you promised we'll see each other today.
sherlock starred down at his phone screen. another text appeared.
i can easily drive to your house.
don't be a dick, sherlock.
sherlock slumped into his seat, letting out a huff. he looked at the ceiling, thinking if he should make up an excuse or actually out in the effort to see john. they could go out for lunch. sherlock remembered his mom was going shopping with mrs. watson and his father was out working on god knows what. he's always doing something.
uncle bucks at noon?
an instant response.
you better be there.
i'll be there.
sherlock pushed himself off the sofa, deciding sweatpants, a tee shirt a fuzzy socks isn't proper attire to reunite with his best friend. sherlock rolled his eyes at how gay that sounded in his head as he went upstairs. he went into his room, deciding it was time to unpack his suitcase and do laundry, so that's what he did to pass time.
sherlock sat in the local small town restaurant, sitting in a booth as he waited for john to arrive. the usual lunch rush was buzzing around him as he squished his straw wrapper between his fingers before flicking it into the booth across him. he slouched into the cushion behind him as he looked at his watch, seeing it was ten after noon. he sighed and took his phone out of his pocket, seeing a text from john.
running late. sorry.
of course he was running late. he always was. especially when it was something to do with sherlock. he was probably bringing james with him. god if he was sherlock would get up and walk out because he did not agree to that and john never mentioned it. sherlock set his phone on his folded jacket next to him, placing his hands in his lap as he watched the window, tapping his fingers on the table top.
it wasn't until quarter after noon when john showed up. he saw sherlock sitting at the booth and went to him, removing his coat then sitting in the booth, looking at his friend with a smile. "sorry. james and i got into a fight."
"it's alright." sherlock said. the fight was about john going out to lunch with sherlock. he knew it just by the way john checked his phone once he sat down, clearing the text he had received then set his phone on his coat. "i didn't know if you wanted sweet tea or coffee, so i didn't order a drink for you." sherlock said.
"that's fine." john said. he looked over his friend, seeing the only thing that had changed was that he had gotten thinner and john never thought that'd be possible. his phone went off next to him and he sighed, grabbing his phone and putting it on do not disturb, not even looking at the text from his boyfriend. "so, how's harvard?" he asked.
"it's good," sherlock nodded, "cold as hell, but it's good." he cleared his throat, wanting this small talk awkwardness to vanish. "and how's uva?"
john scratched the back of his head. "i plan on transferring to john hopkins after this year."
that's your problem for choosing the same school your boyfriend goes to. sherlock even told him not to, but john insisted that he really wanted to and not because it's where james went. "did you get in?" sherlock asked. "that's a private university."
"i got in." john said with a smile. "it's the nursing program, but i'll have to do four years there because i haven't started my nursing classes yet."
"what does sholto think of it?"
john's smile fell as he looked at his hands. "he's mad about it and he's being crazy about it, but i still have a whole semester at uva." he gained eye contact with sherlock again. "it's my decision, but he's acting like it's ours and that it'll effect our relationship. and he gave me shit about meeting you for lunch. yelled at me over the phone."
shocker.
"isn't he meeting up with his old friends too?"
john nodded. "he went to a bar last night. but he didn't tell me." he shook his head. "it's whatever, but he's really been pissing me off."
"what can i get ya john?" the waiter, henry asked.
"i'll have coffee." john gave henry a smile.
"are you two ready to order?"
"can i get the turkey club then a later order for a double cheeseburger with onions and mayo?" sherlock asked.
henry nodded. "does your dad want fries or coleslaw?" he asked as he wrote it down on the order pad.
"both."
"what can i get you john?"
"chicken noodle soup please. with extra crackers."
henry nodded. "be right out, boys." he said before going back into the kitchen.
"you never said bye to me when you left for school." john said, pulling the buried hatchet out of the ground.
sherlock felt his ears get hot. he looked down at his glass of water only having enough sense to say, "sorry."
"sorry doesn't work, sherlock!" john sighed, calming himself before reaching across the table and choking out his friend. "it was a real dick of a move. especially ignoring me every time i brought it up."
sherlock looked at john again. he was wearing a light blue sweater with a partial turtle neck and it looked absolutely sublime on him. sholto must've bought it for him. john was a jobless college student. he definitely couldn't buy new clothes.
"are you going to speak?" john asked, slightly pissed.
henry set a mug down in front of john, saying their food wouldn't be too long.
"i'm sorry." sherlock said. "i just couldn't see you before i left."
john scoffed. "you couldn't see me before you left? we've been friends forever and you couldn't see me before you left for a semester in boston?"
"if you knew why you'd understand." sherlock looked at his hands, feeling that empty gut feeling like last nights.
"you're a major cunt sometimes, ya know that?" john asked. he took a second to take a swig of his coffee. "but you're my best friend and i haven't seen you in months so i'll drop the topic."
sherlock gave john a weak smile. "so how long is your break?"
"i have until the fifteenth." john set his coffee down. "you?"
"i took chem lab duties, so the tenth."
"remember when you blew up the chem lab at school?" john asked with a small laugh. "god, mr. runyan was pissed. never seen him so hot headed before."
sherlock laughed. "ms. wyciffle was horrified. oh my god i still remember her face."
"your parents were pissed."
sherlock frowned, rubbing his face at the memories. "god, i remember working my ass off all summer to pay for some of the remodeling." he looked at his friend who was smiling at him. "but, that doesn't beat when you fell through the bass drum at one of the football games."
"those band kids were pissed," john laughed. "i swear i thought they were going to gang up on me."
sherlock smiled. "senior year was great."
"it was. is it bad that i miss it here?" he asked, looking around the quaint restaurant.
sherlock shook his head. "everyone always ends up back here."
john looked back at his friend. "do you think you will?"
"no. i've got bigger plans with my life then working on the farm." shelrock's mind flipped back to thinking about his crush on his friend across from him. "how 'bout you?"
john shrugged. "i don't know. it's home here and i know i'll find better work somewhere else, but i feel like i'm glued to this place. ya know?"
sherlock shook his head. "i want to get out of this place as soon as i can." he picked up his glass, taking a sip of his water. he wanted to get away from his friend. away from the his shitty hometown. somewhere else where no one could contact him and he could be alone with his work. maybe iceland. sherlock's always been attracted to iceland.
henry arrived with their food. "and i'll put that order in for your dad once y'all are finished." henry said to sherlock.
"thanks henry." he gave the waiter a smile.
they ate, laughing and telling jokes as time passed. sherlock still felt his heart rate pick up a bit every time john smiled at him or his foot gently ran over his own on accident. it was difficult to sit there and act like nothing was bothering him. he was being eaten alive by his heart but his head told him to ignore it. that this was all just a phase and it'll fade once he's back at school because it was gone until he had gotten home.
john had left in a hurry on the phone with sholto and sherlock could hear him yelling from the other end. john thanked sherlock then walked out quickly as he put on his jacket. sherlock sink into the booth some, waiting for henry to come by so he could get the check and his father's food before he headed out.
the cold stung sherlock's face as he walked out of the restaurant, walking around the building to where he parked his car, getting in. he put the styrofoam box in the passenger seat then started the car, turning the heat up. he looked out the passenger side window and saw john sitting in his mother's suv, so frustrated he was almost in tears. a part of sherlock wanted to get out and go and comfort his friend, but the other part just wanted to let him deal with it and drive away.
"it was just lunch, james!" john shouted into the phone.
"is that why you didn't want me to come visit? because it was just lunch?" sholto asked over the phone.
john looked out his window and saw sherlock sitting in his car, looking at him. "i'm not doing this." he sniffled, looking at his steering wheel. "you went out to a bar and didn't tell me. i found out because of the shit chris posted. so i don't want to hear it. i went out to lunch with my best friend. get your head out of your ass, james." john said then hung up, looking over at sherlock again.
sherlock gave him a sympathetic look and nodded once.
john wiped his face and nodded. he looked down at his phone as it went off, seeing that sherlock had sent a text.
want to vent?
john laughed softly. he looked over at the car a few spots over and smiled before looking down at his phone.
maybe later. i need a cool down period.
text me then. i'll be home.
sherlock looked up, locking eyes with john. the blond gave him a smile and a thumbs up before backing out of his spot then driving out of the parking lot. sherlock set his phone into the cup holder and sighed. he may have just made a mistake.
a very big one.