Living Together // DNF

27

*George's perspective

George had felt guilty about leaving the apartment without telling Dream where he was going. But when he woke up before Dream, it seemed like the opportune time to slip out of bed and get ready. And when Dream still hadn't woken up, it just seemed easier to let Tommy and Tubbo know he was going out, rather than wake Dream up himself.

At least that's what he repeatedly told himself.

But in reality, he knew that he hadn't bothered to wake Dream up because he didn't want to lie to him. And while it technically wouldn't have been a lie, George knew that he would omit certain details, and that was almost just as bad in his eyes.

And so here he was, quickly sneaking out of his own apartment before Tommy could ask him too many questions.

It was a chilly morning, but he wasn't going too far so he decided to walk. He zipped his coat up as he began to head down the sidewalk, shivering slightly as he moved. He walked quickly, and before he knew it, a busier main road came into view.

He saw the neon sign for the diner he was looking for, sighing gratefully as he walked through the front door and was immediately washed in warmth. He let himself enjoy the feeling for a moment, and then his eyes were flickering across the room.

He inhaled slowly when he spotted the table he was looking for, and he made his way over slowly. He had no reason to be as nervous as he was, but he felt a sudden flutter low in his stomach as he slid into the red vinyl booth and forced a small smile.

"Good morning, George," Wilbur greeted him with a grin, "I ordered you a coffee, hope you still like caramel lattes."

A genuine smile formed on George's face as he looked down at the warm mug of coffee, and he quietly responded, "I do. Thank you, Wilbur."

It was the same coffee that Wilbur had always ordered for him when they would meet in college, but George hadn't ordered one since the last time they had hung out. He wrapped one hand around the mug, sighing contentedly as the warmth spread over his palm.

A silence had settled over them, and George suddenly felt nervous again. He took a small sip from the mug and then looked over the table at Wilbur as he asked, "is Niki running late?"

That was the whole reason George had agreed to this thing in the first place, because Niki was supposed to be here as a buffer of sorts. There was no real reason for things to be this awkward between the pair, but George knew he would only feel comfortable if she were there as well.

And that was also the reason why he had told Tommy that he was going to meet Niki, because that's what he had intended on doing all along. It made him feel better about leaving out the fact that Wilbur would also be there, but now George was growing more nervous with each passing second. And the feeling only worsened when Wilbur responded, "actually, she called me like ten minutes ago and said she wasn't going to make it. She felt really bad, but something else came up."

Shit, George thought to himself. Now it had officially turned into a lie.

Wilbur must have sensed his sudden discomfort, because George saw his brow furrow in concern before he asked, "is that okay? We can reschedule if you'd prefer that she were here. I don't want-"

But George immediately felt guilty, and he quickly interrupted with, "no, it's okay. I'm sorry, I must still be half asleep or something. I don't mind if it's just us."

"Okay," Wilbur responded with a warm smile and a nod.

George tried his best to return the smile, but he was feeling too uneasy for it to be genuine. All he could really think about was how he would explain the situation to Dream. He wasn't doing anything wrong, but he knew that Dream still got weirdly jealous whenever it came to Wilbur. He could almost picture how Dream would react in his mind, all the way down to the way his jaw tensed when he was overly annoyed.