Chapter 1
After his third drink, Buck was starting to doubt his decision to go out and meet people to move on and forget about Tommy, and maybe Eddie too. But he would never admit the second one. It’s just that Eddie is his best friend and his drinking buddy. Josh told him to go to a gay bar, so he did, but damn he’s not twenty anymore. Too many drinks, too many people, and the music was too loud. He was staring at his empty glass when a voice caught his attention.
“Buckley? What a surprise to see you here.” he turned his head and spotted Taylor Kelly “Well, not really a surprise if I am honest”.
He wanted to say something, what did she mean by ‘not really a surprise?’. She had this big smile, her hair was put in a high bun, and she was as beautiful as the last time he saw her in real life.
“Taylor? What -” he started but she cut him quickly.
“Let me buy you a drink honey. In honor of the good old time. And to celebrate you finally being you!” She sounded excited and happy as she asked for three mojitos.
“Taylor wait, I’m not -” but she cut him once again.
“Just so you know, I’m not hitting on you. I’m here with my girlfriend. It’s like our third date. She’s in the bathroom. You have to meet her, she is so cute and nice. Maybe you’ll like her.”
“Wait hold on? You are…” he trailed off
“Bisexual. I never hide it. Just before we started dating again, I had a girlfriend. Did not work out actually.” She paused, a small smile on her lips “What about you? Finally with your soulmate?”
“Uh? My soulmate? I don’t have a soulmate.” he paused as she chuckled like he just said the funniest thing ever. “But I came out not so long ago. Bisexual too.”
“Damn. I was so sure you were already out. I mean the way you acted with -” She stopped and a big smile appeared on her face. She got up and waved at someone behind Buck “Oh that’s my girlfriend. She’s coming.” the little laugh caught him off guard, he rarely heard her doing it when they were together. And certainly not in the beginning of their relationship. This woman must been great for her.
He did not turn around, he was pretty sure if he did the room would spin and he would fall. Taylor, who he started to suspect was not at her first drink, opened her arms.
“Babe, I just met one of my ex-boyfriends. Please, let me introduce you to -” She did not have time to finish her sentence because she was interrupted by both the girlfriend and Buck who spoke at the same time.
“Ana?”
“Buck?”
“Oh wow. L.A is so big, and yet the queer environment is so small uh? You two dated each other?” Taylor sounded far from offended. She knew about Buck's past and did not care. She even sounded slightly amused.
“What? No!” said Buck, eyes wide and making big gestures with his hands.
“Ouch. You make it sound like this is your worst nightmare Buck.” she made an exaggerated face like she was offended and then turned to her girlfriend with a grin “I dated the boyfriend.”
Taylor made a sound like everything suddenly made so much sense all the while nodding. Buck on the other hand was lost, and he was sure that it was not just the the alcohol.
“Wait. You dated Tommy?”
Taylor suddenly choked on her drink and coughed. Ana blinked a few times and took a big sip before asking “Who the hell is Tommy? You know I only dated Eddie.”
“Tommy is, was my boyfriend. But you only dated Eddie, so what?”
“Oh, oh. This is going to be so good” Taylor had that glint in her eyes and the smirk she had when she was ready to do something not so great. Buck knew he had to leave, but at the same time, he wanted to know more. “You know what babe? I think the three of us should take a table and talk.”
Ana caught her gaze, and a little smile appeared on her lips too “I think you’re right baby. I think we should do something.”
And with that, both of them took Buck’s hands. At first, they just talked about their lives and kept pouring Buck some glasses. Not enough for him to pass out, Taylor knew how much he could take, but just enough for him to open up. And he finally did.
“So.” Said Taylor at some point. “What’s going on in your life?”
“Well. You know, still a firefighter” started Buck. The pace he was talking in and the movements he was doing with his hands indicated that he had enough drinks in his body. “Still at the 118. Also, I got dumped by my boyfriend, and so I baked a lot. If you want, I might have some cookies left at home.”
“Hmm interesting,” said Taylor with her ‘reporter tone”, “and do you have any pictures of him.”
“Oh yes of course.” said the man while searching in his phone “Look this is him. Tommy. Dumped me. Though he always called me Evan.”
At that, even Taylor grimaced. She knew how much the man hated this name. She never used it, even when things were bad between them. Buck sighed.
“Maybe that should have been a sign.” he sounded so sad, that Ana took his hands between hers and Buck just shrugged.
“And what about Eddie?” asked Ana softly like she was talking to a kid at work, while Taylor was looking at his phone.
She immediately regretted it when Bucks eyes filled with tears.
“He left me. Like everyone else you know?”
Taylor's head snapped up, she couldn’t understand what she was hearing “Wait what? He left you? What do you mean?”
“Chris was mad at him and left for Texas. After a few months, he just decided to follow me. And now I’m here because I don't have anyone else like everybody else in my family. All alone, like always.” He put his head against the table mumbling something.
Taylor exchanged a look with Ana, and they both nodded. The journalist put Buck’s phone on the table and got hers sighing. Those men really were the worst at their feelings, she had to do something.
“I see. So you never figured out your shit together uh?”
Buck’s head snapped up so fast that the world started to move around him. “What do you mean by that? What shit?”
Both women exchanged side glances at the defensive tone the firefighter used. Taylor smiled “Come on Buck, I am a reporter, a journalist, I see things. Especially obvious things. The way you act together, the way you look at each other? When we finally reconciled after you told me you kissed another woman, you dropped everything because Chris called you because Eddie was in trouble.”
Ana was nodding next to her. “Hell, I thought you were one of the reasons why he dumped me. He had a panic attack when people thought we were a family.”
Taylor laughed on her girlfriend's shoulder “Honey, I think those two are the only ones who haven’t realised anything yet.”
“Hey,” Buck said offended “I realized my feelings okay? I just haven’t told him anything because he had to get his son back, plus he is straight. I’m his best friend, I can’t lose him because I love him like that.”
After a pause the two women just burst out laughing, Taylor breathing hard “Eddie? Straight? Oh god, I never heard something so funny.”
Ana gently smacked her “Stop you are going to confuse the kid. But seriously Buck, if you had to tell him something what would it be?”
“I don’t know man. It’s just… just…” he paused thinking, “I think that he is it for me you know? He was always here for me, and I hope I was here for him too. but he just left and now the station is so empty without him. I don’t know how to work without him. He left once, but he was still in L.A and now? I just can’t go to his house and see him and Chris. His house still smells like him damn. How can someone who changed me so much can just leave like that? I tried to do things but nothing is working. I just wish I realized my feelings sooner, maybe… Maybe Kim would have not been a thing. Fuck, I thought he was hot the first day I saw him. Do you think it was a crush? Damn, I’m in love with Eddie Diaz since the beginning?”
He stopped eyes wide and breath short. And then suddenly he started laughing and jumped on his feet. He stumbled, caught himself, and screamed “I AM IN LOVE WITH EDDIE DIAZ! DRINKS ON ME!” And that earned him a round of applause.
Ana took him by the shoulders “Okay Buck, maybe not. This is not a good idea. Babe, go tell the bartender to close Buck’s tab, and please do not put everyone’s drinks on it. Buck sit down now.”
Buck sat giggling and singing about Eddie “Oooh, maybe I should call him to tell him.”
Ana snatched the phone out of his hands “Nope. You are too drunk for this. Just sit down and enjoy the moment.”
Buck pouted but giggled, he sat up when Taylor returned to their table. She kissed Ana “Okay. Crise handled. Now maybe we should call someone for him no?” She took Buck’s phone again and searched his contacts. “Mmmh. Who should we call? Hen?”
Buck stood up again and almost fell, Ana caught him “Oh yes! I love Hen! She is so great!”
Taylor laughed “Okay. You know what, let’s go outside, I’ll call her, and we’ll wait with you?”
“What? You are not taking me back? You don't want to eat cookies?” Buck used his puppy eyes to convince them.
“Nope, Buckley. We don’t have a car, and I want to enjoy the rest of the night with my girlfriend.”
Buck nodded solemnly and turned toward Ana putting his hand on her shoulder “You take care of her. She can be hard, but take care of her uh?”
Ana chuckled and looked at Taylor “Don’t worry, I will.” Buck nodded and with the help of the couple went outside.
The chilly air made him shiver at first. he didn’t take a jacket before coming, and he regretted it a bit. Thank god, the alcohol was helping him. Ana sat him against the wall of the bar and Taylor took a few steps back to use his phone.
“Hi, Hen? No sorry it’s not Buck. It’s Taylor.” She glanced at him “No, no he is fine. He’s just drunk. Can you pick him up? I’m not sure he’s in the right place to go home by himself. Let’s just say, a lot of revelation. Yeah, thank you. We are at the Pink Pony Club Bar. Thanks, see you.”
She sat next to Buck and Ana “She’ll be here in twenty minutes. Just so you know, she might kill you given the time.”
Buck chuckled and they just waited in comfortable silence. Twenty minutes later Ana nudged Taylor’s side and pointed at a car slowly coming their way. Taylor got up, helped Ana, and then Buck.
“Alright buddy, time to go.”
Hen got out of her car and stopped short seeing the painting in front of her. Two of her friends’ exes and one of those friends. “What the hell? What happened?”
Buck opened his arms to hug her, but just fell on her “Hen! I’m so happy to see you. Look it’s Taylor and Ana. Also, guess what? They know that I love Eddie.”
Hen just blinked looking at the two other women. Taylor just shrugged “Told you. A lot of revelation. Anyway Wilson, I still have a date with my beautiful girlfriend. So take care, and maybe I’ll see you around.”
“I hope not” sighed Hen.
“Bye Taylor! Bye Ana!” said Buck waving excitedly.
Just before going back into the bar, Taylor took her phone out smiling. She looked at the video she took of Buck admitting his feelings for his best friend. “You sure it’s a good idea babe?” asked Ana.
Taylor sighed “Look. Those two won’t do anything without any help. And to be honest, I think I owe him something. He has always been nice to me, even when I did things that hurt him. Plus my job is to give people the truth, so here we go.”
She send the video to Eddie, whose number she stole from Buck. Finally, she kissed Ana “So, after this good deed, shall we go back to our business?”
“I thought you would never ask. Lead the way.”
Taylor : Diaz, I know we don’t like each other, and that is totally okay. But I think this might interest you. Let’s just say he is very talkative when he is drunk. Hope this helps you two because you are both annoying, and he is sad. See you never I hope. - Taylor Kelly.
Eddie : KELLY WHAT THE FUCK???