Since You've Been Gone. (boyxboy)

Chapter 5: Visitor

"I'll tell him what he needs to hear, ok?"

☆

"You didn't say you were visiting?" Molly hurries around the table to her brother. She holds out her arms to him, leaving him little choice but to accept her embrace, as the strap of the bag falls from one of his shoulders.

"Surprise." He says, as his hands finally make their way around her waist. "I guess you missed me."

Molly pulls away from the embrace. "Of course I missed you. You were gone too long."

The sudden action of Jasper getting to standing, causes the bench to make a painful scraping sound against the flagstone floor. His stare bores holes at Thomas as Thomas looks back at him, momentarily reminiscing about that familiar unpredictability Jasper had about him. "Hey Jasper. Congratulations." He holds out a hand to the man he had once loved as a carefree teen, but Jasper is in no mood to shake hands.

He feels his fingers ball into a tight fist. An almost decade of pent up emotions boils inside of him. He had questions, so many questions he wanted the answers to. Their past. Their promise made to each other, but no sooner as it surfaces, in danger of spilling out, he feels Beth's fingers take a hold of his hand. He remembers where he is and the man he is now. "Jasper?" She begins. "Won't you introduce me?"

Jasper looks down at Beth's face, her smile bright and warm, he feels a sense of calm. "Beth, this is Tom... Thomas Hepler."

She looks again at the man who had just stumbled through the door. She stands up, offering out her hand. "You are Jasper's long lost friend I've been hearing about." She says with that same sweet smile.

Thomas takes the hand offered to him, noticing how petite it felt in his grasp. His mind conjures wicked thoughts as to how such a hand could never satisfy the man standing next to her. Not like he could do. "That's me." He forces a warm smile to match her own, "And you are?"

"This is Beth. My fiancée, soon to be my bride." Jasper cuts in.

"And the mother of your child." Thomas raises an eyebrow in amusement. "Sorry to rain on your parade. My entrance was a little ill timed."

"Then why did you come?" Jasper bites back through gritted teeth.

"Now now Jasper...' his uncle begins.

"It was me." Everyone looks at Jasper's mother still sitting at the table.

Molly is the first to act when she senses that sour taste in the air. She pulls Thomas by the arm. "Come on, you must be tired. Let's get you settled." Thomas gets pulled through the kitchen and out of sight.

Jasper's stare stays fixed on his mother. "Uncle, can you go show Beth the horses or something? Mum and I need a little chat."

Jim looks at Jasper then his sister, unsure of whether to leave them alone, but she shoots a hand in his direction. "I'm fine Jim." She reassures him.

Jim nods and looks at Beth who is getting up from her seat. "Come on petal, come and meet the extended family." He tries to make light of the tension, with Beth joining in as they both grace each other with a smile. Soon Jasper and his mother are left alone.

"What the hell Mum!" Jasper bangs both fists on the table, making the fruit bowl move a fraction to the left. "Why did you..."

"Sit down and listen to me." Her voice does its best to sound authoritative. "I did this for you."

Jasper's laugh comes out almost hysterical. "You did this for me? You invite the man I am trying to forget."

"But you can't can you! I saw the invite. You were going to do it yourself!" She raises her own voice to match his. "You need to hear from his own lips that it is over between you both so you can move on. I did this for you."

"You had no right. You don't always know what's best for me mum. I am a grown man."

"Then start acting like one and rid your feelings for Thomas once and for all. Go and talk to him and end this silliness."

Jasper steps back over the table's bench. "Ok. If you think you know what is best for me, I'll do it your way, but I won't be held responsible for the outcome."

***

"Tom, why are you here?" Molly says in a hushed voice as the bedroom door closes.

"You said I needed to come back." Thomas whispers as he drops his heavy bag by the bed in one of the guest rooms.

"No I didn't. I said you needed to talk to him, give him some answers, so he can move on with his life. A phone call would have sufficed."

Thomas sits down on the edge of the bed. His weight makes the springs creak. "I was gonna come back anyway. I'm running out of money." Thomas looks at the blue wool rug on the floor, a little embarrassed to admit it.

"What? You've spent nearly all of grandpa's inheritance?" Molly shakes her head. She sits next to her brother on the bed, trying to catch his line of sight. "Tom, talk to me. Where has your head been? What's going on in there?" She brushes his overgrown locks from his forehead. Sometimes I wonder if you have grown up at all."

Thomas breathes out as he straightens his posture. He looks at Molly and paints a smile across his face. "I've been living the dream Mol. Had a lover in every nation, I partied and fucked.... Ow!" He suddenly receives a playful smack to his arm.

"Watch your mouth. I don't want to know everything." She looks at him sternly.

Thomas grins as he sees her get up a little flustered. He breathes out heavily. "I will do what you ask. I will go and talk with him. I'll tell him what he needs to hear, ok?"

"Ok." She says, as she puts a hand on the door handle. She looks back at her brother, she smiles at him fondly. "Welcome home Tom." She turns back and opens the bedroom door, but jumps when she sees someone standing on the other side of it. Her eyes widen. "Jasper!"

Jasper looks over Molly's shoulder at the man still sat on the edge of the bed. "Can I come in?"