Liminal

Chapter 1

The white noise spreading throughout Goliaths head was deafening. He felt the soft fabric of the blanket touching the skin exposed on his body from his shorts and t shirt.

He was thankful he could feel both the blanket and the slightly rough couch scratching against his back like a smoothly sanded wall.

Both these feelings kept his mind from drifting off. His head was in the clouds, there he thought of everything and nothing at once. Completely stressed out, his heartbeat raced like a dying bug squirmed its legs.

The mockery of high pitched screaming that shot throughout the house ripped Goliath off his thoughts instantly, allowing him to sit up against the couch and clutch his chest. He looked at his dark almond Brown skinned hands and watched as they rocked with the nerves that rocked in his stomach.

He had almost forgotten what it felt like to breathe, he had to remind himself to do so. After a few minutes of sitting up and desperately batting away any intrusive thoughts that fought with little effort to stay, Goliath slipped from under the covers and trudged up a flight of stairs.

He counted each staircase, there were eleven total, eleven stairs in a staircase made of wood covered by fluffy white carpeting. The feeling soothed him and reminded him of when he doused his clothing in unholy amounts of fabric softener.

A hallway was at the top of the staircase. Down the hallway passing exactly three doors and stopping before two more was the recording studio of his friend, Albert.

Goliath put his ear to the door to listen for a sound. It was cold, the wood on the door felt frozen against his head and Goliath wondered with a grimace how his friend could thrive so easily here.

After hearing nothing for over 2 minutes, Goliath turned the handle to the door. Once it opens a pair of socked feet stepped into his line of sight. He allowed his eyes to trail up the body in front of him until he reached his friend's head.

He was greeted with a toothy smile and closed eyes that radiated with wrinkles from smiling. His chestnut brown hair fell over his eyes in displaced strands, like he had been shaking his head.

Apart from the black socks he wore on his feet, Albert was dressed in a sunflower shirt from his favorite artist, Tyler the creator. One of the shirts Goliath had reluctantly gotten him for his birthday, the sight drew a smile to face in appreciation. For his pants he wore brown cargo pants, Goliath usually found anyone wearing the color brown to look tacky but for some reason, Albert dominated the color.

"I didn't wake you did I?" He asked.

"No, no, I just--I had a bit of a meltdown." Goliath laughed awkwardly.

"Oh no, are you ok, do you need anything?" With urgency, the smaller boy stepped closer and put his hand on Goliath's chest to feel his quickening heartbeat. Though he had calmed down the moment he saw him, Goliath's heart now raced at the contact he received from the other male.

"No, it's--I'm fine, honestly." He said desperately.

Albert pulled away with an unamused glare to which Goliath replied by crossing his arms and peering down at the shorter man who stood to his neck.

"Your heart felt like it was gonna burst, dude." Albert deadpanned.

"Yeah well, maybe my heart quickened because a hot guy touched me." Goliath defused.

Albert's glare drops immediately and was replaced with a wide eye stare. He stood like a deer in headlights and Goliath sniggered violently.

Albert playfully rolls his eyes and steps back away from the door, Goliath walks in and the door was shut behind him as he sits on the beanbag opposite one next to the recording equipment.