Paper Hearts

𝕃𝕖𝕗𝕥 𝔹𝕖𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕕

Chapter 29: Left Behind

They did mind. Made a whole spectacle of it actually. And at the end of it all, Lex was absolutely mad. He was a grown adult who wanted to make his own decisions, but both Nathan and Lexis refused him of his freedom.

They behaved like his parents, those that restricted their hormonal teenage son from living life and taking risks, but he was 20, an adult who could make rational decisions.

Sighing, he locked the door to his bedroom and unplugged his phone from where it lay charging in his bedside table.

They refused.

Calm Sea💙

They did?
Man, I was hoping they'd agree

Yep, I hope Mateo won't mind

Knowing him, he'll probably
insist for a bit, but we'll see

Yeah

Insist he did. Mateo visited their home, giving the reason why he wanted both Fern and Lex to accompany him on the trip to Paris, promising to keep Lex safe and supervised.

Lexis seemed in the verge of agreeing to let Lex go along with them, but Nathan was still not convinced, gently refusing Mateo even if he looked visibly dejected because of his Nathan's refusal.

The boyfriends met up outside of home to enjoy each other's company where they discussed Fern and Mateo's departure date. They were meant to leave in a week, which gave Fern and Mateo plenty of time to pack what they needed, and buy whatever they didn't have. Fern voiced his desire to have a camera to take pictures of the place, and the three of them visited different electronic stores to choose a camera.

Fern being Fern, he chose a pastel blue coloured Polaroid camera that he gifted to Lex, and then bought himself a black camera. For his first picture using the Polaroid camera, Lex took a picture of his boyfriends together, both standing near Mateo's car, smiling wide as they pretended not to notice Lex. Behind them, the city lights shone bright against the dark night sky.

Even if these weren't their final moments, it sure felt like it with how they were leaving him behind, but he didn't blame them and he didn't blame Lexis and Nathan either.

Throughout the week, Lex readied himself for the sight of his boyfriends leaving on their plane for Paris. He was happy that Mateo got to see his parents after a long time, and that Fern would be able to meet them. They'd decided that one of them would FaceTime him so he'd at least be able to greet Mateo's parents if not be with them in the flesh.

Thursday evening, when the sun was lowering below the horizon and the sky was a canvas of pinks, purples and oranges, Lex found himself riding his skateboard down the city streets, the wind in his hair and his best friend just behind him.

The both of them had agreed to meet up and skate around to free Lex's mind of any thoughts and to get Sam away from his homework to stretch his legs (Skylar's words).

Soon, they stopped outside a small diner, the smell of food wafting through the air. It was sort of surprising that the diner was still open, but it made sense, Lex decided, after he noticed the many people sitting in the booths.

When they found an empty booth, Sam and Lex sat down, waiting for a waiter to approach them so they could place their usual orders.

"It's getting warmer again. D'you think the boys packed enough t-shirts?"

"You know what I think?" Sam questioned, waiting for Lex to shake his head. "I think you should stop thinking about their trip and look forward to the day they'll return with chocolates or something."

Lex snorted, thanking their waiter as he started cutting a piece of food, "I guess. I hope they'll enjoy their trip. I told them as much."

Sam hummed. "You're strong."

"What?" Lex sipped from his glass of juice.

"You're strong. If Sky or Ava were leaving, I'd probably be crying by now. Choking on my snot and all."

Eyes downcast and a sad smile on his face, Lex hummed. "I am upset that we'll be separated for over a week, but I'm not going to die." He chuckled, shaking his head and lifting his gaze to Sam's pinched expression, "I'll survive. Plus," he shrugged, shoving another mouthful of food into his mouth. "We'll text and FaceTime all the time."

"Yeah..." Sam smiled, "You'll survive."

The clinking of glass cups as they hit each other filled the kitchen as Lex rinsed them out and set them out to dry. He was almost done since only Lexi and Nathan had eaten dinner at home, and once he was done, he'd be running to his room to text his boyfriends and then sleep some.

Footsteps sounded behind him, and Lexis' singing wafted through the room. She tapped his shoulder with a hand, passing by him to get to the fridge. He hummed back in greeting, focusing on cleaning the kitchen and starting to dry the dishes he'd just washed.

"I spoke to Nathan," Lexis started, rinsing a plastic tub of strawberries and biting into one. Lex half payed attention, stacking plates away into the cupboards. "And I convinced him to let you go." She finished.

Pausing with a bowl in mid-air, Lex blinked at the open cupboard before repeating what Lexis said. "You convinced him to let me go? Go where?" He set the ceramic bowl down calmly, cautious to not drop it for fear of it breaking.

"To Paris? I thought that's what you—" she got cut off with Lex's body barreling into her own, his body vibrating in excitement as he thanked her over and over.

"I love you so much," he pulled away, smiling wide as he held her shoulders and shook her slightly, "You know that right?"

Lexis laughed. "I do." She ruffled his hair and left the kitchen with her container of strawberries.

Excited, Lex rushed to finish his chores, running up to his room where he grabbed his phone and dialled the first number he could.

After several rings, his phone fell silent, and he guessed that the call wasn't picked up. So, he called again.

"Fern?"

"Lexie?"

A beat of silence with Lex bouncing about on his bed, screeching like a pterodactyl. And then:

"I'm coming! I'm coming! I'm coming!"