Trouble in Paradise

Chapter XXI - Peter

— PART III —
Getting him Back

It isn't confirmed that Marco's being cheated on, but apparently, the fight he had with Beth was bad enough that he's now settling in the bedroom down in the basement and will be staying here until that gets resolved. "Are you sure you don't need anything else? You don't want to talk about it?"

"Shut up, Peter, you know this is not us. You're dying to whine about Luke and I'd rather not talk about my marriage so go ahead," Marco gestures for me to sit on one of the stools across from him putting the kitchen island between us. "What else has bad, bad Luke done to poor innocent Peter?"

"My god you're a fucking pain in the ass when you're angry."

I have many things to say about Luke. How he continues to ignore me and just talks to me when there's no other choice, how he keeps reminding me about the damn divorce paper—throwing hints at how I'm a lawyer and haven't gotten the damn papers yet, or how he insists on going out with Wells.

Marco paces the kitchen floor looking for god knows what and waiting for me to start talking. If he could avoid ever talking about anything that hurts him he'd gladly do it so if I don't talk he'll make me, but if I talk he'll tell me I never shut up. Men! Who can fucking understand them?

"What are you looking for?" I ask Marco in an effort to stop him from rummaging and disorganizing every cabinet.

"Where the hell do you keep your bread?"

I frown. "What do you mean? I keep it where everyone keeps theirs. In the fridge."

"I'm sorry, I think I misheard you. I'm certain I did not just hear you say you keep your bread in the fridge."

"What? Everyone keeps their bread in the fridge. I read it in a magazine."

"Yeah, a magazine from fucking Narnia where you were really born!"

A burst of laughter makes me turn to find Luke, looking biteable as ever, walking toward us. "Did you just make a joke?" Luke asks Marco but before he responds Luke adds, "I need to tell Wells about this."

My best friend scowls. If I don't like Wells, Marco sure wants to kill him. No reason why, either. They're just so opposite to one another that everything one does irritates the other.

Luke brings his cell phone up, clearly ready to call Wells. He grabs a fork to get some of the omelets Marco cooked for us — supposedly being a good guest — and all calls are forgotten. Luke moans around the fork and it skips my dick going all the way down to my balls making them tighten like prunes.

"Oh. My. God! How did I not know you could cook this good?"

"It's just an omelet, Luke. It's hardly defined as cuisine."

"No!" Luke protests with his mouth now full of omelet, "This is... umm!" He fucking moans again. "Never leave me, please, please, pleaaaase. You have to make me breakfast every day."

The last thing I expect is what happens next because Luke takes us all by surprise when he grabs Marco's face and squeezes his cheeks kissing one of them loudly.

While Marco wipes his face in fake disgust and Luke laughs about it, I focus on something else.

This is part of the new Luke. He's more playful than ever and I know it's all the time he's been spending with Wells lately. I mean there's no other answer. This is a version of Luke I'm dying to know. A Luke that I wish I had married. He's not uptight, but I've always felt he loses himself when he's with me. He's always so focused on me making the decisions. I was always so focused on making the decisions, that I never stopped to notice how it was causing my beautiful lover to fade away.

Marco and Luke talk about everything and nothing and I know the main reason is that I'm here. I make them uncomfortable by being here. Marco and Luke always liked each other but after I asked for a divorce it feels like we started dividing assets right away. I got Marco on my side —though he defends Luke more than me— and they barely speak now.

To think Marco got Luke back with a simple breakfast. I wish it was as easy for me to get him back.

Almost as a reminder of my fuck-up my phone pings with a notification. A text from Gabe. I don't know how to get rid of him. He does a good job and I can't put my business with the university in jeopardy for a bad choice on my part. They've been sending me their best students and the internship program is the main reason my firm has the prestige it has.

I play with my phone looking at Gabe's name but am unable to open the message that I know will put me in a bad mood, but as the grown-up I'm supposed to be, I check anyway to see what he wants.

GABE: "Baaaaaabe! I'm dying to have sushi from that place you took me to once."

Of course, he wants sushi from the most expensive place in town. Of fucking course! I don't bother responding, especially when an interesting conversation draws me back in when Luke speaks again.

"I'm just saying. If you and Beth get divorced, you have to marry me and cook me breakfast every morning. Shit if you bring me breakfast to bed I'll do things to you that will make you wonder why you aren't gay."

My traitor of a best friend laughs loudly and Luke fucking winks. I could never be truly jealous of Marco but fuck if it doesn't hurt that Luke's so comfortable saying those things in front of me. He's healing while I'm dealing with the repercussions of my mistake.

Luke turns around to leave giving a happy "See you later," to Marco and just a half smile to me. Soon it'll be time for his reminder about the damn divorce papers that I refuse to serve.

I remember Luke's face a few minutes ago when he tried the food and I want to laugh because I know how hard we both tried to learn how to cook, with each being worse at it than the other. An idea, and possibly not my brightest, occurs to me, and I know that's the first step in my plan to woo Luke back into my life and our marriage.

"I know how you can pay me for staying here."

"I thought you weren't charging me asshole!"

"Technically I'm not." He frowns and I add, "I want you to teach me how to cook."

A sideway glance accompanied by a laugh is my answer but he'll help me when he knows why.

"I need to win Luke back, and you'll help me make it happen."