Mr. Lone Boy /BoyxBoy/

||Fourteen||

Okay, I told myself, I can do this.

I found Ian's door, checking my phone for a quick reference.

135.

My arm stretched out and my hand clenched in a fist before I knocked it against the wooden door.

Ian was behind the door, which he had wrenched open.

He looked like a mess.

His hair was all over the place. His usual stubble looked like it was about to form into a full fledged beard. He had dark shadows under his eyes, and his shirt was half tucked into his pants. From the looks of it, he'd just woken up.

"Ian, what..." I trailed off once I saw the wreck that was his apartment over his shoulder. "Oh."

"Come in." He said, then brushed his hair back as he moved to the side so I could walk in.

Numbly, I nodded my head and took a few steps inside.

"Listen-" he began, but I stopped him before he could say anything.

"What time did you sleep? You sounded tired last night."

He smiled weakly. "A few hours ago? I don't remember. Look, I have this important exam tomorrow so this was just a bad timing."

"I'm sorry."

"I was going to say, before you interrupted me...You should talk to Devin."

"What happened?" I asked him.

"Let's sit first."

Frowning, I followed him to the living area, where he took a seat on the couch.

It was leather. I could barely tell from the spots where his blanket, pillows, and school work weren't hiding it.

Hesitantly, I took a seat beside him.

"I have a feeling this is more than just me lying to Devin?"

Ian nodded. "What did he tell you when we fist moved back? About his parents, I mean."

I frowned, again. "What do you mean? He told me they like you so-"

Ian cursed, pushing his hair back from his face as his face tightened in anger. "He lied to you."

I swallowed. "What?"

"Devin sort of...ran away. He ran away to come here with me."

My eyes widened. "Why?"

"He came out to his parents. Let's just say...They didn't take it well."

My stomach twisted in a painful knot. I shook my head. "No."

I watched as he twisted the ring in his ear, tugging at it painfully as it gleamed under the little lighting that shone through the window. Then he shrugged.

I looked away for a second, my eyes trained on the carpet.

No way.

"Why didn't he tell me?" I whispered.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Ian shrug.

"Why did you let him run away?" I asked.

"I didn't just let him. He wouldn't listen when I tried to convince him to stay."

My head snapped up to look at him. Only then did I realize how bad he felt. "They're his parents."

"I know," he said, frustration evident in his voice.