Secret Prayer

Gage's first order of business come Monday was to go to Beachwood Creations and give Xavier his information so they could make him an official employee. Xavier told Gage that he would be showing Gage how to do everything there was to do in the shop and with making the designs as well as the sales side, but he wanted to start Gage in the back first. He felt Gage had a lot of promise in this field and was more than happy to teach him everything.

Tate, with the help of Kennedy, Jeremy, and Jimmy, managed to get a job as an aid in a legal office while working on getting himself enrolled in school. He wanted to get into engineering if he could but would need to find scholarships and grants to do so, as well as fill out FAFSA forms.

Jimmy helped Gage through the restraining order process along with Lucia, being a calm head to explain to Gage how it all worked and what to expect. He was still being bombarded with messages from his family, and Mr. Hartman had sent other missionaries over to try and plead with him and Tate to come back, as well as home visitors from the nearby church.

So Gage was already a little on edge when the doorbell to their home rang one night a week and a half later while all three of them were at home. The Foundation Folks had made it a practice to call or text before coming over for that very reason. Tate and Gage both looked at Jarek like deer in headlights, like they weren't sure what to do. Jarek motioned for them to stay seated and crept over to the door, peering through the peephole.

There was a girl standing at the door, with long blonde hair and the same beautiful green eyes as Gage. She looked nervous and had a man with dark hair and a well groomed beard standing behind her. Jarek stepped away from the door and quietly described the pair to Gage.

Gage practically jumped out of his seat and went to the door, opening it to the startled face of his younger sister. Once she saw it was him, she threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly.

"Do mom and dad know you're here?" Gage asked her as he hugged her back.

"No, not yet," she admitted, looking over her big brother like she was trying to make sure he was okay and not hurt in any way. "Brett brought me in his car. I imagined you would be one person against our parents and the church, and couldn't stand the thought of that. Are you okay? Are you eating enough? Do you have enough clothes and such?"

"I'm fine," Gage replied. "We have a foundation helping me and I have a job now. Addison, this is Jarek and back there is my companion Tate. Ex-companion. Friend."

"You're the boyfriend?" Addison asked Jarek.

Jarek cocked his head, smiling, "Did we make anything official, Gage? I thought we were extended FWBs..."

Gage rolled his eyes at that playfully. "I mean, we haven't talked about it for sure, but I was hoping so."

Addison grinned at that and immediately walked over and hugged Jarek warmly. "It's so nice to finally meet you then. You're very handsome and funny, so I see why my brother was so taken by you." She backed away far enough that she could look at him while still keeping her hands on his shoulders. "Please do not judge me or Brett by the rest of the family. I'm very angry at all of them and may just have my wedding out here with Gage in attendance to spite them."

"Careful, he is bisexual. You know they're rabid and can't control themselves around any gender," Tate said.

Gage shushed Tate but pulled Jarek over to him. Brett came up behind Addison and finally introduced himself to Gage. It was clear that they knew of each other but hadn't met in person yet. The two of them shook hands and Gage did the brotherly thing of reminding Brett not to hurt his baby sister.

Gage looked to Jarek, his expression asking if they could invite them in like he wasn't sure he technically had the right to do that, especially after everything that had happened. Jarek nodded with a broad smile and left the honors to Gage. Gage practically beamed at him and then asked Addison and Brett to come in and offered them drinks.

"Did dad really get the cops involved?" Addison asked after they were all seated.

Gage nodded his head. "Yeah, it was kind of terrifying, if I'm being honest. Cops don't have a good track record with our community, and I was more scared that someone else would get hurt because of me than for my own safety. It's only because of Lucia's quick work that I wasn't committed that night. Lucia thinks they would have used that to try and get power of attorney over me and take me back to Utah."

"Yeah, that's what dad said the ultimate goal was," Addison replied, her face scrunched up in disgust. "They learned nothing from what happened to Craig other than to lock up the guns. I'm so sorry they brought cops into your home like that."

Jarek nodded his appreciation. "Thank you, but that wasn't your fault. Some people just can't bear to see others enjoying their lives because of the light that it shines into themselves."

Addison considered that and nodded her head. Their parents hadn't been happy with each other for a long time. They didn't even sleep in the same bed anymore, and hadn't for a long time. "Dad keeps saying that once you corrupt Gage as much as you want, that you'll move on to your next 'conquest' as he puts it."

"Forgive me if I'm not overly hurt by the opinion of a misguided man who would rather put his son in jail or the hospital than let him live his life," Jarek responded.

Gage winced a little at that reminder, but Jarek made a good point. "Dad doesn't know what he's talking about. I think the only kid that follows his word like it's gospel is Kayla, and that's because she's..."

"A popular mean girl bitch," Addison joined in so she and Gage said the same thing at the same time. Then she added, "I don't think she's going to grow out of that unfortunately. I was always hoping but..."

Gage shook his head. "She gets too much enjoyment out of it. It makes her feel superior to everyone. She was practically glowing with happiness when she let those cops in."

"Well, speaking of people who dislike her!" Addison cried, suddenly remembering something. "Marina said she is driving out to join us at our Airbnb while we're here to support you."

Gage stared at his sister in shock for a moment. "Marina? Wait, she's taking time off from classes to come out? Wow, I haven't seen her in...I don't even know how long it's been." Then he seemed to notice the confused faces of Jarek and Tate. "Marina is one of my cousins. She lives on the east coast though, and we don't see her often. She left the church a while ago, along with her siblings."

"That's encouraging," Jarek said with a smile.

"The whole family is nice to their faces but there's a lot of talk about them making bad decisions," Gage explained.

"Yikes," Jarek said noncommittally.

Addison smirked at him. "It's okay, you can say it like it is. Marina is one of the best people I know, so warm and loving and loyal, and it's bull that she is treated the way she is."

"How long are you here for?" Gage asked them.

"As long as is necessary," Addison replied.

Brett gave a nod of his head. "Addison asked me to ask for remote work for a while, which I'll be doing here so we can be here to deal with your family for you as long as you need us for."

"I appreciate you both so much more than I can adequately describe right now," Gage said.

Jarek played the host quite well, helping them get settled and offering drinks. When it came time for dinner, Addison wanted to help Gage make it, and the two siblings worked in the kitchen effortlessly together as if they had been doing this for a long time. It was a stark difference from when the rest of the family was there. Gage looked relaxed around his younger sister, and they talked and laughed as they cooked. The tense look Jarek had seen on Gage around the rest of his family was gone when he was with Addison.

He was happy to see it, and he said as much during a lull in their chatter. "You know, Gage, you can cook around here more often if this is how much you enjoy it!"

"Yes, put him to work!" Addison laughed.

Gage smiled at that. "I do enjoy it, actually. As I got older though, I wasn't allowed to do it as much. Dad said it was women's work, so Addison and Kayla needed to learn, but Craig and I didn't. I'd help Addison when mom and dad weren't home though, and Kayla was out."

"It's criminal to keep people from learning basic life skills and to gender household chores," Jarek said, shaking his head.

"Agreed," Addison replied. "I taught Gage sewing and Gage taught me how to change my oil, change a tire, and more. All when dad was never around, of course."

"Dad has antiquated rules," Gage grumbled. "Grandma taught us how to make her recipes though, and we helped her pick fruit and vegetables from her garden."

Addison and Gage brought the serving plates out to the dining room table and then told everyone to dig in. Gage seemed to be picking at his food as he watched Jarek for his reaction nervously. Jarek dug in with enthusiasm, almost moaning when he took the first bite.

"See? Now you can be a good little wifey," Addison joked, and Gage practically choked on the bite he had taken.

"Oh," Jarek corrected gently, "that's not how the Gays do it. We divide the housework into Top and bottom chores and whoever... well, pitches or catches that day gets the corresponding chores." He winked at Gage with a twinkle in his eye to show that he was joking.

Gage shook his head at that before telling Addison that they generally split the chores based on who hated what and who didn't mind what. "Plus, most people don't jump into marriage the way Mormon couples do. No offense to you two. You two seem very happy and I'm excited for you, but that always felt very fast to me."

Addison gave a nod of her head. "I understand. To be fair to Brett, I've dated him since high school but didn't tell anyone because you know how dad is. I didn't want to see if those chastity belt jokes were real."

Jarek gave no outward sign of his feelings on the matter of getting married. He simply ate his meal and panicked on the inside. The suddenness of all of this was beginning to worry Jarek, but he was trying his best not to let it show. It wasn't without its benefits, after all. He found he felt drawn to Gage like he had never been drawn to anyone before. It was just that he had been a playboy for so long that his instincts were up in arms.

Gage, meanwhile, didn't hide that he was uncomfortable with the general talk of marriage, and his sister and soon-to-be brother-in-law seemed to understand. To Gage, marriage had only been talked about with the idea that he would marry a woman. It was never a consideration that he could marry someone he actually loved. For that reason, the idea of marriage had been soured for him for a long time. He wasn't sure how long it would take him to recalibrate his thinking, but he was fine with taking time and working with his therapist to change it. Not now though.

"You aren't going to be able to come to the wedding in Utah, are you?" Addison asked.

"Not unless a whole bunch of people suddenly change their outlooks and get cool with letting me leave afterward, no," Gage admitted.

Addison looked disappointed but nodded her head. "I'll see if Marina will take some photos while we are up here then. A few of the three of us and then some of just us two, if that's okay."

Gage smiled at that. "I'd love that, Addison."

After dinner, Addison and Brett helped Gage clean the dishes and then Addison hugged him tightly and Brett shook his hand before they both gave their goodbyes to Jarek and Tate.

Jarek mentioned that they could stop by any time if it meant he didn't have to cook OR clean up afterward, which gave them all a chuckle. Addison agreed and then said to him, "Keep him safe when I'm not here, okay?"

Jarek readily agreed to do just that and thanked them again for stopping by. Once they were gone, Tate excused himself to go take a shower and go to bed so he'd be rested for work in the morning. Jarek and Gage went into the master bedroom where Gage sat down while Jarek made sure he had everything for class the next day. While puttering around the room, Jarek casually told Gage he had quit his night job.

Gage looked surprised by that and didn't know what to say at first. "I thought you said you were making bank at that job."

"I a-- was. So much so in fact that I've put aside what I need to finish classes for the rest of my degree and cover my part of the expenses here. I'm still keeping my restaurant job, but part of the reason I haven't been around so much lately is because I've been saving up," Jarek explained.

"What made you decide to quit? I had gotten the impression that until you actually finished your degree, that wasn't the job you'd be quitting anytime soon," Gage asked.

Jarek shrugged, "I haven't been feeling up to it each night. Leaving home to go to work was a lot easier when there wasn't anyone to come home to."

Gage smiled at that, but didn't say anything. Then he got a smirk on his face and said, "Yeah, that Tate is like an excitable puppy sometimes. I can see why you'd want to come home to that."

"Well, who wouldn't! All that Golden Retriever energy..." Jarek said.

Gage laughed at that and leaned back on the bed so he was propped up by his elbows. He loved that they could joke like this. It was one of the easiest relationships he had been in, romantically or platonically. "And what about me? What kind of energy do I give off?"

"You? You're electric. Every touch and kiss," Jarek said simply.

Gage let out a breath at that, because it hadn't been the answer he was expecting, but he felt the same way about Jarek. Gage's expression had lost all of its joking tone, and he was looking at Jarek with a look that said he both felt the same way and wanted to feel that electricity.

Jarek sat down on the edge of the bed. "Gage, I've been meaning to talk with you about something," he started.

"You can talk to me about anything," Gage commented and sat up. "What is it?"

Jarek looked thoughtful for a time, drawing out the moment. "I don't want you to be upset, but I feel like I'm conflicted about something and I was hoping talking with you could help." He hesitated, then rushed on, blurting out, "You knew I was a playboy before I met you, and you took a chance on me anyway, so I feel like I can be honest and tell you that I feel a bit rushed with all this marriage talk. I know your sister means well, but I am not interested in getting married until I am more established in a career."

Gage pressed his lips together in brief annoyance at his sister and then blew a breath out. "In the church, things move very quickly. Couples only date a brief amount of time before they go to get their temple recommend in order to marry in the temple. So, when couples are serious, or seem serious, that talk comes up. Honestly, though, marriage to me always meant being suffocated and pretending to be who I'm not, so it's not exactly in my head right now. I love my sister, but she's talking about something that has only ever meant oppression to me. I'm not looking at the idea of marriage at all right now, if ever. I'd need to completely change my outlook on it, Jarek, and that doesn't happen overnight."

Jarek breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm glad I brought it up instead of sitting with it," he said, kissing Gage briefly on the mouth.

"I know that this probably all feels really fast right now," Gage said when the kiss broke. "Tate and I can always look for a small apartment to share. We both work now so it wouldn't be too difficult to do."

"Did I say that you needed to move out? I just don't want to get married tomorrow!" Jarek said.

"No, but I wanted to make sure you knew it was okay to ask me to if you needed that ever," Gage replied. "I don't want to get married tomorrow either. I haven't seen a lot of good marriages in my family, to be honest. Mom and dad are miserable together, aunt Alana left the whole state when she divorced my uncle Stefan. Uncle Derrick won't even date, and my aunt Kora and uncle Henry are...well, they're happy together but they talk shit about everyone who doesn't fit their perfect little Mormon ideals. Marriage seems...risky, and challenging, and...unhappy."

"That really sucks, honey. I'm sorry to hear it. Marriage has usually meant tons of kids who always get ignored among the Phillipses. Catholics are almost as difficult a cult as-- well, as Mormons," Jarek said, slightly hesitant. He didn't wish to upset Gage with his opinions of his former religion.

Gage snorted at that. "No, I think Mormons are worse. Everything is done in the shadows, or the safety of the temple."

Jarek nodded, but didn't give up that easily. "Does your leader look like that dinosaur who ate Nedry in Jurassic Park when the wind blows?"

"Which one?" Gage asked. "We have twelve of them, and they are all old white men covered in wrinkles and gray or white hair. Does your entrance into the temple involve things like being anointed with holy oil while mostly naked?"

Jarek chuckled. "We'll have to exchange horror stories, when I'm ready to dig into my own traumatic experiences..." he said ominously.

"Oh good, we can trauma dump with each other," Gage laughed, then he looked serious again. "I'm sorry my sister upset you. I'll tell her not to mention marriage unless it's about her and Brett."

"She can feel free to mention it if she wants. What's important to me," Jarek responded, "is how you feel about the prospect. I don't want anyone upsetting you, but if you're okay with her talking about it, that's fine by me so long as you and I are on the same page."

"She really should be focusing on her own wedding," Gage commented. "We're definitely on the same page, but...what happens if one day you decide you do want to get married and I just...don't want to ever?"

"We will discuss that if it ever comes to pass. I don't believe in secret marriage proposals. You will definitely see it coming because we will talk about it. Fair?" Jarek asked.

Gage nodded his head. "Completely fair."

Jarek smiled and kissed him soundly. "Now," he muttered after a few passionate moments, "where were we?"

Gage smiled. "You were talking about electricity."

"Was I? It's too bright in here for that..." Jarek said, turning the lamp off.

Gage let his eyes adjust to the low light in the room and looked at Jarek as he moved back on the bed again, this time resting on his elbows in the center of the bed. Gage could admit to himself that he didn't really know anything about seducing someone, but it seemed that with Jarek, it didn't take much to get his point across when he looked at him with a heated expression.

Jarek lost his shorts and climbed seductively onto the bed, knowing that Gage was watching him in the twilight glow of the bathroom night light. Gage ran his hand along Jarek's chest and abs once he was close enough, unable to take his eyes off Jarek. Breaking eye contact for a moment and licking Gage from belly button to mid chest, Jarek finished straddling Gage's lap and inches from his face. "Slut," Jarek said with precise elocution and a sultry smile.

Gage smirked at that. "Only for you."

"For now," Jarek said, "According to Mr. Belford it's only a matter of time before you feel the desire to sow your wild oats and live the capricious, carefree life of a won ton. Or something."

Gage put his arms around Jarek's shoulders and then kissed lightly along his neck. "I thought that was you. My dad doesn't know what he's talking about. Besides, you've lived that life enough for both of us." He licked up Jarek's neck and to his ear, where he whispered, "I just want you. Only you."

"There's a song in there somewhere," Jarek said with a smile.