“Mom?” Joey called when he walked through the front door of his parents’ home. All the cars were gone from out front, but the door hadn’t been double-locked. His mom didn’t have her own car, so if anyone was going to be in, surely it’d be her.

“Joseph?” His mom’s voice sounded unsure, so Joey dropped his bag in the hall and followed it to the kitchen.

She was rubbing her face as he walked in. But it wasn’t enough to hide that she’d been crying.

“Oh, Mom,” he said, rushing over to where she stood by the sink to give her a hug. “What happened?” Anger bubbled inside him. If his dad had laid a finger on her, he was going to fucking kill him.

“Nothing, nothing,” she said thickly. Her hands fluttered over his back. “I’m just being silly.”

He leaned back and scowled at her. He very much doubted that.

“Sit,” he said firmly, escorting her to a chair. “When was the last time anyone made you coffee, hmm?”

His mom chuckled sadly and wiped her eyes with the back of her sleeve. “Honey, you don’t have to.”

He did though. God fucking damn it. There wasn’t much more he hated in this world than seeing his mom cry.

“There,” he said a few minutes later. He placed two cups down on the kitchen table, along with a packet of cookies he found in one of the cabinets.

She smiled weakly at him as she wrapped her hands around the cup. “Thank you. Did you have a good trip?”

He didn’t really want to talk about himself, he wanted to talk about her. But, much like somebody else he knew, she was a caring soul who would rather be cheered by other people’s good news than dwell on her own issues. The way to get her to open up might lay in sharing his news.

“I went to Chicago,” he said. He’d only told his parents that he had work out of town for a few days, not the details. He didn’t want his dad ruining everything. “I recorded a song with one of Europe’s premier producers, and I think I might have a boyfriend.”

That was overstating it quite a bit, but it was too complicated to try and unravel what he and Gabe really were there and then. Besides, it was worth it for the smile that blossomed on her tear-stained face.

“A boy, really?” she whispered, reaching out to clasp one of his hands with her own.

A smile twitched at his lips. “A man,” he said. “A good man. I don’t know if it’ll work out, but-”

“Sweetheart,” she said firmly. She squeezed his hand and frowned. “If he’s good, the rest will take care of itself.”

“I don’t know, Mom,” Joey said. He pulled his hand free and took a sip of sugary coffee. “We don’t have much in common. I have to focus on work right now.”

Her face fell. “That’s true,” she said. “Have you, um, got that rent money for your father?”

Joey scowled. “I won’t get paid until the record is released. And I thought the deal was to let me have a chance to get my own place? How the hell can I do that if he’s bleeding me dry?”

Her face crumpled and he immediately felt shitty. This obviously wasn’t her fault. “I guess I let him think you’d only be here a few weeks,” she said, tears welling in her eyes again. She studied her coffee and rubbed the handle with her thumb. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry,” Joey said with a sigh. “He’s the asshole.”

“Joseph!”

“He is!” he fired back. “Mom, you know he’s always hated me. Nothing I ever do is good enough. I’m a living, breathing embarrassment, and now he’s finally getting to punish me.”

His mom bit her lip, then drank some coffee. “He means well,” she said. He didn’t think she believed her own words. After all these years though, making excuses for him was second nature.

It broke his heart. She was such a beautiful soul, and his dad had slowly crushed it. She had a degree in fine art, for fuck’s sake. She could have been anyone. Instead, she was more or less a prisoner in this house.

Joey thought about Gabe. Yeah, he was his knight in shining armor now. But how many years would it take for him to become his keeper, clipping his wings?

The idea broke his heart. But Gabe was meant for a small life. He gave everything he had of himself away to others, his feet firmly on the ground. Yeah, the two of them were having fun now. But Joey wouldn’t let anyone stop him reaching for the stars. Not like his dad had with his mom.

He didn’t think he’d have the strength to break things off with Gabe while he was still living here. The pull was too strong. Joey had only said goodbye to him half an hour ago and already he felt a pang in his chest, wanting to be near him again.

But when he moved, that’s what he’d have to do.

“Sometimes,” his mom said softly. She was staring absently out the window into the backyard. “I forget what month it is. The days just…all seem the same.” She blinked and looked back at him, taking his hand once again. “That’s why it’s so lovely having you here. It makes a nice change.”

If Joey creeping out at dawn and in at dusk, banned from the dinner table, forbidden from even getting too close to his nephew was his mom’s idea of a ‘nice change,’ things were maybe worse than he thought. He was pretty sure she had depression, but bringing that up in this family would be a stupid idea, let alone suggesting she might go get some help.

“I’m glad,” he said to her. He didn’t really know what else he could do.

“Mom?”

Cathy’s voice rang through the house as the front door slammed. Joey and his mom instantly sprang apart. Initially, he felt guilty. But then he was angry at being made to feel guilty for just sitting and having coffee with his own mother.

So he didn’t move from the table as his sister-in-law bustled in with the baby. He sat up straight and looked her in the eye as she entered, taking a small amount of pleasure as she startled at the sight of him.

“Joey,” she said, rubbing Michael’s back as he wriggled around to look at him and his mom. “What are you-” She paused and licked her lips. “You’re not normally here during the day.”

“I was just leaving,” Joey said coolly. But first, he made a point of standing and pulling his mom into a hug. After all, she wasn’t Cathy’s mom. She didn’t give a crap that she was standing here, alone in the kitchen, crying her eyes out in the middle of the day.

“It’ll be okay,” he whispered.

He didn’t bother going down to the basement. Everything he owned was crammed into the backpack he’d left in the hall. So he tugged it on again and headed out into the cold, fall air.

The sad thing was, his first instinct was to go to Gabe. By now, he knew where he lived and the times he worked at the library, although he was pretty sure he had the rest of the day off after their trip.

But he couldn’t rely on Gabe. The way he made Joey feel was addictive, like a drug. If he got used to it, he’d end up stuck in this shitty town, just like his mom. She had loved his dad once. Now she was a ghost of who she used to be.

Joey began the familiar trudge towards the center of town. He could spend the rest of the day looking for rooms for rent and maybe even applying for bar work. The longer he could avoid seeing his dad and having to cough up the rent he wanted, the better. If Joey gave him a hundred bucks now, he’d struggle to make it into New York for any work that came up.

He stopped abruptly on the street and balled his fists. Why was nothing ever fair, or simple? Being with Gabe made him feel so good. He was hot and kind and thought Joey was fucking beautiful. Why the hell couldn’t he have more ambitions? That way they could try and escape this place together.

But no, as usual, Joey was on his own. Maybe it would be better if they didn’t see each other anymore. What the fuck had he been thinking? He’d obviously got caught up in the moment, suggesting they try and date. It was only going to cause them both heartache in the long run. More heartache.

He rubbed his chest and choked back a sob as he started walking again. Like he said to his mom, it would be okay. He’d spend the evening at one of the diners and fill up on cheap coffee while he searched for something, anything to get him back into the city where he belonged.

He’d had an amazing time with Gabe these past few days. If that was all he got, well, he’d just have to count his blessings.

He didn’t feel very blessed as he huddled against the wind though.