“It’s too big.” 

“I don’t think so. I thought it was a good size.” 

“It’s just the two of us. We don’t need 4 bedrooms and a pool. Well the pool was nice, but we’re barely ever home why do we need all of that room?” 

“There’s THREE of us, first of all, and we need four rooms because we have a lot of friends. What if Kirstie wants to stay over?” 

“Wyatt is like the size of a shoe, he doesn’t count. So we need two rooms.”

“What if Kirstie AND Avi wanna stay over?“ 

“Then three at most.” 

“What if we maybe one day want to…” Scott didn’t know how to start up this conversation. 

“Ok, ok so four bedrooms isn’t that bad.” Mitch knew where it was going and looking at houses was a big enough step. He wasn’t sure why they were leaving the loft, but he WOULD like more closet space and two bathrooms would be fabulous. The super large bedroom would ALSO be helpful. Then they could get a bigger bed. 

“I liked it. I thought it was much better than the other places we’ve looked at.” 

Mitch had to admit that it was a gorgeous house. All brick, two stories… beautiful porch in the back… in ground pool and hot tub, huge fenced in yard. It looked cozy. 

“I liked it too. I could see us living there.” 

“Good, because I was thinking about buying it.” 

“Scott, are you sure? I mean this is a BIG step. We’ve only been back together for what… 9 months?” 

“I’m sure. We were together for awhile before that… and, I just know that this is right. I mean, if you’re not ready then I understand, but…” 

“No,no. I’m ready. I just wanted to make sure that you were sure.” 

“Well now that we’re both in abundance of sure, then it’s a go?” 

Mitch still hesitated. 

He loved Scott, with every piece of his heart, but was this what was right for them? Already? 

“Wait.” 

“Oook?” 

“Scott, I just think that that house has a serious degree of permanence.” 

Scott understood immediately. It was all over his face. 

“I see. I got it. Forget it.” 

“Baby, you know I didn’t mean it like. It's not that I don't think we'll make it, but…” 

“But you’re not sure.” 

“I thought we’d be together forever before and then we broke up…” 

Scott just looked at him in complete disbelief. “I’m not even going to dignify that with a response.”

“It happened.” 

“Because you cheated on me!” 

“But, still..” 

“So you plan on cheating again?” 

“No, I just… I don’t want us to muck up again.” 

“Mitch, if you don’t want us to buy a house, then just say so. Don’t make excuses.” 

“It’s not that I don’t…” 

Scott sighed. “Just forget I even brought it up.” He got up from his seat at the kitchen table they’d been having their debate at. 

“Scott!!  Where are you going?!!” 

“I’m going to the movies with Kirstie remember?” 

“That’s not for hours…” 

“I think I’ll take her out for dinner” 

“Sc-” 

“It’s fine Mitch…” 

Mitch sighed as the door closed behind him. “Oh yeah, its PERFECT.” he said with a small roll of his eyes. 

Was he ready to buy a house with someone? With Scott? With ANYONE? 

Their sphynx cat jumped up into his lap. 

“What should I do Wyatt?” He looked down at the hairless cat who simply blinked slowly and let out a little sigh as he plopped down and curled up. 

He laughed. “It’s too much thinking for me too.” 

~

Mitch fell asleep before Scott got home. It was just as well, Scott wasn’t in any better of a mood. 

Scott liked progress. Buying a house would have been progress in their relationship. He felt like Mitch liked to stay in a position where, if he wanted to, he had an out. If something went wrong, he could just kick Scott out and he had his own place still. 

There were soooo many issues. 

They seemed to have too many. Sometimes Scott wondered if it was worth it. Was it really worth all of the headaches and drama? 

Looking at Mitch now, sound asleep with Wyatt curled up next to him, he knew it was. He doubted what they had sometimes, but he knew where his heart belonged. Mitch could drive him up the wall like no other and knew every button to push to get a reaction. Still… he was wonderful. He could see his future, their future, together. 

He could only pray that he was the one. 

He sighed as he climbed into bed. He realized that sometimes you just had to let things work themselves out. 

Fate has a strange way of putting things back in order, even if you don’t expect it to. 

~~~

Two days later Scott was too lost in his choreography to hear the door. He’d been there for 2 hours trying to come up with something new and yet STILL nothing was coming. 

He turned his head up to the ceiling as he came up with yet ANOTHER stale move. He just sighed in frustration as he turned off the music and grabbed a towel. 

It took another minute before his eyes caught sight of the reflection of the other man in the room. 

He couldn’t believe it at first and just stared at the reflection for a second. 

“Kirstie told me you were here.” 

He turned to look at the actual person and bit his lip. “What are you doing here?” 

“I missed your birthday.” 

Yes, yes you did. It hurt more than I’d care to admit, but I’m not gonna tell you that.

“It’s alright. I didn’t really expect anything.” 

“I’m sorry. I remembered, of course. I just didn’t know what to say. I picked up the phone a few times, but I chickened out.” 

“Zac, it’s fine. I didn’t deserve a call anyway.” 

“I know I said a lot of… things, but I didn’t mean-” 

“Yes, yes you did. I deserved to hear them. I was selfish. I was way more selfish than I ever imagined I could have been. I wish I could change it…all of it.” 

“Scott…” 

“I miss you so much. Every day I think about you. I just wish that… we could be friends again.” 

Sometimes I wonder what could have been. Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if I had chosen you. Sometimes I wish I had.

“Maybe.” He held out a small box in his hand. “Here. I got you something.” 

“Zac…-”

“Take it.” 

Scott took it and unwrapped it slowly. A watch, a watch that was GORGEOUS and more expensive than anything Scott had probably ever owned. 

“I can’t accept-“

“Hell yes you can. I spent a LOT of time figuring out what to buy you and you are going to wear it and you're going to like it. Scott, we may have been dysfunctional, but we were special. You’ll always be special to me. Now get your giant self over here” Zac shook his head and took Scott into his arms for a hug. It felt good to have him there again, if only for a fleeting moment. 

"Happy super late birthday." 

Scott laughed a bit as he held Zac tightly against him. He'd missed this. He missed his arms, his smell... He'd simply missed him.

It didn't last too long. Zac was the first to pull away. He took the box from Scott’s hands and took the watch out and put it on Scott’s wrist after taking off his cheap old one. 

“What do you think?” 

“I think it’s gorgeous. Thank you.” 

Zac nodded.

“Zac, how are you? I mean-” 

Zac kind of winced. He didn’t know if he was ready to talk about this yet. 

Scott pushed on. He’d seen the tabloids. He’d been keeping tabs on Zac and the man had been linked to 6 different people since Scott had made his choice. All 6 of those people were female. 

“I’m keeping busy.” 

“Have you…” Scott chewed on his lip. 

“I’m with Vanessa again.” Zac didn’t want to say it. He knew Scott wasn’t going to be happy about that news, but it wasn’t really any of his business anymore. 

“What!? Please tell me you’re joking.” Scott was mortified. Zac had regressed and gone right back to his old life, living a lie. 

“Scott, it’s my life. I’m doing what’s best for me, OK?” 

“Zac, you can’t-”

Zac held up a hand to stop him. “I’m glad you’re happy. That’s all I’ve ever wanted for you. But you have to understand…  what Mitch is to you, you are to me.”

Scott’s heart broke all over again as Zac’s voice cracked ever so slightly.

“I’m trying to be ok with seeing you here, right now. I’m doing my best, but it’s hard. It’s still hard, and I’m pretty sure it’s always going to be hard. I want to try to be friends again, because I miss you, but you made a choice. I have to live with that and so do you. You don’t get a say in what I do anymore. It’s my life to mess up if I want to.” 

Scott was angry, and upset and so conflicted about the situation, but Zac was right. He chose Mitch, and Zac was free to do as he wanted, even if it was a disaster. He didn’t wait for an invitation to pull Zac against him and hug him once again.

Zac took a second but he hugged him back. 

“Listen, we’re having party here at the studio next weekend. Saturday at 7. You should really come.” 

“I’ll think about it.” 

“C’mon, free drinks and Kirstie will be here. I know how much you love dancing with her.” 

Zac laughed. “Don’t remind me.” 

They both laughed as they pulled away from each other. It felt good, despite the loud echo that resounded in the empty studio. 

“So, I guess I’ll see ya around” Zac turned and headed out the door. 

“Wait. Zac is it…” he hesitated for a moment. “Is it ok to call you?” 

Zac smiled adorably. “Always.” 

Scott smiled as he disappeared out the door. Maybe things WERE gonna be ok after all. 

-

He was surprised that night after he relayed the events of the day to Mitch that he was super upset. 

“I don’t want you seeing him!” 

“Seriously?” 

“Scott he’s your ex!” 

“So! Kyle is YOUR ex and you’re still friends with him.” 

“So not the same, and you know it.” 

“You’re fine with Angel being around?” 

“She has a vagina!”

“Yes, she does. A very nice one, but what does that have to do with anything!?” 

Mitch huffed and rolled his eyes. “It’s not the same!”

“So what, you don’t trust me?” 

“I don’t trust HIM.” 

Mitch paced back and forth, but suddenly his face brightened. Mitch only got those looks when he was having a brainstorm. Most of the time his ideas were about dancing, and normally they were brilliant. 

This time Scott wasn’t sure he wanted to know what was going on in that mind of his. 

“I have an idea!!! We should hook Zac up with someone at the party…” 

“Woah, back up. First of all, he’s with Vanessa again.” He rolled his eyes. “Second, Zac doesn’t like to advertise his sexuality,  and third he’s not exactly a “hook up” kind of guy.” 

“C’mon! You want to be friends with him again. It’ll help if he moves on… you know with someone who has the right parts.  It’ll ease all of that weird awkwardness. Plus it’ll get his mind off of wanting you, which is completely unacceptable. Seriously, this girl will cut a bitch if he tries anything.” 

Scott raised an eyebrow. 

“Just trust me. I know just the person.” 

Scott hoped he was wrong. It would be TOO wrong. Mitch couldn’t POSSIBLY think… 

“Please tell me you’re not gonna try to set him up with who I think you’re gonna set him up with.” he felt his stomach start to do flips. 

Mitch only grinned. “Oh yeah.” 

Scott’s forehead hit the table.