Their Little Beauty (MxMxM+)

Chapter Eighteen- Moving On, Moving Out and Making Moves

Emptying the apartment he and Harlow had shared for many years was not as gut-wrenching as Briar had expected.  Yes, it was difficult throwing away the photo's they had taken when they first started living together or donating any clothes Harlow had left behind, but there was no unbearable ache within his chest as he had expected to accompany heartbreak. But as Harlow was his first and only relationship, there were no comparisons to make. It was just saddening, seeing all of the memories and wondering if he was happy in them, if Harlow had loved him.

Maybe it was normal to hurt more so for the 'what should have been' rather than the 'what was'. To think about how good it was in the beginning only to be reminded of the mess it all became. The mess it always was, really. To be glad Harlow was not going to walk through the door one last time. He hoped it was okay to feel that way.

But when all was said and done and the day was nearing its end, the apartment key that had been with him through many rough times remained behind on a kitchen counter and Briar left the apartment behind.

But now he had been living with Stephen for a month- roughly- and had begun noticing some things. One being that it felt uncomfortable. It was no fault of Stephen's of course; the man had been nothing but accommodating considering they were also boss and employee so naturally they spent a lot of time together. 

Perhaps too much. 

Briar was so young when he left home and after his homeless period, went to live with his boyfriend who he now noticed often prevented Briar from having friends. So, he wasn't quite sure how to act around someone after more than a few hours, much less how to relax in a house that didn't feel like a home. He had never even had a sleepover before. Being around Stephen-who although was a good friend and was an amazing person- made Briar feel anxious sometimes. It was all so unfamiliar. 

Things couldn't continue like this. It wasn't helping him, and it was only hindering Stephen who had temporarily converted his home studio into a room for Briar. No, it was time to figure out something else.

"Yoohoo, anyone home up there?" Jesse's voice jolted him out of his thoughts, along with the knocking against his skull.

"Ow! You have rings on, you asshole" Briar huffed, rubbing the stinging area with a frown at his small friend. They simply rolled their eyes and moved their head to Briar's lap, looking up at the sky.

"It's colder than Olaf's colon". 

"Hmhm, sure is". 

"Then why are we out here? It's the middle of October, you lunatic". 

Briar looked out across the field. The park was busy with parents trying to tire their little ones out before heading home, most likely hoping to get some time to themselves and enjoy hot beverages beneath a blanket. The children themselves were thrilled at the autumn shedding, pushing one another in piles of amber leaves. Somehow, they were even entertained by the autumn chill, poking their red noses and giggling when they discovered they were a little bit snotty. 

And although the sky was darkening quickly, the streetlights over picnic benches offered enough residual glow to cast everything in a heart-warming tinge of nostalgia. 

"It reminds me of my childhood. Once, I managed to convince my dad to take me to see the carnival one year. It was only passing through for a night, everyone at school had been so excited their parents were taking them and wouldn't stop talking about it. I wanted to be part of it too, even just once. And dad snuck us out when m- Katherine went to bed early with a migraine. I was so excited. Even though we didn't stay more than an hour or actually go on any of the rides, he held my hand and walked around with me. We hadn't done that before. Just feeling the warmth of his hand around my cold one, watching the lights twinkle and hearing the crunching of leaves in the background of everyone else's screaming or laughing... it makes me happy to remember it".