VICTOR's POV

I needed three days to deal with the whole situation about my father, and the fact he was using me in his dirty games. I wasn't exactly moping around doing nothing, though. I couldn't afford such behavior. But my productivity was at its lowest, and the work I did was nothing compared to my usual performance. But who could blame me?

With everything going on, I wasn't sure about anything anymore. The discussion I had with Nels about this went on forever, as we tried to come up with an explanation of why everything suddenly seemed to click together. But we didn't find anything except for what I already knew. My father was a manipulative bastard. Even Nelson had to admit it made sense and considering he had known my father for years now, there was no doubt about it. Everything had been planned from the beginning. I was trapped in that man's spider web, and there was no way of getting away.

When we left the coffee shop, all I wanted to do was to go to the closest bar and have a few glasses of some good liquor. I wasn't exactly sure why I didn't do it, but I didn't. Instead of that, I gave myself a moment to calm down and headed straight for the office with my best friend in tow. Thinking about it, the work might have actually helped me in getting my mind clearer so I could function without any real problem.

Three days passed in a blink of an eye, and now I was standing here, looking at the building in front of me, awestruck. I couldn't believe I seriously did it, but the evidence was right in front of my eyes.

I bought a house.

I didn't expect it to be so easy, and I definitely didn't expect I would find anything up to my taste so soon after I started looking. With everything happening, it almost seemed as if this house was waiting for me, which was a bit scary.

When I decided to look for a new place to stay at, the first location I went for was the suburbs. That was exactly how I imagined my future life when I was younger, and this particular idea stuck with me till this day. And here I was, staring at my dream house, hardly able to believe it was really happening.

The house itself wasn't really big or luxurious. If anything, it looked like any other family house in the neighborhood. There were six rooms in total, with an option to add another two instead of the attic that was now functioning as a typical throw-away space for unnecessary stuff. The ground floor had a big kitchen that was already fully equipped, a big bathroom with shower and bathtub, a living room and one bedroom. The rest of the rooms were on the first floor, with one additional bathroom and an entrance to the attic at the end of the hallway. The garden behind the house was enormous, which was one of the big factors that made me chose this house. There was a nice outside seating, perfect for barbeque gatherings, and a big enough space to play around with Matt.

I could already imagine the final look of the house after everything I planned was finished, and I couldn't wait. I couldn't believe I was actually the owner of a family house from now on. It felt surreal and almost as a dream.

Luckily, I was one hundred percent sure it couldn't be a dream because of the annoyance standing next to me.

I turned, looking at Nelson while frowning. He had been grumbling and mumbling incoherent words since the moment I told him I bought a house, and I couldn't understand why. Yes, it might have been a bit rushed, buying a house out of nowhere. But as I told him before, there was no way I would leave my family behind. I had a son here, for god's sake. There was no way I was going back to Chicago after this discovery. And why should I wait if I had the money for it?

"What's your problem?" I asked, not really angry. I was still high on the happy feelings of having a house here. There was no one who could ruin my mood at the moment. Not even my bastard of a father and that said a lot.

As stupidly as it sounded, I finally had something stable in my life. It was only a house; nothing for some people. But it was everything for me at the moment. I had a place near my son. I could take him here, have him sleep over. And if everything went well, there was a possibility of having a complete family here with me, Matt and Oliver, all together. I couldn't wish for more.

Nelson looked at me, scowling. I seriously didn't understand why he was acting this way. He had always been there for me, supporting me and helping me whenever I needed it. There were times when he didn't hesitate to punch me in the face, but it was always justified. He was my best friend. Why couldn't he be happy for me at a time like this?

"All this is too rushed. You don't even know how this whole situation is going to turn out. Buying a house like this...it's insane!" His voice rose to the point of almost yelling, and I could see he was upset. His whole posture was tense, and the always present spark in his eyes was gone.

"I have a son here, Nels. Let's forget about Oliver and everything else for a moment. Even if Ollie refused to get back together with me, Matty won't disappear. I can't leave now, not after finding out about him, not after getting to know him," I said, staring at him and wondering what was his problem. He had never been so against anything I had done in the past – not counting my drinking, which he hated but couldn't really do anything about.

Staying quiet for a few more seconds, he turned away. I almost thought he would leave without saying another word, but that didn't happen.

"You're going to leave everything behind. We've been together since forever, Victor. And as sappy as it sounds, I simply can't imagine living miles away from you without an opportunity to see you whenever I feel like it. Even though it probably won't be any problem for you to transfer here, I won't be able to. I'll be staying in Chicago. You may be annoying and stupid at times, you may piss me off or make me want to beat you up. But you're my best friend. This is just," he paused, looking back at me, still scowling, "this is too much to accept in such a short amount of time. You can't blame me for being upset." He shook his head, sighing.

It took me a while to fully understand what he was saying. But when I did, I was left speechless. I didn't know what to say. Everything he said, each word that left his mouth, was ringing in my head. He was right. My transfer here didn't mean Nels would go with me. And the fact it never crossed my mind since the moment I decided to move, was making it ten times worse.

There was no question about it, I would do everything the same way even if I did think about this possibility. As I said before, Matty was my son, and he was my priority right now. But the realization I never even thought about how I wouldn't be able to spend my evenings with Nels whenever I felt like it, was making me feel like shit. I wouldn't be able to complain to him whenever something bad happened. There wouldn't be anyone to tell me to get it together and stop acting like an immature prick. To punch me if I fucked something up. We wouldn't laugh at stupid jokes one of us said every other night we used to go out at night. We would see each other once, maybe twice a month, and that was stretching it.

Why didn't I realize this sooner?

***

After my talk with Nelson, I couldn't stop thinking about it. We parted our ways soon after we finished, and although he apologized to me for acting like an oversensitive idiot, I couldn't accept the apology. There was nothing to apologize for, after all. If I had been in his shoes, I would have made an even bigger scene. Because he was right. We had been together for a long time. It didn't matter we were both grown-up men. Losing an almost-everyday contact with your best friend so suddenly was going to be a shock. A much bigger change than moving to a different state.

As if these worries weren't enough, I had to deal with Alison in the afternoon. She found out about the house, probably from Nelson's big mouth, and was shocked about the whole situation. She wasn't so against it as Nels, but the discussion with her went on forever. I didn't really think about our little problem when I pictured my future life here, so there were some complications awaiting us. Luckily enough, she liked the house and was happy to see there was a lot of space for whatever she wanted to do there. I didn't ask. I was glad our exchange was over, and I could get some time alone to relax. The day was exhausting as it was. Talking to Alison was a hard task on normal days, but after my harsh awakening in the morning, it was way too much.

Pouring myself a glass, I sat down and let my head fall back. I was exhausted. Even working for four days straight with a little to no time to sleep, I had never been so exhausted before. I once read somewhere that mental exhaustion was way worse than a physical one. With everything happening, I was starting to suspect it was true.

My phone suddenly went off, startling me to the point of almost falling down the chair. I wasn't feeling like talking to anyone. It was actually the last thing I wanted to do right now. But when I grabbed the phone and saw the name on the screen, I answered it without a second thought.

"Hello," I said, not knowing what to expect. If there was anything I didn't expect, it was Oliver calling me out of nowhere.

When we exchanged our phone numbers, I kind of counted on a fact I would be the one making the calls, as I was the one who was more desperate here. He himself calling me was strange, and I wasn't sure what to think about it.

It was silent for a moment, making me wonder whether I saw the caller ID correctly or not. But when he spoke up, his voice as melodic as always, a shiver ran down my spine.

"We need to talk."

****************************************************************

So, how was it?

What do you think about Victor's sudden purchase of a house?

Any idea why is Ollie calling him and wants to meet up?