Chapter 16 Andrew

In the morning, Andrew put on a faded pair of jeans and a worn T-shirt, perfect for helping Rafael work on their secret hideaway. They could have been making love for years there, but because of one thing or another, they had been left longing to be with each other. Though still filled with fear of being exposed as gay, Andrew couldn't deny the growing attraction between them anymore. With each step down the stairs to the hallway, he could feel the coolness of the tiled floor beneath his feet, leading him towards the kitchen. Joe's girlfriend Mimi, a nurse at the hospital, had already gone to work. Joe sat leisurely in his chair at the table, sipping his hot coffee.

"Hey, what are you doing up so early?" Joe asked.

"I'm going to meet Cedric today." Andrew carefully poured himself a cup of coffee into his favorite Blue Star Diner ceramic mug before taking a seat opposite his brother.

"Did you get lucky last night?" Joe grinned.

"Maybe. Why are you asking?"

"You can bring your girl here. We've talked about that before."

"I know. How was your night with Mimi?"

"I gave her a ring."

"A ring?" A gasp escaped Andrew's lips as he processed what he had just heard. The question lingered in his mind: why had Joe chosen not to share his plans of getting engaged before he actually had?

"There's a problem, though."

"Problem?"

"Mimi's pregnant," Joe blurted, the words tumbling out in a rush. Andrew choked on his coffee, spluttering into his napkin.

"Pregnant?" Andrew finally managed to say. Relief, a strange, unwelcome emotion, warred with a deeper pang of sadness.

A sheepish grin spread across Joe's face. "Yeah, knocked her up," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "We're getting married this weekend."

"Married?" Andrew repeated, his voice barely a whisper.

"Yeah," Joe said, his voice softening. "We, uh, we figured it makes sense. You know, with the baby and all."

Andrew nodded. His throat was too tight to speak. He understood, logically. A baby changed everything. But the understanding did little to soothe the ache in his chest. He and Joe had always confided in each other. This felt like a betrayal, a shutting out. They usually discussed important decisions with each other before they made them.

"Can you cover this weekend?"

"This weekend? Of course I can cover." Andrew always thought he and Joe were close, two halves of the same heart. But as Joe talked about getting married and starting his own family, Andrew felt a silent crack forming in the foundation of their brotherhood. He masked his pain with a smile, nodding along to Joe's dreams, which no longer included him.

"It's going to be great, you know?" Joe said, his eyes sparkling with excitement. Jealousy consumed Andrew as he listened to his brother effortlessly discussing his upcoming marriage and raising a child. Although he yearned for a family of his own someday, he felt frustrated by being gay in a small town which would never accept two men married and especially not as parents.

"We're moving out tonight," Joe continued, oblivious to the storm brewing inside Andrew. "Found a little place to rent around the block until we find a home to buy. You'll have this place all to yourself."

"I guess so." Living alone wasn't something he was looking forward to without Joe to discuss things.

Andrew's grip tightened around his coffee mug, the heat from the ceramic barely registering. "Yeah, it's…it's wonderful, Joe," he said, the words tasting bitter in his mouth.

"I'm really excited." Never had he seen Joe radiate such pure happiness, his entire demeanor exuding a newfound joy.

"I'm going to miss you around here."

"I'm just moving around the block. Walking distance. You can come over anytime. The movers will pick up my packed things tonight, but I'm not taking any furniture. Everything else stays, just my clothes."

Andrew wondered how long Joe and Mimi had been planning on getting married, having a baby, and moving without talking it over with him. The feeling of being left out consumed him.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner about this?"

"Mimi didn't want you to know. None of this would have happened if she had decided not to have the baby. There would have been nothing to say. Then this week, she said she wanted to have the baby and get married."

"Right," Andrew croaked, forcing a smile. He felt a wave of nausea rising and quickly gulped down more coffee, hoping it would settle his churning stomach.

Joe reached across the table, his hand landing on Andrew's with a well-meaning squeeze. "Hey, it doesn't have to change anything, you know? You'll be the coolest uncle ever."

Andrew managed another weak smile. "Yeah, no, I'm good. Just…processing everything, you know?" It was a pathetic lie, but he couldn't bring himself to admit the depth of his pain. Joe was happy, starting a family, and Andrew should be happy for him. But somewhere beneath the forced cheer, a voice whispered a different truth: he felt abandoned. Andrew knew things would change. They always did. A part of him, the na?ve part, had held onto the hope that they could remain as close as they were. Now, that hope lay shattered on the kitchen floor, alongside the remnants of their shared dreams.

"Hey, did you tell Mom and Dad?" Andrew asked.

"No! They're not talking to us. So, fuck them."

The silence that followed was heavy, laden with unspoken thoughts. Andrew wanted to scream, to tell Joe how much this hurt, how he felt left behind. But he swallowed those feelings, letting the warmth of the coffee fill the void as he took a sip, the bitterness somehow comforting.

Joe, oblivious to the storm brewing in Andrew's heart, continued to talk about baby names and nursery colors.

As Joe left the kitchen, full of hope and oblivious to his painful feelings he had inadvertently caused, Andrew remained at the table, the sound of Joe's laughter echoing in his mind. The kitchen, once a sanctuary of brotherly love and shared secrets, now felt like a foreign land to Andrew, as he sat alone with his thoughts and the last dregs of his coffee.

After Joe left for the diner, the home they shared seemed emptier, and he hadn't even moved yet. Joe was one of the luckiest guys he knew, and he was lucky to have him as his older brother. Andrew couldn't bear the thought of losing him to Mimi. He stopped himself from falling into a deep sadness. Andrew told himself he had Rafael in his life, though it was a secret relationship. Today, they would work side-by-side and maybe have a repeat of what they'd had last night in the trailer.

After straightening up the kitchen, he left the house and drove to the diner. When Andrew parked his car in his designated spot, his eyes at once caught sight of the Jeep in the crowded lot. His excitement grew, and he couldn't wait to see Rafael after they'd made love for the first time.

The moment he stepped into the diner, the delicious scent of cooking food wafted towards him, and he quickly spotted Rafael sitting in his preferred booth. The sound of his father's angry voice shouting abruptly captured his attention. What the hell was he doing here? When he turned to look at Rafael, he signaled with his head for Andrew to deal with his father and Joe. He scanned the diner for Gabriella but didn't see her anywhere. He couldn't hear what they were arguing about. With another quick glance at Rafael, he shrugged his shoulders and made his way behind the counter to where his father and Joe were arguing.

"What's the problem?" Andrew asked.

"Fire Gabriella," his father said.

"No. The last time I looked, Joe's and my name were on the title to the diner," Andrew said. "We've had this conversation, and nothing has changed."

"You both broke your mother's heart by hiring her. I don't know why she's more important than your mother."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Andrew said. "This is our diner, and we'll hire who we want." He still didn't see Gabriella anywhere and now realized why.

"You're a loser," his father shouted at Andrew. "You started this mess." The entire diner was silent and could hear his father humiliating him.

Within seconds, Rafael materialized behind the counter, ready to assist.