The Art Of Us

10 • She Was In Love With Me?

"FP, wait!" Fred ran after him, trying his hardest to catch up with his friend.

He knew he needed to try and calm things down, for both their sakes. An impossible task, he believed.

FP wasn't willing to listen. His rage, his sadness and his confusion, were creating a massive blindspot for him, that he couldn't get rid of even if he tried. Something had fundamentally changed. His whole life was being shown in a new light. He had been kept in the dark for sixteen years, while he could have all that he had wished for. How was he supposed to deal with that?

"She kept my son from me, Fred. There is no excuse for that. My own child and I missed sixteen years because she thought it wasn't worth telling me." FP turned around on his heel and dangerously pointed his finger at Fred, his nostrils flaring because of his anger.

"You have no right to judge her, FP! You don't know what her life has been like!" Fred shot back, getting angry with him now too.

"Well, you should know, huh? You two have always been quite cosy." FP scoffed, his eyes again welling up in tears.

"What are you talking about?" Fred said confused, his voice laced with annoyance.

"That thing you had behind my back!" FP yelled back, finding it insulting that Fred pretended not to know what he was talking about.

While FP had found out they weren't together now, he had never once doubted that back as teenager they had hooked-up right in front of his nose and secretly laughed because they believed he was too stupid to notice.

"Me and Alice? Are you insane? She's always been like a sister to me. Nothing ever happened between us and if you think there did, then you are blind, FP. Blind to see that the only one she was in love with was you." Fred told him, looking straight into his eyes so he could make sure that FP knew he was telling the truth.

His face softened, and suddenly it felt as if the world stopped turning. Those very words changed everything.

"She was in love with me?" FP asked quietly, afraid he had misunderstood.

Fred's face softened now too, as he realized that this was the first time he got told that the person he loved, loved him back.

"She was. You have no idea." Fred said softly, giving him a small smile.

FP exhaled deeply, while shaking his head in confusion. If he had known back then, everything would've been different. He would've stayed in Riverdale.

"It's why I left, with Gladys. I couldn't bear the thought of you two..." FP couldn't even finish his sentence.

Thinking about that time in his life made his stomach twist, and now it was even more upsetting because he knew it was all in his head. He had left everything behind based on a lie someone had whispered in his ear.

"When I saw Charles for the first time I thought he was your kid." He confessed, his cheeks turning red.

"Believe it or not, that wonderful boy is all yours." Fred said, a sweet smile on his face.

He wondered how he hadn't seen it before. Charles and FP looked so much alike, that even a stranger could see that they were related.

"I know you, FP. You don't want to leave. Please, don't run out on them. I understand that you are mad, but hear each other out." Fred placed his hand on FP's shoulder, as he slowly approached him.

"You're right. I don't want to leave my son, or Alice." FP said quietly, casting his eyes away.

"Can you... can you please check on her? I can't." His voice broke, but no matter how hard he wished he could hold her right now, he just wasn't ready.