𝙹𝚄𝙽𝙺𝙷𝙴𝙰𝙳༉‧₊˚. ᴄʜʀɪꜱ ᴄᴏʀɴᴇʟʟ

𝗲𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻.

"NAH, IT WAS JUST A KISS FOR NEW YEARS."

Delia and Chris walked into their apartment as she answered him.

"Yeah, but you wanted to." He pointed out, sitting on the couch.

"I didn't mind it." She corrected, shrugging off her jacket. "What's your point?"

Chris yawned. "That you like him."

"No, besides he's not exactly available, with all the music shit- and he just got here." She pointed out, sitting next to him. "I haven't had a boyfriend or girlfriend in like a year, I'm not gonna randomly start dating the first guy I see."

He rolled his eyes. "Uh-huh."

They continued talking a little longer before going to bed. Chris had nearly forgotten his jealousy from earlier, though not fully.

He laid awake in bed, staring up at his ceiling which was softly illuminated from the moonlight that came in from his window. He could hear music playing softly from Delia's room across the short hall, so he got up and knocked on her door.

Delia was rooting through her jackets pocket, trying to find the little plastic bag that was passed to her at the party earlier. She was going to dispose of the brown powder, she was sure.

She hid the bag in her palm as she called to Chris to come inside. "What's up?" She asked, not wanting him to see the drugs and assume the worst.

"Nothing." He looked down at her, as she looked up at him, an off expression on her face. "Couldn't sleep." He explained, flopping on her bed.

"Me either." She said, hoping he was at her door just to tell her to turn the music off, but no. She sat on the opposite end of the bed, shoving the bag into her pillowcase.

"What's that?" He yawned, eyes low as he watched her put the pillow back down nonchalantly.

"Nothing."

He sat up, confused as to why she was acting as weird as she was. He stared at her a little longer before speaking. "Alright."

He still looked at her and she figured she'd give an explanation as to why she was hiding something in her pillowcase. "Someone gave me some shit and-"

Chris cut her off, not wanting to hear whatever explanation. He went from calm to angry fast. "Who?"

"Old dealer." Delia averted his stare, quickly changing from her normal outspoken self to quiet, which was how she got whenever someone was mad or yelling.

"And you let him?"

"Yeah but-"

Now he was standing. This was an extremely touchy subject and Chris didn't want to hear any explanation Delia had. "Do you not remember Andy?"

She had somewhat shut down at the mention of their late best friend, wanting Chris to just let her speak her situation.

"Do you not remember you almost fucking dying cause of that shit? You didn't go to rehab for nothing, Del." Chris calmed himself down somewhat, knowing she better have had a good reason for not flushing the brown powder down the drain the second it'd been passed to her.

"I wasn't gonna do it." She said, though that wasn't all true. She'd thought about it, if only for a moment. Chris still stared down at her, his gaze almost hateful in the moment, full of disappointment. "Why do you even care if I had it?" The second the question left her lips, she knew it was stupid.

"You've been sober for almost three months." He shook his head in disbelief. "You should be the one to care." She was quiet once again, holding her head in her hands as she stared down at her bedsheets. "Of course I fucking care, Delia." He sighed, sitting back down on the end of the bed.

The pair were quiet for what felt like an eternity before she spoke again. "I haven't really even been thinking about being sober as something long term." She admitted, and it was true. "It doesn't seem possible." His gaze was no longer angry, it was only sad. "For me." She finished.

"It is possible." He told her, under his breath.

Delia looked up at him, knowing Chris meant it. He truly believed in her. She grabbed the small plastic bag from her pillowcase and got up from the bed, Chris following.

His hand brushed against her lower back comfortingly as they went into the bathroom. He watched the side of her face as she flushed the powder down and threw away the bag.

"Sorry for yelling."

"It's okay." She responded, knowing he meant well.

"No." He paused, "I should've let you explain." He told her, trying to stay genuine though he wasn't entirely sure if she really meant that she wasn't going to do it.

She brushed this off, shrugging.

He hugged her, tight. Just as a reminder that she was still there, healthy. "You think it sounds stupid, but three months is a long time." He rested his head in the crook of her neck, the embrace relaxing them both.

They stayed like that a few moments longer before Delia mumbled, "I think I'm gonna go to bed." She dropped her arms away from the hug before he did, his arms still wrapped around her for a second more before she turned out of the bathroom.

Chris stayed in the bathroom a bit longer, staring into the mirror and splashing water on his face before returning to his bedroom. He laid awake, his eyes trained on the ceiling as Delia occupied his mind.

The confusing thing for him was that it wasn't just his worries about her or their closeness on his mind. It was more the jealousy that he felt when he saw her kiss Eddie, the stain her lips had left on his cheek.

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