Road To Happiness ✔

FIVE

If she hadn't smiled at him the day they'd met he probably wouldn't have come with her. Her smile was so infectious, he couldn't help but go with whatever she suggested, no matter how much it freaked him out. "Alright, but I don't have anything to wear to sleep."

She waved a hand at him. "Stefan will give you something, I'm sure," she said and pulled him from the table. "We have spare toothbrushes and stuff already so you don't have to worry about that." Another smile, bright and beaming, her teeth glinted in the yellow light of the cafe. "Come on, I'm so excited. I'm sure you two will get along great."

A long trip in the car, passing by people and buildings that blurred until they were unrecognisable. Renee's awful pop music blasted through the car, but he never once asked to change it. No one he'd ever met appreciated classical music the same way he did, so he never asked to put it on. He didn't mind pop so much, but it didn't relax him in the same way.

They pulled up outside a tall apartment block lined with light stained windows. He'd never been to Renee's home before and she'd never been to his. This was a new step in their friendship and he didn't know what it meant. A movie marathon and staying the night, so many things could go wrong.

He was meeting someone new too, her roommate, who'd she'd spoken about a few times. He went to a different university so they'd never had a chance to meet. He wasn't sure if Renee had even told her roommate that he was coming around and he hoped the other man didn't mind.

Renee's apartment sat on the third floor, with a blue card stuck to the middle of it with the words 'home of Renee Newell and Stefan Lawrence' in Renee's loopy handwriting. The jangle of keys and the twist of the doorknob made anxiety churn in his gut.

"Hey, loser, I'm home!" Renee called and pulled him through the doorway.

A man sat on the grey couch, legs on the seat and head resting on one hand. Black hair that tickled his neck, tanned skin and the beginnings of a beard was all Hugo could see. Brown eyes met his and a smile pulled at thin lips. Hugo averted his eyes and looked around the tiny apartment.

It was exactly as he'd expected it to be. One wall was covered with photos of people and places he'd never seen while the opposite held the television that blasted a movie he wasn't familiar with. Off to the side was an even smaller kitchen with bowls and plates piled high in the sink. Three doors broke up the neatness of the photo wall, which Hugo assumed took him to the bedrooms and bathroom.

"Hey, dork," the man Hugo assumed was Stefan replied. "Who's this?" So, Renee hadn't said anything. Of course not. It would only make everything worse.

"Oh, this is Hugo. I told you about him, remember?" she said, gesturing to him. Hugo gave him a little wave and then brought his hand back down to his side. What else could he do? It wasn't like he could just say 'hello' like a normal human being.

Stefan frowned but waved back to him. "You mentioned him once, Renee," he said and stood from the couch. "I wish you'd tell me when you want to bring someone over."

Renee shrugged and Hugo was ready to tell her that he could just leave if it was an issue. "It's no big deal, Stefan, he's just going to borrow a pair of your pants and sleep in my bed," she replied. "You can't tell me you haven't done the same thing before."

"That's true. I'm not angry, I just wished you'd tell me," Stefan muttered and shook his head. His stepped towards Hugo, who was wringing his hands together and staring at the pair with wide eyes. Stefan held out his hand to shake. "Nice to meet you, I'm Stefan."

Hugo's hand shook when he grabbed it and he couldn't look at the taller man's face. Stefan didn't want him there, that much was obvious. He could just ask Renee to take him home but that would only make things worse. He ripped his hand away as quickly as he could, but Stefan didn't stop staring at.

"You know," he said, a confused frown on his face. "Most people usually say something back, common courtesy and all." Hugo froze, a lump in his throat and took a step away from the other man.

Renee stared at him with wide eyes. "Oh, shit, um, Stefan," she whispered, tapping her hand against his shoulder. "Hugo's mute. He doesn't speak."

It was Stefan's turn to stare at him, with wide dark eyes. "Oh. Oh, shit. I'm sorry, man. I didn't mean to come across as rude or anything. Long day, you know? Work sucks and all." Excuses, excuses. Reasons upon reasons to make them seem like the good guy like they weren't just picking on a mute person.

Stefan walked off into one of the other rooms, staring at the ground sheepishly without giving Hugo the chance to say anything. "I swear he's not usually like that," Renee muttered next to him. She looked so worried. Her usual grin was gone and she placed his hand on her arm. "He's probably just had a bad day. God damn, he's an idiot. I should have told him too, but I completely forgot. I'm so sorry. He's deaf but he's got hearing aids so he understands sign language, but he's just a jerk sometimes-"

Hugo whacked her on the arm and cut her off. "You're rambling," he signed. "It's alright, I promise." It wasn't really, but he wasn't going to tell her that.

She looked at him sceptically and sighed. "I swear he's a nice guy," she said. The door opened again, giving Hugo a flash of a bedroom.

He looked to him with an expression Hugo couldn't decipher. "I'm really sorry, just so you know," he said. "Renee didn't tell me so I just-"

"Don't worry about it," Hugo signed with a shake of his head. A lie. "It happens all the time." The truth. "But it's nice to meet you too." Stefan smiled at him, closed-lipped and small, but Hugo caught sight of the hearing aid when he flicked his hair out of his face.

"I should have told you, I know, so don't say anything," Renee called as she walked into the kitchen. She scoffed at the pile of dishes in the sink and pulled out a pot from one of the cupboards. "Who wants popcorn?"

Stefan moved away from his frantically. "I do, but you are not making it," he told her, wagging a finger at her. He looked back at Hugo with a smirk pulling at his lips. "Don't ever let her in the kitchen, she will burn anything she touches."

Hugo smiled back in amusement. No wonder they always went out for food. He wasn't much of a cook either, but at least what he made was edible. Renee was kicked out of the kitchen with a laugh and joking protests.

Hugo's eyes drifted towards the wall of photos. There were images of Renee and Stefan in different places. Images of unfamiliar people in unfamiliar places filled the space so there was barely any of the cream wallpaper visible. The photos were beautiful, images of leaves and trees and buildings with lighting that made it look like they were sent down from heaven.

"Stefan studies art," Renee said as she stopped next to him. "He's a photographer." Hugo's eyes caught on an image of Renee's radiant smile. He'd captured her joy perfectly.

He turned towards the kitchen, where Stefan was pouring popcorn kernels and oil into the pot. "They're beautiful," he signed when the man caught his eye.

"Thank you," Stefan replied, a small smile on his face. Hugo hoped that whatever had happened between them when they'd met was just a bad first impression and not what the man was really like.

When they all sat down on the tiny grey couch with a gigantic bowl of popcorn between them and a movie on the television, Hugo embraced the wave of comfort that came over him. He'd never seen the movie before, but it didn't matter. Renee was next to him and Stefan was on the other side of her. All three of them smiled and laughed at the movie and for once, Hugo didn't have to worry about what he said or did. He could just be.