The boys went back to sleep for a couple hours and when they woke up again around one in the afternoon. Josiah had a headache and neither one of them brought up what had happened earlier. Carson’s stomach growled loudly and Josiah’s sounded off shortly after, so they traded the attic for the kitchen.
Josiah had only just started to pull breakfast ingredients out of the refrigerator when his phone started ringing in his pajama pants. He answered it quickly and it was just his mom letting him know that Carson’s lawyer was going to be calling his phone soon.
Carson lifted his head off of his arms and watched his friend curiously as he spoke on the phone. He raised his eyebrows when Josiah relayed the information Lanai had just told him. Carson didn’t really have a response to that; he was sort of nervous about what was going on. He was worried for some reason that Gabriel and Jeremiah might somehow get out of this. That thought scared the life out of him.
When the phone did finally ring again, about five minutes after Lanai called, both boys went silent immediately. Josiah went to grab the phone that he had set in front of Carson, when the younger boy didn’t make a move to answer it. But the action caused a spark in the brunet, as he hastily snatched up the device before Josiah’s fingers could get it.
Josiah froze and watched Carson carefully. The boy with blue eyes just stared at the black metal rectangle ringing in his hand for another ten seconds. The number was odd--not programmed into Josiah’s phone--and Carson knew for a fact it would be his lawyer on the other end once he picked up.
With one glance to Josiah’s watchful eyes, Carson looked back at the phone and swiped at the button to answer it. Hesitantly, he said, “Hello?”
“Carson Mitchell?” a strong yet friendly voice asked into the speaker.
Carson licked his lip. “Yeah, that’s me.”
“Ahh, it’s good to finally speak to you. I’m Nicole Mcnally, the lawyer your parents contacted for your case,” the woman said. Carson thought she sounded nice. “Is now an okay time to discuss a few things?”
Carson looked up from the tabletop and looked at Josiah. He wasn’t sure what this woman was going to say, how it was going to affect him, or what she would make him tell her. What he did know, though, was that he didn’t feel completely comfortable having the conversation with Josiah gawking at him.
The brunet got to his feet and mumbled into the phone, “Uhm, yeah. Give me just a second.”
“Oh sure, that’s fine,” Nicole chirped.
Josiah took a step towards his friend who was turning away from him. Carson wasn’t paying any attention to him, only focusing on leaving the room. Josiah frowned and hustled to catch up to the other boy and placed a gentle hand on his elbow. The brunet stopped and turned his head, putting the phone’s speaker against his chest so the woman couldn’t hear him.
“Where are you going?” the black-haired boy asked, laying his sage-coloured eyes on his friend.
Carson chewed on his cheek and glanced away, feeling awkward. “I wanna do this privately, okay? Sorry...”
Josiah shook his head and started to reassure the younger boy that he wasn’t upset--even though he was kind of disappointed that Carson didn’t want him around--but the twenty year old moved away from him before he could get a full sentence out.
Running a hand through his jet-black tufts, Josiah sighed heavily. He cast a wary look at the empty space where Carson had just been and then walked back towards the stove to work on their breakfast.
Josiah couldn’t deny that he wanted to know what was going on with the other boy’s case, but he didn’t want to pry or demand information that he wasn’t entitled to. He had to give Carson the privacy and space he wanted and deserved even if it drove him crazy to do so.
As Josiah cracked eggs and dropped them into the frying pan, he started humming to himself to the the curiosity off of his mind. The problem with that, though, was that once the curiosity was gone, all he could think about was how blatantly dejected he felt.
And he hated that feeling because it made him aware of how selfish he was being. Josiah felt guilty that Carson’s lack of attention made him feel this way. The brunet had been through so much in such a short amount of time and yet Josiah was pouting about not being his number one choice for people to confide in.
Josiah forcibly scrambled the eggs as he cursed himself yet again. He tried to sum his behaviour up as just being lonely. He missed Ayden so badly. Even with Carson at his side, he couldn’t shake the knowledge that Ayden had always been there as well. But now she wasn’t. And he had no idea when the three of them could be back together like they used to be--of if they even would be.
The sage-eyed boy bit at his lip and angrily chopped at the little fluffy bits of egg in the pan. He glared at the food wishing that things were so much simpler. But he knew that they weren’t, so he had to put all of his effort into dealing with things as they currently were. And right now the situation called for his compassion and understanding for Carson’s needs. Because, frustratingly enough, there wasn’t a damn thing Josiah could do for Ayden, but he could do a hell of a lot for Carson.
Josiah was still scowling and frowning all over the place by the time he was finished cooking everything. He set everything out on plates and sat down at the table to wait for his friend to return before he started to eat. Josiah tapped his fingers anxiously against the old-wooden table he had eaten at for as long as he could remember. With the sounds of cooking food gone from the air, he could hear the gravelly tone of Carson’s voice filtering into the room from somewhere else in the house.
Josiah couldn’t hear any specific words, but somehow just the sound of his friend’s voice worked to make the black-haired boy much calmer. However, he still had a deep frown on his face when Carson strolled back into the room five minutes after Josiah had started waiting. It didn’t take long for Josiah to notice that Carson’s expression wasn’t that much better than his.
Carson was the first to comment, though. “What’s wrong?”
Josiah shook his head as his friend slid into the chair next to him. “It’s nothing. What happened?”
The brunet shrugged and picked up his fork. He took a bite of his food and realized it was only barely warm. He glanced at Josiah who was watching him intently and not eating his own food. Carson noted the other boy’s plate looked completely untouched.
“Did you wait for me?” he asked. “You shouldn’t have. Now your food is cold.”
The black-haired boy jumped a little as he realized he’d been zoning for too long. “Is it cold? Give it here, I can warm your plate up real quick.”
Josiah made a grab for Carson’s plate, but the younger boy stopped him by touching the back of his hand. “Leave it, Joe,” he spoke softly. He could sense the nervousness coursing through the older boy’s body. “It’s okay.”
Josiah nodded and took his hand back. He dropped his gaze down onto his own plate and pushed around some of his breakfast potatoes without spearing any of them onto his fork.
Carson watched his friend and nibbled on his lip. He sighed quietly, causing the other boy to look up, and said, “She’s a really nice lady, my lawyer.”
The black-haired boy snapped his head up. He settled his eyes on Carson, waiting for more information. After about a minute of tense silence, the younger boy finally spoke again.
“She, Nicole--she said I could call her Nicole--well, she said that things are moving along nicely,” Carson rambled nervously. “That it might not be longer than a couple weeks to get...uhm, them sentenced or whatever.”
Josiah’s face lit up. He turned a bright white grin onto his friend. “That’s great! I’m glad. What else did she say? Nicole?”
Carson bit his lip again, trying to remember as much of the actual wording the woman had used. “Uh, she said that....they had their first court appearance this morning. And she said they were charged with whatever or something. I’m not a lawyer, I don’t really know what all she said and what it meant.”
Josiah smiled encouragingly. “It’s okay. Go on.”
The brunet cleared his throat, avoided eye contact as he felt like he was under a lot of pressure at the moment despite not knowing why, and said, “Well, yeah. I guess they showed a bunch of the evidence and all that for the judge to go over. And they decided that there was enough to keep the two of them in jail.” Carson paused at this part to deepen the frown. He fixed his eyes on the grain of the wood tabletop. “But I guess the judge set a bail. I don’t remember the number, but they haven’t paid it yet. But they could.”
Josiah’s smile was officially wiped off of his face after hearing that last part. He scooted closer to Carson and put a hand on his back to comfort him. The brunet kept his eyes trained on the table, though.
“Hey,” Josiah tried. “It’s gonna be okay. That sounds like good enough news. If they have all the evidence they need to hold them, then that means they’ll probably find ‘em guilty. It’ll work out.”
Carson nodded absently. He set his fork down and scratched at his neck nervously. “Yeah.”
The sage-eyed boy pursed his lips for a moment while he thought. A few seconds later, he tried to meet the younger boy’s gaze. “How ‘bout you tell me what’s got you so worried?”
Carson kept scratching at his neck and he blinked. He let his eyes flicker back and forth from Josiah’s face to anywhere else. “They could be bailed out.”
Josiah was silent at that. He had to think for a little while on how to answer it carefully. He didn’t want to seem too insensitive by either assuming everything would be okay, or being too negative that it spiked Carson’s concern even more.
“It’s only a possibility,” Josiah said. “And if it does happen, you’ll be so safe. I promise. I won’t let anyone get near you.” The darker boy smiled at Carson, who mostly just humoured it and quirked his lips unconvincingly in return. “I’ll stay with you every second until they got locked up. If they do get bailed out, though, you’ll know about it. But it’s only a slim chance. Try not to worry about it.”
Carson squeezed his eyes shut to collect himself and Josiah moved even closer, crowding his space just enough to almost wrap him in his arms. Carson nodded after a few moments. He felt stupid for the anxiety he was feeling, but he really wished he didn’t.
“I can try,” he offered, opening his blue eyes again. “No promises, though, alright?”
Josiah grinned. “I couldn’t ask for more. Come here.” The older boy promptly pulled him into a tight, brief hug before letting go. “So what’s going to happen now?”
Rubbing a hand over his face, Carson recalled, “Nicole said there will be a preliminary hearing soon. I-I have to, uhm. I have to testify...at that one.”
Josiah’s face remained neutral as he regarded Carson. “Are you okay with that?”
Carson shrugged. “I don’t know. There’s no witnesses. It was just me. So I have to be there otherwise they might throw out the case. I really don’t want that to happen. I can’t live here knowing they're out roaming around.”
The twenty-one year old nodded, understanding completely. “I get that. I’m sorry, Car. But I’ll be there if you want me to be. I’ll be anywhere you need me, okay?” Josiah stopped to press his cheek against Carson’s. He could feel the slight tremors coming from the other boy. Josiah tried to adopt a lighter tone, really hoping he could make his best friend feel better. “I’m your man! Anything you need, I got you.”
Carson snorted and smirked a little, but wrapped his arms around Josiah. He pulled him against him tightly. He didn’t want to let him go. He wanted the two of them to stay like that forever. Carson wanted them to forget anything that had happened in the past. The last week, the last year, all of it.
Carson wanted to rewind to a time where he found Josiah on campus first. Where he plucked up the courage to ask him out even though Josiah was straight. Where Josiah accepted, feeling comfortable enough with himself to be open to giving it a shot. Where things progressed, and they fell in love, and Josiah was always Carson’s and not Ayden’s.
The brunet wanted that time reversal and all of that which it entailed so badly that he even forgot to stop his train of thought to remind himself of how incredibly selfish and inconsiderate it all was. Because for the first time he could remember in a very long time, Carson just didn’t care about the other people involved. He only cared about himself. He cared about his own happiness and his own problems and his own desires.
So he stayed there in Josiah’s arms for a while longer, and just allowed himself to get lost in how strongly he felt for his friend.