The weather was perfect, just the way he liked. He looked at his tan and saw his reflection in his glasses. He still looked stunning at his age. He picked up his cell phone and although it has been years ago since the very idea of doing it, because that seemed absurd, now it had become a new bad habit.
He took a selfie and although he was not good with hashtags, he ventured to put some that immediately placed his photo among the most viral on that social network that people of his age and rank did not use unless they had a good reason to do so.
It was not for fame, nor to gain followers and likes. He just wanted to do it to send a message and hoped that it would be well received. He wanted it would be clearly understood what he wanted to say. He hoped that the person to whom the photo was addressed would see it, but he didn't know because for a long time, he had been magnificent at hiding from everyone's view what he didn't want to be discovered.
Before taking it up, he looked at it. Seriously, Tony looked happy and somehow, he was calm. When that photo appeared among the many he had already posted, he smiled.
“It’s all right, Tony?”
The millionaire smiled and discreetly put his cell phone to the side of his glasses.
“It’s more than wonderful, my love”.
Those slender arms wrapped around his neck and soon, a kiss was stamped on his mouth.
“Are you all set? I mean, I don't want to pressure you with that, but...”
Tony kissed that beautiful forehead.
“I know I told you I would take care of it personally, but I've been a little busy and....”
“You busy? How’s strange is that, huh?”
But as if the weather matched his emotions, Tony couldn't help but look at those clouds that were soon covering the sunny sky and heralding a storm. He didn't want to say it, he didn't feel capable, but it was necessary.
“Hey baby, can I talk to you about something important?”
He looked into those eyes when the person in front of him nodded and Tony knew he would seriously lack courage, but he had to do it.
“Okay, tell me...”, the thin pink lips said.
The sea began to churn as did his heart, but there was no way to turn back, not if there was still time.
“I was thinking that maybe we should...”
“Are you going to insist on that again?”
Tony nodded. He hoped that would get solve things for him without him taking the trouble to do so.
“The truth is, I don't think we're going in the right direction. Not about us, but this whole... you know...”
The house phone rang.
“Look, let me take that call, my aunt was supposed to call me at this hour, and I don't want to give her bad news, because I guess that's what it's all about. Oh, Tony. As if I didn't know you”.
“Babe, please”.
“Don´t babe, please me. I know you. It’s been always the same”.
The millionaire sighed. Maybe it would be more complicated and everything, as always, would have been his fault. He had let things advance too far until they reached this point from which he could hardly get away with it precisely because he had let time run out.
He went to take his drink and toyed with that sweet cocktail. He remembered that last argument in which they both hurt each other badly, in which they both said things to each other that he knew, both had regretted but out of pride, neither wanted to take back. He was the one who had started it all with his useless argument that it wasn't necessary to get married to prove to the world that they could be together in love. Tony had been the one who had set off that storm in which his ego and arrogance made him say that they didn't need to sign a paper or make themselves known to everyone with pictures and an expensive party to prove that they really loved each other. Now it was late, and he felt trapped.
He drained his glass and watched his phone screen light up. It was a notification. He opened it just as that rain started. It was a live feed from one of the accounts he was following, and he just sighed.
Peter was hugging his new boyfriend, that other man who also had a well-groomed beard but unlike him, he had light eyes. Both of them were showing their followers that they were on vacation and that they were having more than a good time. For a moment, Tony wanted to write something to deny what that young man with brown eyes was jubilantly announcing to his followers, but he didn't have the courage. He wasn't going to do it if he himself had driven him to it. Much less, when he could see that the happiness in that look that many times made him cry, finally reflected that he had found the right one and obviously, it had not been him, it had not been Tony.
He stared at that video for a few minutes that seemed like forever until Virginia's voice finally brought him back.
“So, what is it that you want to talk to me about that might make me angry again?”
Tony turned off his cell phone.
“The deal with the investors can wait, I think, but not this," he said, reaching into his pocket and kneeling down.
The woman simply nodded and let Tony slide that ring onto her finger.
“For a moment I thought you were going to...”
Tony felt a lump in his throat when he guessed those words and very reluctantly, he had to finish the sentence, knowing he was lying again.
“Breaking up with you? Oh, no, no. I couldn't, I would never be capable of something like that, I...”
But he didn't finish his sentence because Virginia kissed him, and Tony had to reciprocate while he heard the sky began to thunder and the rain was heavy, violent. He hugged her to convince himself that he was comforting her and not that he was trying to comfort himself. He was doing it as if to tell himself that he had not been to blame for that breakup with Peter, who had been the love of his life.
**
“Are you coming, babe?”
Peter smiled at Quentin, who was already waiting for him to go to sleep. It had heavily rained all afternoon and until that time in the evening, the sky finally seemed to calm down. For that very reason, he had not been able to go out to the beach with him, as they had planned on that unexpected vacation.
“Just give me a few minutes, I'm being asked to do a live video of my last break-up and...”
The young man didn't want to finish the sentence fearing his boyfriend's reaction, but Quentin came over to hug him.
“Do what you want, I honestly don't plan to see it because for me, it really counts since we are together. The truth is that I don't want to find out who was the bastard that hurt you... Although if I think about it, I really have a lot to thank him for, because if it hadn't been for him, I would have never met you, but I'm not going to see your live anyway. Take your time, don't restrain yourself in what you want to say and please, trust me when I say that I'm not going to be looking for a way to find out about any of it, okay?”
Peter sighed, he didn’t want anything to threaten his peace of mind.
“I'm not going to do it, believe me I'm not, especially not when I'm so happy with you. I’m not even to say his name. Trust me, babe”.
Quentin kissed the boy's forehead.
“I trust you. If you need to do it to finish your healing, go ahead and as I told you when we met, I will never throw anything that hurts you in your face and even less if it is from your past, because that belongs to you. I just want you to be happy and if it is with me, I am grateful for that. Do what you think you want and have to do, you know I support you and I do fucking love you. That’s it”.
Peter smiled and hugged his fiancé tightly, the man with whom he had finally made it known that he was starting a new stage in his life and proof of this was showing his followers the engagement ring he had received the day before.
“But try to be quick, okay? I don't want to sleep alone," whispered Quentin.
Peter slowly pulled away and until his fiancé was gone, he pulled out his phone again. He read that message that had broken his heart months ago and had made him make such a drastic and important decision.
"I don't know why you are too obsessed with that, we shouted it last time and look it was the worst discussion we had because you also didn't measure yourself in what you said to me and you did it so sure of yourself, that I seriously don't see the sense in it. I have told you several times, but I think you don’t understand me. You don’t care to listen to me or understand me and for that reason, I think it’s best to both of us, to finish all this, because we’re not going anywhere. We have different visions of what it is to be together without neglecting your life or your priorities. Forgive me for doing this through this medium, but I am in a meeting that has already taken too long and I will not have time to go across the whole city just to tell you this personally. Goodbye, Peter, take care".
Peter wiped away a tear before beginning his live to his followers. He reread that message and until he felt safe, he deleted it. No one knew that he had had a long and eventful affair with one of the most coveted men in the world, because Tony never wanted that to be known. It wasn't the time to reveal it, especially when he had suddenly done things that didn't fit who he really was and his notoriety on social media was more than obvious. He cleared his throat and let himself be caressed by the night breeze, by that salty aroma that was making him remember the first time he went to that place with Tony, thinking that they would spend their whole life together watching the sea and living peacefully in that paradise.
“Good evening everyone, hello again and well, after talking it over with my beloved Quentin, I'm going to tell you how it went the time I got stood up on what, I didn't know, was the last date and incidentally, I was broke-up by text.
“I’ll also tell you that I wasn't really going to do this live, but I found out that my ex is here, in Hawaii and terribly close to where I'm staying so I think I'll have to pack my bags tomorrow morning and leave for an unknown destination. How do I know? It was from a picture he uploaded today and the tags.
“The truth is that since I met Quentin, I have had an incredible time. As soon as I finish this live, I swear by this engagement ring I’m showing you and all of you can see, I’m going to block my ex for good. Bye-bye forever.
“I’m gonna be a married man so I don’t need my ex watching my lives. He can watch and comment if he wants but the shame will be on him, not on me, not on us. Oh, by the way, Quentin is not going to watch this live so I will be able to give some details but not so many as you have requested. Why? Because Quentin deserves some respect and so do I. My ex can go fuck himself. That’s it. But the bad thing about Quentin is not watching this, is he’s not gonna know where are we going to be. It’ll be a surprise and thanks everyone for all your support. Yeah, I’ll be live tomorrow at breakfast if you want to see his face when I tell him… Yes, he’ll be so surprised and shocked but…Are you ready now?”
And Peter began telling his story by making it entertaining for all those strangers who were watching him since he had taken that social network as his refuge and as a remedy for the loneliness and pain that for months, afflicted him as soon as Tony sent that fateful message.
Peter continued that live, telling his followers how his life had been after the billionaire -whose name hadn’t been said-, left him and how someone else found him. He already knew Tony was going to marry that woman. Peter knew all about that because he had hacked Tony’s phone. He knew everything about Tony’s life after him. But he had made sure Tony didn’t know anything about him, nor Quentin. Peter cried during his live but at least, he tried to stay strong in front of his followers.
“If I was blessed, so you can. Don’t cry. Best things are yet to come so…I’ll see you tomorrow if you want to see Quentin’s face when he sees we’re going to… a secret place. Thanks for coming and see you then!”
Peter cut off the live and sighed. He knew some drama will assure more sponsors, but his heart didn’t need any. He learnt how to create certain tension in certain parts, and he used that resource. He felt guilty, but at least, he had found a way to survive such a pain. He had learned to pretend very well, he had learned how to cry in front of others at the precise time. Peter also learnt how to hide, how to pretend joy and love for another even when deep down, he knew he could not recover so easily from the first heartbreak.
Peter Parker had learned in that time to pretend in front of his followers that something like that didn't hurt, and he did it so well because he had learned from the best, from Tony Stark.
END.