by David Horne
Fred didn't ever want to give Jason a call. Jason had made it clear he didn't love him and he wasn't ready to take their relationship into another step. He locked himself up in the room for a good three weeks. In those three weeks, he spoke to only his manager and today, Fred was ready to make his first appearance.
"Are you sure about this?" Ben asked him again.
"I’m very sure."
He had arranged to have an interview with Nora Richards, a newscaster. That evening, Fred shaved his beard, he dressed in black pants, a white shirt and a brown blazer.
Soon, the interview began and Fred looked handsome, calmed and in control.
"Good evening everyone, this is American sweetheart, Fred Jacobs. Fred had been away for three weeks. No one had seen or heard from him since he was accused of having an affair with Jason Sawyer." Nora was saying.
"Good evening Fred,” she said turning to him.
"Good evening Miss Richards," he greeted her.
"So how have you been?" Nora asked him.
"I have been great, as you can see."
"Well, you look good." She laughed.
"I thank God,” he said.
"So, Mr. Jacobs, where have you been for the past three weeks?" she asked him.
"I went on vacation."
"You realize that we are live, don't you?" she asked him.
"I do." He smiled.
"So, where were you?" she asked him again.
"I was in my house, resting and writing."
"What were you writing?"
"I was working on my next album,” he said with pride.
"You mean you’ll release another album?" she asked in a surprised tone.
"Yes. It’s titled My Heart's Betrayal.”
"What's the song all about?"
"When it’s out, you’ll know." He laughed.
"Rumor has it that you’re in a secret relationship with the ruthless businessman, Jason Sawyer."
Hearing the name Jason, Fred almost lost his cool but he was quiet. He smiled, hiding what he really filled behind that perfect smile of his.
"Jason and I met in Hawaii."
"Are you telling the world that you’re gay?" she asked in shocked.
"Yes. I’m gay. I have always been gay but my relationship with Jason is complicated. I don't want to talk about it."
"You didn't deny or accept that you’re in a relationship with Mr. Sawyer.
"You know, the internet can say whatever it likes about Jason and me. I don't care. We are popular figures and people will always look for ways to write stories about us, both fiction and non-fiction. "
"Are you saying Mr. Sawyer isn't gay?"
"That I can't say. I’m only talking for myself."
The lady smiled. "What do you have to tell your fans?"
"Well," Fred smiled, "I love you all. Last I checked, being gay isn't a crime. This is who I am and I am proud of me."
He blew kisses and the interview was over. After the interview, Fred trended.
He worked harder and harder. His interview seemed to give him more fans. A lot of people loved and respected him for telling the world he was gay and that he was proud of it.
From then on, Fred continued his tour around America. To Americans and the world at large, he was a happy and successful man, but only Benjamin and his family knew the truth.
"Please, let me give Jason a call," Benjamin suggested over dinner one evening.
"No, don't," Fred said, clutching his fork
"Please...look at you, you love him and..."
Fred cut him off.
"You’re more than a manager to me, Benjamin. You’re like a brother to me and I have come to love and respect you. Like I said before, I don't appreciate you pop nosing into my affair. Please, back off."
"Jason..."
"We will have serious problems if you contact him."
That was it, Benjamin accepted defeat.
***
One evening, Fred was on stage, singing at a concert. There were over ten thousand spectators. As he sang, he felt like crying but he wouldn't let himself. He missed Jason too much but Fred was too proud to go seek him out. He was determined to move on with his life no matter what. As he sang, he was so emotional that some people stared at him in awe. He finished singing and was walking away from the stage when he heard a shout. He turned and saw Jason staring at him.
"What do you want?" Fred asked.
Jason grabbed the microphone and put it near his mouth.
The concert was live and everything was quiet.
"Fred, letting you go was the greatest mistake I ever made," Jason said loud and clear.
"What did you say?"
"I said, I was a fool, Will you give me a second chance?"
"Jason..." Fred began.
"Let me tell you a story..." Jason began.
"I was eighteen when my mother passed away. She was diagnosed with cancer of the bone marrow. She really fought to stay alive but, she died. My father couldn't bear the fact that she was gone and he was never going to see her again. He was a doctor who was very good at his job. I watched him become a shadow of himself and turned to drinking. When my mother died, she took a part of him with her. It was really terrible, watching him. I realized that my mother had a lot of influence on my father. I promised to let no one have so much influence over me.
“I guided my heart well and although I kept a few lovers, I made sure I never fell in love. All was working perfectly well until I met you. You turned my life upside down."
"Jason...Fred began.
"No, listen to me… After you left, I lost all zeal to live. I’ll gladly trade all that I have just to be with you. It doesn't matter where you go or who you’re with Fred. All I know is that my life is incomplete without you and I never want to let you go."
Fred stared at Jason. He wanted nothing more than to be in his arms.
"What about your reputation?" he asked him.
"Who cares about that? As long as I have you, I’ll be a happy man."
"Aren't you ashamed of being my lover?"
"No, I am proud. After all, we committed no crime. "
"Are you sure?" Fred asked.
Jason went on his right knee in front of the world and retrieved a small box from his pocket. He opened the box. Inside was a small silver ring with diamonds on it.
"Wow!" the spectators chorused.
"I’m not a perfect man. I’m not the most incredible man in the world but I promise to love you, honor you, stand by you and cherish you. Fred Jacobs, will you marry me?"
The cameras began working. Fred was too surprised to say a word.
"What...what...are you doing?"
"Please, marry me, Fred. Let's tour this world together. We've both been betrayed by people we trusted but let's not let that weigh us down. Allow us to write our own story."
"Jason..." Fred began.
"Please, don't say no."
Fred couldn't hold it anymore. He ran toward Jason and Jason hurriedly got to his feet.
"Yes, I’ll marry you, Jason Sawyer."
"Really?" he asked him.
"Of course, I love you. I've always loved you but you were too scared to love anyone."
"I love you, Fred Jacobs. There can be no one for me in this world but you."
Jason slid the ring into Fred's finger. There were claps from the crowd. They kissed publicly and turned to look at the camera. The crowd watched them in awe. They had never seen anything so romantic before. They were being given free entertainment but neither Jason nor Fred seemed to care. The two were too engrossed with each other to care. They didn't care if their relationship was approved by their fans or not, all they knew was that they were happy. Their dreams had finally come true
The two made the news headlines again. They were considered the most romantic couple of the year. The video of Jason's proposal was uploaded on YouTube and it trended for over a month. They got married two weeks later in a private ceremony.
They w
ere home one evening enjoying a cup of coffee when the evening news began.
They saw Shane and Alice in handcuffs. The police had caught them and they had been arrested.
The truth about what really happened to Jason's money was revealed to the world but Jason's partner cheated the court of law when he suddenly had a heart attack and died.
"What kind of man would kill his own sister?" Fred asked him.
"A greedy one" Jason answered.
"Alice helped him kill her own twin just to deceive you?"
"I don't care about the money anymore. I have you and that's the most important thing for me right now."
Fred smiled.
"Oh, by the way, Elena's engagement party is scheduled in two weeks."
Jason raised a brow. “I’m so happy for her. Finally, she also found her own love. No one deserves to be alone."
"Yes. She said she wants you to be the chef for the reception." Fred was laughing.
"Really?"
"Jason, I always knew you would make a great chef. You’re becoming quite popular." Fred informed him.
"Am I as popular as you?"
"I'm serious. To the world, you’re growing to be one of the best chefs that ever existed. Who says you can't have two passions at the same time?"
Jason smiled. He was happy, he had longed stopped caring about what the world thought about him or his relationship with Fred. As long as they were both happy, nothing else mattered, besides, Fred's fans had taken the news positively. They had tripped Fred's twitter handle to wish him all the best.
"Love can really be found in the most unlikely places," Fred murmured.
'You can say that again."
The two kissed and held their hands.
"Thank you for finding me," Jason told him.
"No, I didn't find you, fate brought us together. Two people who thought they were incapable of love finally found love in the one place no one expected." Fred retorted.
"I love you, Fred Jacobs." Jason smiled at him. There was a kind of love and contentment in his eyes that Fred was already getting used to.
"I love you more, Jason Sawyer." Fred grinned.
"After your sister's wedding, what do you say about us going on a vacation?"
"Oh yes, that would be great." Fred was already excited.
"Only the two of us, we will make wild love on the beach, surf and maybe even fish."
"That sounds like a great idea."
“Have you heard from Maurice?” Jason asked.
“No, he didn’t contact me. I guess he finally gave up after his plans backfired. He thought I would lose fans but then, these issues only made me gain more fans.”
Fred grinned.
They pressed their lips together, knowing that there was a promise in their kiss. Jason and Fred had found their own happy ending. They were at peace with themselves and they had promised to never hurt each other, no matter what.