Expensive Mistakes

Tobi shifted in his sleep, before awaking with a start. His heart pounded as he looked around, his eyes adjusting to the light filtering through the window. This wasn't his apartment. Where was he?

"Tobi? Are you alright?" Emilio asked groggily, adjusting his glasses which were askew on his face. They had left an indent where they had pressed into his cheek.

Tobi calmed as he realized he had fallen asleep on Emilio's couch while they were watching the movie. "I'm okay. I just had a nightmare." It had been a recurring dream. Tobi was glad that at least he didn't need to try to remember the dream until he got home. He never wrote out the same dream twice.

"What was the nightmare about? Do you want to talk about it?"

Tobi shook his head. "I'm alright, I promise," he said, giving Emilio a small smile.

"Would you like paper to write it down so you can transfer it into your notebook when you get home?" Emilio offered.

"No, thank you. I don't write if the dream is recurring."

Shit.

Now Emilio was going to pry. Tobi wasn't ready to discuss his nightmares.

Emilio raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued, but to Tobi's surprise, he didn't say anything. Instead, he stood from the couch and offered Tobi his hand. Tobi allowed himself to be pulled from the couch and into an embrace. The last of his anxiety from the nightmare melted away as he stood there in Emilio's arms.

After a few moments, Emilio pulled back and asked, "Would you like breakfast?"

Tobi nodded and watched as Emilio walked off to the kitchen. He grabbed his phone from the arm of the couch where he had left it, and checked his texts. There were a few from Mattias.

:How did the date go? Have fun?:

:Are you still there?:

:Tobi?:

Tobi quickly typed back a response. :Sorry. We fell asleep while watching a movie. I'm still at Emilio's house.:

:Don't you have classes today?: came Mattias's reply a few minutes later.

:Yes.:

Tobi turned off his phone and stuck it in his back pocket, ignoring the buzz of notifications, and went to the kitchen. He grabbed a piece of toast off of a plate next to Emilio and bit into it, smiling as Emilio turned to give him a look.

"Food will be done in just a moment," Emilio said, his eyes betraying his amusement. He divvied out eggs between the two plates and carried them to the table.

The two of them ate in a comfortable silence which was broken by Emilio asking, "Do you have nightmares often?"

There it was.

"Why?"

"You said the one you had last night was recurring."

"I've only had it two or three times, and never two nights in a row. I don't have many dreams more than once."

"But do you have nightmares often?

Emilio always seemed to notice when Tobi avoided a question.

"No more often than the average person, I believe," Tobi lied. His nightmares could be addressed with Emilio later at a better time. After he brought Emilio to the church.

If he brought Emilio to the church.

He still hadn't decided.

"Will you be staying much longer, or do you need to go?"