Crooked Destinies | An ONC2021 Entry

••blaise••

I laugh.

Storm raises an eyebrow at me.

Oh...right.

I bite my lip before saying, "I'll talk to you later okay." Even I can hear the desperation in my voice.

Pushing Storm out the door, ignoring his very confused and adorable look. I slam the door on his face.

Denim raises a suspicious eyebrow from the couch. I thank the skies for the wall making sure he didn't see Storm.

Another knock comes at the door. I huff. Why can't he just take a damn hint? Returning to the door, I poke my head out and say, "I'll call you later. Okay?"

Not giving him a chance to respond, I slam the door on his face again.

Denim gets up. "Okay, what's going on?"

A wave of panic goes through me. "Nothing, just the mailman," I say. Too late to overthink now.

"Did you just call me a mailman?" Storm's muffled voice says from the other side of the door. He pounds the door again. "Just open the door, Blaise."

"LATER," I call.

Denim shoots me a look before walking to the door and opening it.

Storm and Denim freeze as they see each other.

"Storm?"

"Random stranger in Blaise's room?"

"You know him?!" I exclaim, confused. I shouldn't be surprised, Storm knows pretty much anyone.

"Sort of..." Denim says. He pinches his nose. "How..." he starts, before shutting up. He stumbles back a little bit, sitting down on the bed. His eyes get a little pink.

I panic. I know I've never dated before but this was not the reaction I expected. I haven't even told him we're dating yet. I shuffle from side to side, unsure of what to do.

Storm looks between my brother and I with more adorable confusion. He shuffles awkwardly as we wait for Denim to say something.

Denim looks up for a moment. "I need to go," he says.

Pain strikes my heart. Why couldn't he accept that I had made a friend-slash-boyfriend thing? He didn't even know Storm. Did he?

My head buzzes with questions, but I grab Denim's hand as he pulls on his leather jacket.

"Wait...what's going on? How do you know Storm? Why are you leaving?" I say as unwanted desperation seeps into my voice.

Denim looks at me, into my eyes. "I'll call you later," he says, cold.

My eyes narrow. Something was very wrong. I knew that voice, it was the one he used with people he didn't know. Strangers. What had I done to make myself a stranger?

Without looking back, Denim strides out of the room. All traces of him gone. He isn't coming back.

You don't know that.

I shake my head. I do know that. I know him well, but not well enough to be able to read his mind.

I blink my eyes, processing the last few moments, before turning to Storm, who just looks very, very confused.

I forget my anger against him and wrap my arms around him again. I just needed a hug. With someone who won't walk out the door. Right now, Storm, the boy I hadn't even known until a few weeks ago, was the only person who I believed wouldn't.