Three Little Birds

Remember

"Liz?" Mykel approached her two days later, his worry for Mattie beginning to overwhelm him. Mattie was still asleep in his own room, having chosen to sleep alone the night before. He stood in her bedroom doorway, his head down, his face drawn.

"Yeah?" She looked up from her phone having just finished sending a text to see if Linda could cover a shift someone had called in for. She studied her younger brother a moment before lightly sighing.
Mykel dragged his feet the five steps to her bed and sat down next to her, sighing heavily. "You okay?"

Mykel shrugged. "I really don't know."

Liz placed her hand along his spine, rubbing gently. "Honey, why don't you try talking to him?"

"He won't talk to me. I have tried. He's been sleeping by himself."

Liz frowned worriedly at her brother. He wore a look he hadn't worn in years; the look he carried around for months before Kaiden killed himself. "He and I are both off today. You want me to talk to him?"

He nodded. "Am I going to lose him, too, Liz?"

"Baby, no. Mattie loves you. He's told me he'd never do that to either of us."

Mykel looked at her with unshed tears in his eyes. "Yeah...Kaiden said that, too." He shook his head lightly, sniffled, and wiped his eyes. He stood, running a hand down his face, in taking a deep breath. "I gotta get to the shop. I love you."

"I love you, too. Be safe out there. Mykel?" Mykel turned back to her, his eyes full of worry. "I won't let anything happen to him."

That night when Mykel got home from the shop, he went straight to his room and quietly closed the door behind him.

When he returned home the house was quiet, the lights dim. He heard no voices and wondered where Liz and Mattie were before turning and heading for the stairs. Entering his room he sat heavily on the bed, the springs bouncing him slightly. With halting hands he reached for the drawer which held Kaiden's last words. He read them for what seemed like the millionth time. And he remembered.

"Kaiden, what are you doing?" Mykel's heart dropped to his toes as he saw his only love packing his clothes into suitcases. The black eye he had received from his father after informing him of his intimate relationship with Mykel had mostly faded into shades of yellow.

Kaiden looked at his clothes before dragging his eyes to Mykel's. "I'm sorry, Mykel." His face was wet with tears, his heartbreak clear in his expression.

"You're sorry?" Mykel repeated, his throat closing up as his mind caught up with his heart. "What the hell does that mean, Kaiden?"

Kaiden looked at him with tears in his eyes before they slowly trekked down his face. "I...he's making me leave you." Kaiden looked down in shame.

"He's making you? You're a grown-ass man, Kaiden." Mykel felt his heart breaking as tears filled his own eyes. "He doesn't control your life." Slowly he made his way over to his best friend and lover, taking his hands in his own. They were cold and clammy to the touch. "Kaiden, please don't do this."

Kaiden released a ragged breath and brought his eyes up from their hands. "I have to, Mykel."

Mykel laughed a sad, humorless laugh that was candy-coated in a pain Kaiden had never before heard from Mykel in his life. "Why? Why do you have to? It isn't like he gives you money or cares about you in the fucking least. Why do you care about him more than me?"