After yet another long break, here is the next part. If I'm losing some of you with these extremely long breaks, don't worry. I've taken some advice and this will be the last part to be randomly posted. Starting with part 18, they'll all be posted on a daily basis, Monday-Friday. I could start it now, but I want to fine-tune some things first. Look forward to Part 20 because a major secret will be revealed!

Lots of dialogue in this part! I think I've gotten to a point where the set-up is there and I'm feeling that the words are coming straight from these characters' feelings! I feel like I'm no longer writing this story, but I'm just telling you all about this story. Whatever it is, I'm feeling good about it!

AS THE WORLD TURNS

"Luke & Kevin" - Part 17

At the Snyder Home, Lily poured a cup of coffee. Next to her on the sofa sat Sheryl Davis. The two women had been casual acquaintances for some times, given the fact that their sons were good friends. Lily never really knew why Sheryl and Sean had divorced several years ago, but she knew it had to be something bad. Thinking about the things that made Holden and herself break up sent chills through her at times. Unlike Holden and Lily, however, the Davises would never have a chance to mend their fences. As a matter of fact, Sheryl was just in the middle of describing her new boyfriend to Lily.

"He's a doctor, a pediatrician. He's very good with children," Sheryl said, sipping from her mug. "We would be living together now, but he comes from a strong-valued Christian background so he isn't exactly into us staying together now. But soon."

Lily had to laugh in the inside. This new boyfriend of Sheryl's was from a strong-valued Christian background? She wondered what he'd think of Sheryl's gay son. "Sounds good. Sounds like you're getting yourself right back on track."

"Yep," Sheryl said. "I just...I just feel bad that Sean didn't have the same chance to do that. You know what? He had a chance to do it, he just chose not to."

"Well...it's a part of your life that is no longer there. No sense trying to analyze it when you have so much going for you now. So tell me, what's this doctor's name?"

Sheryl smiled. "His name is...Doctor...Doctor Alex Steele."

Lily laughed. "Well he sounds like a really great guy."

"Oh he is."

Just then, the front door opened and closed. Luke came into the living room. He looked at Lily, looked at Sheryl, grunted, and started for the stairs.

"Um...," Lily said in pllace of an awkward silence. "You'll excuse me while I go see what is wrong with my son."

"Sure," Sheryl said. As Lily got up and went to the stairs, Sheryl inhaled and exhaled deeply. She had a feeling that she'd have to run into Luke again. She was indeed at his house.

Lily caught her son at the top of the stairs. "Hey you, slow down," she said. "What's your problem? Did you run into those thugs again?"

"No," Luke said. "I'm just tired."

"Well that doesn't give you the right to be rude to a guest in our home."

"A guest in our home, of course."

"Luke, I'm not going to tell her about you and Kevin, if that's what you're thinking," Lily said.

"You don't have to tell her, Mom, she already knows," Luke said, matter-of-factly. "She already knows."

"She definitely doesn't. She hasn't said anything about it."

"Because she probably doesn't want to believe it, or at least acknowledge that it exists. She definitely saw us back at Nora's apartment. She didn't say anything about it then."

Lily was shocked. "Well, then..."

"Look, I'm sorry for being mean and all, but I really just don't feel like talking right now, Mom. It's not you, so don't think that it is. I'm just not in the mood."

"Okay...if you get hungry, there's some food in the kitchen. Your Grandma Emma sent over a meatloaf and she made a sweet potato pie."

Luke sighed. He couldn't resist that. "That just might cheer me up."

Lily smiled. "It's in the kitchen on the table. You better get to it before your dad does."

Luke finally smiled. Lily patted him on the back as he went upstairs and then went back downstairs to finish things up with Sheryl. Fortunately, Sheryl had her sweater on and purse on her shoulder by the time Lily returned, so getting rid of her wasn't going to be so hard.

"I'm sorry about that," Lily said in regards to Luke. "He's just...it's teenager stuff."

"I'm sure it is," Sheryl said. "I have to get going anyway."

"Okay, good. I'm thinking this little one's bedtime is coming up soon," Lily laughed, rubbing her stomach.

Sheryl let out a small laugh. Lily's little talk about her unborn child kind of made her resentful for reasons she didn't want to explain. "I'm sure I'll see you again before we go back to Chicago."

"We?" Lily asked. "You brought...um...Alex with you?"

"Oh? Oh! No, no. I'm talking about me and Kevin."

"He's going back to Chicago with you?"

"Yeah. He's thought about it and we've decided that it's best for the both of us. We need each other right now and who knows, he might like it in Chicago. He might never come back to Oakdale."

Little did Sheryl know, Luke stood at the top of the stairs, listening to this conversation. He knew that he couldn't believe a word out of Sheryl's mouth. Kevin wasn't going to go back to Chicago. Sheryl was just wishfully thinking. Or was she?

~~~~~~~~~

Holden Snyder sat on the back porch of his home with a slice of his mother's sweet potato pie. It was the true defintion of comfort food. Problems? He had them. Stress? Lord knows he'd seen his fair share of it. But the comfort, the relaxation that would calm it all...well, that existed all in one piece of Emma's sweet potato pie. It took him back...back to his childhood on the farm, back to when the whole clan would snuggle up on a winter's night and keep each other warm. He could taste the hot cocoa at that moment.

"Dad?" Luke asked as he stepped outside from the kitchen. Holden's dream of long ago, of a time where there were no problems, suddenly vanished and he was immediately forced back into the present, where his problems and those of his children were much too big.

"Oh, hey, Luke," Holden answered. "When did you get in?"

"Uh...a few minutes ago....Dad, can I talk to you about something?" Luke asked reluctantly.

"Sure. Sit yourself down and my ears are all yours. Hell, I might even be able to help you out."

Luke followed the directions, but he wondered something. "What makes you think I need help with something?"

"When a kid wants to talk to his old man, it's usually because he needs help."

"Well, I can't say that you aren't right."

"What is it then?"

Luke breathed in and out. "Well...Kevin and me got into a little...a little tiff tonight, I guess you can say."

Holden's forehead wrinkled. "Over what? What happened?"

"It was nothing...just something stupid, something silly. We were talking about his father and how grandma fired him from Worldwide and all of that. I just reacted wrongly. And I guess you can factor in all of the stuff with his mom too."

"Sheryl? Wasn't she just here not too long ago?"

"Yeah, she just left. I wish she'd just leave town altogether."

"Why do you say that?"

"Well...it's hard to explain. She's come back and all...and she's trying to brainwash Kevin into wanting to go back to Chicago with her. She knows that we're together...she saw us kissing. And right before she found out that we were together, she was telling me about how Kevin's gonna go back to Chicago with her and forget all about Oakdale and all of that. She just told Mom the same thing."

"Is Kevin going to go with her?"

"I don't know. He doesn't want to, but he really doesn't have a say anymore. His father's dead and he's only 17. He has to go with her unless he can get emancipated and that'd be a waste of time."

Holden shifted positions in his chair so that he could lean towards Luke. "When does he make his birthday?"

"Four months," Luke said. "But that's...that's just too long for now."

"I understand what you mean. But if it's out of your hands and it's out of his hands, I don't know what can be done. Four months seems long, but it could be worse. The both of you could be younger."

"I guess you're right. We'll just see what happens in the next couple of days."

Holden nodded. Luke nodded. They both nodded. Holden left Luke outside for a few minutes, minutes that Luke spent gazing at the stars. Out here, away from the city lights of Chicago, you could see the stars. Not just one or two, but all of them. Every star in the sky was visible in the rural part of Oakdale. Why would anyone want to leave that behind?

~~~~~~~~~

The next morning, Luke awoke to sunlight streaming in through his bedroom window. Just like the stars from the night before, this sunlight was something that couldn't be found anywhere else. Why on Earth did Sheryl think she could make Kevin leave that behind him? And more importantly, Luke thought, why would Kevin leave him behind? It was a little arrogant, sure, but Luke thought himself an attractive guy. He stood up and looked at himself in his full-length mirror. No, he wasn't bad at all. Maybe not the hottest guy around, but a real looker.

He reached for his cell and started to dial Kevin's familiar number. To his surprise, there was an answer. "Kevin, you answered," Luke said with surprise in his voice. He decided to give his boy a call, just to apologize for the way he was last night. He felt horrible for beaing that way, knowing that Kevin was still going through a really tough time. "I'm glad you did"

Kevin was at Nora's. Nora was out already, but his mother was in the kitchen making a small breakfast. Kevin was sitting on Nora's bed, which he had just made. He talked low so that Sheryl wouldn't hear him. "I'm surprised you're calling me," he said. "You were pretty ticked off last night."

"Yeah," Luke said. "Well, I'm sorry for acting like that towards you. I just wasn't feeling good and I just needed to go to sleep or do something. I'm really sorry."

"Well it's my fault, so I'll just apologize and let that be the end of it." Kevin smiled. It seemed that things were looking up for the both of them. "So what are you up to this morning?"

"Eh, I don't know," Luke said. "It's only 10, so it's too early to go out anywhere. I'll probably stop by Java to do some work for school."

"School...which we don't have again for a good little while. Why are you wasting your time?"

"I'm not wasting my time! I'm just...I'm enhancing it. I want to be ready for when it is time for school to start back up. Besides, I don't plan to spend my whole day there. I think I'll head over to the country club for a swim later on. What are you gonna spend your day doing?"

"You don't even want to know," Kevin began. "Nora...she thinks it'll be great for the three of us to have lunch together at the Lakeview."

"Three of you? As in you, Nora, and your mother?"

"Yep. Peachy, right? Same thing I thought."

"I was hoping we coud have done something together today. Lord knows if we'll ever have a chance at it again with your mother trying to kidnap you," Luke said.

Kevin laughed. It was good to make light of this, he thought. "I think I might be able to, you know, sneak out through the window and catch a movie with you. I'm hearing that new slasher flick is pretty cool."

"Oh, I've already seen it already. You mean the one about the teens who get offed by some mysterious slasher? And everyone thinks it's this one girl, because the first victim stole her boyfriend? And then it turns out that the slasher is really the girl's sister because the girl - "

"Yes, that one. Please continue the ruin the ending for me, I won't hold it against you."

"Sorry," Luke said. "We can see it tonight. If the warden lets you out, that is."

"I'm sure I'll be able to make it. What time are we looking at?"

"How about 9 or 10? I'm thinking the movie'll probably be playing at 9:30 or so, unless you want to catch the late showing."

"No way. Horror movies give me the creeps," Kevin said.

"Well then that's good for me. I'll have an excuse to...I don't know...hold you close to me."

Kevin let out a little, evil chuckle. "You hardly need an excuse to do that."

They both laughed and just enjoyed the moment. In only a few short hours, last night was behind them and no longer mattered. Now it was time to be happy. "It's a date, then," Luke proclaimed. "A date."

"A date," Kevin agreed.

~~~~~~~~~

Kevin hang up the phone. He felt good about things now. Something just came over him that morning, a feeling of happiness. It was a great feeling and he wished it would last all day long, which was why he dreaded lunch with his mother. It was going to be so awkward and he knew it. It was something that had to get done, though, and he felt that he was up to the job. Maybe something good would come out of it.

After giving Nora's room a quick spray of air freshener, he looked it over and smiled. It was a good arrangement he and his cousin had. He had a nice place to stay, his very own room. And she had her own housekeeper for free. It was a good thing! Why did Sheryl feel the need to come in the middle of it and just ruin it all? There was no way that he could go. Absolutely not. And that's what he intended to tell her if she asked him about it over lunch.

When he went into the kitchen, his mother was munching on some scrambled eggs and toast. "I just washed those," he told her when he saw her eating off 'the good dishes.'

"I'll take care of them," Sheryl said. She didn't seem to understand. He spent a good thirty minutes washing the dishes that morning. And it wasn't all done just so that she could come and dirty them up again. It was such a little thing, but it hurt. Just like she was trying to ruin his life, she succeeded in ruining his housework of the morning.

"I'll be back," he said, but he couldn't go.

"Wait. Wait a minute, why don't you sit down and join me. I can make some more eggs."

"Great, let's dirty more dishes," he said.

Sheryl laughed. "I can't believe you're making such a big deal out of dirty dishes."

"It's not the dishes. Just don't worry about it."

"No, Kevin, if something is bothering you, maybe we need to talk."

Kevin moaned so loudly inside. Ruin my morning, ruin my dishes, ruin my life, he thought. He didn't want to talk to her. She told Luke that his boyfriend would be moving away to Chicago. If Kevin had anything to say to her, it would be said loudly and the neighbors would hear it too.

His mother could sense his stress. "You know, there's this great gym back in Chicago - "

"Will you please just shut up about Chicago!? I am sick and tired...of hearing about Chicago! It makes me ill to think about it! Why in the hell do you want me to go to Chicago so damn much?! Why is it so important to you!?"

These words actually hurt Sheryl. They were laced with venom and it stung much worse than any insect could sting. This was her own son telling her this. He was basically telling her that he did not want anything to do with her. If she dared to think about it, she would recognize these words as something Sean used to say. "It's important to me, Kevin, because I want you with me. I need to have you with me! Can't you see?"

"I see it alright. I see you trying to break me up with the person that I care about the most right now, that's what I see."

"It has nothing to do with that! You and Luke, or Luke and you, whatever you want to say. I don't care! I just need you back, Kevin! You are my son and I'll love you no matter what, whether you're gay, or if you're straight, or if you...I don't know...if you have some other deep dark secret that you aren't telling me."

"Mother, there is nothing dark about me and Luke. It's not a secret anymore."

Sheryl felt bad. "I know, I know, and I'm sorry for saying that. But you have to understand me, Kevin. There is a reason why I need you back in Chicago with me and I can't tell you about it now, but when I do, you'll understand. I know you will."

Kevin started to soften. "If it's so important to you, why can't you just come back here? Wouldn't that just be easier for the both of us?"

"There's too many memories here. Way too much for me to deal with."

Kevin felt his heart go out to her. He was starting to feel for her. He felt himself actually trying to understand her. "It'll still be there, no matter where you are."

"I know...but if I don't have to see it everyday, if I don't have to pass by the house where we used to live or the place where I used to work...it'd be so much more easier. Just being here brings me back to places that I don't want to be."

And suddenly it became clear to him. She did need him with her. She yearned for him and she ached. He could now see things he hadn't seen yet. He could see that under the pounds of make-up on her face, there were wrinkles. Her fingernails were chipped. Split ends plagued her blond hair. He looked her square in the eye and could see the tears forming. Reaching for her hand felt like something he never would have done just a day earlier, but he soon found himself doing it. "I understand, but I have to do things on my own right now, for myself. You can do things your way."

His touch felt so good to her. It was like he was finally opening up to her. She quickly grasped his arm. "Please, Kevin, just think about it. Just...just give it some serious thought. Please."

"Okay," he said, knowing deep inside that his mind was made up. Nothing, absolutely nothing, would make him want to go to Chicago. No matter how much she cried, or how much he felt for her, nothing would work. And that was that.

TO BE CONTINUED...