SKYLER
When she’s not at home with her monster romance novels, Betty’s out on the streets protesting for equality or gun reform. So she’s pretty much the coolest septuagenarian he knows.
He met her early on when he moved into the building. They were in the elevator together, and when he tried to help her with her armload of grocery bags, she shook her head and said, “Back on up, scrawny. I might be old, but I’m not incapable.”
He’s so used to helping out anyone whenever he can that he didn’t know what to do with himself at the rejection.
But then she laughed, told him he looked too skinny, and asked if he wanted to stop in at her place so she could make him some soup.
She assumed that, because he was a guy in his twenties, he didn’t know how to feed himself.
And she still always has food ready for him whenever he comes over.
He’s never had the heart to tell her that he actually loves to cook.
“Hi, gorgeous,” she says. “It’s good to see you.”
“You too. You look good,” he tells her, pulling away to actually get a better look at her.
Her thinning, chin-length hair is dyed light pink, a different color than it was the last time he was here.
She once explained that she’d been a brunette all her life, so when her hair turned gray, she decided that if she was going to dye it, she might as well dye it a fun color instead of the same old boring brown.
She’s wearing a purple T-shirt that says hoes before bros and jeans that hang loosely off her small, thin frame.
Skyler doesn’t like how she appears to have shrunk a bit more or gotten frailer every time he sees her.
But her energy level always remains high, and she never seems to have any trouble getting around, so hopefully her health is still holding strong.
She tuts, ushering him inside. “I look old. You can say it. But don’t worry. I’m not dying yet.”
He almost laughs but not quite. Following her into the kitchen, he obediently takes a seat at the small table when she forcefully pushes him down into it.
“I’ve still got too much shit to try to fix in this damn country,” she says as she moves over to the stove.
“Everything’s falling apart again. New horrible crap going on every day.
It’s ridiculous. Like these assholes have never read a history book or something.
And now I’m out here making even more protest signs than I ever did back in my twenties.
Why can’t they just treat everyone the same and let folks go on living their own lives as long as they’re not hurting anybody? ”
Skyler sighs. “I wish it could be that way.”
“It can,” Betty states firmly. “But the people with the most power and money are always greedy for more of it. And they trick the people without any of that stuff into believing that their own neighbors who look a bit different than them are to blame for their lives being hard. Rather than blaming the dicks who control everything.”
While Skyler totally agrees with her, he also feels a tinge of guilt.
Because even though he’s always done what he can to make this world a better place for everyone, he is one of those people with way more money than he’ll ever need.
And even though his level of fame puts him under constant public scrutiny, his fame and money have certainly kept him well-insulated from the worst of this country’s issues.
“Oh, don’t make that face,” Betty says, shaking her head at him before opening the oven.
She bends down and pulls a square pan out of it.
“I know you’re rich as all fuck, but that doesn’t make you one of those assholes I’m talking about.
You’ve got the biggest heart of anyone I’ve ever met.
And you use your money and influence for good, same as me. ”
Skyler knows Betty was married a long time ago to a bank CEO.
But they apparently caused a large scandal when it came out that they were living as a triad with another woman.
And the woman was a pretty famous artist in the New York art scene back at that time.
So Betty’s always been a proponent for what some other people might consider unconventional lifestyles.
Both of her partners died sooner than they should have, though. Which means she’s been alone for a long time, with a lot of money and looking for ways to fill her time.
He accepts a plate with a large piece of cherry cobbler dished onto it that she passes to him.
He didn’t have a chance to tell her he wasn’t hungry.
Not that she would’ve listened anyway. When she takes the seat across from him, setting down a plate with a much smaller piece of cobbler for herself, their conversation drifts to happier topics. Like smut.
Betty’s more than happy to talk about her current read when Skyler prompts her. “The guy’s a dark angel, and you won’t believe what he can do to the woman with his wings. Have you watched that show Lucifer?”
Skyler suppresses a laugh as he takes a tiny bite of dessert. He’s never seen the show, but he’s pretty sure that whatever she’s about to describe to him isn’t in it.
After she’s told him much more than he needed to know about angel sex, Betty jumps up from the table asking, “Do you want some tea?”
She’s already grabbed the electric kettle before he can answer, so he lets her make it. She sets the tea down in front of him in a mug with a picture of a uterus holding up two middle fingers.
While he waits for the tea to cool down a bit, Skyler thanks her for taking care of his plants.
Ever since he bought a bunch of succulents on that trip with Trevor during the wildfire, he’s wanted to keep more plants in the apartment, so that the place actually feels alive whenever he visits.
But he’s not here nearly enough, and they’d die without someone’s help.
He would’ve had Layla do it, except he doesn’t trust her not to kill them. Plants aren’t her thing. She can keep multiple patients alive each day, so you might think she could handle a cactus, but you’d be wrong.
Skyler was reluctant to accept Betty’s help, but she’d insisted. And she’d absolutely refused to let him pay her for doing it.
“So where’s your other half?” Betty asks him. “Is he not with you?”
That makes Skyler frown. The phone sex with Trevor last night was hot, but he still misses him. And he knows that’s ridiculous. They’re married. They live together. It won’t kill him to spend a few nights away from his husband.
He’s just greedy. He went too long without having Trevor by his side, and he never wants to go through life like that again.
Betty raises an eyebrow, and he realizes he hasn’t answered.
“No, Trev couldn’t come. He’s been super busy with his new label. It’s going really well.”
“That’s great, isn’t it? So why do you not look happy about it?”
“I am!” Skyler exclaims. Because of course, he is. He’ll always be happy about Trevor’s success. What kind of shitty partner would he be if he wasn’t? “I’m just being silly.”
Wrapping her bony fingers around the handle of her mug, Betty says slowly, “Your feelings are never silly. You’re allowed to feel however you feel.”
Skyler shakes his head. “No, but I really am happy for him. And I’m so freaking proud.
I’m glad he found his passion in the music industry again.
And he’s doing fantastic. He already signed this artist who’s incredible, and I think the guy’s gonna go so far.
I honestly don’t expect Trevor to spend every waking minute with me. Sometimes I get anxious, that’s all.”
He pauses, taking a sip of tea to gather his thoughts before he speaks again. “Our lives were so crazy when we were in the band together. And eventually, all the different obligations took a toll on our relationship.”
Betty gives him a skeptical look. “Didn’t they have you two pretending to date a bunch of girls, though? You’ve told me that was what caused the problems.”
“Yeah. It was the biggest factor. So I know it’s different now, but still.
I don’t want our busy careers to keep us from actually being together.
Living our lives together. But I’m not ready to quit music, and I’d never want him to give up his career either.
Like I said, sometimes I just get anxious thinking about it.
The next time I go on tour, he probably won’t be able to come with me for the whole thing, so what then? We spend a year apart? I hate that.”
“I’ve only seen the two of you together a couple times now,” Betty says, reaching out to place a hand on his forearm, “but it’s impossible not to see how much you love each other.
From what you’ve told me, I know you’ve been through a lot together, and you’ve been through a lot apart.
When you decided to get back together, you were both in places in your lives where you understood the effort it would take to make it work, didn’t you?
You knew what your lives would be like, and you chose it. ”
“We did.” Skyler manages a smile. “And I know every relationship takes effort. Believe me, I’m not complaining about that.
Actually, it took more effort to be away from Trevor for all that time than it does to be with him.
Being with him is the best part. It makes everything else worth it.
I’ll try to remember that whenever I’m sad about us being apart for a bit.
” His smile grows bigger now when he adds, “At least I’ll always get to go back to him. ”
“Damn straight,” Betty says. She gives his arm a squeeze before letting it go. “Or maybe damn gay is more appropriate here.”
That makes Skyler snort a laugh. “Thanks for this. I guess I needed to put things into perspective.”
Betty lifts one leg to put her foot up on the edge of her seat, which is a pretty impressive display of flexibility for someone her age.
“When we first met after you moved in here, you were devastated over your breakup. I know how lost you felt. But I also remember you slowly putting yourself back together. You learned how to build your own life without Trevor. You’re one of the most interesting people I’ve ever met, and I’m old, so you know I’ve met plenty of people. ”
“What are you trying to say?”
“I’m saying that you have a shit ton of interests and hobbies of your own.
Not to mention, your ridiculously huge career.
You might be the world’s best husband or something.
But that’s not all you are. You have your own life outside of Trevor.
” Betty stares him down hard, like she wants to make sure he’s paying attention.
“You don’t stop being a person when he’s not around, do you?
I’m sure the two of you will be madly in love with each other every day for the rest of your lives, but you don’t need to be together every damn day for that to be true. ”
Well, shit.
Skyler already knew all of this. Really, he did. But hearing someone else say it to him is a pretty good reminder.
Sun & Star Records is only going to grow bigger, and it will take up even more of Trevor’s time than it does now. And eventually, Skyler’s going to tour again. He’s not going to hold himself back, and he would never want Trevor to do that either.
They loved each other even through the five years when they never spoke. They can be apart, go wherever they need to go on their own, and enjoy it. Their love isn’t going anywhere.
When Skyler steps out of the elevator and back into the penthouse, he’s armed with a plastic-wrapped plate of cobbler that Betty insisted he take. As he turns toward the open kitchen area to set it down on the breakfast bar, he gets a weird sense that something isn’t right.
The TV is on.
Did he leave it on?
There’s no way. He hasn’t even watched TV since he’s been here.
“Hey, baby.” Trevor’s head pops up over the back of the couch, and Skyler jumps out of his skin.
The shock only lasts a second, though, before he’s running over to stand behind the couch. “Oh my god! What? Hi! How are you here?”
Shrugging casually like this is nothing, Trevor says, “Moved some things around. I rescheduled one meeting and figured Noah could handle the rest in my place. He was more than happy to jump in.”
“But...” Skyler’s elation at seeing Trevor starts to fade into a feeling of guilt. “You didn’t need to do that for me. I know I whined a lot, but I was fine.”
“I know you were.” Trevor reaches up to grasp Skyler’s wrist. “But I missed you. Hope you still want me here.”
“Are you kidding?” Skyler says, launching himself over the back of the couch and practically tackling him.
After a hello kiss that lasts long enough for the closing credits music to play on the episode of Gilmore Girls Trevor was watching, Skyler gets up to grab a book off one of his shelves, and then they resettle on the couch together.
Trevor’s head is in Skyler’s lap, and Skyler holds his book in one hand so he can keep the other one in Trevor’s hair while Trevor watches another episode.
And this, right here, is Skyler’s idea of a perfect night. No performances, no partying. Just the two of them.
He may not need Trevor with him everywhere he goes. But he’ll always want him there.