new york nights - aryan simhadri

𝐛𝐨𝐲𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐢𝐞𝐬 - 𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐫, 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐰𝐨

♥

two hundred sixteen hours since i left new york

"𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠'𝐬 𝐰𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞," someone states the minute i pick up the unknown numbers call. i'm not an idiot- i don't normally pick up people's calls who i don't know, but this person called incessantly. my gut was telling me to answer it, so i pressed the accept call button.

my hand clenches around my phone as i stand up from the table i'm at and find a secluded corner. "what do you mean?" i hiss, even though i have no idea who's even talking to me. 

"he hasn't left the house since the day you left," they explain, their voice laced with a thick southern accent. "oh, and this is austin."

i blink rapidly and my eyebrows scrunch together. "lorie's friend?" he's always tagged in their posts, normally standing right next to the model.

"yup." a second goes by and then he whispers, "how do i help?"

it's a good question to ask, really. i don't know the answer, even, and i've known lorie for my whole life. sometimes you have to leave him alone, sometimes you have to be there... it's hard. but i'd do it a hundred times over just to make sure he's alright. nine days without leaving the house. wow, okay- that's bad.

"well, is it nice outside? maybe you could go to his apartment and go on a quick walk. that may help him out," i suggest half-heartedly, already searching up the forecast before austin can even answer.

it's thundering- shit. "nope," austin groans. "it's thundering here." none of this is going as planned. i thought lorie would be fine without me. how could i think that? i'm not even fine without him.

"look, i'll-" i rack my brain for something, anything i can do to help him out. defeated, i muster, "i'll call him." i sigh and thank austin, hanging up.

the phone rings once. twice. three times. pick up, lorie. pick up. it goes straight to lorie's voicemail. hey, it's me! i'm busy right now, but i'll call you back! he recorded it right next to me, and he sounds unbelievably chipper. he hasn't been like that since i was sleeping next to him nine days ago.

"lorie!" i exclaim after the picks up on my second call. "hi."

i overhear talking in the background and my face lights up, assuming he's out somewhere. "hi."

"hi. what are you doing?" i ask innocently. maybe he hasn't gone out with austin and his friends, but maybe he's hanging out with someone else. at least, i hope.

he smiles through the screen and admits, "watching to all the boys i've loved before."

"that movie is so bad," i groan, a smile spreading across my face. it's one of his favorites, so i begrudgingly watched it with him at least a hundred times.

lorie groans. "you're such a hater!"

"i am not."

"you are!"

"nuh-uh!"

i can't help but grin. after a moment of silence he follows up with,"what are you doing?"

"i'm going to..." i scramble to think of something i can say to get him out of the house. "i'm going to bake! do you want to bake on facetime with me?"

clearly not believing me, he skeptically asks, "you're going to bake?"

"yes i am," i answer with as much confidence as possible.

"really."

"really!" i insist, my voice cracking.

he chuckles and asks, "okay, what are you going to make?"