Letters to Rome

(1) Last Day

It was a serene Saturday and the last day that Rome Hoffman was going to be in town. He was moving to a different country, somewhere in Eastern Europe, so he was spending the whole weekend with his best - and only - friend, Liam Black. On Friday, they'd gone out for a morning walk and got some ice cream on the way. They then spent their afternoon watching sad movies before going up to Liam's room to reminisce about some old memories and drifting off to sleep not too long after. 

Currently, they were cooped up in Liam's tiny bedroom, going through the yearbooks that Angela, Liam's mother, found in the basement. They pointed out all the people who made weird faces in the pictures and jokingly made fun of each other's faces, too. 

Once Rome put the yearbook back into the brown storage bin, he put it back in its place which was hidden away behind Angela's strange collection of ruined brooms. He then sat back in his place on his best friend's comforter contently. "Weird, isn't it? That this is the last time we'll be in your bedroom together," he said, glancing at Liam with a smile. "Or, at least ... we won't be seeing each other until Christmas." 

"You won't even visit on my birthday?" Liam asked with a frown. His birthday wasn't going to be happening until October which was a month away but he still couldn't help but feel upset that his best friend wasn't going to be there for his special day. However, he understood his situation and that his family was in desperate need for money so he forced himself not to be too upset about it. 

"I'm sorry ... I promise I'll mail you a gift," Rome assured, his lips twitching into a smile. He couldn't call Liam because he didn't have a cellphone nor did he have a laptop. He didn't have any electronics because his parents were overprotective and didn't want their son exposed to the harsh conditions of the Internet. 

"You better." He shot a glare at Rome who just laughed at him.

"What do you want for your birthday anyway? I'll take notes." 

Liam stared blankly at him. They both knew what Liam wanted most which was an antique typewriter that he could write letters with. The boy was stuck in the past, desiring things that weren't popular anymore. However, he didn't really get anything because old things were always more expensive.

"Seriously, Rome?" He scoffed, crossing his arms against his chest with a deepening frown on his face. "I thought you were my friend." 

His best friend simply laughed at his dramatic reaction, scooting closer to him and throwing his arm around Liam's shoulder. "So dramatic," he joked. "But, seriously. I don't think my parents would let me get a typewriter for your birthday." Rome's smile grew wider as he stared at his best friend's frown that was constantly twitching. "Think big. New. Y'know ... like May wants a PC for her birthday." 

With a shrug, he turned back to his hands that were sitting on his lap idly. He didn't want Rome to leave because his best friend made life so much easier. If Liam didn't understand something, Rome would be there to explain it to him and vice versa. If Liam was too scared or he was venting to Rome, the latter would comfort him and vice versa. If anything, their relationship was fair and they cared about each other immensely. They weren't exactly ready to leave each other because they were so used to having one another in their lives. 

Noticing his friend's sudden gloominess, he pulled Liam into a hug. One thing Rome knew very well about his best friend was that Liam was very physical. If he was upset, a hug would lift his mood, unless it was very serious. 

"Stop acting so depressed, Liam. I swear ... I'll try and write to you, okay?" Rome said, half-jokingly as his fingers stroked the nape of his best friend's neck. 

"If you don't write to me as soon as possible, I'll hunt you down and kill you." 

"Se--" 

"Just kidding. I love you."