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previously: Closer than before
Two friends... who grew up together in an era when prohibitions, laws, and rules made same-sex relationships nearly impossible. Two families who did everything they could to make their sons want to escape... from life, from responsibilities, from whatever restricted and confined them. Gustavo and Ricardo had found each other again, decades later by chance.. or perhaps fate had finally been fair to them. Ricardo had to hide from the world he actually wanted to do good for, and Gustavo was drawn into something that would not only completely turn his life upside down but also bring about serious decisions and dangers.
Several days had already passed since Ricardo, in a drunken, spur-of-the-moment decision, had chosen to seek help from a supposed illusion in the form of his former best friend. They were living together in Gustavo’s… well, in one of the many houses he owned. At the moment, it almost felt like a vacation, even though Gustavo stuck to his habits and went about his work, not just during the day but also into the night. It wasn’t easy to get used to each other again after all that time and everything that had happened, but slowly a certain daily routine seemed to settle in, which gradually.. very gradually.. improved their life together and rekindled their former loyalty and bond. Ricardo had finally come out as gay… had confessed to Gus that he had been in love with him, but not… that he still had feelings for him, the latter might make the whole thing even more complicated, even though it was precisely this attitude that had led to the two men being separated and having to live in the shadows of their former selves for decades.
Time passed... and Ricardo slowly tried to prepare himself mentally and physically for the days ahead. The two men didn’t talk much to each other… during the day, if they saw each other at all, they mostly avoided one another, each did what he had to do, and in the evening they met in the living room to watch old classics from the ’80s together. Most of the time, Ricardo put Gustavo to bed afterward; his friend always seemed exhausted, work took a relentless toll on his condition.. and that’s why Ricardo placed far too much… far too much importance on the other man eating better, on perhaps helping him improve his lifestyle a little... but he simply failed at that, which didn’t mean... that he gave up.
One early Sunday morning, he finally sat on the edge of his friend’s bed, reading the news in a French newspaper the old-school way and watching him from time to time.
“Taylor Swift is engaged... I once represented her in a case involving a stalker... we won, and ever since then she’s been trying to invite me to her concerts. If I’m ever allowed to be a real person again, we’ve got to do that... her music is okay, but the atmosphere could get interesting.”
He muttered to himself as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
“Damn… the stock price is really struggling… I’m glad my money’s just sitting in a dormant account right now… I would’ve totally miscalculated.”
Gustavo hadn’t stirred yet, either he was actually asleep, or he was plotting the literal 'murder' of his best friend.
“I really need to do something… I’m slowly getting overwhelmed by all the bullshit written in these newspapers. In the end, I’ll either turn into a Swifty, or I’ll spend my days at the window yelling at kids playing, or complaining about some guys who think they have to mow the lawn…”
Another quick glance at Gustavo… still no reaction, which made him smile slightly.
“I know you’re awake… and I know you don’t feel like going for a jog with me… but what I also know is… that I’m going to stay sitting here, and you’re going to have to come up with some very good reasons to get me to change my mind…”