke said.
“Then why does she hate me?”
“She’s a teenager. She hates everyone,” Luke said with a laugh. “Come on, let’s eat.” As he sat down with Reid and his siblings, Luke noticed he had another text message from Noah. He stared at it for a few seconds before putting his phone back in his jeans pocket. He’d deal with it later.
“So how old are you, really?” Faith asked an hour into the meal. She stared curiously at Reid while tapping a fork against her teeth.
“Faith.”
“How old do you think I am?” Reid asked, swallowing the last bite of his seventh slice of pizza.
“Fifty!” Ethan shouted.
Everyone except Faith laughed.
“Not yet, Ethan,” Reid said.
“Forty?” asked Faith.
“In about three years,” Reid answered. He wasn’t sure what Faith was up to, but he wasn’t going to let her get to him either.
“And Mom and Dad have no problem with you hooking up with a guy fifteen years older than you?” Faith asked Luke.
“What’s hooking up?” Ethan asked, his eyes focused on Luke.
Reid and Natalie laughed.
“Uh, it’s when two people like each other very much and become, um, special friends,” Luke said. He turned to Faith. “And why would they? It’s just a number.”
Faith dropped the fork onto her plate. “Just a number? Is that what they said?”
“They didn’t say anything about it.”
Faith huffed as she crossed her arms across her chest and sat back in her chair.
“What’s your problem?”
“Mom and Dad won’t let Faith hook up with older guys,” Natalie said.
“Not guys, just a guy,” Faith said. “And he’s not older. He’s only nineteen.”
“He’s in college,” Natalie said.
“You’re only seventeen,” Luke said. He was surprised that this was the first he’d heard about this since he usually knew what was going on with his siblings. Whenever any of them had issues with their parents, they’d run to Luke.
“That’s two years apart!” Faith said, her voice becoming louder. “Reid is fifteen years older than you, and no one says anything.”
“But we’re also not minors. We’re two mature adults who know what we’re doing,” Luke said.
“He is mature. He’s in college!” Faith said. “Mom and Dad should be glad I’m not dating a bratty kid.”
“She’s got a point there,” Reid said, lifting the beer bottle to his lips.
Luke looked at him questioningly.
“I didn’t date anyone in high school,” Reid said, “and I know you didn’t either.”
Luke chuckled. “I think the reasons for us not dating in high school are far different from Faith’s.”
Reid shrugged as his eyes travelled to an unopened pizza box on the table. “All I’m saying is that college men are better.”
Faith smiled at Reid before turning to Luke. “See? Reid doesn’t see anything wrong with it.”
“Reid is not your parent,” Luke said. “And why haven’t you talked to me about all this? You know you can tell me anything.”
“You’ve been busy,” Faith said, taking out her phone. “Ever since you broke up with Noah, you’re never around anymore. You left to Dallas and then you came back and started school and now you’re always at the hospital or here at Reid’s.”
“Where’s Noah?” Ethan asked, his mouth full of pizza.
“Noah moved to Hollywood, remember? He’s going to make movies there,” Luke said.
“Is he gonna come visit?” Natalie asked.
Luke glanced at Reid, shooting him an apologetic look. He did not want to discuss Noah in front of him. “I don’t know. He didn’t-”
“He’ll come during the holidays,” Faith said as she texted.
“She talks to Noah all the time,” Natalie explained.
“You what?”
“Not all the time, just whenever I need someone to vent to. He broke up with you, not me. Isn’t that what you said when he left?”
“Yes, but-”
“Actually, he might come back sooner. Ever since I told him about you and Reid hooking up, he hasn’t stopped asking about you.”
“You what?”
“What?”
“You told him about me and Reid?” Luke asked.
“Was I not supposed to?” Faith asked.
Reid stopped chewing. “He doesn’t know about us?”
“No. I-I didn’t tell him. He-he left and-”
“And what?” Reid asked.
Luke took out his phone as he stood. “I’ve got to call him.”
“Luke, sit down,” Reid said.
Luke held up a hand. “I’ll be right back.” And before anyone could say anymore, Luke walked to Reid’s bedroom and closed the door.
The foursome stared at each other in silence.
“I wanna hook up!” Ethan suddenly shouted. “I want a special friend like Reid.”
Faith and Natalie dissolved into giggles.
Reid stared at his bedroom door for a few seconds before standing up. He wiped his mouth on a napkin. “I’ll be right back.”
Reid opened the door without knocking and closed it behind him. Luke stood beside Reid’s bed, his fingers rapidly tapping his phone.
“Luke, put the phone away.”
“I need to talk to him, Reid. He’s been trying to get a hold of me recently and I kept ignoring him because I didn’t know what he wanted but now that I know it’s about us, I have to talk to him. I have to explain.”
“Why didn’t you tell him about us?” Reid asked, his voice stern.
Luke looked up from his phone. “Because there was nothing to tell, Reid. After you fixed him and-and before he left, you were in Dallas and I was here. There was no us.”
“And after?”
Luke ran a hand through his hair. “I-I don’t talk to him much anymore.”
“Because he’s a part of your past, and that’s why I don’t see how you and I are any of his business.”
“You don’t get it.”
“No, I don’t,” Reid said, his voice growing louder by the second. “You don’t have to explain us to him. He wasn’t the perfect boyfriend so you don’t owe him anything.”
“Perfect boyfriend or not, he still deserved to learn about our relationship from me, not my sister.”
“He’s a big boy. He can handle the truth.”
“I still should’ve told him,” Luke said, gripping the phone tightly in his hand.
“Why? He moved on a long time ago and so did you. Why does he care now? Why do you?”
Luke laughed wryly. “You cannot be serious.”
Reid stared at him, his eyebrows wrinkled in confusion.
“You’re jealous of Noah, really?” Luke held up a hand. “You know what? I can’t deal with this right now.” Luke scrolled through the contacts on his phone. “I just have to call Noah and-”
“Not here.”
“What?”
Reid walked to the door. “If you insist on talking to him, do it somewhere else. Not here.” Reid opened the door and waited.
Luke stared at Reid. Reid stared back. Luke didn’t want to leave, he really didn’t, but he didn’t understand why Reid was acting like this. And he didn’t like Reid telling him what to do. Luke sighed and then walked out.
“Come on, guys, it’s time to go,” Reid heard Luke say.
“What about the ice cream?” Ethan asked.
“No ice cream tonight, Ethan. Let’s go.”
The front door slammed shut, and Reid banged his head on his door.
Reid wanted to give Luke some time to realize what an idiot he’d been. Once he did, Luke would call Reid to apologize and make amends.
So Reid waited for Luke to call.
An hour went by. Reid watched TV.
Another half-hour passed. Reid ate cold pizza and surfed the Internet.
After twenty more minutes, Reid grabbed his jacket, wallet and car keys and walked out of the apartment.
Reid exhaled as he prepared to ring the doorbell. He still couldn’t get used to the idea of having a boyfriend who lived with his parents, thus, having to talk to one or both of them before getting through to Luke. And though Holden and Lily weren’t so bad, Reid still wasn’t entirely comfortable in their presence. He wasn’t comfortable talking to people other than Luke and Katie either.
Reid rang the doorbell and tapped his right hand against his thigh as he waited. An older red-headed woman in a gray suit answered the door.
“Yes?”
Who is this? Damn, I wish I had my trusty napkin. “I’m looking for, uh, is Luke here?”
“Who’s asking?”
“Me.”
“Is that your full name?”
Reid had to smile. “Dr. Reid Oliver.” He held out his hand. “Luke and I are-”
“Yes, I know exactly what you and Luke are,” she said, shaking Reid’s hand. “Ms. Lucinda Walsh, and that is my full name.” She released Reid’s hand and looked at him from head to toe. “So you’re the one Damian Grimaldi handpicked for my grandson.”
“Nobody picked me for Luke except Luke himself.”
Lucinda tapped her perfectly-polished fingernail against her lip. “On Damian’s recommendation.”
“And nothing more,” Reid said. “But if you’re insinuating anything else, tell me so I can correct any assumptions you may have.”
“You mean clarify?”
“No, I mean ‘correct’ because I’m right and you’re wrong,” Reid said, grinning. “I have no association with Damian other than that I’m dating his son.”
Lucinda smiled. “Unless my private investigator tells me otherwise, I’m going to take your word for it.”
“I’ve got nothing to hide.”
Lucinda’s smile grew wider. “No, you certainly don’t.”
“Mother, let him in,” Lily said as she came up behind Lucinda. “Reid, hello.”
“Ms. Walsh.”
“We were just getting acquainted,” Lucinda said, moving aside to let Reid in.
“We’re practically best friends already,” Reid said with a smirk.
“Luke is in his room,” Lily said, pointing to the stairs. “The children are really impressed with you, by the way.”
“I’m really impressed with them too. They weren’t as . . . loud as I thought they’d be.” He smiled at the women before making his way up the stairs.
Standing at the top of the stairs, Reid suddenly realized he’d never been inside Luke’s bedroom and therefore had no idea which room was his. He was about to knock on the door of the first room when it swung open and Luke appeared. Luke’s eyes widened in surprise. “Reid, what are you . . .?”
“May I come in?”
“Uh, yeah, yeah, of course.” Luke closed the door once he and Reid were inside his room. “What are you doing here? I thought you were, um, mad at me.”
Reid walked around the room with his hands in his pockets. “Nice room.” He paused and looked at Luke. “I was mad. I am-kind of.”
Luke looked at the floor. “Look, Reid, I-”
“I know what you’re going to say, Luke. You can’t help yourself. It’s who you are. You’re too forgiving and too accommodating and although I might not always like it, that’s you.”
Luke stared at him.
“You believe in second and third and fourth chances for everyone. Noah didn’t treat you well-and one day I’d really talk to him about that, believe me-but you’re still his friend. You care about him.”
Luke slowly nodded and looked back down at the floor.
“And apparently, from everything I’ve learned and heard, Damian isn’t the best father figure for you and yet he’s still your father.” Reid walked closer to Luke and lifted Luke’s chin. “I’m not going to ask you to be a selfish bastard for me. If you want to keep on forgiving and forgetting, then that’s your business. I’m not Mr. Social Butterfly like I think you’d prefer but you still accept me. And love me.”
Luke smiled.
“I just don’t want anyone to make you think that they matter more than you do because they don’t.”
“You’re biased.”
“Maybe I am but that’s because I love you,” Reid said. He was getting really good at saying that. “You look out for me; you stand up for me. It’s time someone did the same for you.”
“Thank you.”
Reid pinched Luke’s chin. “You’re welcome.”
“I am sorry I acted like a jerk, though,” Luke said.
“I know. That’s my job.”
Luke laughed. “The kids really liked you, even Faith since you took her side on the boyfriend issue.”
“I am a likeable guy, huh?”
Luke put his arms around Reid’s neck. “You are very likeable, Dr. Oliver.”
“So are you, Mr. Snyder-too likeable in fact.”
Luke raised an eyebrow.
“You’ve got three guys fighting for you at this very moment. I have a right to be jealous,” Reid said.
Luke shook his head. “Noah doesn’t want me. He just wants to have a say in what I do.”
“And Trevor?”
“Reid.”
“He wants to hook up with you bad.”
“I don’t want him.” Luke closed the distance between them as his lips fell upon Reid’s. “I want you.” Luke kissed Reid again. “I want you right now.”
Reid pulled back. “We’re in your mom’s house.”
“So?” Luke asked, his breath moist against Reid’s neck.
Reid groaned as Luke’s lips began sucking on his collarbone. “Your mom and grandma are downstairs.”
“Yeah, they are,” Luke whispered.
“And your sisters and brother . . .” Reid trailed off as Luke closed his mouth over Reid’s.
Luke, his lips fastened on Reid’s, pushed Reid back toward the bed until they both fell onto it. Reid stopped kissing Luke and glanced nervously at the door.
“Luke.”
“Hush,” Luke said as he began unbuttoning Reid’s shirt.
“Luke, we-we have to stop,” Reid said, trying not to shut his eyes in pleasure as Luke’s mouth worked wonders.
“Why so shy? We did it in the hotel room with Damian in it, remember?”
Reid sat up and cradled Luke’s head in his hands in an effort to stop him from going further. “I don’t think your mom is as easygoing as Damian.”
“Too bad for her,” Luke said, forcefully pushing Reid down and straddling him. He put his mouth against Reid’s ear. “Come on, lemme show you how much I don’t want Trevor or Noah.”
Reid couldn’t resist that. He pulled himself up so he could reverse their positions. Luke ended up on his back grinning up at Reid.
“Oh, now I know what really gets you going.”
“Not really,” Reid said, unzipping Luke’s jeans. “I just remembered you left before we could have dessert.” He pulled Luke’s pants down and then leaned forward to kiss him.
“Wow, I think that’s the quietest you’ve ever been during sex,” Reid said as he pushed himself off Luke. He removed the condom and tossed it into the trash can next to Luke’s bed before wiping his hands on the bed sheets.
“Well, my mom is downstairs,” Luke said with a grin. He lay on his stomach and rested his head on a pillow as he looked at Reid. “Hey, Reid, thanks for earlier-what you said. I know I have to stop being a pushover.”
“Luke, I didn’t mean it like that.”
“No, but you’re right. I let people betray me and yet I keep forgiving them over and over again. It’s not healthy.” Luke sighed. “I think I let Noah act like he did because that’s how my mom and dad and dad acted sometimes. They let me down a lot but since I love them so much, I overlooked their behavior. I’ve done that a lot for one in particular.”
“That’s why I’ve asked you to tell me when I do something to upset you or something you don’t like,” Reid said, running his hands though Luke’s hair. “I don’t want you to do that with me.”
Luke nodded.
“So who are we talking about?”
“Damian. I know you think he’s a great guy and he kind of is but he’s also kind of not so nice.”
“Tell me.”
And so Luke told him about the kidnappings, the fake illness, the attempted murders, the plan to get Luke to sign away his inheritance, the violent conflicts with Holden and all the lies Luke could remember.
“You want to know something? Even if he did something worse than what he’s done, I’d forgive him. I’ll forgive him anything because he brought you to me.” Luke shook his head.
“I love you.” Reid gently kissed Luke. After hearing everything, Reid wanted to hate Damian but he couldn’t. He’d given him Luke. “You know, if he wasn’t so scary, I’d give him a good talking to.”
Luke laughed and playfully slapped Reid’s face. “Wanna go downstairs for some ice cream?”
“You’ve just finished telling me about your dad’s thwarted attempts at killing members of your family and you ask me if I want ice cream?”
Luke shrugged. “That’s Oakdale for you.”
"I owe your sisters and brother their own ice cream treat too, by the way. You all left before we could get to it."
"Aww, you wanna hang out with kiddies again? We're really growing on you, huh?"
Reid’s laughter was cut short by the buzzing from Luke’s phone.
“Speak of the devil,” Luke said, reading the text and holding up his phone to Reid. “It’s Damian. He’ll be arriving tomorrow.”
Part 9