No day but today // Biadore

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Roy's arm felt numb under his head, his eyes were heavy. He was definitely in his bed, but he could still feel the harsh fabric of his shirt, and the itchy sensation of his jeans. The TV could be heard from the living room, and he saw Dede laying right above him as he lifted his head. He fell asleep without even realizing it. Now his neck hurts...Great!

It took him a couple of minutes to really get up and realize what had woke him up. It wasn't the light that he hadn't switched off, or the sound coming from the news that was still on, but rather his phone frantically vibrating. Still, sleepy Roy acted without even thinking, he had no idea what time it was, nor who was calling but he answered.

"Hey Willow..."

"Hey Chola" Roy instinctively replied.

Danny's voice sounded weak, tired, and if he hadn't called him by his nickname Roy would probably still be wondering who the hell he was talking to.

"Did I wake you?... Fuck man! Of course, I woke you it's fucking 3 in the morning."

3? He had slept that long?

"I am sorry...It was dumb. I shouldn't have called. I'll talk to you tomorrow." Danny said, completely embarrassed.

He was about to wish him a good night but then he remembered, reality crashed upon him reminding him of its dark nature, and he knew he needed to react.

"Danny, it's ok you didn't wake me... I was still cleaning the house." He lied. Roy knew that if he appeared sleepy, Danny would completely withdraw into his shell, and hung up. The phone call wasn't innocent, his friend needed it, even though it was hard for him to admit. Roy knew the courage it must have taken him to reach out and he wasn't going to let the opportunity to talk to him slip away, even if he just wanted to vent about something.

"What's up?" Roy asked casually, not wanting to force his friend to open up about something he didn't want to.

The truth was he didn't know who Danny was hoping to talk to the funny Roy to try to lift his spirit? The serious Roy that would tell right to his face what everyone was mumbling under their breaths?

Did his best friend need a shoulder to cry on? A person to laugh with and disconnect for a few minutes? Was he hoping to find comfort? Or was he trying to reconnect with a lighter reality that felt too far gone?

There were a million possibilities as to why Danny was calling, and Roy wasn't going to engage in a conversation his friend didn't want to be a part of. So he waited for his answer, even after the line went silent for a couple of seconds.

"I don't know, Roy, I fucking don't know..." She said whispering.

Danny never called him by his government name, unless they were in the middle of a heated argument, or having a heart-to-heart discussion. He figured it was the second option and sat up properly in bed willing to sacrifice his night just to be there for his friend.

"I am just... I am just so fucking lost, I don't know how to feel, how to act..." Danny took a deep breath. "I was doing fine, I am doing fine..." he said with a shaking voice that indicated nothing but the opposite of what he was saying.

On the other side of the phone, Roy heard the noise of a glass bottle being put down on the floor. He couldn't help but picture his best friend, sitting in bed, in the dark, with silent tears running down his face, wrapped in his childhood blanket as a way to feel protected in a world that had become less familiar in a matter of a few days. Roy's imagination didn't help with making his chest feel less tight, on the contrary, but the picture it painted was unfortunately not far from the truth.