Closer

37.

Eddy was still staring down at the bowl of some sad pasta he had gotten as takeaway for himself. He had been sitting there for hours, but the thought of eating it made him feel sick. Somehow he had managed to get half the thing down anyway. He knew he had to eat the whole thing.

He looked up st the clock on his wall, showing it was almost midnight,and he watched for a bit as the handles ticked from before midnight to after midnight. It was stupid to not just be able to shove down the last few bites og pasta to go to bed. He just had to pull himself together.

When his phone rang, something he certainly wasn't expecting, he just stared at his phone for a bit as if he tried to understand what it was telling him. Who the fuck calls at this time of night, anyway?

His eyes moved to focus on the name of the contact that popped up on his screen, and he got a bad feeling. Brett Yang. He grabbed his phone and pressed the green virtual button to answer, slowly moving his phone to his ear.

"H... Hey?" Eddy asked, clearing his throat immediately after as he realized how weak his voice was. It was quiet in the other end for a second, but he could hear Brett breathe.

"Eddy, can... can I.... uh..." Brett began, and Eddy heard his throat tighten as if he was about to cry. Another few deep breaths. "... is it okay if I come over for... I guess for the night? I uh... I guess I fucked up..."

"What's going on, Brett?" Eddy asked, more on alert now. Brett hadn't spent the night at Eddy's house for no reason since they were kids, and the obvious strained tone of his voice didn't help his worries at all. "Of course you can come."

He heard the sounds of Brett walking in the other end, but didn't get a reply for a while.
"I uh, I guess I'll tell you when I get there... Sorry I woke you up."

"You didn't, I hadn't gone to bed yet," Eddy assured him, feeling the ball of worry grow heavier with every passing second. He heard Brett sniffle in the other end.

"Do you want me to come pick you up?" Eddy asked when it was obvious to him that Brett was crying in the other end. He could feel his need to protect his best friend kick in.

"Actually... d... do you mind? I..." Brett sobbed, and Eddy immediately abandoned his bowl of pasta and grabbed his car keys from the kitchen counter.

"Where are you?" Eddy asked as he went to his front door to get his shoes on. He held his phone between his chin and his shoulder as he tied his laces.

"Just outside the flower shop," Brett half whispered, and Eddy shut the door behind him with a bang.

"I'll be there in two minutes, okay?" Eddy assured him, and heard Brett's nod in the other end from the slight brush against the microphone. "It'll be fine."