Backstitch

Chapter 4

Nolan closed the curtains now that the stars had made themselves visible. If all went well, Mandy would be knocking on the door any minute. His text didn't go into immense detail, but she at least knew that the ex-dictator would be here. Nolan figured it would be best to tell her beforehand what she would be walking into instead of throwing it all on her at once. The upfront honesty might give Lou more of a chance at making amends with her.

The man in question was, by no surprise, exhausted after the events of the day. There was no telling how long Lou had toiled away before Nolan strolled along, and the emotional turmoil he had laid out for the brunette to see had to have been draining for him. Now Lou was curled up on the couch with a blanket wrapped tightly around him that Nolan had discreetly covered him with. The blonde was a stubborn man awake and even more stubborn tired. It took a good half hour for Nolan to finally convince him to sleep and another quarter-hour for him to actually fall asleep.

The small smile Nolan adorned while watching his new friend sleep slowly fell as he recalled their debate an hour ago. It was a testament to how deep Lou's trauma really went that, up until that point, Nolan assumed it was surface deep.

For what felt like the tenth time that day, Lou was in tears, scrunched up in a ball in the corner of the sofa on which he had been arranged to sleep. Nolan had offered his bed, but Lou was adamant that the living room furniture was more than enough. Regardless, it didn't help, considering he was forcing himself to stay awake. Tears soaked into the couch fabric, and it wasn't until he sniffed that Nolan lifted his head up from his phone as he texted Mandy. "Lou," he quickly tossed his phone on the chair and hurried to his side, "what's wrong?"

He didn't respond immediately, and Nolan considered asking again. He waited, though, and finally, there was a response. "I...I can't sleep."

In spite of himself, Nolan scoffed, "Well I can see that. Is there a reason you can't sleep? And why are you crying?" He leaned forward to try and catch Lou's eyes, but the blonde quickly buried his face in his arms.

It was quiet, barely audible, but Nolan was able to pick up on it, "I'm pathetic." Lou raised his head and shoved the heel of his hands into his eyes, "Everything's fine. Sorry for worrying you. I-It's just...I'm just tired."

Nolan sighed before taking Lou's hands from his face and holding them. Blue eyes refused to meet his even as his flushed and tear-stained face was visible now. "What's wrong?" He asked softly.

When Lou opened his mouth, there was a small squeak, and Nolan saw his jaw clench quickly to stop it. Lou cleared his throat, "I don't...w-want today to n-not be real. I...I'm scared to wake up from this. To—To open my eyes and see you gone, too. T-To be alone again." His voice hitched. "I can't do that again, Nolan. I-I don't know what I'll do. I'll...I'll go insane—"

"Hey, it's okay." The brunette tried bringing him back to reality. "I'm here right now, aren't I?" I've been here this whole time. If I didn't plan on staying with you, I wouldn't have offered to help in the first place."

"But to keep you here, basically trapped for the sake of helping me—"

"What does being trapped mean to you?"

Lou took in a shaky breath, "B-...Being alone."

"Are you alone?"

"...No."

"Am I alone?"

"Of course not," his response was quicker, making Nolan smile softly.

"Then, the way I see it, neither of us are trapped. Not anymore."