Part three of three:-
" Are you going to camp on the roof tomorrow?", Maggie asked me.
We were binge watching Bojack Horseman on Netflix.
"I don't know", I stuffed my mouth full with popcorn so that I can dodge her questions.
The popcorn tasted like asparagus, well Maggie made it so no surprise there...how does one mess up popcorn?
Gee and I have this tradition where we sleep on my roof on the eve of our birthdays every year. We did it for the first time on his 13th birthday.. We didn't plan it to become this ritual thing, it just did, his dad had sent him a camping kit and we wanted to try it out, so we were fake camping on my roof the day before his 13th birthday and we've been doing exactly that for both our birthdays ever since.
My room is on the 2nd floor, my window opened upto the roof of our porch, it's almost like a balcony but only bigger, that's our glorified camping ground.
Every year,my mom will bake us cupcakes and we'll spend the night waiting to turn a year older.
" Well don't worry.... I'm sure he'll come around ", Maggie tried to console me.
I honestly no longer had any hope whatsoever.
The last two days went even worse, he even stopped the occasional pointed glare towards my moon face.
It's almost like I was invisible.
"Yuh well it's stupid ", I huffed.
" Hey.. It's not, I'm sure it'll pass..do you know why he's upset?", Maggie mutted the TV and turned to face me.
" Who cares...haha I don't", I ignored her stare and focussed on picking the lint from my pajama pants.
I jumped a little when mom suddenly snaked her arms around my shoulder from behind.
Maggie laughed like it was the most funny thing on earth, the equivalent of an drunk elephant trying to vape. Imagine that... It sure would be funny.
I gave Maggie a pointed glare that seem to shut her up.
" Do you want me to talk to Gee? We can talk to him, your fight seems serious this time", mom hummed placing her chin on top of my head.
"No!", I answered way too quickly, way too loudly.
" Well it's stupid, can we stop being nosy,don't you guys have stuff to do.. Maybe go play some tonsil hockey"
Maggie smacked my hand with the remote.
Mom snickered, it's so tough trying to exist between this two love birds.
Hahhh.... Can we please stop this school girl romance?
I wiggled out of mom's grasp and stood upto leave.
" You know I was going to give back your video games but well....", mom called.
" Really?........",I spinned around to face my mom.
"Thank you thank you", I hugged my mom.
" We felt bad so we decided to cut down your punishment", mom explained.
"We? I felt bad, you were moping around like you had your first breakup so I made your mom cut down your punishment", Maggie spoke looking at mom with childlike wonder as if mom was Zendaya doing acrobatics.
Mom giggled and blew her a kiss sneakily behind my back. Well they tried to be sneaky, but a person with cataract could have seen it.
My mom is honestly a fossil,she's like 37. Thank God for Maggie, she's slightly relatable being 28.
" She's heartless", I indicated towards mom.
" Hey...she's not that bad ", Maggie hugged my mom.
I made a gesture of puking and turned around to go to my room.
" You're not thanking me?", Maggie asked.
"Thank you", I yelled running up the stairs.
I honestly wonder how I deal with their lovey dovey shit on a day to day basis. Its like I am stuck in a young adult romantic comedy on Netflix. On a second note, I'd rather be stuck in The kissing booth than live here.
Hey!! No..naaahhh. I don't watch rom-coms. That's sissy stuff.
I only know them because mom watches them.
I haven't seen Gee today, today's Saturday. You don't know how much of a serious situation this is, there are only limited number of weekends when one shall find Georgie Stokes at his own house. That's because he's always at my house. Always. Like literally, 24/7, he even sleeps here. There's a sleeping bag and 6 freaking pillows that's reserved for him at my house.
So him not being here,is like if Logan Paul showed another dead body in his vlog! Its scandalous and it's serious.
But apparently it's not impossible since he's not here. Is he?
I thought of calling him up but I didn't want to bother him so I didn't.
Maybe I'm just too much of a wimp to apologize and admit that I'm ready to eat a leather bound book if it means he'll forgive and that we'll be back to normal.
Maybe I am a pussy to run away instead of accepting this huge change in my life..
Also there's the slightest possibility that he might not want to still be my best friend. Still be my same old Georgie.
••••••
I was rapidly scooping out chunks of Avocado at an insane rate, the avocado mostly made it to the ground than my plate.
I decided to pick up and eat the avocado from the floor too. I don't care if I get salmonella, everyone's gotta die someday, better sooner than later. I am sure there are worse ways to go than getting a salmonella infection.
You might call me a pig. I agree. No point arguing. Life is existence. Life is eating food from the floor, life is morbid.
Gahhhhh...
My initial plan was to make myself an avocado toast and count the number of dust particles on the horridly green ceiling fan. But I've abandoned ship, I will just eat dry bread they'll mix inside my stomach. That's toast. What's taste?
Mother goose went away to work to at her culinary heaven to razzle dazzle the folks of LA with her fine cooking talents, she's a chef at a posh restaurant , yes I am all alone on a Sunday evening eating Avocado from the floor. In approximately 6 hours from now, I turn 15.
Maggie is also away at work. It's not like people stop inking their bodies just because it is Sunday.
Can life get any better?
If you're wondering if I've spoke to Georgie?
No.
Without Gee's text or calls, with the radio silence from Gee, my phone was drier than the Sahara desert in summer.
I chucked my phone away and decided to take a well deserved nap at this point. Maybe I'll just wake up and by that time the sun would have swallowed up the moon and human existence will be insignificant.
••••••
"Oh my holy Shit!!! ", I cried jumping up and hitting my head on the bed post in the process.
" Good job you can't even get up properly ", Gee commented with a chuckle looking at me.
"How long have been sitting there? How did you even get in? ", I leaned on the bed post.
" You keep your spare key under the hideous looking garden gnome on your porch. Like I didn't know ",Gee was sitting at the end of my twin bed with a bored expression holding a family size jumbo bag of Cheetos.
He gave me a once over and got up-to open my window.
"You didn't set it up? ", he asked like I grew out two heads.
" I thought you weren't going to make it this time ", I commented sheepishly.
" Wouldn't miss it", he gave me a weak smile.
We just stood there facing each other awkwardly waiting for someone to speak up.
" I am so sorry I don't care that you're gay or whatever it's just I am stupid and I thought how could you kiss a boy ,well obviously you're going to kiss a boy, I mean you're gay so I mean that's natural and then I thought why? you know then obviously you just are , there's nothing to explain then I thought it's going to change things obviously it doesn't, you're right I am just stupid and obviously you're still the same I am the idiot here, I thought you won't want to be my friend anymore you're so right, heck I don't even want to be my friend like you know I'm basically a looser you're kind of perfect honestly good grades, you're taller than me, you have pink cheeks that turn red everytime you laugh too hard also there's your dimples, your eyes kinda just do that weird sparkly thing you know you're doing that again..thats weird but also it's kinda pretty.... And I'm just dull, I'm boring and ...ouuuuu!! Why'd you that?", Gee smacked me with the Cheetos abruptly stopping my rambling.
"Shut up already...you sound gayer than me and I'm pretty gay", he laughed.
"Oh--", I stood looking like a fumbling fool with my cheeks heating up rapidly.
" Let's set this thing up...", he gave me a smile that showed all dimples dragging out the tent from my cupboard.
After two hours of rigorous cussing and straining and pulling and agitated shoving, the tent was somewhat up.
We sat down drenched in sweat in the September warmth, with jagged heartbeats and shallow breaths from all the work.
I laid down flat on my back against the blanket on the tiled roof.
Gee was sitting propped up by the pillows sipping on a can of Pepsi.
" Did your mom bake cookies? ", Gee asked excitedly.
"I knew it!! You're only here for the cookies ", I teased.
" No shit Sherlock ", he laughed.
His laugh is the kind of laughter that makes you laugh harder because the laugh itself is funnier than the joke. He snorts when he laughs . It's impossible not to laugh along with him.
"I ate it all, thought you weren't coming over and I was upset ", I commented when the laughter died down.
"hmm mmmkay",he hummed.
"So where's my gift? ",I grinned.
He shrugged.
"Are you aware that you are here to celebrate my birthday ,this gorgeous hunk of a man birthed 15 years ago! ",I asked him cheekily.
"More like a lump of child",He patted my cheeks.
I blushed like a school girl looking at Shawn Mendes' chiseled abs.
Thank goodness it was quite dark now, the light seeping out of my room casted silhouettes around us.
I moved closer to sit next to Georgie. I pulled the bag of Cheetos on my lap, "I will take this as my gift even though it's quite shity"
"I'm your gift",He smirked and gestured towards himself.
I couldn't exactly deny that statement. Gee being here is indeed the best gift in the world.
" I'm sorry '",I muttered in shame.
He waived it off and gave me lopsided grin.
"When does your mom get off work? ", he asked trying to change the topic.
I was grateful because neither of us are good at pouring our hearts out and talking cheesy stuff.
" Oh she got off at 8 ,it's their date night ,they offered to stay home but honestly I'd rather take a nap than witness their lovey dovey shit", a gentle breeze flew past us and Gee huddled closer to me.
Our shoulders were touching. It's not uncommon for us, we've always been close as in showered together till we were... Let's just say I've seen his dick multiple times but this time , I felt something in my stomach.
God forbid if I ever admit that I felt stuff for my best friend but deep down, ever since he came out, I've been wondering how it would feel to kiss him.
If I had been in Steve's place at the science camp. I blame the gay porn I watched for making me want to kiss my gay best friend. Key word being gay!
"Their lovey dovey shit is not that bad",he chuckled.
" I guess so",I shrugged looking at Gee. He seemed so relaxed..
"Your mom came to talk to me yesterday ", he was staring up at the sky. Even though there was nothing to see.
You don't see starry nights in LA, it's only for the movies.
" Thank you and I should probably thank mom", I murmured.
"I would have still come here", he cut me off.
I felt like we should hold our hands so I started feeling around for his hand and my hand accidentally grazed his balls.
I froze completely.
"Um what are you doing ?", he shrieked.
"Amm looking for your handl? ", I yelped.
"Why? ", he asked but extended his hand towards me.
" Thought we should hold hands or something ", he kept looking at me with a weird expression.
"Gahhh forget it",I laughed awkwardly.
He yanked my hand towards him and threaded our fingers together and kept it between our thighs.
"Happy? ", he asked.
"Aehh",I huffed but I was happy. I was so happy , I was smiling like a fool.
" Did I tell you that you're so well spoken", I could see him smiling too.
"Always", I hummed.
Then we fell into silence, but it wasn't the bad kind of silence. It felt good.
" You're wrong, you're not dull and you'll always be my best friend no matter what ", I turned around to face him. He was already looking at me.
Our faces were so close, I could feel the warmth of his breath fanning across my face.
He was staring at me with that sparkly weird look in his eyes and.....
I was kissing Georgie Stokes on top of my roof. And it felt right, it felt so good. It felt wonderful. It felt better than when I imagined kissing Milli , the hottest girl in our school.
He pulled away.
"What did you do that for? ", he asked surprised.
I was equally clueless, "I don't know.. I wanted to"
And this time Georgie Stokes kissed me hard on the lips. Our tongues danced together in rhythm. My heart was leaping and my stomach felt light. I was floating.
I pulled away flustered, " Why'd you do that? ", I asked mimicking his words.
" I wanted to", he smiled.
I felt my cheeks heating up.
" Well that was my first kiss can I say my first kiss was at 14 since its not midnight yet so technically I'm still 14 also it sounds way better than having your first kiss at 15", I rambled on.
Gee pecked my lips , that made me shut up.
" Happy birthday ", he whispered putting his head on my shoulder.
His hair smelt of lemons.
" It's not midnight yet", I pointed out.
" Shut up", he closed his eyes.
" Idiot ", I mumbled and closed my eyes too.
I leaned against Georgie. He squeezed my hand, our hands were a sweaty entangled mess but it felt perfect.
Everything felt good on that particular birthday.
We ate Cheetos and waited together, for me to turn 15. I guess you don't really need a starry sky above to see a star.
••••••••
Here it is...
Done. First short story is complete. I hope you enjoy it.
Thank you for reading this.
Leave your thoughts.
Maybe vote :)
Or not. IDK. Whatever you wish.
XO