The Unspoken Introduction of Hercules Mulligan

Chapter 11

John's POV:

     I'm not going to lie and say it wasn't hard to break it off with Martha. I pulled her into my room, out of the party, and she had this coy look on her face. "What have you got planned, John?"

      And then I told her, and the look slid off her face, which crumpled like a dry leaf. She was trying to keep it together, I could tell, but there were tears welling in her eyes and her mouth was a thin line. I stammered out the rest of my words. "I just don't think it's working, Mar. It's not your fault. I'm sorry. It's just--"

      She stepped away, staring at a point over my shoulder. "I get it. Don't say any more. I get it."

     "Martha--"

     "Save it, John. It's fine. Doesn't matter. I'll--talk to you later."

     "No, don't go, or, lemme give you a ride home at least--" The door slammed behind her.

      I let out a breath and slumped against the wall. "Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck."

      There was a knock on the door. It opened a crack and Alex poked his head in. "I just saw Martha leave. Everything go okay?"

     I sighed. "Yeah. I mean, no, but it's done now. It's fine."

     He nodded. "You coming back out?"

     "Yeah, um..." I hesitated. Now was as good a time as ever. "Can I actually talk to you for a minute?"

     "Of course." He stepped into the room and shut the door behind him. He brushed a piece of hair out of his eyes and my stomach flipped. "What's up?"

      "So... I just broke up with Martha."

      "Huh." He nodded. "That's been a long time coming, hasn't it?"

      "Yeah. And..." I tried to swallow but my mouth was bone dry. "Here's the thing, Alex. I like you. A lot. I think you already know that, but there it is. And I broke up with Martha--I broke up with Martha because I want to be with you."

     Alex was staring at a point somewhere over my shoulder. His face was blank and still, impossible to read. I continued. "There's a rally going on in a few days in New Jersey. Sort of a...Pride thing. You know, for people like me--and you. I'm going to Jersey for Thanksgiving anyway, at my Grandma's...that's beside the point. I'm taking the train tomorrow. You could come with me. It could be our way of telling people we're together. Because... I think you want to be with me too. Unless I'm really mistaken." I looked up at him. Sweat trickled down the back of my neck and I was suddenly overcome with nerves. "Am I?"

     Alex slowly moved his gaze until he met my eyes. "You're not wrong."

      I let out a gasp, feeling as if my legs might give out beneath me. I contemplated collapsing so that he would catch me, but then he reached out.

      I stayed very still as he laid his palm gently on my cheek. He brushed his thumb lightly over my lower lip. "John..." I swallowed, and my hands shook as I took a step towards him. He bit his lip, then dropped his hand. He took a step back.

      "But I can't do that to Liza."

      I made an involuntary noise in the back of my throat, and swayed a little on my feet. "Alex..."

      He shook his head and every moment squeezed my heart painfully. "You're not wrong," he repeated, "but it's not fair. I love you--"

      "I love you too," I whispered, not meeting his eyes. This was not how I had imagined saying those words.

     "--but I love Eliza also. I can't just...I can't, John. We've only got a year until college, I can't give her up yet. After this year, though, she'll be gone. And then-- hey, John, look at me." He reached out and caught my hands. Somehow, they were cool and dry. "And then it'll be just us, okay? I promise.

      If I looked him in the eye, I would break. I stared at his chin. "You promise."

      "I promise. Just not yet. You get it?"

      I nodded, too rapidly, trying not to blink to keep the tears from falling. "Yeah, yeah. Of course. I get it. I just wanted to let you know."

      He didn't say anything else, which I appreciated. We stood there for a moment in silence, then he leaned forward and kissed my cheek lightly and briefly, just as a tear slipped down it.

      "I should get back to Liza. Ok?"

      "Ok."

      He squeezed my hand and slipped out.

      I fell back onto my bed. A sob burst from my chest and I clapped a hand over my mouth to stifle it. He was a stupid, self centered little boy. He wasn't willing to sacrifice anything for me, but he thought he could just leave me in the dust and still have me when he came back.

      And the worst part?

      He was completely right. He would always have me.

A/N: Almost 2K views. Guys! Thanks so much for your support, even with me not updating much. We're getting close to the good parts...uh...I'm sorry in advance. I think I already said this, but yeah. Just...you'll see. (I feel like and evil mad scientist rn). Comments and feedback always appreciated! 💕