Paper Bags

Paper Bags 11

The room was small, but it had two beds and that was all that mattered. That was all Haru cared about. Sharing a bed with his friend was the last thing he wanted at the moment. Not when what had happened with Adam and him still rolled in his mind, begging for answers. Jason hummed as he crossed the room and took a seat at the bed closest to the windows. While his friend was busy taking in the room, he remained standing at the entrance, trying his best to determine what would be the best course of action to breach the topic.

"What are you doing still standing there?" Jason asked, forcing him back to reality.

"Oh, ah, nothing," Haru said, smiling, though he was sure it didn't reach his eyes. He lessened the distance between them and took a seat the bed opposite of Jason's. His gaze remained on the shorter man, taking in the face that was now facing him. The gaze that he had liked were reflecting of a whole new person he had never seen before. And he needed to know where this part of his friend had been all this while. "Jason, I need to talk to you."

Jason hummed, tilting his head to one side and placed his palms behind him, leaning his weight on them. The act of ease had Haru's cheek burn. "What is it?"

How was he supposed to open this can of worms?

He placed both of his palms on his thighs, hooking his heel on the creaky bed frame. Jason raised an eyebrow before a corner of his lips quirked upwards. Haru forced his heart to slow down and take in a deep breath.

"What was that back there?" Haru blurted the words out before he could stop them.

And immediately, he saw a change on his friend. Gone was the easy posture and almost smirk and replacing it was a stare so sharp that it had Haru's heart racing again, only this time, it wasn't anything to do with him being flustered. Jason searched his face, his lips pressed into a thin line. The shift in the air was almost palpable and for a brief second, he was tempted to take back his words.

After what seemed like hours, Jason said, "Back where?"

Haru let that sink in his head. His strayed gaze snapped back at his friend's face, trying to pick apart the emotionless mask covering his features. That was a joke, right?

He curled his fingers into fists, unsure of what to say to that. Jason never evaded a question from him before, choosing to answer him even if it was a weird one. Maybe Haru needed to push a bit more. So, he gathered the courage that he had left inside of him and confronted the issue.

"You and Adam," he said, and Jason's shoulders tensed. "What happened between you two?"

The silence that followed right after the question had him tensing too. Jason sat down properly then, letting his forearms rest on his thighs and his head ducked a little. And that made his stare on Haru a lot more intense, making him shift where he sat. His heart skipped a beat at the unfamiliar look crossing his friend's face.

"Nothing," Jason said. "Why would there be?"

"Are you kidding?" Haru said, furrowing his eyebrows. "You and him—"

"I have nothing to do with that asshole," Jason said, his voice calm but it carried an undertone that had Haru faltering in his steps to speak up further. "You're just imagining things."

"I'm not—"

"Why does it even matter?" Jason said, exasperation leaking into his voice. "Adam is nothing more than a tool. You agree too. So who the fuck cares about him?"

Haru opened and then closed his mouth. He didn't care about Adam, but he couldn't deny the curiosity about Jason and him. "I'm just curious. I never realised you and him had been, I don't even know. It just feels like you knew him."