Scott didn't know for how long he had been crying, but after a while, he only sniffled.
"Feeling better?" Mitch asked softly.
Scott shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know," he said. "A little bit. But I'm ready to pack up my stuff and leave. I... don't want to see him again."
Mitch smiled. "Of course," he said. "Did you already pack your things for Mykonos?"
Scott grimaced. "I started but then Nick came with the news regarding his grandma and I just put my suitcase away halfway packed," he said.
"Alright. I'll help you pack, Scotty. Come on."
Together they went through Scott's closet and packed up everything he needed for the vacation and an additional duffel bag for the night at Mitch's place.
"Scott?" Mitch was in the bathroom, searching for the toiletry bag, Scott always had ready to take. "I think I found your phone." He came back into the bedroom where Scott was just packing up the last pair of shoes.
"What?" Scott asked and when he saw the phone he had deemed lost or stolen, his eyes widened. Where did you find it?"
"In the back of the built-in cabinet. I found it lying behind the cleaning stuff you're keeping there" Mitch explained. "I don't know why, but I just saw it lying there when I grabbed your toiletry bag. Do you have any idea how it got there?"
Scott clenched his jaw. He took the phone and turned it on. It was working and the battery was still at 41%. "I know how it got there. Or at least I've got an idea."
Mitch sighed and squeezed Scott's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Scott..."
"It's not your fault, Mitch" Scott replied. "I'm just wondering what else was a lie..."
"Don't think about it now, Scott" Mitch said. "Once you're ready we can talk about it, but for now we'll need to get you all packed up and ready to leave."
Scott nodded. He smiled when he got a few texts, mainly from Mitch, but then he turned off the phone and put it into his pocket.
They finished packing in silence, Mitch noticed that Scott was drained and so he took over and carried his bags downstairs once they were done. He also packed Scott's jewellery case, knowing that it was best kept somewhere else, just in case and then joined his best friend downstairs. "Ready to go? Anything else you need?"
Scott took his iPad and Macbook and then shook his head. "Got everything," he said. Before they left, Scott put the phone he had found next to the bouquet of roses, looked at it one last time and left the house.
~
Back at Mitch's place, the two men had an early dinner consisting of Pasta and Pizza. Scott was very quiet the whole time and Mitch respected it. He knew that his best friend would talk eventually, he usually needed some time to himself.
"Scott? Do you want to go to bed or watch a movie?" The brunette eventually asked when they had finished their dinner.
"When do we need to get up?" Scott asked.
"Too early. I already booked an uber to pick us up at 6. I'll set my alarm to 5" Mitch said.
"Mmhm... maybe I should head to bed" Scott mused. "But I don't know if I'll be able to sleep..."
"Why don't we share my bed and watch a movie there?" Mitch offered. "So you can have the movie and fall asleep if you're tired?"
Scott smiled. "That's a wonderful idea," he said and got up slowly. "Do you mind if I take a shower beforehand? I feel it might help..."
"Sure. You know where everything is, just use whatever you want and need" Mitch said. "I'll just tidy up and take out the trash so we don't have to do this tomorrow. Do you want some snacks or a cup of tea?"
But Scott just shook his head. "No, just a bottle of water, please."
Mitch smiled. "Of course, that's obligatory." He grabbed the empty take-out containers and went into the kitchen where he got everything ready so he would only have to take care of the things they'd need the next morning and then he went upstairs to get ready for bed.
Half an hour later, the two men were comfortable in bed with Mean Girls running in the background. It was a no brainer for both of them, a comfort movie that they both knew inside out.
Mitch wasn't surprised when his best friend fell asleep ten minutes into the movie. He set a timer for the TV, checked his alarm and then settled down as well, drifting off almost immediately.
~
It was a few minutes after seven in the morning when Scott and Mitch walked into the airport and up to the meeting point they had set up with the others.
Scott smiled slightly when he saw Kirstie, Ben and Avi standing there, talking avidly. Even though he hadn't been sure about joining the vacation he was glad to be able to spend the following weeks with his friends away from LA and from Nick.
"Oh, Scott" Kirstie said happily when she noticed him. "We were just talking about who sleeps where and we thought that the couples would share a suite and the singles take the other one? So they can sleep in peace." She grinned but faltered when she saw only Mitch and Scott. "Where's Nick?"
Scott sighed. He knew that his friends would ask. "He won't come. I broke up with him yesterday" he, therefore, explained quickly.
"Oh no, Scott. I'm so sorry" she said and hugged the tall blonde tightly.
"Thanks" Scott replied once she had let go. He accepted Ben's hug as well and then turned to Avi. "I'll try to not ruin the vacation with my heartbreak..." he said.
"Oh, Scott you would never" Avi replied and pulled him into a tight hug, holding him for a moment. "You're with us, Scott. With your friends. We'll be there for you no matter what, okay? Also, I won't bother you with questions, but I'll be ready to listen to you whenever you want to talk, okay?"
Scott nodded. "Thank you, Avi," he said softly, staying in the embrace for a moment, feeling utterly comfortable. "When I was making my decision I thought about the conversation we once had. When you asked me if I was happy with him. I realised that I wasn't happy and that there was no way I would ever be."
Avi smiled. "I'm glad that I could help you," he said and smiled when Scott let go of him and wiped a few tears away.
"Yeah..." Scott said and cleared his throat. "Anyway, shall we check in? I definitely need some coffee and breakfast and then I need to get out of the city."
Kirstie giggled. "That's the spirit," she said and hugged him sideways. "We're always there for you," she said a bit more serious.
"I know and I am glad to have you" Scott replied and kissed the top of her head. He looked around and smiled, happy to be with his friends.
~~~~
