Let's Be Friends

A Week's Time

How long could he possibly avoid me?

That was the question Stephen Ahn asked himself, when Gray came back and began moving his things into the room across the hallway from Stephen's. He wasn't sure whether or not Gray knew that this meant they ran the risk of running into each other when leaving their rooms.

Gray had ignored Stephen's requests to aid him in the moving of the boxes. He didn't look angry or sad, his face was honestly pretty emotionless. A blank sheet. However, Stephen couldn't help but wonder why, and wonder if he'd imagined the look of an indescribable emotion flash across Gray's eyes when they locked eyes walking down the hallway. It didn't seem like the boy harbored bad feelings towards him, so why....

It's for your own good

The words echoed for a moment as he began recalling their encounter from nearly a week ago.

A week, it had been a week since they moved in together, and yet they had still not had one conversation together.

Believe me, you'll forget I'm here.

As much as Stephen hated to admit it, it would be rather easy to forget he was there. Every morning he already out the door by 6:15, coming back around 6 or 7 at night. He didn't leave his room, unless he was going to the bathroom or getting water. He didn't keep food in the fridge, and quite frankly Stephen had never seen him eat. Of course he had to sometime, perhaps he just ate out or some place else, but it was odd nevertheless.

Stephen sighed, wondering how he could ever make friends with someone like this. I wonder if we have anything in common. How am I supposed to know if we do, I don't even know what he's majoring in.

Stephen's eyes fixed on the ceiling of his bedroom. The plush bed was soft on his back, though he couldn't help but notice the emptiness of the room. He understood that he had just moved in but, he just couldn't stand the hollow feeling that came with the lack of materialistic things. A feeling that caused Stephen to surround himself with things and people, a feeling that drove him to the desperation of filling up most of his free time, leaving no time to think about his lack of wholeness. 

He couldn't tell you why he functioned this way, perhaps if he knew, he could filling this seemingly empty spot in his heart, but alas, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't seem to come to a conclusion.

Stephen stood up and left the room, subconsciously shielding himself from these thoughts, he needed something to do. He needed to do something that would make someone happy, therefore making him happy, filling that space temporarily with something sweet. 

Wandering towards the sofa near the TV, his eyes seemed to be glued to the door. The clock showed 6:56, Gray would be home soon. Home, maybe that was the wrong word, he didn't think the boy could ever consider this place as anything more than a place to sleep and store things. Gray would be back soon, he corrected.

Stephen dwelled on this thoughts for just a moment more before the door timidly opened, as if someone was unsure of whether or not they belonged here. Beautiful eyes flittered across the room, settling on Stephen like the resting of a butterfly on soft petals. 

Then came the suffocating silence that was enough to make anyone forget the comfort Stephen felt under Gray's gaze.

"Hey," Stephen began unsure, "How was your day?" He smiled as bright as he could, wondering if maybe he could dispel the sad shadows that haunted the boy's cold eyes. 

Gray didn't answer for a moment simply looking Stephen over and surveying the scene in front of him. The auburn wondered for a moment, if Gray was as curious as he was, eventually dropping the thought and coming back to reality.

"I'm sorry," Stephen faltered, "Did I do something wrong?"

"No," Gray's reply was short, "I'm just trying to figure you out Stephen Ahn."

"What do you mean?" He asked, not noticing that the boy had entered the flat and moved closer.

"Well, I try my hardest to drive a wedge between us, to keep you in your own space. But why is it that you seem so fixated on me?"

"On you?" Stephen smirked, "What makes you think that I'm focused on you?"

Gray had continued across the room, coming to rest on the arm of the sofa, sitting there carefully, and daintily, Stephen couldn't help but note. He was poised gently, with perfect posture, a graceful bird resting atop a thin wire as if it were as thick and sturdy as a tree branch.

Gray's eyes glittered with amusement, "Just throwing it out there."

A phone rang, soft vibrations radiated from Gray's pocket, immediately he picked it up and headed out of the room, with a last fleeting glance at Stephen, he disappeared down the dimly lit hallway. Only when he had heard the sound of Gray's door close did Stephen begin his silent panic.

OH GOD, PROGRESS. Is this going to be friendship? Could this be friendship? Is that what this is? But even when he looked somewhat happy, there was something else, something... different.

Gray Yeon, maybe we have more in common than I first thought. He decided while heading back to his room, with a sudden, and unnoticed, feeling of joy.

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Edited 2/5/2023