"Guess what?"
Those were West's first words to Killian as soon as he opened the front door. After arranging the details of their first meeting with Simon, West had rushed down the stairs to let Paul know the good news, then over to Killian's house after that.
"Is something the matter?" He asked when Killian didn't answer him. He had a somber expression on his face, like he'd just received the worst news of his life.
Killian shifted from the doorway and made way for West to enter.
"When were you gonna tell me?" Killian questioned once the door was shut.
His reaction to someone keeping something from him would've normally been fury, but he couldn't find the strength to be angry when all he felt in that moment was fear and heartache. He was terrified of losing West.
"Tell you... what?"
"You're moving. In a month." He responded mirthlessly.
"Killian--"
"And I had to find out from my mother, of all people."
How did Linda even find out? West silently pondered.
He reached for Killians hand and led him to the bottom of the stairwell so they could sit, "I was going to tell you." He admitted.
"I just didn't know how. Things have been going so well between us... I didn't want to ruin that."
"You should've told me..."
"I know. And I'm sorry."
"So... what does this mean?" He asked in a whisper. "For us?" He tried to get a read on West's emotions but he couldn't decipher much other than the feeling of dread.
West pulled his eyes away from Killian's face and stared ahead, "I don't want us to end..." He said after a few beats.
"Neither do I."
A heavy silence polluted the atmosphere. Breaking up wasn't even an option. Yes, the relationship was still new, but there were already a lot of feelings involved. Not to mention how long and strenuous the journey to get to that point was.
But some long distance relationships survived, right?
"I thought you were furthering your studies, too?" West deduced, breaking through some of the tension.
"I will. In time, but I don't know what I want to pursue yet. I want to be sure before acting impulsively. I'm happy where I am right now."
Killian was not ready to make a huge career decision just yet. Football was one of his greatest strengths, but he couldn't see himself playing forever. He wanted to take some time off to figure out what he truly liked and what made him happy. Working at Shirley's was one of the things that were able to put a smile on his face.
"I guess that's all that matters."
"Did Simon call you back?"
West's face seemed to light up after that question, he was looking forward to meeting his real father and learning more about the kind of person he was, "Yes, actually. He... wants to meet me. I'm heading to New York this weekend."
"See? I told you not to worry." Killian expressed gleefully. He knew that if Simon hadn't gotten back to West within twenty four hours, he personally would've hunted him down and kicked his arse into next Monday. But maybe not literally.
"Y'know, I've never been to New York before."
"If you pass your driver's test on Saturday then perhaps you can drive us there one day."
"When I pass my driver's test." Killian corrected. "How did Paul react to the news, anyway?"
"He's taking everything surprisingly well... but, it could just be an act, I don't know."
Killian thought back to how distraught Paul looked the last time he was at West's house. He didn't look like he had a handle on things then. "It can't be easy for him. He probably thinks you're going to leave him..."
"I think he has deep rooted abandonment issues... steming from his childhood."
Everyone Paul ever loved ended up leaving him somehow. First his parents kicked him out, then his first love died, followed by his uncle soon after. His relationship with his brother had grown complicated over the years, the only constant was West, he was scared that Simon would convince West to come live with him permanently in New York.
After all, who would choose a small, boring town over The Big Apple? Especially when said small town hadn't been kind to you, ever.
"Maybe he just seriously needs one-on-one therapy."
"One step at a time. Plus, the group therapy seems to be going well for him."
With that, West got up from the stairs with Killian following suit. "Anyway, I need to go pack some clothes for the weekend, come see me off tomorrow?"
"Of course."
He gave Killian a chaste kiss on the cheek before heading back to his place.
--
"Is Simon, like, super rich or something?"
Killian and West stood staring at the sleek, matte black Mercedes parked across the street from West's house.
Simon had texted him earlier that day to tell him that a car was going to be picking him up. He had no idea how luxurious it would be, though.
He had just assumed his 'Father' would send a yellow cab.
"Do you think he's that model dude we saw on Twitter?" Killian asked.
West shook his head in response, "No. That guy was like twenty five or something." But the dubious tone in his voice made it clear that even he was unsure at that point.
"I so wish I was coming with you right now. I bet you ten dollars there's wine and complementary snacks in the backseat."
"When you pass your driver's test, I'll get you non-alcoholic wine and complementary snacks."
"So, basically just grape juice?" He quipped.
West rolled his eyes affectionately, then grabbed the back of Killian's neck, pulling him in for a passionate and demanding kiss.
The whole world fell away as it always did when they locked lips, they both made sure to savor the moment as they'd be away from each other for an entire weekend, something which they hadn't done ever since they started dating.
Killian was the first to pull away, he took a moment to admire how flushed West's cheeks were and how his brown eyes twinkled with an emotion that he'd never seen before in anyone else's.
Little did he know, his own blue eyes mirrored the same tenderness portrayed in West's. They both seemed to be in awe of each other.
"See you in two days." He finally managed to let out.
West nodded and flashed him a dreamy smile before running over to the Mercedes on the other side of the road.
"Hello." West greeted once he was inside the car. It had red leather seats that squeaked when he sat down, and a tree shaped air freshener hanging from the rearview mirror that gave off a strong citrusy scent.
The man in the dark suit only blinked in response before pressing the 'start' button on the dashboard and speeding off.
-
West spent the entire drive listening to his own music since the radio had been turned off. The mysterious man obviously treasured the peace and quiet. West thought he seemed kind of creepy.
We're here." The man stated monotonously almost four hours later. He exited the car then opened the rear door for West.
"Oh, thank you." West replied as he removed the buds from his ears.
He stepped outside and was immediately taken aback by the massive, sky high structures, particularly The Empire State building. He had never been in such a big city before, the tallest 'buildings' in Easton were transmission towers. He could see himself living in such a place.
"Go into that building," He indicated with his hand, "You'll see an elevator on your right that leads to the penthouse. The password is 44312."
Without another word, the man hopped back into his car and drove away.
West eyed the building across the street, the one he was supposed to go into. He waited for the traffic light to signal that it was safe to cross before hurriedly walking to the other side.
It was starting to look more and more like Simon was some type of billionaire. The inside of the building was as lavish as the outside, West wondered if he owned the entire thing.
He waved over to the lady sitting at the front desk, who only ran her eyes across his outfit; faded skinny jeans, an old white tee and converse sneakers, before shooting him the biggest scowl he'd ever seen.
West awkwardly looked away, then pressed the 'Up' button.
Once inside the elevator, he punched in the password given to him and it started ascending. His mind was churning with endless possibilities of how the day was going to go. Would Simon take one look at him and decide he didn't want him in his life? Would he accept him as his son? Most importantly, would he accept everything that made him who he was? The thoughts were messing with his mind. It took years for Paul to finally acknowledge West's sexuality, years for him to learn how to love West as a father should. He suddenly wasn't sure he was ready to go through all of that again.
Just when he was about to press the button to go back down, the elevator doors opened to the most breathtaking view of the skyline he'd ever set his eyes upon. Tempered glass covered all four corner's of the room, the light from outside filtering through and making the inside look incandescent. He was so caught up in admiring the house that he didn't notice the man seated on the couch, grinning at him.
"You must be Weston."
West's eyes widened when he realized that there was someone in the room, he picked his jaw up from the floor before hesitantly stepping out of the elevator. It was too late to turn back now.
"Yes, Hi-- Fuck." He cursed when he recognized the man, "You're that model dude we saw on twitter."
"What?"
"Sorry. I'm Weston. Very beautiful home you have, it's very beautiful, especially the views, they're very beautiful. Sorry, I meant--"
"Hey, it's alright." The man chuckled, he walked over to West then stretched his hand out. "I'm Simon."
West took his hand and gave him a firm handshake, "Nice to meet you?"
Simon gave West a warm smile, then started for the kitchen which was also incorporated into the large room, "Would you like something to drink? A Beer, perhaps?"
"No, thank you. I don't drink."
"Oh, Paul raised you well, I see."
"Haha."
Simon handed West a bottle of water instead, then led him to the couch. West was still feeling a bit anxious, so he avoided sitting on the same couch as Simon. "So... How are you sitting across from me right now?"
"Well," West began, "You sent a car to my place--"
"I meant, the last time I was in Easton, Jennifer had already passed, surely somebody would've told me about you. Paul should've told me about you."
"When last were you in Easton?"
"18 years ago, actually. I'd been saving up money for a plane ticket... I wanted to surprise Jennifer, but when I got there, her house was vacant. I asked her neighbors if The Hastings had moved, but instead, got informed that my love had passed." Simon started off as he recalled one of the lowest points he'd ever reached.
His adoptive parents were a middle income family, so he started doing magazine photoshoots around his town, which was how his modeling career started. Eventually he'd saved up enough for a ticket back to America, being able to see his first love again, was one of the things that motivated him to work harder to find gigs. After hearing the devastating news, he left Easton and never looked back. He stopped modeling for a while, but ultimately went back as it was one of the things that made him happy and something he also happened to be good at.
"Nobody knew the cause of death," He continued, "And Jennifer's parents supposedly moved back to her mother's hometown in Vietnam. So I left. There was nothing left for me, anymore. At least that's what I thought."
Simon abruptly stood up and started pacing around the living room area, he was frustrated and had so many questions, in a way, he felt like Paul had betrayed him, keeping his own son away from him like that. He probably had his reasons, but to him, West could've been a second chance at love and happiness, he could've gotten a chance to raise a child that he and Jennifer had created. He felt... robbed.
"Why didn't He tell me about you? Why didn't Jennifer tell me she was pregnant?"
West thought carefully about his next words, he didn't want to say something that would upset Simon further. He didn't know what kind of person he was yet... if he was the type that violently lashed out.
"My Dad told me she couldn't risk you getting sent back to Cambridge by your adoptive parents. You were both just kids... She wanted you to have a good life. And I think you've accomplished that." He said while motioning to the extravagance of a house Simon lived in.
"I don't think it would've been any different if you were in the picture. Did you at least have a good childhood?"
The look on Simon's face told West that he still felt guilty about not raising him, even though he had no idea he had a son. Telling him the truth about how he grew up and the pain he had to endure in Paul's hands would surely wreck him.
Simon knew all about shitty childhoods, he spent the first 15 years of his life in an orphanage, God knows he wouldn't have let the same thing happen to West if he had known about him.
"Yeah." West nodded with a tight lipped smile, "I wouldn't have had it any other way."
Simon released a pained sigh before slumping back down onto the couch, "God, I missed so many special moments. Your first words, your first day at school, your first school dance, your first girlfriend..."
"She wasn't very nice, anyway." West cracked. "I think we can still make up for lost time. If you want."
"Of course, I'd love nothing more."
"You don't have a wife, or kids hiding in this big house somewhere?"
"No. And, I had a vasectomy last year." He disclosed embarrassingly. Simon was a career man through and through, he couldn't see himself settling down and started a family of his own. At 33 years old, you'd think he'd just made the biggest mistake of his life, that one day he'd want children of his own. But he was certain of his choices.
"Damn, so I'm kinda ruining your 'No kids' rule, huh?"
"You're not a kid, anymore, Weston. I reckon you and I will get along just fine."
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