Selcouth

02 - Friends

AUSTIN:

Adam invited some of our friends to come and meet Tim today. We told them about his mutism and explained how he responds when people talk to him. Adam informed them that if they said anything rude or out of the way to Tim, then he would personally deal with them. I knew he was protective, but he never threatened anyone who didn't even do anything. I wonder what's gotten into him. I'll have to ask him later.

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Once we finally got Tim out of the bed, it took him 30 minutes to get ready. He kept coming out and motioning to himself to see if he looked okay. Every time we would say he looked fine, he would huff and go change outfits. Finally, he came out one last time earning a compliment from Adam. We all walked to the spot and waited for our friends to arrive.

Tim kept pacing the floor. He would often bite his nails or fidget nervously with his hands. I walked over and put my hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, bud. You'll be okay. I know the guys will love you. Just trust me okay?"

He nodded, unsurely but sat down anyways.

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Twenty minutes later, Adam's talk about D&D got cut short when the door opened quickly to reveal our friends.

"Hey guys!" I got up to give them all hugs.

Tim nervously looked up from his book that he was reading. He looked over at Adam, who just motioned his head towards the men.

He got up from the couch and walked over to the guys while holding his hand out for them to shake it. When they gave his gesture a weird look, Adam glared at them and raised his eyebrow. They smiled at him and shook his hand quickly. Laughing, I walked over to Tim and nudged him softly.

"Okay, Tim. Here we have Chance, Avi, and Layne." I pointed to each guy and they smiled at Tim.

Layne patted him on his arm, "It's great to meet you, man. Adam has told us a lot about you."  Tim raised his brow at Adam, causing him to hold his hands up in surrender. I snickered softly, earning a glare from Adam.

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Avi had just finished telling Tim about the time Adam and I accidentally super glued our hands to each other.

I rolled my eyes, "Seriously guys! That was 4 years ago and it wasn't even my fault!"

Adam interjected, "If you wouldn't have given me a high five, then we wouldn't have had that problem."

Tim laughed silently, while throwing his head back. I smiled softly at him. He hasn't looked this happy since we had been around each other. I'm glad he is actually getting comfortable here. Hopefully he will stay this happy; his therapy starts in a few days. I'm not sure how he will handle it and i'm honestly nervous for him. I know therapy takes a lot from you and drains you because you are being made to open wounds that you have patched up but hadn't allowed to heal. Adam interrupted my thoughts by nudging my arm.

"Hm?" I asked while blankly staring at the table.

"Are you okay? You kinda looked spaced out?"

"Oh yeah. I'm fine."

Adam furrowed his brows. "Austin, look at me." I slowly looked up at him.

"What are you worried about?"

I sighed and shook my head. "I'm just nervous about how Tim will react to therapy."

"Hey, I'm sure he will be fine. I mean, he shared his story with us and it didn't seem to have severe trauma linked to why he got here. He just needs to get therapy for his anxiety about talking to people. He will be okay. If not, we are all here for him and we will help him through it. That's what friends are for."
I smiled up at him.

"Thanks, Adam. You always know what to say." He simply shrugged his shoulders before I engulfed him into a hug. When I could feel his spine, shivers went down my body. I pulled away saying nothing about either topics and cleared my throat softly, before jumping into Layne and Tim's conversation about building furniture. Tomorrow, I'm talking to Adam. He told me that he was doing good, that his weight had been going up for weeks, but now he looked smaller than ever. I hope he didn't lie, cause now I am really worried.

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