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It turned out Chad had been right about his father. Mr. Collins had gone to the Middle East for some sort of covert operation, which had now gone seriously wrong. As far as Chad could gather, his dad had been gravely hurt and they didn't know if he'd make it. He'd been airlifted to a medical facility in Germany, and it was anybody's guess what was going to happen next.
I took the news like a punch to the gut. In one fell swoop, my naked pictures had become the least of our problems. I could only imagine how Chad had to be feeling. I hated how he was getting kicked while he was down. Worse yet, I couldn't stop thinking it was partly my fault. "I'm so sorry," I said as I put my arms around him.
"Don't touch me."
I tried to keep my cool, though my guilt was nagging at me. "Listen--"
"I can't think about this right now. Okay?"
"I'm just trying to help--"
"Well, you're not. You're not helping." Chad ran his hands across his face. "Holy fucking shit...."
I just bit my lip. I knew Chad had a lot of issues with his father, between the old man's homophobia, putting work before family, and everything else. And since Chad had grown up around the military, he'd always known something like this could happen. Still, he was clearly caught off guard by the news. I could see a thousand emotions coursing through his eyes.
I was dying to do something for Chad, to somehow make things better. Unfortunately there seemed to be nothing I could do, at least at that moment. I was tempted to tell him everything would be all right, but I didn't want to sugarcoat things or give him a platitude or whatever.
"Babe--"
"Don't call me that."
"I--"
"Just leave me the fuck alone, okay?"
"But... but...."
"But nothing," he said as he grabbed his phone, stormed into his room, and slammed the door behind him.
I just stayed there motionless. My stomach felt like it had dropped to my knees. I opened my mouth to say something, but at first nothing came out.
A few of the other Kap Eps had heard the commotion, so they showed up to see what had happened. I took a deep breath and forced myself to get my shit together. I wanted to be sensitive to Chad, so I debated how much to say. I ended up just giving the others the short version in that his dad been rushed to the hospital. The next thing I knew, all our fraternity brothers were texting each other with the news.
I didn't say a word about my naked pictures or the fight they had caused. Even so, I knew I'd need to act fast to get that stuff taken down. If those photos found their way onto Twitter or something, they could spread all over the Internet, and there was no telling where they'd end up.
I reported the post right away, but with my legal upbringing, I knew it might not be enough. I followed up with a formal DMCA takedown notice in which I threatened to sue. I could only hope it would get acted on before it was too late.
I'd barely finished with that stuff and had just hit "send" when Chad emerged from his room. By that point all the other Kap Eps were waiting outside. Chad's eyebrows went up, and he blinked a few times. At first nobody else seemed to move. Then Luke stepped forward and gave him a big hug. The others followed suit, patting him on the shoulder and giving him words of support.
Chad didn't seem to know how to react. He just stood there with a stunned look on his face. I wanted nothing more than to hold him right then; I was all for letting him cry on my shoulder while I took care of his every need. But for better or worse, that wasn't his style.
Chad told us he'd just gotten off the phone. Apparently he'd been talking to his mom along with a bunch of military people. There didn't seem to be much that anyone could say, especially since his dad's mission was classified. It sounded like Chad had mostly gotten the runaround.
The closest thing to good news was that Chad's dad had made it through surgery. As soon as he was stable, his doctors were hoping to fly him back to the States, most likely to Walter Reed Medical Center in D.C. But he wasn't out of the woods by any means, so his prognosis was still very much unknown.
"Oh baby, I'm so sorry," I said as I put my arms around him. I didn't care that the others were watching; I just hoped he wouldn't push me away.
Chad hardly reacted. "Thanks," he said in an almost monotone voice. Then he took a deep breath. "I need to get to get on the next flight to D.C."
"Are you sure?"
"What do you expect me to do?" he asked. "Just sit on my ass and do nothing?"
"I didn't say that--"
"I'm going to do... well, whatever the fuck I need to. And I'm not exactly going to bellyache about it."
I was silent for a moment. I wanted to tell him that nobody had accused him of bellyaching, and that it was okay to be upset. I also wanted to beg him not to go, because I hated the thought of him being so far away. But I forced myself to tread lightly. "All right," I finally said. "Just... well, just tell me what you need me to do."
"I don't need you to do anything," he said. "I'm going to take this like a man."
I was dying to kiss him, and for that matter make love to him. I wanted to turn back the clock to at least the day before, when we could still whisper stupid shit to each other, and our biggest worry was that a voyeur might be onto us. But that already seemed like a distant memory, and with each passing minute, it seemed to fade further and further away.
Chad kept juggling phone calls for the rest of the night. As he did, he was also checking flights and packing his bags and letting his professors know he'd be gone. I tried to give him moral support and take care of legwork where I could. Both of us basically pulled an all-nighter, so by the time morning rolled around, we were both pretty exhausted.
The next thing I knew, I was taking him to the airport. Since I didn't have a car of my own, Chad let me use his; and he asked me take care of it while he was gone. I took that as a good sign, in that he wasn't telling me to go to hell. All the same, it was hard for me to gauge what he was thinking.
Chad was silent for most of the drive. It wasn't till we were pretty much at the terminal, and I was following the signs toward departures, that he finally spoke up. "Listen," he said, "I'm sorry I freaked out on you again."
"Well," I said, "you don't need to apologize."
"I dunno...." He sighed. "I hope I don't need to be gone for too long."
"Don't worry about school," I said. "I mean... you've obviously got more important things to take care of...."
"I guess what I'm trying to tell you is... I don't know when I'm going to see you again."
I pulled up to the curb, put the car in park, and looked right in his eyes. "Don't say it like that."
"It's true though," he said. "You know it."
"You're making it sound so... I dunno...."
"My dad could be in the hospital for months. A-and if he ends up needing a caretaker or something--"
"Just do what you need to do," I said. "However long you need, I'll be here... and I'll be waiting for you."
"How can you be sure of that?"
"What are you saying?"
"I mean, I know you've got needs... and I don't want to ask you--"
"Ask me for what?" But as soon as those words were out of my mouth, I regretted saying them. Considering the fight we'd had, there were any number of ways Chad could've answered.
Chad didn't say a word. He looked into my eyes, but before I could react, he slammed his lips against mine. He kissed me as frantically as he ever had. His feelings were clearly boiling over. At first I thought he was slobbering all over my face, but then I realized he was crying. He let out a bunch of snorts, and the next thing I knew, I was starting to lose it myself. We both clutched each other's bodies and held each other tight.
I don't know how long we were like that. It was probably a while, but I was so out of it that I couldn't fucking tell. The whole experience felt like a blur. All I knew was that I didn't want to let Chad go.
Finally a traffic cop whistled at us. "This is for drop-offs only," he said. "Move along."
I waved at the cop as politely as I could. "I hear you," was the only thing I could say.
Chad leaned back and took a deep breath. His eyes had turned red, and his whole face was wet. He blinked and tried to get his bearings. "I wish I didn't have to deal with this," he said. "But if I don't, I could regret it forever."
"I get it," I said, "and you're doing the right thing."
Chad sighed, undid his seatbelt, and finally opened the door. "I hope you're right," he said. "I don't know how much more shit like this I can take." Then he stepped outside and grabbed his suitcase from the back.
"I love you," I said.
Chad paused for a second. Then he looked back at me. "I love you too," he said. Finally he shut the car door, and without another word, he trudged into the terminal.
I took the news like a punch to the gut. In one fell swoop, my naked pictures had become the least of our problems. I could only imagine how Chad had to be feeling. I hated how he was getting kicked while he was down. Worse yet, I couldn't stop thinking it was partly my fault. "I'm so sorry," I said as I put my arms around him.
"Don't touch me."
I tried to keep my cool, though my guilt was nagging at me. "Listen--"
"I can't think about this right now. Okay?"
"I'm just trying to help--"
"Well, you're not. You're not helping." Chad ran his hands across his face. "Holy fucking shit...."
I just bit my lip. I knew Chad had a lot of issues with his father, between the old man's homophobia, putting work before family, and everything else. And since Chad had grown up around the military, he'd always known something like this could happen. Still, he was clearly caught off guard by the news. I could see a thousand emotions coursing through his eyes.
I was dying to do something for Chad, to somehow make things better. Unfortunately there seemed to be nothing I could do, at least at that moment. I was tempted to tell him everything would be all right, but I didn't want to sugarcoat things or give him a platitude or whatever.
"Babe--"
"Don't call me that."
"I--"
"Just leave me the fuck alone, okay?"
"But... but...."
"But nothing," he said as he grabbed his phone, stormed into his room, and slammed the door behind him.
I just stayed there motionless. My stomach felt like it had dropped to my knees. I opened my mouth to say something, but at first nothing came out.
A few of the other Kap Eps had heard the commotion, so they showed up to see what had happened. I took a deep breath and forced myself to get my shit together. I wanted to be sensitive to Chad, so I debated how much to say. I ended up just giving the others the short version in that his dad been rushed to the hospital. The next thing I knew, all our fraternity brothers were texting each other with the news.
I didn't say a word about my naked pictures or the fight they had caused. Even so, I knew I'd need to act fast to get that stuff taken down. If those photos found their way onto Twitter or something, they could spread all over the Internet, and there was no telling where they'd end up.
I reported the post right away, but with my legal upbringing, I knew it might not be enough. I followed up with a formal DMCA takedown notice in which I threatened to sue. I could only hope it would get acted on before it was too late.
I'd barely finished with that stuff and had just hit "send" when Chad emerged from his room. By that point all the other Kap Eps were waiting outside. Chad's eyebrows went up, and he blinked a few times. At first nobody else seemed to move. Then Luke stepped forward and gave him a big hug. The others followed suit, patting him on the shoulder and giving him words of support.
Chad didn't seem to know how to react. He just stood there with a stunned look on his face. I wanted nothing more than to hold him right then; I was all for letting him cry on my shoulder while I took care of his every need. But for better or worse, that wasn't his style.
Chad told us he'd just gotten off the phone. Apparently he'd been talking to his mom along with a bunch of military people. There didn't seem to be much that anyone could say, especially since his dad's mission was classified. It sounded like Chad had mostly gotten the runaround.
The closest thing to good news was that Chad's dad had made it through surgery. As soon as he was stable, his doctors were hoping to fly him back to the States, most likely to Walter Reed Medical Center in D.C. But he wasn't out of the woods by any means, so his prognosis was still very much unknown.
"Oh baby, I'm so sorry," I said as I put my arms around him. I didn't care that the others were watching; I just hoped he wouldn't push me away.
Chad hardly reacted. "Thanks," he said in an almost monotone voice. Then he took a deep breath. "I need to get to get on the next flight to D.C."
"Are you sure?"
"What do you expect me to do?" he asked. "Just sit on my ass and do nothing?"
"I didn't say that--"
"I'm going to do... well, whatever the fuck I need to. And I'm not exactly going to bellyache about it."
I was silent for a moment. I wanted to tell him that nobody had accused him of bellyaching, and that it was okay to be upset. I also wanted to beg him not to go, because I hated the thought of him being so far away. But I forced myself to tread lightly. "All right," I finally said. "Just... well, just tell me what you need me to do."
"I don't need you to do anything," he said. "I'm going to take this like a man."
I was dying to kiss him, and for that matter make love to him. I wanted to turn back the clock to at least the day before, when we could still whisper stupid shit to each other, and our biggest worry was that a voyeur might be onto us. But that already seemed like a distant memory, and with each passing minute, it seemed to fade further and further away.
Chad kept juggling phone calls for the rest of the night. As he did, he was also checking flights and packing his bags and letting his professors know he'd be gone. I tried to give him moral support and take care of legwork where I could. Both of us basically pulled an all-nighter, so by the time morning rolled around, we were both pretty exhausted.
The next thing I knew, I was taking him to the airport. Since I didn't have a car of my own, Chad let me use his; and he asked me take care of it while he was gone. I took that as a good sign, in that he wasn't telling me to go to hell. All the same, it was hard for me to gauge what he was thinking.
Chad was silent for most of the drive. It wasn't till we were pretty much at the terminal, and I was following the signs toward departures, that he finally spoke up. "Listen," he said, "I'm sorry I freaked out on you again."
"Well," I said, "you don't need to apologize."
"I dunno...." He sighed. "I hope I don't need to be gone for too long."
"Don't worry about school," I said. "I mean... you've obviously got more important things to take care of...."
"I guess what I'm trying to tell you is... I don't know when I'm going to see you again."
I pulled up to the curb, put the car in park, and looked right in his eyes. "Don't say it like that."
"It's true though," he said. "You know it."
"You're making it sound so... I dunno...."
"My dad could be in the hospital for months. A-and if he ends up needing a caretaker or something--"
"Just do what you need to do," I said. "However long you need, I'll be here... and I'll be waiting for you."
"How can you be sure of that?"
"What are you saying?"
"I mean, I know you've got needs... and I don't want to ask you--"
"Ask me for what?" But as soon as those words were out of my mouth, I regretted saying them. Considering the fight we'd had, there were any number of ways Chad could've answered.
Chad didn't say a word. He looked into my eyes, but before I could react, he slammed his lips against mine. He kissed me as frantically as he ever had. His feelings were clearly boiling over. At first I thought he was slobbering all over my face, but then I realized he was crying. He let out a bunch of snorts, and the next thing I knew, I was starting to lose it myself. We both clutched each other's bodies and held each other tight.
I don't know how long we were like that. It was probably a while, but I was so out of it that I couldn't fucking tell. The whole experience felt like a blur. All I knew was that I didn't want to let Chad go.
Finally a traffic cop whistled at us. "This is for drop-offs only," he said. "Move along."
I waved at the cop as politely as I could. "I hear you," was the only thing I could say.
Chad leaned back and took a deep breath. His eyes had turned red, and his whole face was wet. He blinked and tried to get his bearings. "I wish I didn't have to deal with this," he said. "But if I don't, I could regret it forever."
"I get it," I said, "and you're doing the right thing."
Chad sighed, undid his seatbelt, and finally opened the door. "I hope you're right," he said. "I don't know how much more shit like this I can take." Then he stepped outside and grabbed his suitcase from the back.
"I love you," I said.
Chad paused for a second. Then he looked back at me. "I love you too," he said. Finally he shut the car door, and without another word, he trudged into the terminal.