Games

14

"Dan!" I called that next morning, stumbling down his stairs in a haste, scurrying into the living room where he was seated on the sofa.

"What?" He asked, glaring at the fact that I was still in boxers and hadn't changed my shirt from last night, which was weird, to be honest. Not the changing shirts part, but the last night part. I couldn't stop thinking about the way Oliver looked at me after we'd finished; there was something in his eyes that made my own glint with hope. In a way I sort of hated myself for practically falling in love with the kid, but he was absolutely perfect - could you blame me if I had?

"Oliver wants to take me to Wales over the weekend," I said, scrolling through the messages we had sent to each other regarding the small trip he had planned for us.

"And?" Dan grunted, not understanding my distress over the idea. I'd told Dan about what I was feeling for Oliver so he should have known that this was weird. It was sending me mixed signals; what "friend" takes another "friend" to a vacation house in Wales? And fucking Wales of all places? It was almost always cold and muggy and I wasn't sure the beaches were very pleasant. But Oliver said that his parents had owned it and since they rarely used it he figured we could take a little time away from this town.

"And it's weird," I mumbled. "I hate not knowing if this little twat likes me or not; it's frustrating, y'know?"

"Yeah."

I looked up from my phone to give my friend a confused look; something was definitely wrong with him. Dan was never this short-handed or quick with his replies, so obviously something was up. "What's bothering you?" I asked, locking my phone and going to sit next to him on the couch, staring at him intently and waiting for his reply.

"Stupid shit," he said, not taking his eyes off the TV.

"Hey, mate, I fucking told you all about Oliver, so as my best friend you're going to return the favor and tell me what's going on," I told him, watching the corner of his mouth twitch into a smile momentarily, amused at my words. Sometimes I forgot that my friends hadn't really heard me be assertive. Only Oliver had.

So with a sigh, he ran a hand over his face and said, "My mum's bitching at me now about college, and Ash is like, threatening to break up with me if I don't get into the same one she got into." He folded his arms, looking away from me at the TV.

"Which one did she get into?" I asked, afraid of what his response might be.

"Fucking Yale, in America."

Now I understood Dan's concern; he wouldn't be able to deal with being overseas and away from his friends like that just for school and his girlfriend, no matter how much he loved her. From what I was hearing though, it didn't seem like Ash was entirely invested in Dan like he was her; if she was willing to break up with him over something like possibly having to be in a long-distance relationship, she didn't really love him as much as she should, did she? That's probably what Dan thought too, which explained why he was so depressed over something like this; that was probably why he was acting so weird in the car before the party that night.

"Shit," I exhaled, running my fingers through my hair as I contemplated the situation and what I could possibly say to make him feel better. "Are you gonna be ok?" I finally decided with, intently watching the blank expression on his face soften.

"Yeah," he nodded slowly, looking at me and giving me a slight smile. "I'll just need to sort shit out. If things don't work out then it wasn't meant to be, right?"

"Right," I said, thinking about the meaning of his words more than I probably should have.

~

Two days later and Oliver and I were in Max's once-again-borrowed car, making our way from Weybridge to Wales, the entire trip taking three to four hours in total. Oliver drove the entire way there, loud music continuously blaring through the speakers. We only stopped on the side of the road to go to the bathroom quickly and then we were off again.