The Tuxedo Man (boyxboy)[Wattys 2016]

Chapter 31 - Halcyon

[Photo: Dylan James Callaghan. Video: Honeymoon Avenue - Ariana Grande]

I fluttered my eyes open, feeling something shift on my stomach. The room was dark, the only thing lighting everything up was the study lamp I had on the desk, turned at an angle so that the light wouldn't shine directly on the bed, where I was. I turn my head to the right, where Dylan lay peacefully asleep on his side, facing towards me as his arm wraps around my torso, which was what I probably felt. He was changed into a maroon shirt, his hair ruffled from being in bed. 

As I turn my head to the other way, Jordan was slumped on a chair, the chair I usually used whenever I was reading a book since it was wide enough to be comfortable. His head has fallen to lean on the pillow he was hugging, only catching sight of his closed eyes as the bottom half of his face was buried in the pillow. 

I slowly sit up, my arms and shoulders feeling sore in addition to the slight pounding that was in my head. I rub my eyes, remembering what happened before I passed out vividly, the fear and anger mixed in Jordan's voice when he got to me, Max calling my name through the door. I remember Jordan calling Dylan through my phone, but nothing after that. That's when I must've dozed off. I was scared and I blamed myself for mom freaking out, remembering her hands shaking and her falling to the floor. Max never cursed at me except when we were kidding around, it was something that caught me off guard, something that felt like a direct blow to the heart. 

Dylan stirs awake, hearing him groan beside me as his body moves, the covers pulling towards him as he stretches his limbs with a yawn. He sits up with me, inching his body close to mine until no space separated us. He grabs my waist, his arm coming around me as he presses his lips to my cheeks. 

"Hey." He whispers, bringing his hand to cup my face. I look at him, his eyes looking tired and red, half-open as he tried to keep himself awake. His face crashes on my shoulder, hearing him take a deep breath. "Are you okay?" 

I wasn't. After all that's happened, I wasn't okay. I had so many questions that I wanted to be answered. Why the fuck was mom freaking out? I had it at the back of my mind that she'd have some kind of problem with who I really am but I didn't know that it would be this bad. I didn't know that it would bring her to the point of having a mental breakdown. I didn't understand why she had a hard time accepting it. There's nothing she could do. There's nothing anyone could do, even me. 

"I'm fine," I tell him, giving him a kiss on his forehead. "You should go back to sleep." 

He shakes his head, moving my shoulder with him. "You're lying." 

He looks up at me, his little brown orbs shining as the moonlight caresses his face. He was exhausted, I could tell just by looking at him that he ached for more sleep, that he shouldn't be awake at this time of the night. It was enough for him to come and lie down with me, I felt like it was too much to ask him to stay up and do something just so that I could feel better. I can recover by myself, but it would help a lot if he was involved in the process. 

"I don't want you to be tired, " I whispered, acknowledging the sleeping boy on the chair whom I have yet to thank. "You have work in the morning." 

He closes his eyes, disagreeing with a head shake one more time. He gets up, rolling over to the end of the bed where he flips the covers off of him, standing on the carpeted floor with his maroon shirt and striped boxers. "Come on, let's get some food. I'm hungry." 

I furrow my eyebrows, looking over to the nightstand where my phone was, probably placed by Jordan at some point after I passed out. I reach my arm out to press the home button, reading four fifteen in the morning. I tell him the time, to which he was unfazed.