Lady of Sorrows? I Think Not! (New Version)

He yawned widely as the early morning light filled the dorm room. Mikey brushed his slightly too long blonde hair out of his face and grabbed last night’s shirt off the floor. He pulled it on as he stood, careful not to wake the sleeping beauty whose bed he was sneaking out of. She would forgive him eventually. He hopped and stumbled into his pants as he walked towards the door. His dorm was across campus, but he could use the fresh air, so it wasn’t much of a problem. The girl stirred gently and made a soft noise in her sleep as Mikey reached the door. He briefly considered leaving her a note but decided a clean, quick exit would be better; at least, for him.

Whistling happily, Mikey strolled slowly across the college campus, taking in the sights, sounds, smells, and various other sensations. The gardens were vibrant green, the lawns were think and well-trimmed, and the buildings were perfectly maintained. If only the people were as clean as the buildings, Mikey thought with a grin. He knew enough of the students here to know he was considered decent among the unattached dorm boys, and he wasn’t all too pleasant himself any more. He was surprisingly okay with that. Taking out his ever present smartphone, Mikey saw a message that he hadn’t noticed the night before. It had been sent to him by his brother. “Hey Mikez, I hope you’re okay. LOL I’m totz fucked!” He read it a couple of times. His brother had clearly been drinking. Mikey grinned. It was about time Gerard got out into the world. As he reached his own dorm, Mikey dialled his big brother’s number; He knew he would already be at work. Gerard was so predictable.

Gerard held in his breath, shaking as his body tightened like a coil ready to spring. Letting out the deep breath like a mini explosion from his tortured lungs, Gerard fought his mind for the strength to turn around and face the presence that he felt pressing against his back. There was no physical contact and yet he could feel the man standing there as if he was a part of Gerard himself. With a faint gasp, Gerard tried to grip the counter as his barstool was spun one hundred and eighty degrees and jerked violently to a stop. Before his vision blurred, he caught a flash of a face as he was thrown to the cold, hard tiles. With a thump, Gerard landed on his side, the wind knocked out of him. Painfully slow, Gerard rolled himself onto his back and gazed up at the impossibly empty space above him. This couldn’t be happening. A soft, papery thump sounded next to him as his sketch book landed beside his head. Gerard flinched, the tension only made worse by the discovery of… well, nothing.

It was an impossibility, yet lying spread eagled in a café on a clear sunny day, there could be no mistake. Gerard had heard the man damn it! The whispers had snuck across the room, slipped into his mind and frozen him with the sweet tingling of fear. A feeling he hadn’t truly felt in a long time. Gerard pushed himself up into sitting position and took slow and calming breaths. He scooped up his book and clambered to his feet.

“Fuck!” Gerard stumbled back into the shelves’ edge; his green eyes grew wide, dilating in fear yet again. His heart-rate kicked up to a tempo that felt impossibly high. A chocked laugh escaped his lips, red from nervous biting and his body slowly began to relax as his brother approached. Mikey didn’t seem to notice his brother’s weird reaction, nor his expression of immense relief. Mikey sauntered over to the counter and leaned against the outer edge, his eyes locked on his phone. Gerard took the opportunity to clear his expression and relax his posture in an attempt to hide his previous fear from his baby brother.

“Hey Mikez, how are you doing?” Gerard was glad his voice was calm, even if he wasn’t quite there yet.

“Hey Gee,” Mikey glanced up and smiled before looking down at his phone again. The only sound for a while was Gerard’s slightly nervous shifting and his little brother’s texting. Gerard waited patiently. It was Mikey that arranged to visit; he must have had his reasons. “Gee, can I maybe get a cuppa? Coffee would be amazing right now.” Mikey didn’t look up as he spoke, so he missed the disappointed and resigned look that crossed his brother’s face.

“Sure, Mikez, not a problem.” Gerard turned his back and busied himself with making the coffee, taking his sweet time. He knew Mikey’s attention would be divided the entire time he was here; he always had so much going on. When the coffee was ready, Gerard placed it in front of his little brother and opened his sketchbook to the page on which he was drawing Vic's tattoo. Mikey mumbled thanks and continued to text. Drawing in a sullen silence, Gee didn’t interrupt his socialite brother’s planning of what was no doubt a raging party. Mikey eventually got off his phone and glanced up at his older brother, his concern at his brother’s abnormally tense silence scratching the surface of his busy mind.

“Hey Gerard, you’re off tomorrow right?” Gerard mumbled his yes and carried on sketching. Mikey nodded to himself. “We’re having a party at the dorm. You should bring the guys and come have some fun. Maybe you could even meet a girl.” Mikey laughed absently at his own joke, proving once again that he didn’t listen when his brother spoke; especially not when Gerard tried to tell his busy-body brother that he, Gerard, was still in fact gay. Gerard just agreed to all of Mikey’s plans, knowing that Mikey would message him the details later. There was no need for him to listen when Mikey didn’t either. After ten minutes, Mikey said the pleasantries necessary and left with a black coffee to go. Gerard was sad to see him go, but he hadn’t expected more than he had gotten.

About an hour after his brother left, Gerard got his first group of customers in. They were a chatty group of teenagers that had their backpacks on and skateboards under their arms. He served them in silence, his mind preoccupied by what had happened before Mikey had arrived. Surely he hadn’t imagined it all? How could he have? Gee straightened his back, squared his shoulders and dealt with the lunch rush with a quiet professionalism that had earned him a job here to begin with. He focused his mind, and pushed all thoughts of the morning out of his head.

The man in the corner was silent. He had no coffee, no book, no phone; he just sat. He sat and stared at the body that was the idol his mind already worshipped. He had been so close earlier. Soon, he would be that close again…

Notes

Sorry for the short chapters, guys. I don't have nearly as much time as I would like to focus on this story. Any who, tell me your ideas, thoughts and suggestions because you never know what could make it in. Comment, subscribe, or vote. I do love feedback!
Keep it ugly, and Rock 'n Roll, Pansies.