𝐂𝐚𝐧'𝐭 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐀𝐧𝐲𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 ~ Aladarius

2. Advice From A Friend

Darius sank to the floor in the hallway and buried his face in his hands. What had just happened?

Why had Alador run away? Had Darius said something wrong? He had merely tried to help because his friend had looked so incredibly sad right in his direction.

But maybe Alador just didn't want to have anything to do with him anymore. He had already been acting strangely towards him for a few months. Darius hadn't thought anything of it at first, but over time incidents like this had accumulated and Darius wondered if maybe Alador was trying to tell him nicely that he didn't want anything more to do with him.

Maybe Alador had noticed the way Darius looked at him. Maybe he had realized how he felt about him and decided that he no longer wanted to be Darius' friend.

Sighing, Darius stood up carefully and wiped his face with one hand. What was he going to do? He didn't want to lose Alador, but apparently the other seemed uncomfortable in his presence, as if Darius was constantly doing something wrong.

He walked slowly through the school hallways, past other classrooms filled with joyful laughter, and thought back to the time when everything had been simple.

Back then, before he had started to like Alador. Back when the world had been simpler.

What if he would lose Alador forever? He didn't want to lose him, but Darius felt like he was pushing him further and further away with every passing day.
He shouldn't have put his hand on his shoulder just now. Surely Alador felt uncomfortable when he touched him. If Alador wasn't such an incredibly nice and sweet boy, he probably would have told Darius what he really thought of him, and that scared Darius to death.

Alador had always said in the past that Darius was certainly not afraid of anything, but that was not true. Because one of his greatest fears was hurting or losing the people he loved. And Alador was one of those people.

Darius arrived at the entrance hall to the school and felt a deep stab in his fast beating heart. Everything was decorated with balloons, garlands and posters announcing the upcoming grom next weekend.

Even though Darius had never really expected to be brave enough to ask Alador to go with him, he had still imagined him and Alador going to the grom together. How they would dance closely together. How Darius would gently wrap his arms around Alador and lose himself in the warmth of his body.

But he knew that he would never be able to ask him. What if it meant he would lose him forever?

"Don't make such a long face, goops!" And suddenly there was none other than Eda Clawthorne standing next to him. Darius hadn't seen her coming, but he suspected that was because he had been to deep in his own thoughts.

He frowned. "Shouldn't you be in class?"

"Class? It's not that important. "She nudged him in the side with her elbow, "Besides, I could probably ask you the same thing. Why isn't the top student on the abomination track in class showing off his skills?"

Darius sighed and looked away. "Class was boring." he muttered.

Eda raised her eyebrows. "Its always boring but that normally don't seem to bother you, no, I think it's something else, goops. Because no matter what, you never skip class. You're a way too good student for that."

Darius screwed up his face, but didn't contradict her, because Eda was absolutely right. That was probably one of the reasons why Professor Hermonculus had let him go so easily. He didn't expect Darius to do any nonsense the way Eda and Raine did all the time. But that was only because Darius wanted to have good grades to get a good job were he would be able to do as he liked.

"It's complicated, Edalyn," he muttered, "very complicated."

"It's about Alador, I suppose." she said, smiling crookedly.
Eda and Raine had somehow figured out on their own that he was in love with Alador.

In the beginning he didn't have much to do with them, but since Alador started to behave differently a few months ago and Odalia neglected their friendship, he had found friends for life in the two of them. He could always count on Eda to text back to him on Penstagram or even drop by spontaneously when he needed her help. Raine had helped Darius a few times with their music when Darius had been too stressed again.

And through observation, they had noticed that Darius was head over heels for Alador.

Darius nodded weakly. "He- well- I'm beginning to think he hates me. But- but then that would be my fault somehow, wouldn't it? Did I maybe been to affectionate toward him and he wants to have less to do with me because of it? Or am I just a bad friend?"

Eda put an arm around his shoulders and shook her head. "I can promise you one thing, and that is that you are a good friend. And I'm sure Alador thinks so too. Maybe it's something completely different that makes him act the way he does. I don't think it's you, or that it's all your fault. Surely there's more to it."

"But- "but Eda silenced him with a sideways glance.

"I think you should talk to each other. That's what me and Rainstorm did, and we're together now, aren't we? "She grinned a little wider at the mention of Raine, "I think- "

"No Eda, "Darius thought it was awful how desperate his voice sounded, but unfortunately it reflected very well the emotional chaos inside of his head, "I think Alador doesn't like me that way, and I just don't want to lose him!"

Eda's expression turned sad. "Darius, "she said in a serious voice, "if you are really friends, Alador would never leave you behind or stop talking to you just because you told him the truth." She put a hand on his cheek and forced him to look her in the eye. "I don't know Alador that well, but he doesn't give me the impression that he doesn't care about you. Come to think of it, he looks at you more often than anyone else on Hexside. "She winked, "So I don't think you have anything to worry about. And if he does act stupid, we'll give him ear warmers that will make his ears twice as big or let the choosy hat loose on him! The possibilities are pretty much unlimited."

At that, Darius had to laugh. "But how do I- I mean it's really hard to say something like that. Especially when the other person isn't expecting it."

Eda let her eyes roam the room and grinned knowingly. "Simple, you invite Alador to the grom. That way, he would at least have an idea of the direction a conversation might take."

Darius looked up at one of the large grom posters and for a moment the only thing he could feel was the pounding of his heart. Could he really do this?

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Hope you enjoyed the new chapter♡♡♡♡