Technicolor Daze [Currently Being Edited]

four.

It was quite ironic in a way. He was taking a shower and imagining himself stranded in the Namib desert.

Fully washed and rinsed, Theo stepped out of the bathtub and dried himself off before brushing his teeth. Once his breath felt minty and fresh, he headed to his bedroom. He already felt a bit better, though feelings of regret still lingered. As he got dressed, he looked at his phone and saw his mom's missed call again. He almost forgot he'd promised his parents that he would visit them. He called his mom back to let her know he would drop by for dinner.

"Hey, mom. Sorry, I didn't answer your call, I woke up pretty late," he paced around his room as spoke.

"Hi, Theo. Did you stay up late last night?"

"Yeah, went out with some friends."

"Oh, hope you had fun! Did you go with Alice?"

His mom really loved Alice's company. They were both playful and enjoyed teasing Theo.

"Yeah, we had fun. She said she misses your apple pie."

"Oh, how sweet of her! Send her my regards and tell her she should drop by sometime!"

"Will do, and I'll talk to her to see when she can visit," he paused as he heard Alice opening the door of the apartment, "Listen, I'll drop by for dinner. Is that okay?"

"Oh, that is perfect! Ask Alice if she wants to join!"

"I'll ask her. I have to go now, but I'll be there around 6 pm."

"Alright, see you later!"

As soon as Theo hung up he heard Alice banging on his door and yelling, "Open up, Theo!"

Theo opened the door and looked at his displeased friend. "Why didn't you reply to my messages?" She was glaring at Theo and pointing at the phone in his hand.

"I took a shower and then talked to my mom. She's inviting us for dinner, if you'd like to join us, by the way," Theo tried to divert the conversation to a different topic, but Alice didn't take his bait.

"Pause on that conversation and let's get back to what I really want to know. What happened after you left D2 last night?" Alice could be pretty ruthless when she wanted to be to Theo's dismay.

"I fucked up," he saw no point in beating around the bush as he sat down on his bed, "I went to his house, he started talking about wanting something more and I just wanted to get laid, so we ended up fucking, but I couldn't come so I basically told him to finish it up himself," Theo looked up at Alice trying to read her reaction, but she remained expressionless, wanting to hear what happened after.

"After that, he told me we were done. He told me to get out and to never contact him again," Theo's shoulders slumped as he finished his story. He looked at the floor, evading Alice's eyes.

"Oh, Theo. Well, can't say it surprises me. I did warn you about leading him on. You really shouldn't have gone there, but no point crying over spilled milk. How are you feeling now?" Alice may be cold with her words, but her eyes showed a hint of concern.

"I'm better now. A shower helped. I don't know what came over me last night... I was just pissed off because a guy on Grindr saw my message but didn't reply and he wasn't at D2 either... I was feeling like... like I wasn't good enough. Again. And I know it's no excuse for acting like a complete dickhead, but I wasn't thinking straight..." Theo knew it was all in his head, but he couldn't help but think that way at times.

"Is it that dancer you showed me on Friday?" Alice sat down next to Theo on his bed, leaning her back on his headboard.

"Yeah... It's pathetic. I don't even know him, but I can't stop thinking about him. I don't understand why it bothers me so much..."