Stay, Forever

1

George tips his head back against the beat up leather couch in his best friend's living room. A television hums somewhere in the space before him, but he lifts his dark eyes up towards the ceiling because he could care less what mindless show is playing through the haze of the pixelated screen. He only barely registers the sound of his best friend's voice as he drones on about something that George knows he should at least be pretending to listen to. But he's not listening to any of it.

All he knows is that he's bored. It's a Friday night, and he's sitting in Karl's living room, and he's just so incredibly bored.

The only reason he hasn't bothered mentioning the boredom yet is because he doesn't want to offend Karl, his mild tempered and sweet natured best friend. Karl is one of the nicest people he knows, more than content to simply sit around and watch television or talk for hours at a time. All he really cares about is quality time and being present with the people he loves.

George has always liked that about Karl, ever since he started university and met Karl during his first semester of classes. He thinks it's because Karl is so unlike himself. He was drawn to him almost immediately.

Unlike Karl, George has never been content with anything in life. This feeling of never ending boredom has plagued him for as long as he could remember. He's sure it has almost everything to do with his parents, who were well off in terms of money and spoiled George to no end. But all the toys and gadgets in the world could never fill the void of being an only child of parents who were simply never there when he needed them to be. They were gone more often than they were home; jetting off to some lavish vacation or to some important business meeting across the globe.

Growing up, George had virtually no relationship with his parents. He knew more about the people his parents left in charge of him than he knew about his own flesh and blood. But he learned to prefer it that way, even learned to enjoy the sense of freedom it afforded him as he got older.

Most people would say that it turned him into someone a bit too reckless and carefree, but George preferred to think of himself as independent. He liked things that occupied his time and offered him some type of thrill; just something that could make him feel alive and like he was doing something worth while.

He didn't count sitting in Karl's living room on a Friday night as something especially worth while. He was content to do it every now and then because he knew Karl liked staying in. But it was Halloween weekend and all George wanted to do was go out, drink, and have a good time.

"Karl," George groans when he can't stand the restless unease in his chest any longer.

Karl falls silent, television remote falling to the couch as he angles his face in George's direction. His eyebrows lift questioningly, a mess of brown hair falling into his eyes as he watches George from the neighboring couch. And George almost feels bad as he speaks again, "I'm bored. Let's go out and do something."

Karl doesn't respond right away, but George knows how well Karl knows him. He knows him well enough to know how restless George can be, how he much prefers going out to staying in. They've been friends for a few years now, and so the words hardly even phase Karl at this point.

Karl hums quietly, pulling his phone out from his pocket as if he's looking for a response. George watches as his eyes light up, and he gestures with the device in his hand as he says, "Quackity is at that one bar off campus. He says they're having a Halloween thing and that there's a ton of people there."

George sits up a bit straighter at the prospect of the crowded bar he frequents with his friends. He could almost taste the bittersweet liquor of his favorite mixed drink, can almost feel the pulsing of the music coming from the huge speakers that circle the main room of the bar.