Parental Reinforcement

Waking up is antagonizing the next morning. Everett's alarm blares at 6:00 AM and he groggily reaches out to hit the snooze button on his phone. He lays there with his eyes closed for another couple of minutes.

Breaking up with Beau was not an easy decision to make, but he believes it was the right thing to do given the circumstances. He worries at his bottom lip as he thinks about their living situation. Not only is he ending things with the man, he will also have to kick him out of the house at some point as well.

Everett's stomach churns anxiously as he tries to process the guilt he feels for forcing Beau to find somewhere else to live. His former partner has been adjusting well to Sinting and really enjoys his job. Now, he'll likely have to leave it all behind if he can't find a place to stay in town.

Eventually, Everett forces himself out of bed to get dressed for work. He puts on his nice pants and button up before taking a breath and making his way out of the guest room and into the hallway. Immediately, he notices that the door to his bedroom is wide open as he walks to the stairs.

Upon entering the kitchen, he sees a note on the counter.

Everett -

I packed up my stuff and left behind the things that you bought me. You probably can't return all of that to the store at this point but maybe you can sell it online or some shit.

Hope we can talk again soon.

<3 B

Everett knows that he should feel relieved that Beau saw himself out, but his stomach twists uncomfortably in a confusing way despite this. He supposes that part of him wanted to see Beau one last time before he left.

He crumbles up the note and throws it into the trash.

Rubbing his eyes, he waits for his coffee to brew with his elbows on the counter and his face pressed into his hands. His migraine is still incredibly prevalent. It seems that no amount of ibuprofen can numb the pain he's been experiencing for the last week or so.

When his coffee is ready, he transfers it to a travel mug and drives to work. He feels like a ghost drifting through his building and haunting his cubicle. The day crawls by until he can finally leave around 3:30 PM.

Back at his house, he parks in the garage and enters into the basement where he hears noise coming from upstairs. His heart races and, for a second, he hopes that Beau stopped by to pick something up or to talk to him again. These hopes fade and are instead replaced by surprise when he walks into the kitchen.

"Mom? Dad?" He asks when he sees them milling around the area, seemingly trying to whip together a meal of some sort.

"Everett!" His mom exclaims with a wide smile on her face at the same time his dad shouts out, "Our favorite son!"

Laughing lightly, he walks over to give both of them a hug. "I'm your only son," he mutters into his dad's shoulder.

"That's not true!" He pats his son's back as he teases him.

Groaning, Everett backs away and takes a seat at the counter. "The dog doesn't count as another kid." He rolls his eyes jokingly.

"You take that back—he is our son and your brother. You owe Mr. Sailor an apology," his mom states with laughter in her voice. He didn't realize how much he missed his parents until now. The last couple of months have been an emotional rollercoaster, but they are making everything feel immediately better again. He wants to clutch onto his mom and bury his face in her shoulder like he used to do when he was little. Maybe then he can escape his current reality.

"I'll apologize to Mr. Sails the next time I FaceTime you guys when you're home," he compromises with a small smile on his face.

His parents are still pattering around the kitchen, seemingly gathering supplies for some sort of casserole dish. With no more talking occurring, he takes this moment to ask, "Why are you two here? Not that I'm not happy to see you—I'm just a little confused."

"Your friend, Beau, called us last night. He sounded a little distressed," his mom responds, looking at him with concern in her eyes. "We were skeptical at first because we know he was a troublemaker back in the day, but he told us that you two have gotten pretty close recently. He said that you needed us here and even offered to pay for our plane tickets."

Everett feels numb and there is ringing in both ears as he takes in this information. "Did he?" Is all he can think to murmur in response.

"Yes, sir," his dad replies while chopping up some vegetables. "He was very kind over the phone. We, of course, declined his offer to pay for our plane tickets, but appreciate the gesture, nonetheless."

Wiping his hands with a towel, his dad turns to make eye contact with him. "Is there something you would like to tell us, Ev?"

Taking a deep breath, Everett tells himself that it's now or never. "Charlotte and I are getting a divorce. The decision was made a couple months ago and I've been trying to figure out a way to tell family and friends. I think it's probably best to just rip the bandaid off at this point, though," he rambles anxiously.

"Oh, Everett!" His mom drops whatever she's holding on the counter and rushes over to embrace him where he sits on the stool. "You should have called us sooner—you know that we are always here for you."

"I know," he breathes out. "It all just happened so fast. I wasn't alone, if it makes you feel any better. Beau was here to help me through it for a bit."

"Tell us everything," his mom says as she runs a hand through his blonde curls.

Everett definitely does not tell them everything. Well—he gives a summarized version of why Charlotte was upset with him and what has been happening since then, minus his brief relationship with Beau. It feels therapeutic talking with them about the divorce as well as what is being discussed with the lawyers. They are saddened to hear that he's considering giving up the house to her to speed up the divorce, but ultimately support all of his decisions.

He climbs into his bed later that night and notices that his headache seems to have subdued for the time being. When he lays down, his heart rate picks up as he smells Beau on the sheets. Calling and asking his parents to come visit him was a surprisingly thoughtful and generous act from Beau. Unable to help himself, he reaches for his phone sitting on the nightstand and shoots his ex-lover a text.

To: Beau<3

Thank you for asking my parents to be here

I hope you're doing okay

Beau's note said that he wants to talk again soon, so he assumes that this text isn't overstepping any boundaries.

A minute later, he receives a response.

Beau<3

I'm happy they made it

I miss you

Everett flips over so he's laying on his right side and curls his knees up to his chest. His fingers hover over the keyboard as he contemplates how honestly he wants to respond.

To: Beau<3

I miss you too

Even less time passes before Beau texts back.

Beau<3

Can I call you

Heart racing, Everett is unsure of whether or not he's ready to hear his voice yet.

To: Beau<3

Yes

His caller ID immediately lights up Everett's phone.

"Hey." Beau's voice sounds dry and hoarse when he speaks.

"Hi," Everett whispers back, squeezing his eyes shut so hard that he sees colors behind his eyelids. His heart is still beating rapidly and he tries to keep his breathing under control.

There's a moment of silence so Everett asks, "Where are you? Are you okay?"

Beau clears his throat before responding lowly, "I'm staying with Mrs. T for now. Gonna finish up the days that she scheduled me for work and then head back to Columbus."

Everett hates that this information makes him want to cry like a child. He's the one that broke up with Beau, he should be happy that the man is giving him space and plans on leaving town soon.

"My mom talked to one of her friends and they said I can start working at a local library over there," Beau continues to speak in a hushed tone.

Taking a deep breath, Everett says, "I'm proud of you." He wants Beau to know that he is proud of his accomplishments and resilience. The man has overcome a lot since Everett ran into him at the bar months ago and he needs to hear that it has not gone unnoticed, even in their predicament.

A muffled sniff can be heard over the speaker of the phone. Beau's words sound thick with emotion as he replies, "I wish you wouldn't say that."

"Why?" Everett is confused by his response.

A quiet laugh rings out in Everett's ear, but it lacks any genuine joy and instead sounds exceedingly self-deprecating. "I don't deserve it. I keep fucking up and disappointing everyone, Rett."

Everett drags his covers up further around him so they reach his chin. "No one's disappointed in you, Beau. Your family is so happy to see you again and I'm sure Mrs. T loves hosting you at her house right now. They all love you and would never judge you like that."

"Your opinion is the only one that matters to me," Beau's gruff voice whispers. "I love you."

Squeezing his eyes tightly shut once more, a tear falls down Everett's cheek as he processes these words. He pauses for a moment to remind himself of how he was treated in Columbus before taking a deep breath.

"I care about you, Beau. I'm happy you're doing well and have a plan right now," he manages to squeak out. "I need to go to sleep."

Silence falls over them for a second.

"Goodnight, Everett."

"Goodnight, Beau."