Chapter Fifty-Six – The Ones We Leave Behind
Silence stretched between them, but it was the kind of companionable silence that wouldn't make either of them uncomfortable. Rusty kept his eyes on the road, but there was melancholy in there, something Matty respected and felt like aching for, as well. They would meet Roy at the new facility and then they would visit Rusty's mom as she was already there.
"I'm thinking about selling that house," Rusty said suddenly.
Matty pondered over the strange sentence. Was Rusty thinking that his mom wouldn't come out of her coma, ever? It didn't sound like him. There had to be something else.
"Once she's awake, of course. I didn't like her there, and she didn't like it much, either. I think that in a different place, she might feel better."
"You will no longer be neighbors with Maddox's family," Matty reminded him.
"Yes, I know," Rusty said, letting out a breath. "But the chick needs to fly the coop someday, right?" He turned slightly to offer him a smile, and Matty took it at face value.
"I believe we're here," Matty said as Rusty turned down a winding road, per the GPS instructions. "I think it's a good place. Quiet."
"My dad chose it." Rusty didn't add anything, but it was clear that he was thinking that he did trust his old man with this sort of things.
Matty took Rusty's hand without thinking as he noticed Roy Parker waiting in front of the white building. What sort of confrontation could he expect? No matter what anyone said to reassure him, he was a tad nervous about this meeting. He didn't imagine Roy to be the kind to start a scandal in a place meant for patients who needed the quiet more than anything else, but since he knew so little about the man, the scenarios he kept playing in his head tended to become muddled and complicated.
He had said nothing about it to Rusty, as he didn't want to add more stress on top of what had to be a trying experience for his fiancé. One thing was sure; he wasn't expecting Roy to receive him with open arms.
However, once they approached and Rusty greeted his dad, Matty was surprised to see the man stretching out his hand.
"Hello, Matthew."
"Hello, Mr. Parker."
A nod followed. It could mean anything. Maybe not absolute acceptance, but it wasn't rejection, either. So far, so good, Matty thought and kept back while Roy told them that he would lead the way so that they could see Rusty's mom.
"Her situation is unchanged, but anything can happen, any day, according to the doctors," Roy said, his voice tired and sounding as if it came from somewhere far away. "I will leave the two of you with her. Let's meet up outside once you're done here."
Matty wasn't surprised to see Rusty's mom lying on the hospital bed. He had expected that much. But what did surprise him was the striking resemblance he could see between mother and son. It was easy to tell that in her youth, she must have been a real beauty. Maybe that was why he had seen so little of Rusty in Roy. His boyfriend took after his mother, looks wise.
Rusty walked over to the bed and sat on a chair beside it. He took one inert, thin hand in his and caressed it with the other.
"I'm not sure if you can hear me, mom, but some people think that patients in a coma can still be aware of what's happening around them. For the sake of what I'm about to tell you, I hope that's true. I'm sorry that we fought so bitterly the last time. I should have let you win, although I've never known what that meant."
Matty felt his heart squeezing in his chest as he heard Rusty's grave voice. How many people could say they truly knew the king of Sunny Hill when they had never heard him speak like that? This was something meant only for him to see, at this very moment. So, he walked closer, too, stopping only inches away from the foot of the bed.
"Hello, Ms. Wilder," he said.
Rusty turned his head and smiled gratefully. His eyes said that he knew that he and Matty were in this together, now and always.
"Mom, this is Matty. I know you might scoff at me for using clichés, but he's the best thing that has ever happened to me. We're going to get married, and there's nothing more I wish than for you to wake up so that you can attend the wedding."
Matty moved round the bed and put one hand on Rusty's shoulder. "You two look so alike. You're handsome like your mom."
"Don't worry, Matty. Feel free to call us beautiful. We're not the kind to mind."
Matty sat by Rusty's side, pulling up another chair. "That's interesting to know. What else can you tell me about the two of you?"
Rusty's face turned into a tender smile, and, as his lips began to move, memories of the good kind began spilling out, like a torrent that couldn't be stopped. Matty listened, not because he had nothing to add, but because seeing Rusty like this made him all the more real with each word he said. Real in a way that he would be only for him and him only.
Maybe he was selfish like that, but he was grateful that despite the others' offering to come along, he had been the one Rusty had chosen. They were closer than friends and boyfriends. They were family, and that really moved his heart.
"And you might even like this," Rusty continued as the flow of beautiful recollections turned into a quiet moving river, "but now I'm taking singing seriously. I should have told you about it the last time I was home, but I don't think now is too late. I'm going to be a star. Mrs. May says so when she wants to motivate me. I'm still a bit of a slacker, but I'm working on it. You'll hear me sing one day."
Matty searched Rusty's face. "How about you sing to her now?" he suggested. "Or is it against the rules? This place is really quiet."
"That's a great idea, Matty," Rusty said excitedly. "I'll sing sotto voce. There's this one song she loves so much."
Rusty leaned over and began singing in a breathless whisper, while Matty watched him in amazement. It became clear at that very moment he would never tire of watching and listening to Rusty sing. Mrs. May was right; he was on the path to become a star. There was so much joy on his face as the harmonies poured out of him, even in that quiet voice. He loved music.
And he loved Matty. There was no doubt that Matty loved him back. He leaned back into his chair and listened to the beautiful music. He'd definitely convince Rusty to sing in front of his parents, too. It would be the easiest way to make them fall in love with him, and Matty didn't mind things being easy from time to time.
***
Rusty closed the door behind them with infinite care. He felt clean like he had not felt in ages. A part of him had expected anger, mostly at himself, once he got to see his mom in that state. But he had a feeling that things would get better now, maybe an irrational hope that the only way was up, and his mom would not lie in a coma forever.
He was at peace with everything now, and he had Matty to thank for it. As their fingers entangled and they walked down the silent corridor, that was one solid truth he knew. He was no longer alone, and there was someone who had his back.
His dad was waiting for them outside, his eyes looking off into the distance as if he was deep in thought.
"Dad," he said gently. "Thank you. It looks like she's being taken good care of. It's a good place for her."
A small nod was the only indication that his gratitude was acknowledged. That was typical of Roy Parker, so Rusty wasn't surprised. From now on, he was determined that doing his part would be enough. And his part involved letting his dad know that he appreciated what he was doing for his mom, even though she and Roy had separated a long time ago.
"Let's walk for a bit," Roy suggested.
They left through the main gate that separated the building from the grounds and, for a while, they walked in silence, side by side. Rusty was waiting. Whatever his dad had to dish out to him about Matty, he was prepared to face it with maturity.
"Matthew," Roy began, "is it true what Rusty is telling me?"
"About what, sir?" Matty replied politely.
It was obvious what Roy was hinting at, but that didn't mean that Matty would make it easy for him, nor that he would act as if he was embarrassed about the whole thing. That made Rusty so proud of the one he'd chosen to be with for the rest of his life.
"Rusty tells me that you and he are going to get married," Roy said after a short pause, during which he must have been expecting Rusty and Matty to become nervous about their announcement. Nothing worked like that anymore.
"Yes, it is true."
"What do your parents have to say about this?"
"They can barely wait to meet Rusty," Matty replied promptly.
Roy appeared to ponder that bit of information as if there were something beyond the immediate and clear meaning of those words for him to examine. Rusty kept silent. He wouldn't give his dad any reason to accuse him of being immature ever again. Since it had been his choice to talk only to Matty, he would get some uncomfortable truths and answers from another source than his son. Rusty felt that he was completely okay with that.
"Do they know who he is?"
"I'm afraid you will have to be more specific than that," Matty replied, perfectly capable of holding his own in this little confrontation. When Roy said nothing, he continued, "They do know that he is a student at Sunny Hill, just as I am. They also know that he has a wonderful voice as I sent them a video of one of Rusty's performances. And they know that he's a great person."
"And how do they know that? Since they have never met him?"
"Because I told them. And they trust me."
Roy let out a deep sigh. Rusty steeled for what was to follow. His dad hadn't ever minced words when it came to pointing out his first son's flaws. Unlike before, Rusty promised himself that he wouldn't let those touch him.
Therefore, he was taken aback by Roy's words. "All right, then."
The silence that stretched between them after that was getting stranger by the moment.
"What? Is that all?" Rusty asked out loud. "I thought you were going to ask us both if we're on drugs."
Roy shook his head. "No, I will not say anything of the kind. But since you're so keen on hearing my opinion again, here it is. I cannot condone this. I believe that both of you are making a mistake, but you're grownups. Even if I said anything, it would be like barking up the wrong tree. Even a parent's obligations have limits."
Rusty forced down the wave of anger rising in him. As always, the things left unsaid were the ones that hurt the most.
Roy stopped and turned toward them. He put a hand on Rusty's shoulder. "I wish you well. Matthew, you seem like a good person. Take care of him. And yourself."
They watched Roy as he walked back, while they remained standing in the middle of the path.
"Mr. Parker," Matty called out to the man's retreating back, "we will send you a wedding invitation as soon as we know the date!"
Roy didn't turn. He just waved, in that way of his that said 'don't bother'. Rusty had a mind to explain that to Matty, but it looked like his fiancé had a different take on the whole thing.
Matty turned toward him and smiled. "He'll then know for sure that we're not on drugs."
Rusty pursed his lips, as laughing under the circumstances seemed out of place. Still, the laughter bubbling in his chest got the better of him. Good thing they were quite far from the main building and the personnel wouldn't hear someone laughing like a madman so close to their facility.
"Matty, you're so awesome I don't know where to start."
"I'll take that. Tell me more about my awesomeness. By the way, you do realize what just happened, right?"
"Um, my dad being my dad? I mean, it might seem like a novelty to you, but I'm pretty used to his special brand of putting people down."
"Well, allow me to enlighten you. Do you know how the bride is walked down the aisle by her father and then transferred into the groom's waiting arms?"
"Yeah, where are you getting with this?"
Matty gestured with both arms, as if he were part of an aircraft carrier crew on the job. "We walked down the aisle together. Okay, so that bit is off because I was supposed to wait at the end of the thing. But he did transfer you to me and told me to take care of you. That's what happened."
"So, we're already married?" Rusty joked. "I thought a wedding came with a lot more headache than this. It happened so fast. How am I supposed to remember this emotional moment in my life thirty years from now? And transfer? Really, Matty? Like I'm property or something?"
"But you are," Matty argued right away. "You're mine. You belong to me. I'll say it as many times as it takes."
"As it takes to what?"
"To realize." Matty stopped and grabbed Rusty's hands. He brought them to his chest. "Jokes aside, thank you for bringing me today. I'm happy I met your mom. And your dad gave us his blessing, in his own unusual way."
"You just think that because you're the strangest optimist I've met in my life. He's going to throw that invitation in the trashcan."
Matty shrugged like such things were of no consequence for him. "It doesn't matter. We will send it anyway. That's our part."
Rusty stared at his fiancé in pure astonishment. "That is exactly the kind of thing I've been thinking, Matty. That the only thing I have to do is my part. And now, you just said the same thing. Does that make us soulmates?"
"Without a doubt," Matty replied and pulled him along so that they could walk back.
Rusty took one deep breath. "Is it really all right? To let him leave like this?"
"His choice," Matty said promptly. "Don't you think so?"
"I do. I so totally do. Some people we just leave behind." His mind drifted to memories from childhood, the happy times. His decision was made, and the simple fact that there was no turning back gave him a joy like no other he had ever experienced. With newfound courage, he continued. "Not with the intention of forgetting about them forever, but their place is simply in the past, with the good and the bad. And then, there are others that we will only leave behind in body, because they are always with us in our hearts. We can come back to visit them, and it's always with joy and pleasure. Like we will surely visit the Kingsleys even if I won't have a home close to them anymore. Do I sound too philosophical right now?" He had no idea if his ramblings made much sense, but the ideas were crowding his head, wanting to get out, all at the same time.
Matty made their clasped hands swing between them, as their steps became light. "Not at all. You're just as I imagined you were, Rusty Parker. You have layers."
Rusty grinned and wiggled his eyebrows. "Like an onion?"
"That's a cool Shrek joke. So, I feel compelled to say. Not like an onion, but like a parfait." Matty wiggled his eyebrows, too.
"So, I'm sweet."
"Of course, you are. I've tasted you often enough to know."
"Now, that was pretty dirty, Matty."
"Do you really mean that? Wow, to receive such a compliment from the king of kinksters. I feel honored."
"As you should. And you shouldn't think that I'd just allow anyone to tutor me, right?"
Matty laughed, the carefree sound touching Rusty in the deep recesses of his heart. "Come on, let's go. Something tells me your dad may come around one day."
"Hopefully that day will happen while he's still alive," Rusty said with a shrug. "But, you know what? It no longer matters like it used to. I mean, not that it wouldn't make me happy if he were satisfied with my choices for once in a lifetime. But I can live without his approval. What the hell am I even saying? I am so completely, utterly happy, no matter what he says or does, that I'm afraid I might end up flying."
"No way. You're not flying away from me." Matty pulled at his hand energetically to make a point.
"Aww, don't tell me you've seriously gotten into your ball and chain role."
"Ball and chain? I like that. Yeah, that's totally me."
"Great, because I mean it from the bottom of my heart. Keep me with you, Matty." Rusty stopped only so that he could hug his guy. Matty was his, and that possession thing went both ways. That meant they would only choose to be happy, no matter what happened.
***
The first person to greet them at the house upon their return was, unsurprisingly, Zoey, who was much better now and quite busy tasting whatever Jonathan was cooking.
"That cake was," she said and offered a thumbs-up, "but this is chef's kiss," she added as she pointed at the different dish samples on the table.
"I have discovered," Jonathan said as he pushed another small dish toward Zoey, "that your bestie, Matty, is the perfect guinea pig."
"Yeah, totally," Zoey said as she dug into the food and tasted it carefully. "Yeah, this is perfect."
"Great, I'm glad to see that you guys are making such an awesome cook-tester team," Matty said, "but what's with all this food?"
Zoey stopped, her fork in mid-air. "Jonathan is thinking of buttering up the audience for your big showdown with Connor."
"So, is it going to be like a party with punch and pie?" Matty asked, feeling a bit out of the loop. Rusty was busy joining Zoey in testing Jonathan's creations, and they were now engaged in a battle of forks, while pushing each other. It was obvious to anyone looking on that Rusty wasn't using all his strength, but that didn't keep Zoey from giving her all to come out on top.
Jonathan smiled and offered him a small cake in a pretty ruffled paper. Rusty and Zoey both stared at him with hunger in their eyes. Matty grinned at them and bit down on the sweet confection only to let out a sound of delight. "Jonathan, this is incredible. What's the latest on Connor? You guys seem to know a lot more than we do."
"As you might expect, Connor is on the move, energizing his fan base. They have already started spreading this announcement all over campus." Jonathan turned and picked up a sheet of paper from the counter to hand it to Matty.
"Implacables, unite!" Matty read out loud. "End Preston's rule of terror!" He stopped for a moment. "Terror? Show me one person who has ever been terrorized by our dear Dean of Students, and I'll eat my hat and everybody else's, too."
"He can be pretty insistent with that tea," Rusty said and snickered. "I bet that the Implacables are not tea-lovers. Not one of them. They're tea-haters. Read on, Matty."
"Uphold real values! Fight for justice! Join us to bring down the false king of Sunny Hill… I'm literally dying, which is of course, an inane thing to say, but this guy is totally nuts, so I can't have a normal reaction to any of this. Don't tell me he's already established what the confrontation will be all about."
"I'm afraid so," Jonathan explained. "He wants to gather a crowd and have a debate."
"Well, we're not scared," Rusty said with a shrug. "It only means that we'll have to prepare, too. By the way, do you know what that asshole asked for? Not that he's going to win, I'm not going to let him, but he's one crazy scumbag."
Matty waved, trying to stop him, but Rusty continued.
"He wants a date with Matty."
Jonathan and Zoey were both surprised to hear that.
"Does he have the hots for you?" Zoey asked, throwing Matty a sympathetic look. "Oh," she exclaimed, "that must be why he's keeping poor John around him. He wanted the deets on you, partner." She shook her head to show her disbelief at what some people got up to.
"It's nothing like that," Matty hurried to explain. "He thinks he can convince me--"
"Brainwash you," Rusty said pointedly. "He thinks Matty is cockwhipped because of me."
"He didn't say it like that," Matty clarified for the sake of their shocked audience. How could Jonathan and Zoey still be taken aback by all this with friends like him and Rusty was beyond understanding. "He is just so delusional and he believes he's so right that everyone else should give up on having their own thoughts and just bow to his superior intellect. I have no idea why he's so bent on me, though."
"He's envious, obviously," Zoey said. "You're engaged to Rusty, which means that he no longer has a chance."
"Zoey, the guy has zero romantic interest in me. Actually, I think he's not interested in that way in anyone. He just loves himself too much, and there's no room for another person in his mean little heart."
"I can see that," Jonathan agreed. "I mean, last year, when I tried to get to know him, he struck me as pretty self-absorbed."
"I still can't get over the fact that you let that guy slip you the tongue, Johnny boy," Rusty said. "All the while Maddox was drooling all over his pillow and whining about not having you."
A prompt smack upside the head made Rusty drop the morsel on his fork.
"Who was drooling and whining, bozo?" Maddox growled at his bestie and then sauntered over to his boyfriend to kiss him and accept a small sweet offering in the shape of a cake similar to the one Matty was still only half-way through.
"Don't worry, Rusty," Jonathan said. "Connor never got that far with me."
"Really? Not what I heard," Rusty replied.
Matty watched the exchange between the best friends, trying his best not to laugh.
"Rusty, Maddox and everyone else are already on board. We have your back."
"I also need to energize my fanbase," Rusty replied. "Connor's not the sheriff in this town, and he never will be."
"No need for underhanded tactics, though," Jonathan warned him.
"You're cooking… I don't even know what these are called. And you're talking about underhanded tactics? You plan on getting everyone sweet on us for this thing with Connor," Rusty pointed out.
"They are called madeleines and a bit of sweetness never killed anyone."
"Keep telling yourself that, Johnny boy. But I'm sure this is a Hamilton thing. I bet your mom would approve. She's all sneaky like that, too, but direct at the same time."
"I'll take that as a compliment," Jonathan replied. "What are your plans, Rusty? How are you going to take down Connor?"
"Using what I'm best at," Rusty said with aplomb, pulling out imaginary suspenders with both hands. "I'll show Sunny Hill their true king. Also, my royal consort will play an important role. By the way, Matty, I think the new cat boy suit is already upstairs."
"What? When did it arrive?"
"Details don't matter," Rusty said a bit evasively, which made Matty narrow his eyes. "I think you need to try it on. How about now? Hamilton here is going to kill us with kindness and madeleines if we're not careful."
That was a cue. That and Rusty's big knowing grin.
***
Of course, he planned on telling Matty the truth, but not in front of everyone. He was well aware that his fiancé was right behind him, so he made a little show of stopping only so that he could push his butt back a little and shake it.
A rewarding slap followed promptly. "Weren't you in a hurry for me to try on the cat boy suit?"
"Yeah, but I'm insecure. I need a daily tushie slap or I might start to think that you don't like me anymore."
"That's never going to happen, but thank you for letting me know. I'm going to slap your butt daily until I turn it red."
"Good. That's what I wanted to hear."
"You might not be able to sit. It will hurt."
"Stop teasing me already," Rusty joked. He sprinted ahead and opened his bedroom door.
Matty threw him a pointed look before going inside. And then, he sat on the bed and watched as Rusty pulled various pieces of clothing from his carefully curated collection.
"I think I recall this crop top," Matty said. "Wait, did you have another cat boy suit all along, Rusty?"
"Not exactly. But I wanted to ease you into your cat boy persona, before I discovered that you were actually very well acquainted with this sort of kinky activity."
"The pants are all right, but this top is going to leave my midriff a little bare, isn't it?"
"I'm counting on that," Rusty said promptly. "You need an upgrade, cat boy. It's war, and you have to up the ante. You know, become sexier."
"For Connor?" Matty teased.
Rusty let his face fall for a moment. "You know, there are two types of people in this world. The ones that get so jealous that they don't want anyone else to look at the one they love, and the ones that don't mind showing that person off for the world to see. I belong to the latter category."
"I see. Maybe I should try facing the Implacable crowd in the nude then. Well, I'd wear the cat boy tail, don't worry, and the wig with the ears."
"Let's not go that far," Rusty suggested promptly. "There is only this much showing off I am willing to accept."
"Tyrant," Matty accused but with the hint of a smile. When Rusty jumped on him to tickle him, he gave up easily and began giggling. "Okay, okay, you're the boss. Since Connor has a bone to pick with you, you must establish how we're going to go about it."
"Before that, however, I think there's something else we need to prepare for. I mean, I have to prepare for, because you've known your folks all your life."
"Oh, right. They'll love you. You only need to be yourself."
"What if being myself is not enough?" Rusty asked, and this time, his question didn't sound like a joke.
Matty picked up on it right away. "Rusty, I'm the guy marrying you, not them. To put your heart at ease, in the wildly impossible off-chance that they don't like you, I'm ready to elope. All we need is our love and our alter-ego suits. Slicky and Rybalt will take the world by storm."
"Correct," Rusty said with enthusiasm and smooched Matty loudly. "That means that Connor is no match for us."
"Don't tell me you ever doubted it."
Rusty grinned ear to ear. "Never. As long as I have my Slicky, nothing and no one can stand in my way. That said, I will have to prepare my number."
"And what will I do? Shake my tail to the beat? I don't think that would work too well, and let's keep the twerking for the bedroom."
His fiancé. Always thinking of every angle. "Don't worry about a thing. You're the support character in their eyes, but you're the main protagonist in every story of mine."
"Wow, that was such a sweet thing to say, Rusty. That still means I will have to come up with a number for myself, as well."
"As you wish. Now put on your cat boy suit because I so need to see you in it."
TBC