You Left Me! [Dnf] {All My Love AU}

17. Cafe Talks

"So..What would you like to know?"

Clay asked wearily. He was so fucking nervous. His hands were sweating and trembling.

When George had messaged him that he finally was ready to meet up, Clay had fallen off his chair. He couldn't believe George actually would take his offer! He had been so stressed over it for the first week that he had not gotten much sleep. All he could do was just pace around. The next week he had been crestfallen. He thought that George wouldn't actually meet up with him and that he had just said it to get away from Clay.

He understood this.

He was okay with this.

But when he saw a message from an unknown number that said; "Hey. I'm ready to talk"

Clay hadn't smiled that wide in years.

Now, after two weeks of silence and a few text messages he had a date, place, and time where the two would meet up at. The morning had been hectic. He woke up late due to going to sleep later than he wanted, he got a shower and had a small panic attack while trying to decide what to wear. After all that he had missed the bus that would take him to the city. Dammit. So Clay took off running.

After five minutes he was here. He was sitting in a Cafe with George. He was sitting with George. He was going to talk to George. George looked down at his hands around the cup. So many things were running around in his head and he just couldn't pick one he would be able to start from.

"I don't...god, there's just-so much I want to know..." George spoke finally. Not lifting his gaze from the cup.

"I-I know. Just...pick one and- and we'll go from there. Okay? Take your time" Clay said gently.

George was quiet for a minute until he spoke. "W-why? W-why did you leave me?"

George sounded so small. His voice wavered like he has on the verge of tears.

Clay signed.

Okay. It's now or never.

"I...I never wanted to actually leave you that night, George. When we fought that night...I-I wasn't thinking and acted horribly towards you. I yelled at you and...and...I used it on you...After I had calmed down, it was too late...and you had already left...I tried to reach you, but you had blocked me and-and I didn't know how to find you again..." Clay spoke slowly.

George nodded. "That doesn't answer my question...Why, Clay? Why did you leave? Where did you go for all these years?"

George looked up at Clay. He took a sip of his drink and looked down again.

"I...I accepted the ASU program offer and went to the facility in New York. Remember the letter? Well, I spent five years there, training, learning and-yeah...I was there. After that I got an offer to join another program and-and I went for it." Clay explained.

He didn't tell George about the program name nor the things they did to him there. He didn't tell George how he had missed him. He didn't tell George about how they tried to change his views about secondary genres. George didn't deserve to know about those.

This wasn't about him.

It was about George.

"And-and to why I left-...I...I just...W-well...if I'm completely honest with you...I...I don't really know. I mean I do know, but the reasons are not really good...well...they are reasons, but...not good enough ones..." Clay said he fiddled with his fingers.

"But-but I promised I'd tell you so...well...I-I guess I just...Well, I wanted to provide for you? No-I needed to provide for you." Clay said firmly he looked up at George.