The Thief of Your Heart
Pairing: Jeff Timmons/Drew Lachey
Rating: R for adult themes
Disclaimer: Jeff and Drew’s relationship begins to blossom and the events are witnessed through Leah’s eyes.
I’ll share you with the one
That will mend what falls apart
And turn a blind eye
To the thief of you heart
“Oh well, I guess I should go,” she says, picking up her purse and making her way silently to the door. She nods and smiles to the people around her as she moves through the crowded house. She reaches the front door without being stopped and opens it. Stepping out into the cool night air, she breathes a sigh of relief. She hadn’t realized that she had been holding her breath.
Moving down the steps from the porch, she stops when she hears two hushed voices. They are both male, but sound embarrassed, almost as if they are doing something they know they shouldn’t. Stepping into the shadows of the porch, she leans out and looks around for the source of the voices. Looking toward the driveway, she sees them, leaning against a car and talking softly. The taller of the two glances around quickly, checking for anyone who might be watching, leans down and kisses the smaller man.
She chokes back a gasp when she recognizes Jeff’s face in the moonlight and then wonders who the other man is. Staring intently from her hiding place, she sees them break the kiss and move toward the garage.
She gasps aloud when Drew’s face comes into the light, showing lips slightly swollen from the kisses that they had been sharing. She sees both of them freeze and glance her way. “Who’s there?” She steps out of the shadows at Jeff’s question. She suddenly feels ashamed, as if she were a child watching something she shouldn’t.
“Lea! We didn’t know you were out here,” Jeff says. He’s stammering, casting quick glances in Drew’s direction. Drew is looking down, refusing to meet her gaze.
Meeting Jeff’s shocked face with a grim stare, she pushes her hair out of her face and stares coldly at the two men. “Jeff can I talk to Drew, alone please?”
“Yeah, sure.” Jeff drops Drew’s hand and walks around the garage, heading for back yard. Drew won’t meet her gaze. He starts shuffling the rocks at his feet refusing to look up.
“Drew?”
“Yeah?” Drew looks up at her, fear in his eyes. “Look, Lea, it was just a kiss…”
“What?! Just a kiss? I come outside to look for you and I find you kissing Jeff in the driveway!”
“Lower your voice, please?” Drew raises his hands in a shushing manner, casting quick glances around.
“Fine. But, I want an explanation. Now.” Drew winces at the anger in her voice and looks away quickly.
“I’m sorry.”
“Hell of an explanation Andrew. I didn’t ask for an apology.” Crossing her arms, she sets herself in ready for the fight she knows is coming. She feels her bottom lip start to tremble but forces it to stop. No, she’s not going to cry. Not here, where he could see it. “What were you doing?”
“I’m not sure. Look, it didn’t mean anything…”
Letting her mouth drop open, Lea gaped at him. Shaking her head abruptly, she begins to
walk around Drew. “Fine, don’t tell me
what it was. I think I already know.”
She feels Drew reach for her arm, but twists out of the way. Spinning around she jabs her finger roughly
into Drew’s chest. “Don’t touch me. Your touch is the last thing I want right
now.”
“Where are you going?” Drew lets his arm drop. Looking into his eyes, she can see the guilt in them, plus some anger?
“Home Drew. My home. You want to kiss around on Jeff, fine but not while I’m around. I suggest you stay with him tonight. But, I want an explanation tomorrow.” She turns and walks to her car. Climbing in, she starts the engine and pulls away from the curb with a squeal of rubber and allows the tears to fall silently down her cheeks as she drives.
She stops as she walks out of the kitchen, seeing Drew come through the front door. He doesn’t see her since he’s looking down as he closes the door. She clears her throat softly, knowing the sound will carry down the hall to where he is standing. She sees him look up quickly and hears him whisper her name. “Lea…”
“Come into the kitchen Drew. I want to talk to you. About last night.” She turns on her heel and walks back into the kitchen. Seating herself, she wraps her hands around the warm mug she’s holding. Her hands are shaking. She doesn’t want Drew to see how upset she is.
She hears him walk in, glancing up she watches him walk over and pour himself a cup of coffee. He is making a great deal of noise as he goes about his small preparation. ‘He’s nervous,’ she realizes.
He turns and looks at her, taking in her appearance. She sees him wince softly as he look she in the eyes. She most look horrible she thinks. She knows there are dark circles under her eyes. She gets them anytime she looses sleep. Her hair needs to be washed. Looking down at her coffee cup, she listens to him walk over and sits across from her.
“You’re mad at me. I understand that. I would be if I were you…”
She never gives him a chance to finish. “I’m mad at you? Of course I’m mad at you Drew! I come out looking for you last night and find you kissing someone. And not just anyone at that but Jeff! What the hell am I supposed to do, stand back and let the two of you finish making out like horny jocks in the locker room?”
It’s then that she realizes that she is standing. Looking down at Drew, she can only imagine how she must look. Reaching down and grabbing her coffee cup off of the table, she walks over and pours it out. She had thought that the coffee to fortify her for this, but now the thought of eating or drinking anything made her ill.
“It wouldn’t have been so bad if it’d been another woman. But, Jeff? He’s your best friend.”
“Lea, I’m sorry. I never meant to hurt you. I just never knew how to tell you…” Drew trailed off, not finishing the sentence. As she turns around to look at him, she sees he is crying silently.
Her heart clenches against her will as she sees him sitting there. “Drew. Tell me what?” she asks, not wanting to hear the answer she’s afraid of hearing.
Drew looks up and draws a shuddering breath. “I’m gay,” comes the whispered reply. “I never wanted to hurt you. Please forgive me?”
She raises her hand to her mouth as she feels the tears begin to spill. “If you had told me before I caught you with someone…” She turned away. ‘Please, just make him go away.’
“Lea, I still love you, you know that.”
She froze. In an instant the tears that she had fought to keep in were gone. “Love me? You still love me?! I don’t believe this!” She was furious now. Drew pulled back in surprise as she spun and stalked toward him. “Just where the hell do you get off telling me that you love me? Huh?”
“I do…it’s difficult to understand.” Drew was stammering.
“Difficult to understand? That is an understatement Andrew Lachey. Difficult to understand is not the exact choice of words I would have chosen for this fiasco. I’m not listening to this anymore.” With this said, she turned and walked out of the kitchen. She headed down the hall and was turning to climb the stairs when she heard Drew yell for her.
“Lea! Wait! Come back, please?” She continued up the stairs, ignoring the man’s pleas. Once on the second floor she headed for the bedroom. Closing the door, she locked it behind her and began looking around the room. She could see pieces of him everywhere. The closet was open, showing both their clothes, hers hung on the right and his on the left. The king size bed took up the majority of the dim room.
Looking at the bed where she had lain with almost nightly for the past two years, she snorted in disgust. She stalked across the room and into the closet. Reaching up, she pulled down her suitcase as she heard Drew’s voice through the locked door.
“Lea? Come on, let me in, please? Look, I said I was sorry, what more do you want me to do?” She could hear the rattle of the door as he tried the doorknob again. Ignoring him, she threw clothes into the suitcase and went about changing into some clean clothes. Soon, she was walking around the room gathering up what she wanted to take with her. Her jewelry she left on the dresser. Drew had bought most of it for her anyway. She looked down at her left hand and saw the diamond resting there.
Pulling it off, she tossed it onto the bed, walked over and picked up her suitcase. Pulling the door open, she saw Drew standing there. “Lea…what the? You’re leaving?”
“Yes, Drew, I’m leaving.” Without another word, she headed down the stairs and out the front door. As she put the suitcase in the trunk, she turned back and glared at Drew. He was standing on the porch, looking like a boy who had just lost his best friend. “Think of it this way. Now Jeff can move in. I’m sure he’ll love that, now that I’m out of the way.”
Before Drew could say anything else, she climbed behind the wheel and pulled out of the driveway and drove off.