It was about three in the morning when I got the call. At first, I wondered why I was called up at this time, but as soon as I heard his voice I knew exactly why. He was always awake at three. I could tell from his tweets on Twitter that he stayed up late. He would tweet the most depressing things sometimes, and it scared me. Being his closest friend was tough at times, because I often had to see him at his lowest.
His girlfriend was never around, either. Even when she was around, she never paid any attention to him when he needed it. I told him multiple times to break up with her, but he never explained to me why he wouldn't. He just spent all of his time filming, editing, or sleeping alone in his dark room. Sometimes I would go to hang out with him at his apartment, but when I left he would just become depressed and lonely again.
"Richie? Do you know what time it is?" I asked exhaustedly through the phone.
"Lena," he replied slowly. "I need you to come over."
A panic rushed through me when I heard the way he spoke. His words wore shaky, and he sounded exhausted also. What could be wrong with him now? He never called me this late. Rubbing my eyes and looking over at the wall clock, I sat up.
"Okay, I'll come over. What do you need?"
He sniffed. "Just come over."
I rolled out of bed without bothering to change out of my pajamas, which were oversized sweatpants and an old band tee. With my phone leaned on my shoulder and pressed to my ear, I threw on some boots and a jacket.
"Your girlfriend still there?" I asked him.
I never bothered to remember her name or anything about her. All I knew was that she was not a good girl for Richie. Relationships like that bothered me.
"No," he simply replied.
Quickly brushing my choppy brown hair and squinting to see a reflection in the mirror, I cleared my throat. "Alright, hang in there. See you in five."
When I hung up, I went to the car and got in. Richie's apartment was only four miles away, so I could get there pretty quickly. I killed the blaring music on the radio, because it wasn't exactly the time to be jamming to metal songs.
I arrived at his apartment shortly and parked in the lot. When I knocked on his door, there was no answer.
"Richie, c'mon," I sighed and then knocked again and twisted the doorknob to see if it was locked. It happened to be unlocked, so I walked in.
He was sitting on the floor in this corner, with his knees up and his arms wrapped around his legs. He had the usual black paint on his neck, and his charcoal hair tucked in a beanie. He didn't look up when he heard the door open.
"Hey," I said and took my coat off, tossing it on the couch. "What's up?"
No reply.
"Richie..." I slowly made my way over to him and sat on my knees in front of him. I placed my hand on his knee and his eyes trailed over to look at me.
"I-I don't know what to do," he said. "I tried calling Mia. She won't pick up the phone. She's probably hooking up with another guy or something."
So Mia was her name. I would have to beat some sense into this girl the next time I see her.
"Richie, what's wrong?" I asked again, looking into his eyes.
"I feel so alone, Lena," he told me. "Depression is just taking over my head. Nothing is working."
I swallowed. "What do you need?"
"This is probably a lot to ask, but can you try to comfort me?" He asked and finally looked me in the eyes.
"Yeah." I nodded right away. "It's not a lot to ask. I'll try my best. If it makes you uncomfortable just tell me, okay?"
He nodded as well. "Thank you."
I took a deep breath and moved to sit beside him, wrapping an arm around his waist and pulling him closer. My other hand went to his hair, and I removed the beanie from his head. I ran my fingers through it and slowly began to stroke it. His breaths were long, and he closed his eyes.
"I need to break up with her," he said under his breath.
"That's right," I told him softly. "You're going to break up with her."
He pulled his legs closer to his chest and I continued to pet his hair. "But I won't have anyone after that. I'll be lonely again."
"She doesn't pay much attention to you, Richie. I can see it. You're lonely when you're with her too," I said.
It was silent for a while after that.
I moved my hand down and rubbed his knee. "Did you take anything?"
"A couple Prozac tablets," he replied, rubbing his eyes. "I wanted to take more."
"How about sleep?" I asked. "How much sleep have you gotten today?"
He put his hands over his eyes. "I slept through most of the day. Mia came over at nine when I finally woke up. She comforted me, which is something she hasn't done before. I was so stupid to buy into it. After, I heard her on the phone in the other room complaining about me. Some of the things that she said were horrible."
He escaped from my arms, and sat in front of me with his right knee in between the two of mine.
"You know she's not good for you," I reminded him.
"I know," he sighed. "But I need someone."
"You have me," I said.
Our eyes met, and I placed my hand on his cheek. At this moment, he was leaning in, so I did too. My heart raced. He pressed his lips to mine, and I pressed mine to his. The kiss lasted ten seconds that I could count, and by the time he pulled away I was smiling.
"Now I know," he said. "Now I know who I want. You. You are so much better than her, Lena. I've liked you for a long time, but I could never tell you because I didn't know how you or Mia would react."
My hand was still on his cheek, and his face was lit up. He looked happier.
"That's it," Richie said. "In the morning I'm going to call her and end it."
"Then I'm all yours," I laughed and messed up his hair.
He hugged me tightly, and I wrapped my arms around his neck. "Thank you Lena."
"Anything for my best friend, or boyfriend, as of tomorrow." I was laughing again.
His lips met mine again.
Richie and I were going to be very good for each other. I made sure he wasn't lonely anymore, because we spent days on the couch being lonely together. Even on the days where he was heavily depressed, I laid in bed with him and was there through it all. It was all some sappy love story. His heart beat rapidly for me, and it took time for me to finally realize it.
