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priscaTitle: Meeting again
Characters: Casey Connor, Zeke Tyler
Prompt: Everything has changed
Finished: 02.02.2020
:::
Note: This one is a sequel to The only real friend
Suddenly Casey had the feeling that someone was watching him. He turned around, his eyes wandering over the parking lot of the Joes Trader. First, he noticed the black GTO, and instantly memories were rushing through his mind. Then he recognized the guy standing beside it.
He swallowed hard. Zeke! It was about three years that he had left Herrington after the big fight they had had. He hadn't thought, that he would ever come back here; all too often he had talked about it, to leave everything behind. Too many memories which tormented him, even if he would never have admitted it. He had preferred to play the tough rebel, had left no one deeper into his life.
There had been times where Casey had hoped that one day this would change; hours they had spent in Zeke's garage, chatting, watching movies. Fucking. Zeke had always listened to him, accepted him. He was caring, gentle, never overstepped any lines. But when Casey dared to ask him if also after graduation there could be a future for both them, he did freak out. The words he threw at him had hurt more than every bullying from the jocks at school.
It had taken a while until Casey could move on and finally found his place in life. But though he had accepted it that there would never be a 'we' together with Zeke, he had always had a place in his heart. At photo school, Casey had dated another guy for some weeks, but it never felt the same. So he finally did break up with him; it had been only fair.
And now Zeke was back, and Casey's heartbeat quickened when suddenly their eyes crossed. Zeke was just standing beside his beloved car, staring at him. Still the same, though he was wearing a black leather jacket instead of a longsleeved shirt, and it looked as if he finally had found the way to a hairdresser instead of cutting his hair himself.
Casey put his hand around the back of the baby in its carrier and went over to the parking lot. „Hey, you are back.“
Zeke shrugged. „Actually not. I'm selling the house.“
„Oh!“ Casey felt some disappointment running through his body.
„Yeah. There is nothing that keeps me here. And I can need the money.“
„I guess!“
„It's not like you think. I took over an old garage some months ago. Could be a gold-mine one day, but first I need to put a lot of time and some money into it.“
Casey smiled surprised; maybe he had been wrong and Zeke had changed. Finally, he seemed to be ready to settle down somewhere and to make future plans. Which was a great step for him. As if he could read his mind, Zeke smirked. „Was about time to grow up a bit, I guess.“ Suddenly he looked unsure. „Case, what I did to you...“
„It's okay, today I can understand better,“ Casey interrupted him. „Not only you have changed. I was hurt and angry when you left without a word. And it took a while until I could admit, that it wasn't only your fault. I guess, I wanted too much, and you were not ready for it. Probably I wasn't either.
Who knows what would have happened if we would have left Herrington together. If we would have been able to find our way.“
Thoughtfully, Zeke's eyes were resting on the baby which was still asleep, a thumb in her mouth. „I am glad, that everything turned out well for you,“ he said. „She's cute.“
„Maja?“ Casey smiled slightly surprised; the last he would have expected was that Zeke did show any interest in a baby. „Yeah, she's a sunshine. Laughs all day long, sleeps through the nights. Though this might change soon, the doctor said yesterday that she will teethe soon.
I will miss her when I move to Washington next month.“
Zeke blinked while his thoughts were racing. „You will move to Washington?“
Casey laughed. „I know, I always said, that Herrington is my hometown I will never leave. But National Geographics offered me a job I can't deny. Who would have thought that one day someone will pay me a shitload of money for being a photo geek.“
„That's what you always wanted. Congratulation.“ Zeke paused shortly. „And what's with your family? They won't move with you?“
„Move with me?“ Casey looked flabbergasted. „Well, it's kinda hard for my mom, but she would never leave Herrington behind. And now, with Maja around...“
Zeke frowned confused. „She was always a mother hen. Not a big surprise that she's happy to be a grandmother.“
„A... what?“
„Uhm... Maja.“
To Zeke's surprise, Casey burst out laughing. The baby in her carrier winced slightly, opening her eyes; bright blue like Casey's. „Oh, sorry, baby girl,“ Casey murmured and bent forward to place a gentle kiss onto Maja's head. „I didn't mean to scare you. But that's so cute.“ Still caressing her reassuringly he looked up to Zeke again. „You think, Maja is my daughter?“
„Well. It's obvious. She has your eyes.“
„These are the eyes of her mom.“ Casey grinned. „Marie, my cousin. My grandma had the same ones. Runs in the family.
Luckily Maja takes after her mom then after this prick of her dad. Shithole vanished into thin air when Marie told him about her pregnancy. She's all alone, you know, her parents died in a car accident some years ago. So my mom offered her to move in with us for a while.“
„Oh, understand.“ Zeke needed a moment to let all this info sink in. „So, you are not together with her mother, or so.“
„I am gay, Zeke, remember? And besides that, I was much too busy with photo school during the last years to think about serious dating.“
„Great!“ Zeke suddenly grinned boyishly. Casey's heartbeat quickened again; it reminded him so much of old times and he realized who much he had missed it. „Great?“
„Yeah, because we could hang around again now and then. There are some great insider clubs in Washington. And now, where you are finally legal, I can't see any reason why we shouldn't check them out.“
Suddenly Casey's mouth felt dry. „In Washington? Where do you live today?“
„The garage is in Silver Springs. So you can say that we will be neighbors soon.“ Zeke got serious again, looking slightly uneasy. „But if you don't want this... after all what happened... I couldn't blame you.“
Still feeling numb Casey shook his head. „No! No, that's great. To have a familiar friend in a foreign town sounds very reassuring.“ And maybe, only maybe, it would be more again one day. His heart was open for it. But this time, he wouldn't make the mistake to ask for too much at once.
Characters: Casey Connor, Zeke Tyler
Prompt: Everything has changed
Finished: 02.02.2020
:::
Note: This one is a sequel to The only real friend
Suddenly Casey had the feeling that someone was watching him. He turned around, his eyes wandering over the parking lot of the Joes Trader. First, he noticed the black GTO, and instantly memories were rushing through his mind. Then he recognized the guy standing beside it.
He swallowed hard. Zeke! It was about three years that he had left Herrington after the big fight they had had. He hadn't thought, that he would ever come back here; all too often he had talked about it, to leave everything behind. Too many memories which tormented him, even if he would never have admitted it. He had preferred to play the tough rebel, had left no one deeper into his life.
There had been times where Casey had hoped that one day this would change; hours they had spent in Zeke's garage, chatting, watching movies. Fucking. Zeke had always listened to him, accepted him. He was caring, gentle, never overstepped any lines. But when Casey dared to ask him if also after graduation there could be a future for both them, he did freak out. The words he threw at him had hurt more than every bullying from the jocks at school.
It had taken a while until Casey could move on and finally found his place in life. But though he had accepted it that there would never be a 'we' together with Zeke, he had always had a place in his heart. At photo school, Casey had dated another guy for some weeks, but it never felt the same. So he finally did break up with him; it had been only fair.
And now Zeke was back, and Casey's heartbeat quickened when suddenly their eyes crossed. Zeke was just standing beside his beloved car, staring at him. Still the same, though he was wearing a black leather jacket instead of a longsleeved shirt, and it looked as if he finally had found the way to a hairdresser instead of cutting his hair himself.
Casey put his hand around the back of the baby in its carrier and went over to the parking lot. „Hey, you are back.“
Zeke shrugged. „Actually not. I'm selling the house.“
„Oh!“ Casey felt some disappointment running through his body.
„Yeah. There is nothing that keeps me here. And I can need the money.“
„I guess!“
„It's not like you think. I took over an old garage some months ago. Could be a gold-mine one day, but first I need to put a lot of time and some money into it.“
Casey smiled surprised; maybe he had been wrong and Zeke had changed. Finally, he seemed to be ready to settle down somewhere and to make future plans. Which was a great step for him. As if he could read his mind, Zeke smirked. „Was about time to grow up a bit, I guess.“ Suddenly he looked unsure. „Case, what I did to you...“
„It's okay, today I can understand better,“ Casey interrupted him. „Not only you have changed. I was hurt and angry when you left without a word. And it took a while until I could admit, that it wasn't only your fault. I guess, I wanted too much, and you were not ready for it. Probably I wasn't either.
Who knows what would have happened if we would have left Herrington together. If we would have been able to find our way.“
Thoughtfully, Zeke's eyes were resting on the baby which was still asleep, a thumb in her mouth. „I am glad, that everything turned out well for you,“ he said. „She's cute.“
„Maja?“ Casey smiled slightly surprised; the last he would have expected was that Zeke did show any interest in a baby. „Yeah, she's a sunshine. Laughs all day long, sleeps through the nights. Though this might change soon, the doctor said yesterday that she will teethe soon.
I will miss her when I move to Washington next month.“
Zeke blinked while his thoughts were racing. „You will move to Washington?“
Casey laughed. „I know, I always said, that Herrington is my hometown I will never leave. But National Geographics offered me a job I can't deny. Who would have thought that one day someone will pay me a shitload of money for being a photo geek.“
„That's what you always wanted. Congratulation.“ Zeke paused shortly. „And what's with your family? They won't move with you?“
„Move with me?“ Casey looked flabbergasted. „Well, it's kinda hard for my mom, but she would never leave Herrington behind. And now, with Maja around...“
Zeke frowned confused. „She was always a mother hen. Not a big surprise that she's happy to be a grandmother.“
„A... what?“
„Uhm... Maja.“
To Zeke's surprise, Casey burst out laughing. The baby in her carrier winced slightly, opening her eyes; bright blue like Casey's. „Oh, sorry, baby girl,“ Casey murmured and bent forward to place a gentle kiss onto Maja's head. „I didn't mean to scare you. But that's so cute.“ Still caressing her reassuringly he looked up to Zeke again. „You think, Maja is my daughter?“
„Well. It's obvious. She has your eyes.“
„These are the eyes of her mom.“ Casey grinned. „Marie, my cousin. My grandma had the same ones. Runs in the family.
Luckily Maja takes after her mom then after this prick of her dad. Shithole vanished into thin air when Marie told him about her pregnancy. She's all alone, you know, her parents died in a car accident some years ago. So my mom offered her to move in with us for a while.“
„Oh, understand.“ Zeke needed a moment to let all this info sink in. „So, you are not together with her mother, or so.“
„I am gay, Zeke, remember? And besides that, I was much too busy with photo school during the last years to think about serious dating.“
„Great!“ Zeke suddenly grinned boyishly. Casey's heartbeat quickened again; it reminded him so much of old times and he realized who much he had missed it. „Great?“
„Yeah, because we could hang around again now and then. There are some great insider clubs in Washington. And now, where you are finally legal, I can't see any reason why we shouldn't check them out.“
Suddenly Casey's mouth felt dry. „In Washington? Where do you live today?“
„The garage is in Silver Springs. So you can say that we will be neighbors soon.“ Zeke got serious again, looking slightly uneasy. „But if you don't want this... after all what happened... I couldn't blame you.“
Still feeling numb Casey shook his head. „No! No, that's great. To have a familiar friend in a foreign town sounds very reassuring.“ And maybe, only maybe, it would be more again one day. His heart was open for it. But this time, he wouldn't make the mistake to ask for too much at once.