A pair of baby blue eyes timidly opened, totally revealing the beautiful color that was hidden under red rimmed eyelids. When did the cold hard floor he remembered the small space in the basement had got replaced by a soft warm cushiony floor? He blinked a couple of times, his gaze blurry from the tears he’d shed the night before and as he glanced around him he saw he was in his bedroom. A warm blanket tightly wrapped around him a soft warm glow coming through the window. He sighed, wondering how he’d gotten here.

Was the letter he got from Josh explaining what had happened just been a dream?

The things he’d said to his father just wishful thinking?

The hard slap on his cheek and him being dragged to the coldest and darkest place in the house just a nightmare?

He sat up slowly, his body sore but from what?

Maybe it actually happened, he crawled out of bed still wearing the T-shirt he’d wore the day before but his pants hung over his desk chair. He really wasn’t sure anymore what had been a dream and what had been real. His head was spinning with confusion as he walked towards the big mirror on his wall. One thing confirmed that it had in fact all been real and it weren’t the red rimmed eyelids or the bloodshot eyes that told him that. It was the red somewhat blue handprint on his left cheek. His left hand went up to touch his cheek, gently probing it to make sure it was real, that it wouldn’t vanish when he touched it. When it didn’t he knew for sure that it had all really happened.

But then how did he get back here?

Had his father taking pity on him and had come back, laying him down in his own bed?

He shook his head; that couldn’t be it, his father had never been as angry with him as he had been yesterday evening. No it couldn’t have been him but then who? It probably had been Louise he figured, hearing about the argument and where Howard had put him and he went in search of him and brought him back to safety. Why couldn’t his mother or father care enough about him to do that, why did it have to be a stranger he thought miserably. Well Louise wasn’t a stranger and Justin considered him family but he just wished he wouldn’t have needed Louise because then his parents would love him the way Louise did.

Justin walked towards his bedroom door, afraid to open it but he wanted to find Louise, ask him what had happened and wanted his friend to comfort him. His hand slowly stretched towards the doorknob, fisting it in his hand for a couple of seconds before he turned the knob. But till his surprise the door didn’t open, he thought it might be stuck. Although his mind told him it couldn’t be stuck he still tried again to get the door to open. But the door once again didn’t open, it didn’t even budge and now Justin knew the door was locked. His hand fell back to his side as he shuffled back towards the bed. He plumped down on the soft mattress as he relived the memories of the previous night. Justin was scared and angry. He rubbed his hands over his face and winced when he touched the mark on his face. The pain suddenly sprung him into action. He didn’t want to live here anymore, he was sure his father wouldn’t let Josh and him be together and now that was the only thing he wanted.

How dared his father threaten Josh?

How dare he tear them apart?

How dared he to interfere in their relationship?

Justin wanted no more, he quickly went to his desk chair and pulled on his pants. He didn’t waste a minute as he grabbed a bag and stuffed in a few clothes, just enough. He didn’t need anything else from the room; valuable things he had plenty but nothing that was valuable to him, nothing was really worth taking except his journal that rested in his usual hiding space; under his mattress. One more thing he needed; the letter from Josh. It lay on the night stand where he’d placed it the night before, before he flew down the stairs to confront his father with what he’d just learned. Except for that; the only thing he really needed was Josh himself. As he finished packing, he glanced once around the room. His eye fell on his wallet; knowing it held a lot of cash at least for a fifteen year old, he snatched it up and put it in his back pocket. His dad at least owed him that much he thought as he walked back towards his desk, setting the bag on his bed; ready to go. Justin quickly scribbled down a message for Louise. His father didn’t deserve a message after what he’d done to him. He deserved to worry about him but his gut told him he wouldn’t be worried, at least not all that much.

Dear Louise,

Thanks for everything you’ve done for me. I’m sorry I can’t say goodbye to you in person but I really have to go. I can’t stay here any longer. Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine. Take care and I will do the same,

Love Justin

He surveyed the room once more, silently saying goodbye before he opened the doors to the balcony. The rain pipe that he thought would come in handy when he wanted to sneak out to go clubbing at 18 was more useful at 15 when he wanted to sneak out completely. He hit the floor moments later and picked up his bag, which already landed a couple minutes earlier. He fisted the bag as he spurted towards the main road, leaving everything behind for Josh; his Josh.

A hard knock on the door interrupted Josh’s exhausted sleep. It was only 7am, he’d gone to bed only 4 hours ago. He groaned and rolled over hoping the person would go away but when a soft voice desperately calling his name drifted into his ears he was wide awake. He bolted upright and practically ran towards the door, almost falling over clothes he’d discarded on the floor when he came home tired after work.

“Justin?” Josh squeaked surprised once he opened the door. It could have been his mind playing mean tricks on him but it wasn’t; Justin was really there.

“Can I stay with you?” he asked timidly, gripping the strap of his overnight bag from nerves.

“Justin? What happened?” Josh asked concerned as he took in the bag Justin was carrying and the mark on his soft skin. Josh cupped his face gently but when Justin hissed he pulled back quickly.

“I ran away” he told his lover softly. Justin dropped the bag in a heap and lunged himself at the older man falling into his much needed embrace. It had been too long.

“I’m so sorry Josh, I love you, please, I love you” he whispered against his chest. Josh pulled him tight, his strong arms firmly wrapped around him, he closed his eyes to savor the smell of his guppy back in his arms.

“I love you Guppy” Josh whispered back, kissing his curls. Justin pulled back so their lips could meet, crushing them together in a heat of passion. They’d missed each other so much; the supposedly break up long forgotten. They’d never parted, they never broke up, they loved each other so dearly that it would forever connect them.

“We can’t stay here Justin” Josh said all of a sudden, bursting the comforting and happy bubble they both lived in for a total time of five minutes. Not nearly enough for Justin as he asked confused,

“What do you mean?”

“We can’t stay in New York. You’re father will find us and I don’t want him to follow through on his…”

“His what?”

“His promises” Josh finished safely.

“What?”

“He threatened me,” he sighed, dropping his head,

“And he will follow through on them if we stay here. We have to leave New York” Josh informed him. Justin wanted to yell, his father had threatened his lover! Although Justin knew, hearing it come out of his lover’s mouth made him so angry. The hurt in his lover’s eyes hurt him twice as much but Josh got him out of his thoughts before he could do anything about the anger that he was feeling.

“Come on” Josh urged him as he started packing a few belongings.

The last thing they got before they left Josh’s little apartment behind was the fish.

Josh’s fish; his guppy.

Five hours later they were driving down the highway towards Los Angeles. It was a long way away from New York but that was the good part about it. Not only that, it had over 3.5 million people, a good place to be if you didn’t want to be found. They’d agreed about that only 4 hours ago, right after they’d bought a car on the verge of the city lines. Justin’s wallet contained money that got them quite a good car. They just wanted a normal one, which would get them to Los Angeles and who wouldn’t get noticed. They’d dumped their stuff in the backseat as they headed out of New York for good, taking the highway to start their live together in LA.

Once every 5 minutes Josh cast a glance towards his guppy sleeping peacefully next to him in the passenger seat. Everything had happened so fast; he’d given Louise the letter only the night before and now here he was taking Justin and himself to a new future which hopefully didn’t involve Howard Timberlake.

Josh’s mind wondered towards his mother; would she be ok? He knew that as soon as they got in LA he would find a job and he would send the money to her to make sure she could keep staying there. That they would continue to take care of her he would make sure that happened. He felt guilty for leaving her there but it wasn’t like he could have loaded her up and start driving. She would understand and once they got to LA he would call her and explain everything. Then there were his jobs; he hadn’t even gotten the chance to say he’d quit. He’d wished he could have seen the look on Mr. Johnson’s face as he told him to stuff it. Too bad he didn’t have the chance to do so but just thinking about it made him smile. Besides he would freak when he didn’t show up this afternoon and the image of that broadened his smile.

Justin stirred next to him, his hands functioning as a pillow against the hard glass. Josh hoped he’d made the right decision; this was not going to be easy and Justin was only fifteen years old. Still a kid, but so was he actually he had just been forced to grow up fast when his mom got sick. If he doubted for a second all he had to do was look at his lover, his boyfriend, his everything and he knew he’d made the right decision. They could have never been happy back in New York. They’d never be able to have a real relationship with Justin’s dad so close. No LA was going to be different in that way he thought determined. He turned his gaze back towards the road ahead of him. At the end, LA would be waiting for them. He enjoyed the silence as he pushed the gas pedal further down, eager to get to LA, to start his life with his guppy.

Back in New York, the Timberlake house was anything but peaceful. Howard was angrily talking to the police after searching the whole house and coming up empty. He couldn’t find Justin anywhere and when he saw the missing clothes and the note he knew his son had ran away. He demanded the police would start looking right away, a few extra bucks to speed up the process and to bring his son back home. He instructed to also look out for a certain Joshua Chasez, knowing they’d probably gone off together but he didn’t let the police know that. He told them he might have kidnapped his son instead and the policemen nodded before starting their search.

Howard stirred his drink when the policemen left. He stared out blankly in front of him. He knew Josh and his son had run away together and no way was he going to let Josh get away with that. He was going to make him pay for this. He’d turned his son against him. Everything had been fine till Josh Chasez came into his son’s life. Justin was a good kid, obedient, a good student, hardly ever got in any trouble until Josh changed him. All of a sudden he liked men, or at least he thought he liked them, how could a child know this anyway? How could he know what love was? No Howard was certain Josh had forced him to be this way and made him this way. Everything was Josh’s fault and he promised he was going to make him pay.