Be My Romeo

15. Just A Hug

Frank's POV

I stared at my phone as I sat on my bed, anxiously awaiting a call or a text; anything. I popped my joints, my right leg bouncing in anticipation. My mom was supposed to be coming home today, I had known she was since last week, and she was going to be home for the play. My dad was scarcely going to make it, but I wasn't really wanting him to see the play as much as I wanted my mom to see me. I had been practicing, gone through getting my measurements taken, and we had dress rehearsal coming up; I was prepared to show my mom that it was worth it.

As I had been thinking, dazing into a daydream of what my costume would look like, my phone was ringing sporadically on my nightstand. I quickly picked up the phone, pressed the button, and held the speaker to my ear. "Hey, Frankie!" I heard my mom excitedly squeal, a little rushed but it was good to hear her voice again after so long. "Hey, Ma!" I squealed back, smiling and standing up, needing to move from excitement.

"Okay, love your enthusiasm, but I have some good news and bad news," I heard her say, kind of sounding out of breath. "Bad news?" I asked, frowning a little. Please say you don't have to stay longer. I urged her to say what she was meaning, but with my luck, I knew what the bad news was already; the bad news was always the same. "Yeah, hon, I'm gonna have to stay here for a couple of more days," She sighed out, which made me frown even more as I copied and let out a sigh.

"Yeah, I know, but it's your job, Ma. It's fine," I assured, even if I didn't believe my own words. I felt crushed that she couldn't be here, she was supposed to be landing right now, but no, she was still over 1000 miles away. "W-what's the good news?" I asked quietly, leaning against my desk, awaiting her answer. "Well, it's a few pieces of good news, which part would you wanna hear first?" She asked.

I sighed, not even knowing what she was saying as I thought about it. "Any good news that involves you coming home before the play debuts?" I asked, hearing her chuckle and sigh. "Bingo. I'm coming in on Wednesday, so it's only a couple of days delayed," She exclaimed excitedly. Well, at least she was going to be able to make it to the play. "That's good, at least. What else is there?" I asked, feeling curious.

"Well, I have a surprise for you when I get home, alright? But also, I got a promotion, and before I start, you have me for a whole week," She squealed, to which I smiled a little. I can't remember the last time she was even here for a couple of days. "Congrats, Ma, I'm looking forward to it," I breathed out, still a little on edge of being alone for a few more days.

"Me too, it's been exhausting being away for so long, Zucchero," She sighed out, sounding as if she was exhausted; I knew she was. I knew a bit of Italian, but it felt different than when Gerard would call me 'sugar'. I mean- of course, it was going to be different, this was my mom, and it's said in Italian, but I just held onto the difference a little longer than I should've. "Okay, I've gotta go back to work, I'm glad I got the chance to call, but it's back to the grind," She announced, to which I wished to stop time so I could talk to her some more. "Good luck, Ma, don't forget to take breaks," I reminded her, sighing as she hung up.

I went over to my bed, flopping on it backward and letting my phone lay there on my chest. I closed my eyes, feeling the loneliness as I lay on my bed. It was after school, I had nothing to distract me, no homework, I could recite my lines perfectly, the TV channels were boring, and I was just rewatching movies over and over at this point. I grabbed my phone, looked at Gerard's contact, and slowly clicked on it as sat up. It rang for a little bit, then a click came and I heard his voice. "Hey, what's up, sugar?" He asked, sounding upbeat.

"Hey, I was wondering if you wanted to hang out again?" I asked, sitting in silence for a little bit. "Yeah, sure, I need a break anyway," He said, in the background, a little clinking sound could be heard. It sounded like metal on glass, but it was so tiny, I couldn't really figure out what it was. "Take a break?" I asked absentmindedly, curious as to what he meant. "Yeah, I've been painting since I got home, and I painted all day yesterday, I'm overdue for a break. Let me clean up a bit and I'll see you in a little bit," He assured, but just hearing his voice made me feel better. Dammit. I smiled and nodded. "Sounds good," I whispered, hearing him hang up and then silence.

I got up, going downstairs to wait for him. I waited by the little window, having nothing else to do as I sat on the floor and peeked out behind the curtain. Occasionally, I saw a person passing, walking a dog, or perhaps a child. It got my hopes up so quickly every time I saw someone through the blurry window, but then it would pass, just like the person. It felt like forever before I saw someone walking up the driveway, standing up and counting in my head until I heard a simple knock on the door.

I swung the door open, looking at Gerard and smiling a little, seeing a little streak of blue on his jawline. I beckoned him in, shutting the door and coming up beside him to look at the paint. "You weren't joking about how much a mess it is when you paint," I remarked, pointing to the general area of the paint. "Where's the bathroom?" Gerard asked, laughing a little. I pointed to my left, seeing him go in and hearing something about him being sure that he washed it off.

"There, no more paint," Gerard exclaimed triumphantly, smiling as he exited the bathroom. I gave him a thumbs-up, chuckling at how his smile looked. He clearly was proud of himself, and I found it to be adorable. I had an urge to just hug him, but I knew it would be kind of weird since we were both dudes. "Hey, um- I have a question," I said absentmindedly, mentally smacking myself as I forced my eyes to look up at Gerard.

"Okay, shoot," Gerard mumbled calmly, though he seemed a little concerned. I fidgeted a little, trying to find the words to ask for his consent to hug him. "Um- can I... Give you a hug?" I asked awkwardly, my voice getting quieter as I realized how stupid it sounded. I saw him move a little, flinching for a second until I felt his arms wrap around me. I relaxed and hugged him, holding on tight as I closed my eyes.

Gerard smelled of coffee, cigarettes, and paint... Something else as well, like a sweet candle or something but it all mixed into one. I took a deep breath and took in more of the candle scent this time, only two words coming to my mind; cherry blossoms. I held on like a koala bear, though I realized Gerard was probably confused. "Sorry, I just haven't been able to hug anyone for a while... My mom got delayed for a couple of days," I admitted, feeling his heart beating against my forehead and staying there a little longer.

"I understand, Mikey's not the best at physical affection, but it's nice when my mom comes home," I heard him whisper, keeping his arms around my torso and swaying a little. I nodded, letting go after a little while longer, though I really didn't want to. Gerard retracted his arms, looking down at me. "Thank you," I whispered, giving him a genuine smile. "Anytime, Frank," He whispered back, standing up straight.

"Do you wanna watch a movie? Or we could play video games," I suggested, going into the living room and seeing Gerard follow. "What kind of video game?" He asked tilting his head, challenging me a little. I chuckled and grabbed a Mario Kart case, holding it up to show him. "Prepare to get your ass whupped, Frank," He warned, giving me a smirk as he took off his jacket and sat down as I got everything switched over and set up. I handed him a remote and smiled. "We'll see," Is all I whispered as the game started.

Let's just say, I won by a landslide.