Conflicted Eyes, Confusing Feelings | Complete

s e v e n t y

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There is a difference between giving up and knowing when you have had enough.

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Sage had expected to wake up freezing with wet clothes blistering his skin and really bad flu, but when he came to, that wasn't the case. His eyes slowly fluttered open, squinting as they flit about the unfamiliar room he was in, and the piles of blankets he lay under. The panic didn't settle in just yet, even as Sage slowly sat up and rested his head against the tufted white headboard of the bed, rubbing the sleep from his eyes then looking around.

Orange pendant lights dangled from the high roof on either side of the bed, complimenting the light hardwood floors and the beige walls. Sage could go on forever listing the elegant, expensive things in the room, but then he noticed something out of the norm - besides the grandiose size of the room.

At the bottom of the bed, on the velvet bench laid a guitar, crafted with heavy wood and a brown coat for its colour. It randomly sat there next to a phone, highly questionable.

Randall?

Sage groggily tossed white blankets off his small frame and shuffled to the edge of the bed. Dropping his feet to the ground, white shaggy carpet caressed his soles, and before he could approach the phone, guitar or escape, the sound of a key clicking in a lock came. Sage quickly slid back in the comfortable bed, just as one of the two Mediterranean-designed rustic doors swung open with a slight creak. Another entered the room, with a golden Labrador Retriever tailing behind them. The dog's deafening bark startled Sage, causing him to let out a shrill shriek that blew his cover.

That caught the person's attention at once, the person looked over and spotted Sage, their pierced lips curving in a smirk.

"Yow, Trem-Trem. You awake?"

Sage's shoulders fell as a wave of relief knocked into him, almost forcing him back on the bed with a sigh of relief.

"C-Carter?"

"The one and only," Carter grinned. Sage's eyes fell on his bare chest, and he blushed, looking away promptly. "Ah, my bad. I usually walk around naked, but since you here..." the didn't finish his sentence, only grabbed a random t-shirt and threw over his messy head. Sage looked down at his attire, noticing that was no longer in a hoodie and jeans, but an oversized t-shirt and jogger sweats.

Did...

Did he...

Sage didn't prod the thought. It would be too embarrassing.

"You scared of dogs, Tremaine?"

"N-not really."

Carter knelt next to the excited dog, who had its eye set on Sage. "Awesome. Now be a good boy, alright?" the dog barked in response, and instantly upon being released from its leash, it bolted for Sage, who cowered back but didn't move otherwise.

It wasn't that he was afraid of dogs, but because unfamiliar animals scared him to an extent. As the dog inched closer, its steps faltered, and it lowered its head, tentatively approaching Sage while wagging its tail furiously. The dog provided a great distraction for Sage, barring the reoccurring thoughts of his encounter with Carlos, Maria and everything in between. He reached for the dog, who sniffed his hand before permitting Sage to scratch behind his ear.