They all waited for Max's lover

Around 11 in the morning I made the call. Max had gone out to deal with something important, probably what the suited man yesterday was talking about. Jace, my partner greeted me with worry. I couldn't blame him.

I disappeared from the face of earth for more than forty eight hours and apparently Amy had not informed them of my decision to take a detour. "She looked serious and somewhat upset," he said, scratching his head. Behind him Luke grinned at me. "You look great, man!" they commented.

The recollections of last night brought me another smile. It was so simple yet so heartwarming. I didn't know which feeling was more overwhelming—the happiness of finally finding him or the feeling of being whole again. There was something broken inside me, and although I was aware of that I never really recognized what it was until I met him.

Met him again.

I pulled another big smile and announced, "Listen guys, there are some things I am working on, and I will stay here for a while now. I have sent you some videos and photographs. Go through them."

"Already on them. I think we can arrive tomorrow, yes?" Jace looked questioningly and Luke. He was the one who arranged our drives. "I guess so," Luke agreed, "The town is not far from here, so we can drive. But there is something else we want to talk about." Both of the boys waited hesitantly for my permission. Behind them the windows of the hotel they were staying at showed me a glimpse of a cathedral.

"What is it?"

"It's just something Amy said," Luke ran his hand through his long curly hair and started. "It's not something—"

"She said that you might never come back from that town," Jace blurted out.

"She said what?" I raised my voice without realising, earning a concerned look from the receptionist. I still had not asked his name, maybe now I should.

"He has found his place, I doubt he will return from that damned town. Those were her exact words. Are you planning to settle down in that town?"

I met Jace and Luke three years ago, the same year I met Amy. The two young content creators were struggling to make a name at that time. When they saw the videos and photographs in my collection and offered to make a new channel.

Most of the videos I had taken before I met them were in good condition, which needed little editing. Soon the channel became a prominent one, and the three of us became more than friends. The two of them had helped me through some depressive days. I owe them a proper explanation before I decide something.

I remember what Summer told me. "When you are involved with somebody else's life, their work, you become a part of their existence. It's not like they won't live without you, but your sudden disappearance will definitely give them some hard time."

I had seen otherwise in my long and cursed life, I had seen people moving on in no time, but I had also seen how my presence and my absence had caused them trouble. I would not leave Jace and Luke clueless, it was a promise I made to myself when I met them.

I lowered my head to hide the emotions pooling in my eyes. This would not be the first time for me to leave people behind, or to feel sad about the parting, but this was the first time it hit me hard to think I had to leave these two. "I should not lie to you. I am considering the idea of staying here for a while."

The two eyed each other nervously, and quite meaningfully, as though they were discussing something in their minds. What was happening?

"Don't worry, man. You're not getting rid of me that easily. We still have a lot to do, and make that documentary too, remember?" I said with a reassuring smile. Whatever happened, I would work on that project with them. It was something I wanted to do not just for those two or for professional gains, but for myself.

"Let's talk when we are there. So we meet on Thursday morning, right?"

I signed out of the video call and took off the airpods. My sigh must had been louder than I intended. The receptionist nodded at me and said something. My mind was back to last night.

He wanted to tell me something, didn't he?

"Lost in thoughts?" somebody snapped his fingers right in front of my face. I frowned at the receptionist, realising I had been ignoring him since a while.

"What do you want?" I asked him tersely. Did he not know boundaries?

"Making some serious decisions, are you?" he sat without my permission and grabbed an apple from the table. He definitely didn't know boundaries.

"Have you been eavesdropping on my conversation?" I shot him daggers through my eyes.

He just shrugged. "How could I? You had your pods on, remember? I heard only what you said, and you sounded like a man who's on the verge of making a decision." He shamelessly ignored my continued, "A life altering decision."

"How does that matter to you?" I said while standing up. I didn't want to entertain him any more than I already had. He annoyed me to my core. I wanted to go out of his sight, or wanted him out of mine.

"Have you gotten thick and dumb over the years, or are you in denial?" I stopped on my tracks hearing his next words. "Or do you need more time to be back?"

"What are you talking about?" Did his comment mean what I thought it did?

He breathed out his disappointment and said calmly, "Look, I am a delinquent. I don't know how to play with my words, so I will be direct. Your decision matters to a lot of people. You didn't really think it was a coincidence, or love at first sight when you met Max, did you?"

Of course I didn't.

"It was not just your crazy hormones that pulled you towards him or this town. This is the time you do some soul searching, big brother." He emphasised on the term big brother. How could I forget that? Max was not the only part that begged for authentication.

"Also, be careful of what you are doing or saying here. You are not exactly loved by the old kin, even though they have waited for Max's lover for a very long time."

I remembered the exchange from last night. "I know some of the WHYs, not all. You have to find them out yourselves."

I repeated the same question from last night, "What do you want in return?"

"Still thinking about it?"

"You obviously want to tell me something, you're practically begging me to hear you out. So what is it, and what do you want in return?" I knew I sounded rude, but I couldn't care less.

But I had to let him go. There was a young couple in the reception looking for a room. I stood there, feeling incredibly stupid and helpless.

Something told me that I had to protect Max, take care of him, but I didn't know from whom I had to save him. I was frustrated. My annoyance was rushing back to me. Why was Max gone for so long?

I sat there in a dilemma. It was not the first time when I had such a situation, mostly because of my weak memory and temperament. This was something else.

After a while a maid brought me a folded piece of paper. I opened it to find a message scribbled on it.

'I will come to your room, afternoon, at three. Don't worry about Max, he will stay busy the whole day.' —Vee

I looked at the receptionist, Vee, and found him watching me intently. His gaze stirred something inside me, something utterly unrecognisable yet it scared me. I keep hearing the words in my head, "They all waited for Max's lover."

Did they wait because they wanted to hurt him, or his lover, or probably both? Was I the only lover Max had, or there were more?

I decided to spend the day outside.

I shot plenty of videos of the old abandoned mansions around the hotel. Some of the mansions were still in use, but not in the lavish way expected. The voice over was to be added afterwards. I found some young children happy to pose for my camera. These stills would make a good album to post on the blog. After shooting some more I headed towards a street side café to grab a sandwich. Then, I worked some more.

It was then when I saw a book. A manuscript, a fiction based on a fantasy romance about two men who fell in love. A forbidden romance was holy grail for romance writers, but that was not what grabbed my attention. It was the romance itself and the date it was published. It was published in 1960s, a time when nobody talked about homosexuality or the rights of gays. Nobody was woke enough to announce, 'Love is love'.

I looked around to find the owner of the book. There was a strange familiarity about the cover, the name of the author, they year of publishing, and the romance itself. I did something I shouldn't have. Having a glance around myself, I pocketed it.

When I left the cafe, I was not thinking about the book anymore. My mind was overtaken by Max and his lover, whoever the man, or woman might have been.