When The Right Door Opens (11 page)

Only a minute later, the water in the shower
stopped running, the curtain was pulled to the side and Sebastian
stood in shock, seeing Jamie. Sebastian was not fully flaccid yet
and his body was flushed, his skin glistened with the drops of
water slowly running trails down his lean body. Jamie couldn't tear
his eyes away from the delicious naked man.

“Would you hand me my towel?” Sebastian's
voice was hoarse, but strong and when Jamie looked up, Sebastian
had no intention to look away or hide away in embarrassment. Jamie
didn't trust his voice and looked around the bathroom to see the
mentioned towel. With shaky fingers, he held it out to Sebastian,
not able to look at him anymore.

“The shower's free and there's some hot water
left. I'm going to make us breakfast.” Jamie hadn't even processed
what had happened, all he could do was nod dumbly and in the next
moment he was alone in the humid bathroom, surrounded with the
lingering scent of Sebastian.

Jamie shed his dirty underwear and his
sleeping-shirt and stepped into the shower. As the water rand down
his body and he watched it vanish in the drain, he suddenly felt
very self-aware. Mere moments ago, he had watched Sebastian jerk
off and he had, if only secretly, joined him. It was hot, but way
out of character for him. Sebastian's face came back to his mind,
when he had pushed the curtain away and Jamie smiled. Sebastian was
gorgeous, he longed to run his fingers over that smooth milky skin,
touch the rippled abs...

Jamie washed himself with Sebastian's soap
and shampoo and sniffed at it, conjuring the feeling, of
Sebastian's body against him up again. He felt refreshed and happy
when he started toweling his body off. A look in the mirror made
him smile too. His eye was more or less returning to normal, his
bump on his forehead was yellow and not swollen anymore. The
fingerprints on his jaw were an angry shade of green, but almost
unnoticeable through his dark stubble. If you didn't know they were
there, people would maybe not see what he wanted to hide. Or maybe
it was simply Jamie, who started to get used to see his reflection
in the mirror.

Jamie emerged from the bathroom and he could
already smell the scent of fresh coffee. Agnes was already dressed
and ready for breakfast and only minutes later, Jamie was dressed
in jeans and a simple button-down shirt too. He took his socks and
boots in his hand and walked downstairs to the kitchen, where Agnes
and Sebastian were already waiting for him. Jamie couldn't help it,
but his thoughts went back to naked Sebastian. He smiled and took a
seat, while Agnes purred coffee for them all and they began to eat
scrambled eggs and toast. Sebastian and Jamie stole secretive
glances at each other, whenever they thought Agnes wasn't looking
and their bare feet met under the table to play footsie.

“I made a decision” Agnes announced,
surprising the men. “I want to change school. I talked to Kai about
it and he said that there is a really good school nearby. I don't
want to go back and be reminded of the past. I want this to be new.
All of it.” She took her mug and sipped on it, waiting for her
father's reaction.

“Are you sure?” Jamie asked and Agnes nodded
decisively. “Let me look into it, okay. I understand where you are
coming from and you are right to want this, but changing schools
during a school year is never easy. I have to talk to the
headmasters of both schools first.”

“I think we need to go now. Depending on the
traffic, we will be just on time.” Sebastian said and got up to
clean the table. Agnes and Jamie looked at each other puzzled.

“We? Why we?”

“I'm coming with you.” Sebastian said as a
matter of fact and both McCarricks looked at each and shrugged.

“Do you have everything?” Jamie asked while
tying his bootlace. “Yes!” Agnes sighed. “Do you have your phone?
Books? Lunch-money?”

“Yes, yes and yes. This isn't my first day at
school, you know?”

Jamie grinned from his sitting position on
the stairs. “I know.”

“Good.” Agnes huffed and put her hands on her
hips, a move she had seen on Karen. Agnes pulled her thick scarf
tighter and Jamie slipped into a black leather jacket Agnes had
bought him the previous day on her shopping spree with Kai. Jamie
draped a light gray scarf around his neck and looked at his
reflection in the mirror hanging in the corridor. He rearranged a
few strands of his hair, until it was the way he wanted to have it
and he saw Agnes rolling her eyes behind him.

“You look good.”

“You sure do.” Sebastian stood on the last
step of the stairs and ogled Jamie with a smile. Jamie blushed, but
smiled back at Sebastian. Their eyes locked and Jamie felt the
world around him fall out of focus again. He felt drawn towards
Sebastian.

“Are you ready, dad? We need to go!” Agnes
hurried out of the door, leaving the spell between Sebastian and
Jamie broken once again.

****

Jamie was impressed when he saw Sebastian's car. He
had no idea what he had been expecting, but it wasn't a matte black
Audi RS7. The car was new and a beauty and definitely upscale.
Sebastian held out the keys to Jamie and he gulped when he got
behind the wheel. His hand slid back and forth over the leather
steering wheel, a boyish smile was on his lips. Jamie started the
car and carefully pulled out of the driveway.

“Oh My God. This car is better than sex.”
Jamie laughed excitedly, when he accelerated on the highway.

“Then you clearly don't know good sex.”
Sebastian deadpanned dryly and Agnes gasped in mock-shock.

“Helloho! Child on board!”

“Oh come on. Don't be such a prude all of a
sudden.” Jamie teased his girl and they laughed. He winked at her
in the rear view mirror and she grinned. It was nice to see her
father happy and carefree for once. She turned her head a little
and observed Sebastian. Sebastian couldn't tear his eyes away from
Jamie. He licked his lips seductively and Agnes asked herself if
this was an unconscious tick. His eyes were smiling and his lips
were smiling too. Agnes liked to see Sebastian look at her father
like that. It was a loving look. A look full of admiration.

Once off the highway, Jamie suddenly slowed
down considerably. The streets where seamed with piles of snow and
Jamie drove into a long street with nice looking middle-class
houses, he slowed down even more. And then he stopped.

The fun he had from driving a fast car was
completely gone. There was no smile on his face anymore, only a
frown. Jamie looked at a house across the street with intent. A man
was walking down the steps to his mailbox. His hair was thin and
gray and his belly was round under his khaki colored sweater. He
pulled his brown cardigan closer, to prevent the cold from chilling
him on his way to get the mail.

“Why are you stopping?” Agnes asked. Jamie
swiped away a tear that had escaped his eyes, while he had watched
the old man. He pointed at the man and tried finding his voice.

“That man... He is your grand-father. It's my
dad.” The moment Sebastian's comforting hand landed on Jamie's
shoulder, he lost his battle against his tears and started to cry.
He hadn't known how much he missed his parents, until he saw
Sebastian with his family. He hadn't realized how much he missed
his own father, until he saw him just now.

Agnes reacted on a whim and didn't miss a
beat. She got out of the car and walked across the street, straight
into the direction of her grand-father.

Jamie was shocked, he hadn't planned on
getting out of the car.

“Agnes! Wait!” he called after her, but she
didn't turn back.

“I'm sorry to disturb you, but are you Mister
McCarrick?” the man was surprised to see the young woman addressing
him, but nodded.

“Do you have a son? James?” The man's eyes
filled with tears and he nodded again. “I'm Agnes.” she didn't need
to say more. The man took her into her arms and hugged her tightly.
He sobbed into her shoulder and mumbled words of being sorry and
Agnes patted his back emphatically. She pulled away from the man
and he held her at arm’s length.

“Where is Jamie? Is he alive? Is he well?”
the man cleared his throat to strengthen his voice.

Agnes turned and pointed at Jamie, who stood
by the car. Sebastian was close, but not touching. She motioned to
the men to come over and Jamie sought help in Sebastian's eyes.

“I haven't seen him in thirteen years. He has
no idea who I am and I am sure my mom will not even allow us into
the house.”

“You have to try. If you don't try you'll
never know what could have happened.” Jamie nodded and took a deep
breath.

“Could you stay close? I know, I ask a lot,
but...”

“Of course. Of course, Jamie. I'm here.
You're safe. No matter what happens.” Sebastian squeezed Jamie's
shoulder and pushed him to go and meet his father for the first
time in over a decade. When Jamie had last seen his father, when he
left, he was only a boy, now he came back and he was a man.

The old man straightened up and watched
tensely as his son crossed the road. Jamie breathed heavily. The
man walked the few last steps towards Jamie and against his
expectations, Jamie found himself being hugged tightly.

“I missed you so much. I am so sorry James.
So so sorry.” Jamie didn't even try to conceal his own tears. He
was finally in his father's arms. Arms he had missed for such a
long time. His father still smelled the same and his voice was
still soothing. He ran his hand over Jamie's head, just like he had
done when Jamie was a kid and had hurt himself. Jamie clutched
tightly at his father. Together, they sobbed in each other’s arms
and mourned the many missed opportunities they could never make up
for.

Sebastian sniffled behind them and Agnes had
her face burrowed in his chest. At first, Sebastian had hesitated,
but then he had taken the girl in his arms. It was nice that she
trusted him and that she shared this moment with him. He witnessed
a real family reunion. And suddenly he knew, that he wanted these
two, Jamie and Agnes, to be part of his own family. Sebastian
pulled Agnes even tighter against himself. Jamie was safe with him,
he had told him so, more than once. Agnes was safe with him too and
he would do everything in his power to protect them. From
everything evil. Always.

Many tears flowed on that pavement in the
suburb of Gabefield, but not a single one of them was a sad
tear.

****

“Come in. Please. I'll make us a cup of tea or
coffee. Come. Come in.” Brady McCarrick invited Jamie, Agnes and
Sebastian in. Forgotten was the fact that they were on the way to
get Agnes to school.

“What about mom?” Jamie asked hesitantly,
stalling. His father lowered his head and shook it slowly.

“She... I am so sorry, son. I didn't know how
to reach you.” Jamie froze. Sebastian put his reassuring hand on
Jamie's shoulder again, but he shrugged it off. Too much human
contact would make him cry again and he didn't want to cry. Not
now. Not here.

Ugly words had been spoken, when he was
young. Some milder insults from his mom were that he was a whiny
faggot who would not be able to survive with a bastard child like
Agnes. And now she – his mother, was gone. Dead.

Jamie suddenly felt an incredible void inside
of him. No matter how cruel she had been from time to time, she had
been his mother and he had loved her. He had missed her. He hadn't
even had the opportunity to say good-bye. His mother had died and
he hadn't known. He hadn't been there. Not at her deathbed, not at
her funeral. Jamie started to shake and before he even knew that he
was crying and mourning the loss of his mother, the tears were
already soaking his cheeks again. He buried his face in his hands
and when his hands fell away from his face, his eyes wouldn't open,
it stayed black and his knees gave out under him.

Agnes, screamed, terrified and Brady took her
to the side, while Sebastian heaved Jamie inside the house once
again. Sebastian was ushered to the living room, where just the
second he wanted to put Jamie down he came to his senses again.

“Hey there, sleeping beauty.” Sebastian said
tenderly and helped Jamie sit. He kissed Jamie tenderly on the
forehead.

“If this is too much for you, tell me and
I'll drive us home. Okay?”

Jamie looked around himself. Not much had
changed from his memories. The TV was new, a large flat screen, but
the furniture was still the same. The smell was the same too.

“I think, I'm okay. Thank you Sebastian.
Really.”

“Oh daddy. Are you okay? You scared me.
Please, here, drink this!” Agnes held out a glass of water and
Jamie covered his daughter's shaking hands with his own.

“I'm okay. It's a lot to take in, in these
few minutes. And with the concussion...”

“You have a concussion? Son, what happened to
you? Did you get into a fight?” Brady had stayed on the sidelines.
He wasn't sure how to react, but when he heard about the
concussion, he grew concerned.

“Sort of. I don't want to talk about it, but
I want to introduce you to Sebastian Martin. We are living with him
in Angel's Hollow.”

“So you are taking good care of my boy and
his girl? I hope the black eyes isn't from you.” Brady eyed
Sebastian with a stern look.

“Dad, no it isn't. I can assure you of that.
Sebastian had been nothing but kind and friendly and caring.”

“Your mother and I, we always hoped that you
would find someone you could love and who would you love in in
return. I sincerely hope that you are happy.” Brady sat down in an
armchair and sighed. Sebastian and Agnes sat next to Jamie on the
sofa. Jamie looked at the glass in his hand and contemplated saying
something, but he couldn't think of anything, apart from the fact
that his mother had died and he had fainted like a sissy.