Through a strange series of encounters, a delinquent high schooler and upright university student find love. *****
No longer interested in clubbing, kissing girls, and committing petty crimes, 18-year-old Riley is trying to find meaning in his dull...
His dad had gone to the interview with him and after his acceptance and scholarship, they went to a high-end pizzeria to celebrate.
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"When you're older, you'll make enough money that this kind of place will be just an average lunch."
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Riley had transferred that Fall. As soon as Riley turned 18, his dad left, gone longer than before. In a month's time, his dad stopped sending emails. By three months, he had to be tracked down before contact could be made. He once showed up quietly for a parent-teacher conference but was gone before Riley could even catch a glimpse. Now Riley was 19, a legal adult according to all provinces, close to graduation, and his dad was planning to disappear for good, with one last goodbye.
Without knowing every detail, Eran knew everything. Eran knew and had tried to warn Riley, but Riley pretended it wasn't happening. I can't blame him for being so blunt; I pushed him to it.
Riley stood up and walked around the apartment. There was his own room—bed untouched for weeks and unused for months. There was the room that used to be his dad's—bed bare, closet empty save a couple of shirts, very cold, and smelling hollow and dusty.
Riley realized that he'd started his new life months ago when he began spending long days at Eran's place. The only thing lingering now was this apartment. No, Riley shook his head, the only thing still lingering is my attachment to it—to the idealistic home I thought would manifest. It was a dream killed within a month, and Riley was still pathetically clinging to it, preventing himself from moving on to a new life where he would be happy, loved, in love, and never alone.
He decided he would spend one last night in this desolate place, and then he would move in with Eran officially. I can get a job to help pay bills, I have time after all. Cooking and cleaning can just be reserved for weekends.
Riley looked at the clock and was surprised by how much time he'd spent ruminating and reminiscing.
Eran is probably already asleep by now, he thought as he stretched out on the sofa. I'm sure he's mad at me. It was ridiculous sleeping apart when so easily they could be sleeping together. On the sofa, there wasn't much empty space to make one feel lonely, and he was certain Eran was also avoiding the bed. However, lingering worries made Riley restless, so he started to sort through and organize his things to prepare for packing up until he tired himself to sleep.
