VibeChat (BBS Groupchat)

~53~

I knocked three times before stepping back. After a few seconds the door opened to reveal the man I had come to see (or more so check up on) only to find that he was in worse shape than I thought.

You could notice the bangs under his eyes from a mile away, his once fluffy golden brown hair was greasy and hadn't been combed in days. His eyes were red and puffy meaning he had been crying and his cheeks were peeling; he looked like a train wreck.

I frowned upon seeing him like this, feeling the pit in my stomach curl with guilt, knowing some of this was my doing.

"Can I come in?" I asked softly. He slowly nodded and took a step back, creating a clear path so I could enter.

He closed the down behind himself and started making his way down the hall and into his living room. It had been quite some time since I've visited him and last time I saw his apartment it was roomy and warm; now it's dull and cold.

The walls were still the same light grey they were last time, though now it seemed they have somehow darkened; or maybe that's just me. The pictures hanging on the wall of him with the guys and his family were now nowhere to be seen. Or what was left of them were on the floor, collecting dust with each passing day. The curtains were closed, making the apartment appear more like a cave than an actual apartment. There were dishes piled up in the sink almost to the point that if you added one more it would tumble to the ground.

A shivered trickled down my spine at just the thought of it so instead I distracted myself by adventuring towards the gloomy man on the couch and sat close beside him. I glanced over at him and opened my arm making him smile as he made himself comfortable against my side. I began rubbing his arm and kissed the top of his head to let him know I was there for him. I already knew how he felt, and knowing that I also guessed he didn't want to talk about it so I let the silence take us away. The only sound being heard was when he would occasionally exhale heavily.

"I'm pretty positive I already know the answer, but are you okay?" I asked after minutes of nothing happening or being said. It wasn't that I didn't like the silence but more rather of not fully knowing if he were okay or not. He tends to have a background of hiding his emotions and he's gotten pretty damn good at it if I do say so myself.

He shuffled around a bit and glanced up at me, a tear slipping down his cheek. I brought my hand up and wiped the tear away then cupped his face gingerly. He smiled the tiniest bit while leaning into my touch.

"You know I won't force you to tell me what's wrong, but I want you to know I'm here for you, k?" I muttered, caressing his cheek softly as he giggled and tilted his head to the side to plant a kiss to the palm of my hand.

"I know," he whispered, more tears slipping from his glossy eyes. I smiled down at him before placing a gentle kiss to his forehead; knowing he wouldn't fully believe me unless I showed him he could.

I let him go back to the way he was settled before as I cradled him in my arms. Playing with his shiny hair to distract him of his negative mind.

"You know,-" He says while lifting up his head a bit. "I really wish we didn't have to do this." He whimpered, his voice cracking near the end. I sighed heavily as my arms loosened from around him. He gave me a worried look, placing his hand on my cheek just like how I did to him moments ago. I smiled adsentmindedly at him while resting my hand over his and cupping it.

"I know, I don't either. But how else will we find out the truth?" I pondered, staring into his once sunset golden eyes but were now a dull brown.

He exhaled shakingly, letting me know he was at the brek of breaking down. I didn't say anything as I wrapped my arms around him and pulled him against my chest. He started sobbing into my hoodie but I didn't care one bit, and it was at this particular moment that I realized how messed up our current situation really is.

"I just want things to be normal again," The youngin cried into my chest. I felt a tear roll down my face at the sound of his breaking heart and held him tighter.

"I know, I know. I promise it'll all be over soon, I promise you," I murmur reassuringly into his ear, rubbing his head and back to help ease his pain. But I knew deep down we were only getting started. The finish line is far from our reach and if we ever want to break that red ribbon we're gonna have to face a whole lot more than this. But at least we have each other.

"I love you, okay? I promise we'll get through this together," I said, watching as the trembling boy in my arms looks up at me with red, puffy eyes.

"I love you too, Kitten,"