My Lie-On Valentine

Chapter One

By Roofles

A silly story I had wanted to write for the site for a long time and finally got around to doing between other (non-furry) projects.

“Yeah, I have a boyfriend.”

It had been a kneejerk reaction to encountering his ex that day. Something he would live to regret.

Lawrence Schultz had tried to hide away when the dreadful V-day hit after the rocky breakup, dwelling inside an old records store down near 8^th and west street near campus.

It had been his sanctuary.

House of Oldies it was called. A small store within a strip mall that could’ve easily been overlooked from the outside. Wall to wall it was filled with records and posters. Cassettes filled boxes alongside albums and enough CDs to fill Law’s dorm room with. And that wasn’t even counting the collection of DVDs and blue rays in the corner. 

Even the smell of the inside of the store was something else, like an old shoe box opened for the first time. Musty and yet somehow new, freshly polished, and yet left in a storage closet for too long. It was a place untouched by time and even the holidays had been checked at the door, leaving those inside to shop for last minute gifts for their partners this day.

Something Law was pretending to have forgotten about.

It had been “his” place, a place Law had brought Brett to on their third date. Wanting to show a piece of himself to his boyfriend at the time. A piece of his own life, to open up and share something with him that had only been his. Law never thought it would be tainted by his very presence a couple years later since that day after the sloppy, half-assed breakup that would occur a week prior.

“Law! Funny running into you here,” the cougar started up with as he walked over to the human.

Lawrence hadn’t dressed, or washed, up for Valentine’s Day as so many other people had.

Law had on the old faded gray Ghosts sweater, a popular indie group, keeping the hood up over his head to hide his disheveled hair. He had the thing since college and was thankful for it during his blue days like today. Underneath was a used black wrinkled shirt with the logo of a popular underground punk band, and a pair of tight blue jeans with his vans. Law had his oversized headphones around his neck, his own personal pair he carried to plug in at House of Oldies not wanting to use the ones they offered. Add in his messy brown hair that always looked as if he spent an hour stylizing it despite never bothering and his beard that had grown out after the breakup, he really did look like a bum off the streets.

Or a local college guy, which he was.

Law had wanted to mix things up, change his looks and outfit and go back to before he met the feline.  He just didn’t expect it to happen so soon and was unsure if his heart was ready for such an encounter. Let alone looking as he was.

“Hey,” Law dragged the word out as he glanced towards the exit wanting to make a hasty retreat if the opportunity presented itself. “Yeah,” he went on seeing the cougar give him that dazzling smile. “You know me, heh. Always like the vinyl’s…”

Law was mentally going over if he brushed his teeth that morning, if he combed his hair and if he double checked to make sure there was nothing in his beard his father called a hipsters paradise. He tried to sniff himself discretely, wishing he had at least put deodorant on this morning when the feline looked away towards the door as someone left.

“Just didn’t expect to see you here today.” Brett went on casually enough. It was hard to tell if the cougar was teasing him or not as the large, brown furred feline rested against a wooden box filled with vinyl and peer down at the human with beautiful sapphires for eyes. “You look good.”

Such a simple compliment shouldn’t have such an effect on him, but Law found himself smiling despite his best efforts not too.

Brett had a deep voice that sent shivers up Law’s spine when the two had first gone out. The way his purr wove its way into his words was an art in itself. Brett would nuzzled that broad snout against the side of his face, allowing Law to feeling the vibrations from the feline’s enthusiasm. It had been a magically experience he thought the two had shared together. Something only between the two of them. Brett was always good with his words adding just enough of an inflection when needed while coming off chill and laid back enough he easily fit into Law’s life.

Like a missing piece. Or so he had thought. Now he felt empty without that piece in the puzzle of his life.

“I didn’t see you at Roost the other night.” Brett brought up, making Law feel as if he were somehow to blame for that. Even if he knew Brett hadn’t met it as such.

He was just a tad touchy… after it all. 

The underground hangout, The Magpie’s Roost, was a hole in the wall that let people get up on stage and read bad poetry or play horrible music for the audience in a dimly lit room that smelled strongly of tea and incense. They also served a decent cup of coffee. It was a lackadaisical place that harbored to Law’s carefree lifestyle.

Even if it was absurdly expensive. He figured he was paying for the experience more than anything else.

It had been their fifth date and Law couldn’t have been happier about it introducing Brett there.

“Yeah, was just… busy. You know. School. And stuff.” Law tried to appear relax in front of his ex as he forced his eyes to peel away from the handsome cougar in front of him. He went back to browsing, doing his darndest to appear disinterest bumping into Brett after these past few days that felt more like weeks.

It sucked. Brett had been such a concrete part of his life. Law didn’t know how he was getting by without such a strong support in it. Holding it up. Holding him up. A pillar that had just up and walked out of his life, leaving him structural lopsided and condemned to rot.

“You look good too.” Law tried to say. It hurt, just to mouth the words. No matter how true they were.

He couldn’t help himself. Brett really did look good. He wore designer jeans with an open black leather jacket that would’ve looked idiotic on anyone else. The cougar had slick back head fur and looked somewhat like a greaser. Brett somehow managed to pull off anything he wore, and Law had always envied the handsome feline for that. Even the white t-shirt underneath with a dorky logo from some obscure brand fit perfectly on the cougar as if it were made for him. It hugged him at all the right angles, outlining his full chest and lithe sides. It was eye candy Law missed partaking in.

The cougar had been perfect.

Brett could do no wrong.

Until he broke up with him…

“This?” Brett just shrugged, pulling on the jacket. “I wanted to dress up for Eddie.” The feline said without a thought behind it.

Law felt the name drop like a weight into the pit in his stomach hearing it spoken by the cougar so leisurely. He always suspected the rat’s interesting in Brett but to hear him so casually bring it up like this? Right in front of his ex? Was heartbreaking and Law tried not to let that show on the vinyl he had pulled up to look at it. His fingers gripping it far too tight, threatening to break it if he wasn’t careful.

“I see.” Law’s mouth had suddenly become very dry. “The two of you, huh?” Law wanted to keep the bile from his throat but felt his palms grow clammy at the very thought of the white rat and his ex-hooking up.

Eddie had been Law’s roommate back during their first year of college. Law had been the one to introduce the two together. And had ended up regretting it since.

“Eh,” Brett tail flicked to the side seemingly bored with the subject. “It’s whatever.” The feline stood next to Law’s side rummaging through the albums skillfully with dexterous fingers that put the human’s clumsy attempts next to him to shame. “Ed’s cool n’ all. Sure.”

“Yeah. He was.” Law couldn’t help the jab at his former friend. Law had cut Eddie out of his life the very second he found out about the two of them hooking up. You don’t date your friends ex, that was like rule number one. It was up there with covering for a friend if their significant other called asking where they were at.

“How about you?” Brett inquired, glancing over with those bright blue eyes that always made Law’s heart flutter. Even now, those pools of blue were so warm and caring looking at him.

It was hard to believe the two were only friends now. If one could truly be a friend with an ex.

“YES!” Law blurted out before lowering his voice quickly in embarrassment. He looked terrible and was hoping to just blend in with the crowd. Not stand out like this. “I am totally, also, am seeing someone… Of course.”

“Oh?” Brett’s eyebrow lifted as he looked at the human, taking a long thought on that. “That’s good.” The cougar’s tail flicked. “Do I know them?” Brett inquired, seemingly asking an innocent, inane question as if to be polite. The feline’s speed picked up as he flipped through the albums carelessly.

“Yes.” Law mentally smacked himself in the face for that.

“Who?” Brett’s tail flicked once more and for a second, Law thought the cougar might be jealous. The feline appeared for all intent and purposes cool, calm and collected. His body was relaxed making it hard to tell. Law figured it had just been wishful thinking.

Why would Brett be jealous over something Law did if he was the one to break up with the human?

“Well, you prob’ don’t know him.” Law wanted to shrug it off, change the subject but that was the funny thing talking to someone you once dated. They knew all your tells and feline’s were particularly sharp at picking up such things.

“It’s not that big of a campus.” A smirk played across the cougar’s face as he went back to idly looking through the albums. Law knew Brett could afford anything in the store thanks to his daddy’s income.

Whereas Law was more of a grazer. Going from one thing to the next, listening to them as long as the store owner let him. One day, maybe, he’d be able to buy some of the stuff here. He’d love to set up a room just to relax in and listen to music at.

Brett was the other sort of customer. That could, and sometimes did, buy an unnecessary amount of things when the mood struck him. He had the disposable income, might as well use it. Law had envied that about him, even if he didn’t let Brett pay for him even while they were dating.

“He’s in my art class.” Law just mumbled, not looking at the feline who he was sure was still watching him from the corner of his eye.

“You still taking that?” Brett sounded more surprised by that fact than he met someone in it.

“What’s wrong with art?” Law frowned, already feeling that old frustration boiling back up.

“You can’t make a living off art.” Brett gave a single shoulder shrug. He looked good, though, even when he was doing it. His long muscular body moving with the motion naturally. “That’s all.” Brett rolled his shoulder and, Law was sure, pushed his chest out a bit more. Showing off for his ex? Or just stretching? It was hard to tell.

“Better than theater.” Law had to bring up.

“Actors make a lot!” Brett grumbled back, looking away now as his tail flicked in annoyance.

“Yeah, if they get hired.”

“I told you I had a part in a local play.”

“Streetcar named desire isn’t supposed to be on ice-,” Law stopped himself, shaking his head as he held up both hands. “No. No forget it. I’m not getting into this, again, with you.” He said trying to diffuse the situation before it blew up into another shouting match between the two. “Let’s just not.”

Being with someone opens up so many things. Good and bad. And when that pettiness rears its ugly head, the two knew exactly what buttons to push to get the other riled up. To anyone else, it must’ve seemed silly and small. They wouldn’t get it. They wouldn’t understand that such silly, small things could be the most important in a foundation for a relationship. And when those silly small things began to crumble and break apart, so too did everything else.

“It wasn’t!” Brett chuffed and shook his head before laughing it off, relaxing. His fur settling back down as his nails retracted and his tail calmed down. “Damn, we almost got back in it, huh?”

“Like nothing had changed, yeah…” Law said feeling melancholy on the lingering sentiment. 

“Yeah…” Brett scratched the back of his neck, looking around the room. “So…” He began.

“I should get.” Law cut in. He didn’t want to have this conversation again. The after break up conversation if they could still be friends, hang out and do stuff like they used too but without any of the implications behind it.

It just didn’t feel right. Was it too soon? Maybe. Maybe the two could never get over this and they’d always end up being that uncomfortable person who would happen to bump into once every blue moon.

Law just wished that day wasn’t today, of all days.

“Right. Yeah. That’s cool.” Brett hesitated as the human took a step towards the door. “Law,” he began, and Lawrence looked over at him. “Let’s go on a double date.”

“I…. what?” Law face fell at the very prospect of such a ridiculous idea.

“Today. You and your man. Eddie and me. We’ll meet up for lunch? Brunch? No, no. How about dinner? Like we used too. Be fun.” Brett said thinking it over, adjusting their plans before even asking Law about it as if knowing it’d throw the human off enough to get him to just go along with it.

It wouldn’t have been the first time Brett had pulled one of his sneaky “Cat tricks” as Law had begun calling them.

“Well…” Law, with no boyfriend to speak of couldn’t lie about the lie he had already created without looking like an utter fool in front of his ex.

“Good.” Brett clapped his large hands together, rubbing them in front of the human’s face. “We’ll meet at Ambrosia, down near the stadium.” The cougar just nodded, thinking it all over. The place wasn’t exactly cheap and to get a table reserved for them could only be done with Brett’s connections and money.

Or rather, his parents connections and money.

Money made the world bend it’s back for you after all. Law had never been impressed by Brett throwing his daddy’s money around like this. And still Brett, even now, would do so as if he expected to be praised by Law for it. Have the human clap and cheer for him. Something Law could never bring himself to do.

“They won’t just have seats!” Law started up, feeling like the two were on another one of their last-minute date nights plans. “It’s Valentine’s Day, Brett.”

“Leave it to me,” Brett just rubbed a finger over Law’s cheek and down to his chin, scratching the beard he had going on. “It suits you.” The cougar purred almost lovingly before pulling his hand back as quickly as he started leaving the human confused and fluster from the tender display. “See you at six. No, make it seven.” And before Law could even argue against that the cougar’s tail lifted up to brush his chin as the feline retreated, leaving the store before Law could collect his thoughts.

“Son of a-. The hell just happened?” Law was already miserable this morning and now he’d gotten himself into a whole thing. He had an entire thing planned for tonight. Buy a tub of ice cream and watch sad movies late into the night. “Mandy, I need you!” Law was practically crying into his phone as he called his best friend, planning to meet up with her and figure something out.

He'd have to explain everything to her in person, knowing she’d eat this all up like a juicy piece of steak. If that steak was gossip that is.

Law didn’t know who he could possibly turn to in his time of need and just hoped Mandy could figure something out. Or he could just run for it, that was still a very valid option. No matter what he did, he’d end up the fool.