Picture of the backyard

Damien

The drive was exhausting. I kept an eye on Tris as soon as we entered the town to keep track of his reactions. It wasn't easy for him to come back and I knew that. But my Tris was a brave boy. He didn't let anything show on his face.

Still he was weirdly quiet. He had his head rested against the window and was watching the trees pass by. He had barely said two words to me since we started. It was uncommon but not unusual for him. I didn't probe, letting him have some alone time. He would tell me all about it later anyway.

After we reached, Tristan's mother almost snatched him and hugged him. It was understandable. She was seeing him after a long time. I looked around for his father and was relieved to see that he wasn't there. They weren't on the best of terms and his presence would definitely make things awkward. His mother smiled at me brightly and I returned it. She was like my second mother after all.

After that, I hardly saw my best friend. He seemed to have disappeared in the sea of people that was this house. The drive had taken it's toll on me and I found myself hardly able to keep my eyes open. So I made my way to my house which wasn't very far from Tristans.

As I neared the white bungalow, memories came flooding back. The swing under the big tree in the lawn was visible. I had spent countless hours on that swing as a baby and cried for hours when a storm had broken it. Even the cobblestones on the garden path leading to our front door were familiar to me. I had fallen and scraped my knees on them so many times when I was a small hyperactive boy.

My parents were modest people. They were both well established in their careers and were well off but preferred not to show it. They made sure that I worked for everything I got as a child. It used to annoy me in the beginning that I had to do chores for stuff when other kids got it just like that but in the long run their discipline had helped me.

The front door opened just as I was opening the small garden door to reveal my mother. She rushed down the stairs towards me and was in my arms moments later. I hugged her tight and inhaled the warm motherly smell that she emanated. I realised in that moment how much I had missed my mother.

"Oh Damien my baby. I missed you so much," she cooed while ruffling my hair. And then she slapped my arm.

"Oww mom! Is that any way to greet your beloved son!"

She glared at me fiercely. "Oh so you remember that you are my son? Judging by your extreme apathy towards me and your dad I thought you have forgotten us. When was the last time you called me Damien? When was the last time you weren't busy and had an actual conversation with me?"

I looked down guiltily. I had no answer to that. The last time she had called me I was scrubbing in for a surgery. The time before that I was doing my rounds. The time before that I was in the club and couldn't even hear my phone over the music.

"I am sorry mom. I know I suck at being a son but I promise I will try harder," I said. She sighed and smiled weakly. We went inside together hand in hand while she told me all about her work and what had happened here while I was in Chicago.

The first thing I did after greeting dad was to go up to my room and fall asleep without even removing my clothes. When I woke after a few hours it was dark outside.

I cursed. I hadn't meant to sleep this long. I should have been there at Tristans house hours ago to help them with all the arrangements. I hurriedly changed into a simple shirt and sweats. I checked my phone for any texts and calls from Tris but there were none.

When I reaches their house the mayhem had calmed down to a great extent. The rooms were still full of people but I recognised most of them as relatives. I greeted some of them when they smiled at me though I hadn't the slightest idea who they were.

"Damien! Where have you been son," Tristan's mother exclaimed as she saw me. The poor woman looked exhausted but still deliriously happy. It was her daughter's wedding after all. I hugged her and she kissed my head. Then she frowned as she gave me a once over.

"You have lost weight Damien. Don't you eat properly? I swear if you too start being careless about yourself like Tris I am going to have an aneurysm. I am going to go to Chicago and drag you both back to me."

Her solemn tone made it clear that she would really do it. I tried my best to reassure her that I was indeed taking care of myself.

"Where is Tristan though?," I finally asked. "I don't see him anywhere."

"Oh he went up to his room. I think he is still there."

"Okay thanks I will take a look," I so as and was about to go up when a hand around my arm stopped me.

"Damien I uh wanted to ask you something," his mother said in a surprisingly nervous voice. Her eyes avoided mine as I tried to figure out what the matter could be to make a confident woman like her nervous.

"Sure. Is there everything alright ?"

"Yeah yeah. It's nothing like that. I just wanted to ask if Tristan is seeing someone. He never tells me about these things."

I relaxed. "Oh no. He is single. He hasn't been involved with anyone for quite some time. "

She muttered a quiet 'oh' and let go of my hand. Her face clearly showed that my answer wasn't what she had hoped to hear. She sat down on the couch and sighed.

"Hey what's wrong?," I sat down beside her.

She groaned. "It's probably stupid but I just can't stop feeling like it's my fault."

I frowned. "What is your fault ?"

"Tristan what else! You said he hasn't been with anyone for a long time and I always wonder if it's because we were not supportive. What if he is scared to trust someone because we weren't there for him? What if he thinks that if he has a boyfriend we won't accept them? It kills me to think that my baby is afraid of being in love because of me," she said dejectedly.

I stared. To say that her words were unexpected would be an understatement. I knew that she felt bad for what happened when Tris came out but I could have never guessed that she blamed herself for him being single. It was total nonsense of course. The reason he was single was definitely not because he was scared of love or acceptance. He just hadn't found the right guy yet.

And I wish he never does. At least not so soon.

The thought came before I could stop it. I looked at his mothers sad face with a twinge of guilt. I was also partly the reason why Tris was single. I didn't like the thought of him being with another man for obvious reasons and so I never really encouraged him to take initiative even when he liked someone. He wasn't a bold guy by character and I did nothing to help him with dating. It was very selfish of me but I couldn't help it. It was terrifying to watch him with someone else, someone who could potentially hurt him.

I tried to reassure his mother as much as I could but it didn't help much. She kept on repeating the same thing about how she hadn't been a good mother. I held her as she cried a bit but stopped when she realised that people were looking at us.

She sat up,wiped her cheeks and forced a smile. "So sorry for keeping you Damien. I believe you should go find Tristan now." I got up and smiled at her gently. She was a strong woman, stronger than so many people. She would never let others see her cry. She only broke down before me because I was a part of their family.

As I was going towards the stairs leading to Tristan's room, I spotted someone sitting in the backyard who looked awfully familiar to him. Upon looking closely I realised that it was indeed him. He must have woken up and come down.

The backyard was a fairy tale to say the least. I automatically smiled as the golden light played on my skin. It was impossible to not be happy when you were in a place like this. Beth's wedding would truly be the most beautiful wedding ever.

Tristan was sitting on one of those cute white chairs as I walked up behind him. He didn't even realise it until I placed a hand on his shoulder. He jumped and I smiled internally. He was really too cute.

We talked for a while and I pulled him closer to me. He happily snuggled against my chest and I tried to ignore how dangerously good it felt.

But all my happiness vanished instantly when I spotted the faint tear marks on his cheeks. I cupped his cheeks and looked closely to make sure but there was no mistaking it. He had been crying. Instantly worry, pain and anger assaulted my mind. I was worried that he was in trouble, pained that he was in pain and angry at the person who was the reason for his tears.

When I asked him if he had been crying his eyes widened and he tried to hide his face. It was futile. I had seen everything I needed to see. His eyes were still a bit red. My best friend was definitely upset.

He didn't answer me when I asked for the reason behind his tears. He stubbornly kept his mouth closed and refused to even look at me. I didn't give up but I didn't try to force it out of him too. I knew him very well. I knew that if I tried too hard he would clam up like an oyster and I wouldn't get anything out of him.
So I settled on having patience.

"Tristan," I said softly while intertwining our fingers. "Please tell me why you are upset and I will fix it. You know how much it hurts me to see you cry. Please Tristan."

His lips quivered. He was close to telling me. I said please one more time and knew that I had won when he finally looked me dead in the eye. There was fierce determination in those brown irises.

"Okay I will tell you. Everything."