No Need to Sleep Living in a Dream (Boy × Boy) ✔

CHAPTER 19: Just a kiss

Evan Cooper

"Let's go out today." Evan said when they were sitting in his room and doing nothing at all.

"Out? Where?" Junior frowned. He hadn't left the house for days, and it would have been an understatement to say he wasn't keen on doing so now.

"We can take PB out." Evan suggested. Small steps and all that, right? Just to get Junior out of the door would be an achievement.

"Okay." Junior said slowly.

Evan enjoyed watching the familiar fond expression on Junior's face when he petted PB's head. That dog worshipped Junior. Evan and Eliah had been taking turns to take PB out, but she didn't seem nearly as excited about it with them as she was now. 

They didn't make it far. As soon as they walked out of the yard, Junior stumbled to a stop and stared at the sordid house next door. He seemed to get lost somewhere deep in his thoughts, completely zoned out. Evan just stood next to Junior, placing his hand on Junior's shoulder. He didn't know how long they stood there staring at Junior's house that way.

Only when PB started barking, Junior flinched back to reality. He turned his head and started walking again, not saying anything. Evan followed after him and PB in silence.

Their feet took them to a nearby park. Evan sat on a bench and Junior slumped on it next to him. For some time they sat there in silence, gazing at the passers-by.

"He hurt PB." Junior broke the silence. The gaze of his silver eyes was on an old woman trudging past, avoiding Evan's gaze.

"Who?" Evan breathed.

"Ronald hurt her. He threw a rock at PB and I just lost it when I saw all that blood.." Junior admitted. "I swear I didn't mean to break his nose or hit him, it just happened."

Then Junior explained all that had happened between him and Ronald, making the guilt in Evan's chest grow tenfold bigger. If he had only let Junior explain it back in the hallway, maybe they could have avoided what happened in the shower room.

Junior loved PB more than anything, so it wasn't a wonder seeing her hurt would make him lose his temper. Even Evan would have gotten angry, if he had seen someone hurt her.

"Sorry I didn't let you explain it when you wanted to." Evan sighed. What he was going to explain next, was far from easy to talk about: "When Damien told me Ronald's age, I just kept thinking about how Evy would be 15 years old now, if she were still alive. That's why I got so angry."

Then Evan told Junior about Evy: what she was like, what it was like to have a sick little sister and what it was like to lose her. Junior didn't ask questions, he didn't try to rush Evan and he just let him talk. And Evan did, for a long while, having so many unsaid words buried in his chest. Just like Junior could lean on Evan, Evan could lean on Junior when he needed to.

Dario Ortiz

It was getting bad again.

Worst of all was the feeling that he couldn't breathe; like his body was crushed between the seats and the bent dashboard again. Dario knew he could get rid of the withering oppression if he just talked to Beau about the pictures, calls and messages.

But he couldn't get his mouth open. He was too scared to say anything, in the fear of ruining things between him and Beau. The thought of losing Beau was simply too much to bear, so Dario did his best to ignore what some random person had to say about them. He could fix that by himself and it was totally in control, so there was no need to worry Beau.

Well, mostly in control.

Dario hadn't been sleeping again, and his body was on its extremity. He was freezing, there was fatigue in his muscles and his hands kept trembling stubbornly. He was having mood swings, and it was getting difficult to think coherently.