Between Hello and Goodbye

Chapter 11: Lip Service

ITS BEEN SO LONG. Life has not been forgiving but I was able to get this out and done. Now to to work on Aston *sweatdrop*

The sight of Kay's giant ice cream logo placed a small smile on my face, the memories of past hangouts and funny moments between Gage and I flooded my brain. We had had so many moments that the last few weeks had seemed like a dream, like something that would suddenly disappear once we realized it was not real. Gage and his teammates sat at their usual table, the group of guys joking and taking the usual jabs at each other. The sight felt nostalgic. The confrontation between Gage and I from the other day seemed like a distant memory. The flashback of everything that was said dampened my smile as I walked closer to the scene playing out in front of me.

    Gage's bright smile felt like an old friend.

    I watched while he continued to be one of the boys, his hands in his pockets as his friends chatted with him about what had happened at practice that day. There was a slight squeeze in my chest like a hand had firmly grasped my heart, giving slight pulses as if reminding me that I was not the reason for Gage's demeanor. He was so animated, the total opposite of the troubled boy who had asked me to promise to be there—something I had paced back and forth about because I wasn't sure I wanted to go.

I looked forward to seeing Gage with an excited smile on his face, his body moving side to side as he waved at me to get my attention, his smile still giving me that slightly warm feeling in my stomach. The truth of what his smile stood for sat in the back of my mind, because I knew that he had silently hoped I would have showed up like I promised. What would have happened if I had not shown up? Would it have meant that my absence would have been the answer to the status of our relationship? Would it have meant we could no longer be friends? The answer to it all felt open ended. I felt, in the end, it would come down to the decisions Gage made in regards to us.

"Tristan!" a voice shouted, breaking me out of my spaced out trance.

I looked up to see Gage and the others acknowledging my presence, all of their eyes on me as I walked up to the group.

"What's up, guys?" I said, placing my hands in my pockets to contain my sudden awkwardness, knowing in the back of my head that they didn't know why.

The others nodded in my direction, Gage's smile overshadowing their cool demeanors, "Hey man, glad you could make it!"

My world froze.

For a split second I had glanced at Gage with a look that could only be described as surprise, the words taking a moment to sink in. Gage had never spoken to me in such a way before, like I was just one of the guys, like our relationship was deeper than just being just friends. I composed myself instantly, flashing a bright smile towards the guy I still called my best friend, the feeling of my smile felt so unnatural in that moment.

"Hey Gage," I replied, my body feeling like someone had splashed cold water on me.

I felt cold, yet hot at the same time, my body starting to tingle like it had the other day when I had had my moment of anxiousness. My body buzzed, my fight or flight activating with just a few simple words from Gage's lips, the feeling of wanting to run away at the forefront of my mind. I must have been dreaming. Gage's words echoed in my head over and over, cutting deeply into me with the sound of each word.

Something was wrong.

"I'm so glad you made it, I was beginning to worry you wouldn't show bro" Gage said, his hand clasping tightly on my shoulder.