December Boys (BxB) | ✓

Chapter 29 - Among the Tombstones

Avoiding life and all of its inherent problems was starting to become a challenge. Four days had passed since I shared a bed with Axel, and hanging around him made my skin itch. It was hard to pinpoint exactly what it was that set me off, but being in Axel's vicinity sent nervous energy surging through me at all times. This was a new and foreign kind of nervousness — one I resented and wished away.

Axel, on the other hand, seemed more open and friendly than ever. He would voluntarily strike up a conversation while we were working, or suggest grabbing something to eat before heading to his place. It was a strange, unsettling shift in our relationship, not necessarily because we were closer, but mostly because it threw me for a loop.

Upon visiting Axel's place three days after the Incident, I was met with a spotless apartment once again. Every single item that had been strewn about was cleaned away. The windows that shattered had been replaced, and a new array of cups were lined on the inside of Axel's cupboards. He was sporting a new cell phone as well, an upgraded model of his previous belonging. It was evident that Axel's dad had no problem cleaning up after his son's outbursts, and I found myself wondering if it was a reoccurring event.

It was Thursday, and the October winds were wreaking havoc on the city and its inhabitants. A depressing mood hung over the buildings and city streets, a testament to days that were growing both longer and colder. I was wearing my brother's winter coat these days, trying to ignore how ridiculously big it looked on my scrawny frame.

Seth and I were camped out on a bench by the local cathedral, a spot that was surrounded by tombstones and memorial statues from the war. It had been a lunch spot of ours for as long as I could remember, and sitting around dead people and the occasional tourist was oddly comforting. Seth was in the middle of scarfing down his mom's famed pasta salad while I contemplated life's puzzles and mysteries.

"Do you think dead people have worries?" I leaned against the bench and studied a spider that was climbing the grave in front of me.

"What, now?" Seth mumbled through his mouthful of carbs.

"Dead people. Do you think they worry about stuff? I mean, wherever they are..."

"Nao, my good friend." Seth swallowed his food and turned my way, setting his inquisitive eyes on my face. "Could you maybe ask the questions you really want to ask?"

"I just did."

"See, that's a lie," he said. "We're feasting among the deceased, true, but your mind is not with the dead right now." He considered me seriously. "So what's this really about?"

I cast my eyes downward. Of course Seth could tell. I'd been weird ever since I held Axel's hand, and no diverting or lying would change that. The trees around us rustled gently in the wind, almost urging me to open my mouth and tell Seth.

"Promise you won't make fun of me?" I asked, pointedly avoiding eye contact.

"When have I ever made fun of you, Nao?"

I sent my friend a flat stare. "How about every day of my life?"

He chuckled and proceeded to bump his shoulder against mine. "Fine, I promise. Now, spill before I freeze my butt off. Break's almost over."

"Well..." I sank back into the tired bench, leaning into the armrest on the side. A blush was already creeping up my neck, and the world felt too small and unforgiving all of a sudden. I knew Seth wouldn't make fun of me, but there was something about saying things out loud that scared the crap out of me.

"Things have been... weird," I said at last, not knowing how to explain it. "You know, things with Lily."

"I don't really know," Seth interjected. He was eating again, finishing up his lunch. "You didn't exactly tell me about it. Just that it was bad."