The Nerd and The Frog

We've Met Before

There was only the sound of the heart monitor emitting in the room, the both of them silent as they stared at each other. Alan had felt a sense of relief after the words finally escaped him, but his expression remained pensive as he watched Daniel, his hand still holding the other's as he did so. 

Having finally processed Alan's words, Daniel's eyes shifted slightly before he moved his hand away from Alan's grip. Daniel blankly stared at the floor, clasping his hands together. 

"You... lied to me." Daniel finally stated, calmly. 

Alan felt a sinking motion in his stomach, not saying anything as he continued to watch Daniel. 

"How long?" Daniel asked, looking over to Alan, his eyebrows meeting in the middle to form a frown. 

"How long... what?" Alan spoke softly, puzzled. 

"How long have you felt this way?" Daniel replied, his expression unwavering. 

Alan swallowed quietly, trying his best to maintain eye contact. "Since around the 5th grade."

Daniel's eyes widened in surprise, before his face showed complete confusion. "I... I don't recall knowing... you around that time..."

"We met once...it was during break from school. You probably don't remember, as it was in passing..." Alan stated quietly with a shrug. 

"Tell me." Daniel stated, in an earnest manner, which caught Alan off guard. 

"It... well. Don't get mad." Alan warned, only to see Daniel frown even more. "Apparently, I somehow lost my glasses playing hide and seek in the woods near my house... this is the house I used to live in near Nicolette and... Thomas." Alan paused, as if recalling the memory fully. "I wandered around for a bit trying to find them, but was having trouble. I started calling out to my friends but they didn't respond. So, I started to panic and cried."

Daniel's expression went from puzzled to blank as he listened to Alan speak. 

"I heard... someone calling out to me, asking me if I was ok-"

"That was you." Daniel stated, quickly, shocked. 

Alan stopped talking, surprised. 

Daniel stared at Alan intensely, before his face slowly turned bright red. 

"You... remember that?" Alan asked, shocked, his own face changing to a solid crimson color.

"I was, like... 9. I didn't know any better..." Daniel quickly stated, embarrassed. 

"It's ok! Well, I mean... probably not in hindsight..." Alan bashfully spoke. 

Daniel looked away in shock, overwhelmed as his brain connected everything together. "That... was really you?"

Alan slowly nodded, silent. 

"I..." Daniel stopped, unsure of how to respond. "I need-"

"Alan!" a voice cried from the doorway. 

They both looked up to see Nicolette running into the hospital room, Manny walking in after her. 

"Hey Nikki..." Alan said with a gentle smile, trying to keep his composure. 

" 'Hey Nikki!' That's all you can say right now?" she proclaimed, worried. "Are you ok? What happened?"

Alan gave a slight shrug. "Apparently a seizure..."

Watching Nicolette and Alan talk, Daniel carefully got up from the bed, allowing Nikki to take the space. He walked over to Manny and stood near him. "You drove over?"

"Yep." Manny answered, calmly. 

"How'd that car ride go?" Daniel asked, curious. 

"...she's so damn cute." Manny  muttered, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his jeans, looking away. 

"You're totally into her." Daniel teased, only to see Manny keep a rather calm expression, watching his face darken in color around his cheeks. His gaze averted to Alan, who was still conversing with his best friend happily. Uncertain of just how they could continue their discussion, Daniel sighed softly to himself, before speaking. "I'm going to go. I need to head home..."

"What?" Alan answered immediately, his attention completely taken away. 

Daniel gave a polite smile, but his eyes showed confusion and conflict. "Get better soon, Alan." 

"Daniel... but-"

"Get better first, then we can talk." Daniel interjected, his smile genuine. "I'll see you guys at school." After waving goodbye, Daniel exited the room without any hesitation. 

Alan watched him leave quietly, fighting the urge to jump out of the bed and go after him. 

He... probably needs the space. I just confessed to him. He needs to digest all of that... Fuck, I do too. Especially since he actually remembers how we first met. He seemed... really surprised as well. It was like he wanted to tell me something about it. 

Soon, his entire family walked into the room, his father having been found by his mother and sister. In no time, his room was a buzz of conversation and loving concern, mixed in with a bit of humor and teasing. 

This is fine. I can wait to talk to him later. Hell, if he didn't want to talk, then he would've outright rejected me. So... this must be a good sign. Totally has to be a good sign. 

Right?