"Frank," He sighed, "It is rather considerate of you to show so much concern but everything is fine."
"You're literally just repeating the same bullshit over and over again now." I hadn't realised how pissed I was but apparently I was. "I saw you talking to someone on the phone this morning. You threw it at the ground."
He stared at me with a blank expression before saying, "You saw nothing."
I almost groaned out loud. "For fuck's sake. Talk to me, Gerard."
He moved past me and stood facing away from me, looking at the wall. I wondered if he was considering giving in but I still wasn't sure. He didn't seem to be backing down yet.
"I'm here for you and I know you care about me. Everything you've said over the past few months couldn't have been lies. You're not that good an actor."
He didn't move. I needed to say something to get his attention but I didn't know what. Maybe I needed to anger him into telling me. "What happened to how confident you were? Since when were you such a coward? I thought you were better than that."
"I am not a coward." His voice was quiet as he continued to face the wall.
"Prove it. Tell me what's wrong. You've got nothing to be scared about, right?"
Suddenly, without any warning, he turned and walked up to me until he was stood right in front of me. His expression was unreadable and I couldn't help but swallow slowly as I stared up at him. The look in his eyes was strange.
"If you must know..." His voice was only above a whisper, "I do cherish you abundantly. So much so that I am protecting you. I am not allowing you to plunge into an abyss as I am. You do not deserve that, Frank." His hand lifted as if to stroke my cheek but at the last minute, he decided against it and moved away again.
"What are you protecting me from?" I tried to ignore the feeling his aborted attempt at affection gave me. He turned to look at me again. "I am protecting you from myself."
What? I frowned. "What are you talking about?"
He sighed for about the tenth time and stood closer to me again. "Someone is... familiar with our relationship."
Was he saying what I thought he was saying? "Do you mean-"
"I received a letter under my classroom door after the performance on Friday two weeks ago. It simply stated that whoever had left it knew about our affair and were threatening to report us to the authorities."
I didn't know what to say. Was this why he had ended things between us? Was he worried about possibly going to jail? "So... What happened?"
"As you are aware, I was rather aloof that weekend and I came to the conclusion that I was not allowing you be pulled down as well. I would prefer to face my punishment alone."
"Stop being so dramatic." I tried not to make it obvious that I was worried. "It can't be that bad."
"Frank, I would be facing a felony charge. Do you not understand that?" His voice raised and his expression sharpened.
Shit, I hadn't realised it would be that bad. "Didn't you knew that all along?" I didn't know where I was going with this.
He looked down and apparently seemed to nod. "I did."
That had to mean something. He had known that fact all along and yet still kept the relationship with me. "Has this person contacted you again?"
Gerard looked up again. "They somehow came into contact with my cellphone number and I have received a phone call at least once a day."
That would explain the stressful phone call I had encountered and the throwing of the phone.
"Are they still threatening you?"
His hand went back into his hair to mess with it. "Yes. I have already sent this individual a vast amount of money and... I terminated our relationship." I watched as he suddenly seemed to collapse in front of me. His calm demeanour broke down completely and he was practically crying. "I am utterly and completely sorry, Frank. I never meant for any of this to happen." He slumped down onto the sofa and covered his face with his hands.
I had no idea what to do. He was- We both were stuck in such a shitty situation. I couldn't leave him with this all on his own.
"I am not a sex offender, Frank." His words were muffled behind his hands. He realised what he had said and quickly moved his hands and looked at me with wide eyes. "Unless you had not wanted to engage in a physical relationship. Oh my Goodness, I pressured you into sexual encounters. I do deserve to be arrested!"
"Gerard!" I dropped down onto my knees in front of him, "Shut the fuck up and listen to me!"
He stopped rambling and stared at me with watery eyes. I hated seeing him so vulnerable.
"You never pressured me, okay? I wanted to have sex with you. I love you." There was that word again. "Do you want to be with me?"
He made a small noise. "Frank-"
"Do you want to be with me?" This was it. I would finally have some closure. I felt that at this moment, he wouldn't lie to me. Not after everything he had just told me.
After about ten painfully long seconds, he slowly nodded his head.
The relief I felt was almost overwhelming. I made a sudden decision that actually seemed almost rational.
"Let's leave."
