Please open your eyes.

She didn’t know why she’d done it. Again. It was just.. so, so, so stupid. Did she just have no self control? Taylor sighed softly as she lay staring over at the sliver of moonlight slipping through the curtains of the dorm room, shimmering with that rather pleasant life that sometimes made her wish she could just be whooshed away to somewhere else in it. Just fly away in the moonlight and over the hills, across the oceans just to somewhere where she wasn’t herself. Where maybe she had the chance to change how she acted, and where she didn’t have the stupid temptations that knew just how to push her buttons until she couldn’t say no.

The hand at her hip shifted a little as the body beside her moved closer against her bare back, skin sticking against skin, inducing a gentle shudder to rush down her spine. But, it wasn’t that nice feeling shudder that she usually got by being so close to someone. No, it was different, something that almost made her feel sick and like she’d just had a blow to her stomach. And there was a reason that she felt like this, but it was something that she didn’t exactly want to admit to. After all, how could Taylor Harts admit that she was really starting to fall for just one specific boy? The girl hadn’t had a real boyfriend since way before she was in her teens and she’d never really committed herself to a relationship.

But there was one guy that seemed to give her the want to try. He was sweet, adorable, and just.. so cutely oblivious to things and, for some reason, these things just made her so stupidly attracted to him. Thad had just been some silly little project of hers before she had gotten to know him, but then he had just totally stolen her away. Felicity had told her that the eighteen-year-old was a sweetheart and that he’d probably manage to ‘ensnare’ her back.. and he really had. She wasn’t used to caring about what people thought of her, but with Thad she had grown a little more.. careful in how she acted around him. Tay didn’t like the idea of him losing interest in her, and she certainly didn’t like the idea of her doing something that warded him away from her.

But then, there she was, curled up in bed with Brendon, someone who she hardly had any relationship with above one of lust. And it wasn’t the first time that she’d slept with him since being with Thad. The teen sighed softly once more as she drew herself out from underneath the bed sheets, a majority of her body exposed to the contents of the room, which only herself and Brendon occupied for the night. Lend was staying with Cleo, and Josh was off somewhere with his Spanish teacher [a gem of information that Brendon had ‘accidentally’ divulged to her]. So it was just the pair of them, no one there to witness what had occurred and no one to judge.

Well, no one but herself.

Her cheek was rested upon Brendon's chest, one arm slung over his torso whilst the other rested beneath her side. No matter how comfortable she wanted to be, or how much she wanted to enjoy just laying there with him, she couldn't. She could feel such a difference between the feelings she got from being with Brendon and the feelings she got from being with Thad. Brendon may have made her feel sexy, powerful and he knew the things she liked, but with Thad.. he made her feel wanted, cared for and he may not have been the most skilled physically, but he was learning. She was comfortable with him and that safe aspect of their relationship was something she realised that she wanted. She wanted to be able to say that Thad was her one and only, and for him to be able to trust her enough to see she meant it.

Eyes closed briefly before flicking up to look at the features of the male she was lying with, noting how deep in slumber he seemed to be after their little session together. Seeing this, she drew herself out from underneath the sheets, hands searching around for discarded bits of clothing to cover what little dignity she had left were someone to walk in. It didn't take too long to find everything, her and Brendon's interactions being pretty straight to the point from the moment they entered the room to the moment her back hit the mattress, and so it took mere seconds for her to be entirely dressed once more. And it took less time for her to quietly walk out the door, her feet carrying her away from the boys' dorms.

However, her legs paused as she began to walk past Thad's, a sinking feeling overtaking her. He was probably sleeping in there, blissfully unaware of what she'd just done just a few doors down the hall. The guilt that overwhelmed her was indescribable. Taylor was never the sort to feel too guilty about her actions, especially when it came down to having sex.. but now it was almost too much to take. She couldn't just walk on by, whether it was because she wanted to feel like everything was okay, or because she just wanted to hear his voice or feel his arms around her.

Reaching into the pocket of her jacket, the teen fished out her mobile, fingers quickly working to put Thad's number in. It didn't take long until she could hear the sound of a phone ringing behind the door, followed by the sound of something being thrown across the room and then the sound of someone within exclaiming in pain. Tay couldn't help but smile as she realised that he must have concentrated a little too much on the sound of his phone to the point that it went shooting across the room, most likely hitting against his head. She was smiling because it was just.. something that only seemed to happen to Thad. He did these little things; made these silly little faces when he got confused, did that innocent little grin when he was pleased with something, or when he did his sad eyes after realising his brother had only been lying about there being another High School Musical in production. The teen just couldn't stop that small smile as the phone was finally answered, a very sleepy voice filtering through to her ears.

"M'ello?"

"Hey, Thad.." She tried to sound a bit more chirpy, a bit more like she usually did but, instead, her words were soft and quiet, almost wavering near the end of just those two simple words.

"Tay? Hi!" his voice seemed to brighten as he realised just who it was that was calling at this hour in the morning, an obvious smile shining through the speaker of her phone. That was another thing about Thad - he was genuinely sweet and always showed that he cared, be it by actually telling her or just by the tone of his words.

"Um, can you let me in? I'm just outside your dorm."

Before he had even responded, he was travelling across the room, arm reaching out to open the door as one hand still held the phone up to his ear. She'd been right about that smile. No matter how sleepy he seemed, he was still smiling quite brightly at her, a smile that could both make her heart plummet and her mind soar. Hanging up the phone, she slipped it back into her pocket as she took just a few steps towards him, arms going to wrap around his waist, cheek going to his chest. Thad's own arms gradually went to wrap around her, a confusion settling onto his features. He wasn't used to this kind of behaviour from Taylor.. she wasn't exactly the sort to turn up at your doorstep in the middle of the night just for a hug.

Pressing a small kiss to the top of her head, Thad softly asked, "Are you okay?"

Instead of answering instantly, Taylor just pulled herself closer into his embrace, his own arms also wrapping that little bit tighter around her. And, once more, she felt that comfort, that bit of security.

"I'm okay." Her words were soft, her smile small. "I just missed you."

It took so long to say.

Emotions can be expressed in so many different ways.. it would always depend on the person. Some bottled up their feelings, whilst others expressed them to such a strong extent that it left them open to wounds that never seemed to heal as quickly as expected. Some marinated in their thoughts until finally letting go to that one person that held their trust, whilst others felt the need to say their opinions there and then. Some held a combination of these.. debating within themselves just how they need to deal with the problems they’re faced with.

Skye Sanders was never usually the sort to hold back what she felt she needed to say. The girl was encircled with a shyness that anyone could note upon meeting her, but it was something that could be guaranteed that when she opened her mouth, the words that exited would be the truth. If asked, she would answer with that soft voice of hers, blunting the edges of her words with a kindness that not everyone could entirely understand or appreciate. Skye was an honest girl, and one that had been revealed to be far more vulnerable that she had first thought.

Ever since quite recently, the teenager had lost that little spark in her eyes, that light glow about her frame, and the gentle rhythm to her steps. But no matter who asked, she would always say the same things. “I’m okay. Really.” “There’s nothing to worry about.” “Oh no, it doesn’t matter.” “I’ve just got some stuff to do. Maybe later.” Skye had never been that much of a liar, but she had encased herself in a stubbornness about her state, ignoring the fact that she wasn‘t okay, that there were things she had been worrying about, and that these things did matter to her. Instead, she had just tucked herself away, doing her school work and getting on with life in the quiet manner that she had done before.. well, before Damien.

The gentlest of smiles twitched onto the young blonde’s lips as the male crossed her mind, her mind’s eye creating that quirky little smile of his and that strong sapphire gaze that she would have happily admitted a week ago would make her heart flutter. She couldn’t help but think of the male with a fondness, even though her mind and her heart were tearing in two whenever just his name even sounded within her head. He was one of the few things that she looked forward to when waking up in the morning; seeing his familiar face cross her gaze or feeling the gentle touch of his hands upon her waist. It was such a wonderful feeling to have someone that she knew well and truly cared for her, or at least she had believed to have.

It hadn't been until just a few days after he had broken it off with her that her mind had started playing with what he had told her, his reasons behind not wanting to be with her any more. To anyone, they were reasonable.. understandable. But the subconscious was cruel and brought out thoughts that Skye simply could not control. What if there was more to it? What if he'd just been using the fact his blood was poisonous as a way of simply getting away from her? He could have just not wanted to see her any more, but didn't have the heart to break it to her. Skye's heart sunk each and every time that thought crossed her mind, because it was something she simply couldn't bare to think about.

Damien had been one of the few people that she had grown comfortable around in the school, one of the people she didn't have to worry about judging her for who she was. Her trust for him had developed so much since that first meeting with him, and it had blossomed much like her liking for him.. well, it had grown to be more than just a liking. The female refused to admit it to herself now, though.. no, it would just be the cherry on an otherwise destroyed cake.

She lay back against her mattress, underneath the comfort of her duvet cover, wrapped up tight and warm. Safe from the world.. but not as safe as she had felt just being close to Damien. It almost brought a smile to her lips to think that the reason he'd left her was because he could hurt her.. but she'd never felt safer than she had when he was near. He made her feel so comfortable within herself, and made her feel like she could do anything, though all she wanted to do was be wrapped up in his arms or hold his hand whilst they walk around the village. That's all she wanted. That's all she needed to feel complete.

Drawing the duvet around her tightly, she stared up at the ceiling, listening to the quiet noises that fluttered about the school at night. There were always the few people that snuck about, and then there were those that were returning to their dorms after having evening classes. But, right now, all seemed pretty quiet.. even the winter wind outside had silenced itself into a gentle breeze. And Skye was glad it was quiet. It left her alone with her thoughts, the ones that just kept reminding her of how much she missed Damien.. the older teen that had always just made her smile, be it by doing something silly or telling her she looked cute in her work apron.

Oh, how she just wanted to be close to him again.. she'd have given anything to have that chance. She wanted to be able to talk to him, to tell him.. to tell him that she'd fallen in love with him, and simply couldn't let go.

Eyes glazed, thoughts slow.

That soft little gurgling was adorable. Those delicate blue eyes staring up at him from within the milky depths of his wool blanket was a vision that could make anyone’s heart simply melt. A gentle smile rest upon the older male’s lips, his fingertips gingerly tracing across the child’s smooth cheek as he peeled away some of that material to get a better look at his little baby’s face. To be honest, he hadn’t really been able to look properly at his child, as of yet. It had all been a bit of a.. bustle really. So many people had been there when the little guy was born, waiting to get a look at him, to hold him, to make themselves known as a relation to this child. And there was a bloody large number of relations to the little thing.

Louis had never thought he'd get to this moment in his lifetime. Ever since his early teenage years, he'd always been adamant that he would just sail through the rest of his life without getting married, having children, growing old with his loved ones.. He had known what fate was to befall him, and so he simply discarded those normal things from his list of priorities. And so, the fact that he was here, with his own little baby lying back against his thighs as he rested his own feet up against the mattress of Felicity's hospital bed.. well, it was overwhelming.

He couldn't help but allow his smile to extend as he rested his back against his chair and just simply watched the little boy in front of him gurgle every now and again, obviously starting to slip itself into a comfortable slumber. It was surprising what the presence of a baby could cause to stir in some people. Felicity's father had been in earlier, and the male had treated Louis more like a son than ever before (instead of looking at him distastefully and telling him to keep the hell out of his daughter's pants). Luke, Eben, and Paige had also visited. Little Paige's grin did not falter for a moment as she'd gazed at her baby cousin, and Eben had been quite silent whilst he watched his nephew sleep. Luke had mostly focused on the new-mother, making sure she was getting a bit of her own attention for a while after he'd introduced himself to the child (making sure to specify that he was the best uncle out of the lot of 'em).

It seemed that most either had that quiet joy or those bursts of excitement when they'd visited and met the little fella. But.. Louis wasn't entirely certain how he felt. Of course, he was happy. He was pretty certain that he'd never been happier than the moment that he'd first held that small baby in his arms. But.. that didn't stop the nagging feeling at the back of his mind. He was losing his soul.. slowly but surely. No one knew when it was that it would give out, no one was certain how long he had.. but everyone supposed that it would be sooner rather than later.

Throughout Felicity's pregnancy, Louis had kept his feelings about this to himself. Something as joyous as a new life didn't need to be tainted black with the thought of how little time the father would have actually being a father to his son. But now, it seemed, in the silence of the previously bustling room, the thoughts seeped back to the forefront of his mind. Eyes quickly glanced over to Felicity's sleeping form, seeing how peaceful she looked as she got that well deserved rest. Watching her didn't relax Louis as much as he'd hoped, though.. as his vision turned back to his son, a saddened tone just seeping through his body.

He wasn't going to be there for Jimmy as he grew up. He wasn't going to be there to show him things, to help him through any problems he had. He wasn't going to be there to make sure that everything was okay for him. Louis' heart dropped as he wondered just how long it would be until he could no longer be considered as a proper father, until he lost the ability to take care of him. Stroking the back of his finger against his baby's cheek, the twenty-six year old's eyes began to sting, a layer of tears threatening to trickle down his cheeks. Louis never showed a vulnerability as strong as crying. He was certain that it had been before his teenage years when he'd last cried, but now.. he once more felt overwhelmed, but not with the joy he'd felt earlier. It was the complete opposite.

Upon the bed, it seemed that Felicity was stirring, the covers making soft shuffling noises as she turned to face where Louis was sat with Jimmy. Louis quickly used the palm of his hand to wipe away whatever had been threatening to escape him, though his saddened, dazed look couldn't be rubbed away so easily. As Felicity's eyes began to slide open, she saw the less than joyful look upon her lover's face as he stared down at their child.

"Louis.. are you okay?"

Lifting his gaze up to her, the male managed the smallest of side smiles, attempting to hide everything that his mind had conjured up - hiding all of the thoughts that were simply breaking his heart.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

Sometimes goodbye is a second chance I.

Yates was never the sort to openly show his vulnerability. Well, it was something he avoided, something he didn’t want his peers or his children to ever see. There were very few that actually got that chance, got to see the truly messed up man that he kept behind bars in his mind as he didn’t want to reveal too many of the scars against his skin. His wife was one of those that got to see how vulnerable he could get, and how broken up he was when certain subjects reached his ears.

The male had been working for a small company that helped counsel and console teens that struggled with their home lives and that needed that extra someone there to support them. With personal experience in such matters, Lucas knew what these kids were going through and could see past the attitude and anger that could so very often be thrust into his face. But there were the nights when he’d come home, entirely emotionally drained from the stories he’d been told, from the tears he’d had to wipe away from a tired child’s cheeks. And tonight was one of those days.

Slumped on the sofa, the male lay back against the cushions, a mild comfort to his tired limbs as images flashed across the screen and sounds filtered out of the speakers of the television in front of him. The volume must have been louder than he’d thought, as only a few minutes after the television set was switched on, Frankie was stood in the doorway, a tired look upon her features. Frankie knew her husband, and knew when he needed someone to be there, someone to sit and hold his hand instead of demanding to know why he was just sat there in the dark. Wrapped up in a fluffy, warm dressing gown, she stepped across the carpet towards him, a concerned tint to her eyes as she settled down beside the male.

"Lucas.." Her fingers went to lightly rub against the material of his work shirt, thumb rubbing against his arm, hoping it may show that she was there for him, even though he seemed to ignore her soft motions.

"Babe, what's the matter?" Frankie wasn't the sort to ask the silly question of 'are you okay'. It was obvious that there was something bothering her boyfriend, something that must have gotten to him at work or some news he'd received about someone he had known before he'd come into her life.

Sighing softly through his nose, it didn't take too long for Yates to come up with his response. Voice quiet so as not to wake their slumbering Luke in the room next door, he whispered, attempting to hide the hurt in his tone.

"Um.. well, there was this kid that came into work today.." he started, gaze now focused upon his hands that were rested in his lap rather than upon the television screen as it had been before. "He.. he reminded me so much of how I was before I ran away from my mom. The dad was gone, the mom was drinking, abusive to the kid, he'd ended up in hospital a couple of times because of it.." Pausing, Yates took a deep breath in. His past was something sensitive to him, and it wasn't very often that he'd speak about it. Even though this story wasn't his own, it mimicked it to the letter. He might as well have been telling Frankie all over again about why he'd moved away from his hell hole of a first home, at least until he reached the end of the tale.

"He'd run away a couple of times.. one night, his mom went out looking for him when she was drunk and.." He took another deep breath in, trying his hardest to keep any emotions that were threatening to overwhelm him and instead focus more on the comforting feeling of his girlfriend's fingers against his arm. "Um, she.. stepped out into oncoming traffic. Pretty much died on impact, apparently." Yates swallowed back a lump in his throat, eyes closing tightly and jaw clenching shut. Frankie could see how much he was struggling to even speak about this, and she could see how much it was hurting him to think about it. She knew of what his mother had been like to him, but she also knew that he still loved her despite that, and there were times when he would think about her and debate going to see how she was getting on. But it seemed that, this time.. his worries about his mother were more serious.

"Frankie, what if something's happened to my mom? And I have no idea about it because I left her behind.."

"Lucas." The young woman slid her free hand down to rest on top of her boyfriend's, fingers slipping between his own, clasping against them tightly. "You needed to leave her behind.. she was hurting you and you couldn't do anything to help her." Trailing her other hand up from his arm and to the side of his head, she ran her fingers through his hair, noting how he tilted into her touch.

"I.. I think I want to go and find her. I want to make sure she's okay," the male's eyes avoided directly looking into Frankie's, but his gaze still turned to partly look at her. There was still a sense of worry about his words, but a determination laced between them. He wanted to find out what had happened to her - he needed to find out. No matter how much the thought scared him, he couldn't keep going without at least knowing whether or not she'd got through everything okay. His mind had refused to let him think about anything else for the entire day, and he was certain it would follow him to his dreams.. he needed to find out.

Frankie smiled softly at him, a reassuring gaze as she leant forwards to press a small kiss to his cheek.

"We can go and find her whenever you're ready," she said quietly to him, thumb now stroking gently against his cheek in slow, smooth motions. "We can let her know that she's a grandmother." Yates nodded his head as she said this, finally actually looking into her eyes.

"Yeah.. that'd be nice."

We are broken.

It had been such a long time since he had felt like this. If his mind recalled, it was nearing one and half years, at least, since that beer bottle rim had touched his lips and drowned out the upset that had been swallowing him whole. And there it was again, attempting raise his mood but only dragging it further through the dirt.. into the vast abyss of his mind which he could no longer delve into to seek some form of solace. Because she was always there. Laughing. Smiling. Watching him with those amazing brown eyes that he had wished so hard to be allowed to forget.

Josh’s fingers held so loosely to the translucent, green bottle to the point where it could oh-so easily fall from his grasp, dropping down to the ground or the water below. His feet hung over the wooden edge of the bridge, bare to the world whilst his school shoes sat at his side like some faithful companion. And he had treated them as such, spending the few hours that he had been sat there talking to them as if they were the only things in the world that would listen. He’d joked about it with them, in fact, mentioning how silly it must have appeared to others were they to see a nineteen year old speaking to his shoes. But he didn’t care. Josh was far beyond caring about what other people thought, except that one person which he doubted held any thoughts of him anyway.

Ari.

She had so many other things to be thinking about now, so why would she need to think about that student of hers that rarely even attended her lessons anymore? The woman was getting married, to a man that he hadn’t heard of before, nor did he particularly care to try to know. Good news travelled fast, it seemed, around the halls of Delacroix. When an engagement ring is spotted, it takes an extreme effort to silence the mouth of the person those knowing eyes belong to. But it seemed that no such effort was made, and so the silence never came. Instead it was taken over by chattering, gossiping and quick assumptions that Josh’s ears couldn’t help but overhear.

He thought that the feelings had gone away. He had thought that he wouldn’t get that heart-wrenching feeling whenever he saw her. He had thought that he wouldn’t feel that sinking sensation when he found out the extent she had moved on. Of course she had to have moved on since that February the year before. Ari may have cared for him, but that wasn’t enough for anything to have been formed permanently in her heart. Why should it have been? Everything about what they had had was wrong, against the rules, against the accepted ideas of those around them. So, why should that mean that the norm followed after that? Their passionate moments were ones that they were supposed to forget, to hide beneath a rug and to never be uncovered again. From appearance, she had done just that, trampling over that rug from the moment she agreed for those new, [i]right[/i] feelings to remain forever in her life.

A gentle sigh floated through his nostrils as those strong-blue eyes of his stared down at the quite strong current of the river below, watching it as the water steadily streamed beneath the bridge and out of sight. It usually held such a calming effect of him, but now it just awoke that more of a frustrated feeling in the pit of his stomach and he hated it. What he was frustrated with, he really couldn’t put his finger on. The fact that he had just needed to be one year older and he’d have been able to be with her truly without it needing to be a secret, or maybe it was that she had been able to move on properly to the point where she was getting engaged. He let his fingers hold against the bottle a little tighter as he thought more, his mind delving deeper into the ideas and imaginings that just didn’t want to leave him alone.

How much has she moved on? Really? Had they kissed? Well, of course, they had to have.. They were to be married and it was hard to believe that any man could resist kissing her until they were wed locked. Had they slept together? It was one of those horrible thoughts that Josh could never really get over, one of the ones that he thought he could get rid of but always came floating back into his mind at various points during the day. Each time it seemed so much more of an infuriating image, something that made the male's teeth clench each time he thought about it too deeply. But he couldn't be angry, not really. He'd had sex with other women since the end of their 'relationship', he'd even had a friend that had a more beneficial status.. he still did. But, it was always there, nagging him that he would so much rather that the girl he was with was someone else entirely. And no matter how much he thought about it, the girl was always the same when he opened his eyes again, vision hazy from the usual alcohol in his system.

The male’s fingers stroked softly over the neck of the bottle he was holding so loosely over the side of the small bridge, his body almost contemplating letting it just fall down into the slow flowing water. Maybe if he just let that go, he could let her go. She wanted to fall away from him, so why should he stop her? Not that he probably could stop her.. as said, she had moved on, didn’t want to be an aspect in his life anymore. It wasn’t as if he had asked her, but it was just something that had settled into his mind, something he had been drawn to realise somehow. Maybe it was because he had tried to pull away from her first.. he rarely turned up for her classes anymore, and when he did he barely took notice. She’d tried to ask him to stay behind once or twice, but had always escaped through the mass of pupils before she could even stop him. Josh was always the first out of her classroom - some kind of childish way of dealing with his mind’s problems. It was all because he couldn’t handle seeing her, let alone being on his own with her. Ari had represented something to him that he hadn’t properly felt before and hadn’t allowed himself to feel. That was the reason that he couldn’t stand the thought of her being with someone else and feeling that for him, and that was why he had to try and let her go.

Josh’s mind slowly churned these thoughts behind his vacant eyes, staring out at the water and realising that there was really nothing he could do. It was done. She was getting married and he was just some student that she had fun with to pass the time. That’s what he had to believe, to soak up so he could return to being that guy that went out with Brendon and had a laugh, always having to sneak out of someone else’s room to get back to his own. He needed to be like that again, to be the Josh that didn’t know about the engagement, the Josh that hadn’t had feelings for his Spanish teacher.

As he contemplated this idea, his ears vaguely picked up the gentle sound of shoes against the wooden planks of the bridge, a light rhythmic sound that slowed the nearer it got. The male didn’t look up to see who it was, he didn’t really care. But he knew who it was when they started to settle down next to him, sitting close with her leg touching against his. Felicity, one of the few girls that was really that close to him, one of his best friends. She was probably the one that gave him the most comfort, even if she didn’t realise it, because she understood how he was feeling from first hand experience. The pair of them were frequently there for each other, on the days that they felt that they couldn’t get by and the lonely nights when they just needed someone to be there with them. It was their relationship, their little thing that just helped them get by.

Words weren't really needed as the older teen rested his head down against her shoulder, her cheek leaning into his hair. She understood how he felt - that horrible sinking feeling at the knowledge that the one you love is with someone else other than you, and that desire to just be able to let go.. but it was impossible for the both of them. But they would struggle on, taking each painful step one at a time. She glanced over to the empty bottles that sat to the other side of Josh, and then the one that he held so loosely in his hand.

"It'll be okay, Josh.." her words were quiet and soft, reassuring. She wanted him to know that everything would work out in the end, even if she wasn't entirely certain for herself. "Things'll work out, I'm su-"

"But, they won't, will they?" came his even quieter, weaker response. He hated how particularly pathetic he sounded but, at that moment, he couldn't care less about that. He knew that he didn't sound at all manly, and that how he reacted to the new of Ari's engagement was borderline childish, but.. he just didn't care and wouldn't care until the moments had passed.

Josh paused for a moment, swallowing some of the upset as he continued to speak.

"She's getting married to some.. guy that's probably a million times better than me, and she's probably pretty much forgotten about me and any feelings she might have had. There's.. there is no chance that she gives a shit about how I feel about her any more."

"You never kn-"

"No, I do. I do," his voice grew louder this time, sounding almost stronger as he lifted his head up away from her, standing up from where he had been seated quite comfortably with his beer still held between his fingers. "I should've expected that something like this was going happen sooner or later, and I shouldn't still be so hooked on her. I was just some risky fling and that's it." His fingers tightened against the neck of the bottle he held, knuckles turning white as a desperate smile spread onto his lips, a sighed chuckle escaping him.

"I just can't get her out of my head.. I can't," as he finished those words, his arm raised and flung the bottle as far down the river as he could. Hearing the splash as it hit the water, he sunk back down to the ground, fingers rubbing against his temple. "She just.."

Felicity shuffled herself to sit next to him, one arm going to wrap around his shoulders, trying hard to comfort her obviously hurting friend, a sympathetic look planted across her features. Josh closed his eyes and let her pull him slightly closer, taking the smallest bit of comfort before allowing his eyelids to once more open, revealing those brilliant blue, cursed irises of his. But the sight that hit him seemed to have more impact than it would most, as he watched the green, near-empty bottle of beer float back down to the bridge, bobbing up and down as it drew closer and closer.

"She keeps coming back.."

I wanna scream I love you from the top of my lungs.

"Eben, stop worrying about it."

"I can't help it. What if they hate the idea? What if your dad starts throwing stuff at us?"

"Can you really see my dad getting off his ass to throw things? It's Mom you should be worrying about."

"That's not funny."

The older male chuckled as he gave a gentle squeeze to his partner's arm whilst they both walked down the drive to his parents' home, hoping to maybe reassure him that what they were about to do was okay.

"Trust me, Ebs. They'll be cool with it." Luke was always the more laid back of the pair and had been since they first started dating. Heck, even before that when the pair had just been living together for the Summer. You could always guarantee that if there was one person in that household worrying over something, it would be Eben. Luke couldn't help but find it endearing, though, seeing just how much his lover worried over something as simple as telling his parents that they were dating.

The night before had not exactly been an easy one, and so it was understandable just why Eben was nervous to speak to the Yates'. After all, having your parents meet the person you're currently in a relationship with is nerve-wracking as it is, let alone coming out of the closet at the same time.. and revealing that the man you love is, in fact, the son of your father's best friend. It had been a difficult evening and Luke could entirely understand, but he knew that there was no reason for Ebs to get upset by the prospect of having to also tell Yates and Frankie. But no matter how many reassurances he threw his way, the younger male maintained that worried look behind his pale blue eyes, the uncertainty just so thickly flowing out of him.

As the pair approached the front door, voices could be heard within, voices that were highly familiar to the twenty-six year old. He couldn't help but grin as he briefly listened in, halting his fist near the wooden rectangle before him, not yet knocking.

"Frankie?! Can I have a cake?!" It was obvious that they were in separate rooms as they shouted to each other, voices quite easily heard from just behind the thin door.

"Lucas, do I have to tell you again?! Dinner is going to be ready soon, and we'll be eating as soon as Luke and Eben get here! So, no, you cannot have cake!"

There was a brief pause, before a quieter response came, "Even a small bit?"

Chuckling, Luke finally rapped his hand against the plain door before him, muffling over the most likely response of 'No!' from his mother. Green eyes glanced to the side of him where Eben stood quite nervously, eyebrows together as his features just beamed that uncertain mood at anyone who looked at the poor lad.

"Hey," the older male said softly, gently nudging his elbow against the other's side. "Come on, smile. They'll think someone's died if you walk in with that look." Forcing a smile just in time, the door swung open to reveal a man in his mid-forties, wearing a very old Metallica t-shirt, some baggy jeans, and a thin, navy dressing gown over the top. This was, what Luke was very proud to call, his father.

"Heeeey!" exclaimed an obviously pleased Yates as his eyes fell upon his son and the son of his best friend. "You're finally here. I was getting fucking hungry, and Frankie wouldn't let me touch the food until you both arrived." Grinning, Yates moved to one side, hand ushering the pair into the house, muttering a general 'come on, get in' as he did so.

It had been a while since Luke had set foot in this house, almost a year it seemed. It was crazy to think that it was only last year that he'd officially moved out to go and live in France with his sister and the vast majority of the Smith siblings. It hadn't been too difficult a decision to make, surprisingly, and he most certainly didn't regret having done it. He was pretty certain his parents appreciated having the house to themselves again, too, rather than worrying about the children running amok about the place. Now, Frankie only had to worry about Yates running amok instead. Luke had to admit, though.. it was nice to be home. There was that familiar feel to the place, the walls that he had grown up within, the familiar smells of his mother cooking him dinner.. his senses were so overwhelmed that he almost forgot just why they were there, at least until his gaze fell back to Eben, seeing the young man stand quite awkwardly in the centre of the room after trailing in from outside of the door frame. The softest of reassuring smiles was sent his way, something that was missed by Yates as he led them from the hallway and into the living room.

"So, is that wanker Louis still trying to get into Felicity's pants? No offence to your brother, Eben, but he's a twat," the elder of the three males said, heading over to one of the walls which had what appeared to be a walking stick leant up against it.

"I think he's already been in her pants for a while now, Dad."

"Hmph, bastard." The response was quick after what seemed a short time to deliberate just what to call the youngest of the Smith clan, Yates' hand reaching to grab a hold of the stick before him.

"Dad.. why do you have a walking stick? You were walking just fine a few minutes ago.."

"Your mom won't let me get a motorised scooter when I'm older because she thinks I'll run people over with it.." There came the sound of a soft chuckle from the end of the room where Eben was stood, as if it were obvious that the young male would have had the exact same reaction were he to have had to make the same decision. Yates chose to continue with his little explanation, despite the fact he could see the grin extending on his son's lips. "So I'm trying to show her I can be responsible with old people equipment like this walking stick."

"So far, he's hit the mail man, three kids that came 'round to ask for their bouncy ball back, and a cat that managed to sneak in whilst I was at work." It was at that moment that Francesca walked in, a tea towel in hand so she could dry the water off from her fingers, a welcoming grin on her lips. "Hey, baby boy." Luke's grin grew to match his mother's as he briskly walked towards her, arms wrapping snugly around her in a loving embrace, squeezing her gently before parting away from her.

"Hey, Mom," his voice was soft as he let her go, gaze flicking back around to Eben after realising that the male was still stood there silently, the only sound escaping him being the gentle sound of his shoes shuffling nervously against the carpet. It seemed that he had caught Frankie's attention, too, as her eyes went to the twenty year old, smile still warm.

"Hi, Eben, you okay?" she asked gently, picking up on that almost nervous vibe from him, though simply assuming that it may have been because it had been a while since they'd last seen him. It wasn't very often that they got to see much of the younger generation now that they were all living in France, and it had been quite difficult to begin with, especially with both of their children being so far away. But now, it wasn't as bad, and they had grown to treasure the moments that they did share with each other.

"Oh, um, yeah," was Eben's quite quick response, a weak smile forming upon his lips, one that wasn't all to convincing to at least two of the other people in the room (obviously, Yates being the one excluded, seeing as his mind was otherwise distracted with whatever was on the television screen).

"He's just a bit off from the car ride over here, Mom. He's still not used to how quickly I drive," Luke chimed in, attempting to take the spotlight away from the nervous Ebs.

"Ohh. Don't worry, Eben. His mom taught him well," she grinned, reflecting upon the fact that she was the one to teach Luke how to drive. It had been decided that Yates wasn't to, seeing as he wasn't exactly the best driver out there.. well, he was okay, as long as quick reactions weren't needed all too often in his journey. Eben nodded his head lightly, his smile briefly extending to try and show that he was in some way reassured of Luke's driving, even though his qualms weren't at all related to the older male's skills on the road.

"Right, anyway, food is out in the kitchen. Come on, before it gets cold."

---

It didn't take too long for the four to get settled at the table and start eating the meal that had been prepared for them. Luke had missed his mom's cooking, and he had to admit that he was quite glad that it had been her making the effort instead of his father (he could still remember that year when his mother was away, and the food memories weren't particularly pleasant). Though trying his hardest, Eben was struggling with his meal as the subject that they were sure to bring up soon was just whirling around in his mind. He truly loved Luke, and knew that the feeling was reciprocal, but the poor lad still struggled to admit to others just to what degree that love went to.

Being in denial for so long about his sexuality, whilst also having the pressure of his father's opinions of him, didn't help matters at all. He was pretty certain that Frankie and Yates didn't have any idea about Luke's and his own Summer fling back in France, and he knew that his parents had not yet spoken to the pair about it. After all, the Yates' were a quite forward family, and he knew that it would have been mentioned by now were they aware. Oh, he was so nervous about what they would say.. what they would think of it. He didn't even know how on earth they were going to bring the topic up, or how they were going to break the news to them..

"Oh, by the way, me and Eben are dating each other now."

Cough. Splutter.

Eben turned his wide-eyed gaze over to Luke after recovering somewhat from nearly choking on the mouthful of food he'd just eaten, shocked at how suddenly the male had spoken out about it. He hadn't broken them in gently, nor given them any preparation for the news. He'd just.. outright said it. Why on earth..?

"Yes!" Eyes turned to look at the end of the table where Yates was sat, his arms raised slightly, knife and fork still in hand. "One of Jason's kids is gay with my son!"

"Oh, Lucas.." Frankie frowned at her husband, rolling her eyes at the apparent pride that Yates was now beaming with.

"What? It means J owes me ten dollars.. be happy, I'm bringing more money in." Shaking her head, Frankie gradually stood up from her chair, placing down her knife and fork before quickly shuffling over to stand between where Luke and Eben sat.

"Aw, I'm so happy for you two." She smiled as she leant down to press a small kiss to both of their cheeks, taking little notice of the shocked expression upon Eben's features. "You know I still expect grandkids somehow, though, right?"

"That's still a little way down the road, Mom."

"Okay, okay," she responded with a grin, wrapping one arm around each of their shoulders, drawing them in for a hug.

"You know how we should celebrate?"

"Lucas, if you say by having cake, you'll be wearing one as a hat."

".. but I want cake."