MY LOVE IS STANDING NEXT TO YOU (4/4)

IV

Six hours later Matt and his wife arrived in Italy. Matt had called Miles before leaving Sheffield, telling him that they were in Italy and it would be nice to meet for a couple of days. Miles didn't find the thing suspicious and so he gave him the name of the hotel offering him to reserve a room.

Matt and Breanna arrived in the late afternoon; Matt had spotted Miles sitting alone at the bar so he told his wife to go and take the key of their room without waiting for him. Matt greeted Miles and they walked outside in a quiet and deserted area of the big garden having a natter before Matt decided to cut the chase.

"Alex came to my home at three in the morning completely drunk, crying and looking like a wreck"

"Wh-what? Why?"

"You should know why, Miles"

"I don't know what are you talking about" Miles said firmly and Matt was taken aback form the dismissive and harsh tone. Matt's expression darkened at the thought that Miles maybe had just used Alex and he didn't bother to conceal his angriness to him when he spoke.

"You're an asshole, Miles"

"Thank you"

Miles turned and began to walk toward the bar when he heard Matt yelling at him.

"Why did you shag him and then ignored him?"

"Lower your voice, mate," Miles said stopping and turning toward Matt.

Matt's eyes were looking at Miles a bit menacingly now as Miles was acting as if there was not a serious problem going on between Alex and him.

"Answer me, Miles. I know you were not drunk and you knew exactly what you were doing that night in Tokyo so, please, give me a valid reason why you had fucked him and then walked away as you are used to do with all the women you took to your bed every other day. He's your best friend for God's sake"

Matt was staring into Miles' eyes and suddenly he noticed that the sassy look disappeared from Miles' features.

"Don't you really get it, Matt?"

Miles was holding Matt's stare, trying to keep the tears form falling down from his eyes. Even if he looked like a tough guy, he had a fragile heart when it came to Alex. Matt was surprised of what was happening to the man in front of him; the self-confident, sassy man looked so fragile and on the verge of crying like a baby any moment now.

"I had to stay away from him because....it hurt too much." Miles said in a low voice. "And it still hurts. I don't know how to go on. I don't know what to do, Matt. We're supposed to go back on tour and I don't know... it's gonna be a disaster. I can't recover from what has happened, Matt. It hurts like a bitch."

"Miles, wh-what do you mean?"

"Do you remember when we were young and we went to Paris for the first record together? Well, I kissed him and I told him I was feeling something serious for him and he told me he didn't have any romantic feelings for me and he would never have. I respected his decision because the only thing that mattered was Alex being happy and being my best friend and it had been quite easy to do it at that time but now....I can't forget what has happened in Tokyo. I am keeping him at distance because I need some time alone to find the strength to lock definitively that precious memory in a remote site of my mind, go on with my life and being just his best friend as he had always wanted."

"So you are still in love with Alex ..."

"Of course I love Alex, for fuck's sake! I love with him with each cell of my body, heart and mind almost since the day we met. I can't love anything or anybody more than I love Alex. I would die for him if necessary so do not make me look like an animal who fucked him and then forget what he had done" Miles said before falling on his knees and bringing his hands to his face sobbing loudly.