afterthought || d. wayne (2)

EIGHT

KING'S APARTMENT
JUNE 15TH
19:51 PM

Noelle's parents are concerned.

Their worries are valid, of course. It's been three days since Noelle's rich boyfriend's brother told her they were going to start their search for him. Silas thought it was stupid how the rich boy up and left without warning for some missionary trip. The sudden abandonment caused his friend to not act...well, not normal. By "not normal," he means seriously upset.

Like, batshit crazy upset. She's been crying, she's been depressed, she's been angry...what the hell is Silas supposed to think? All of this felt to be a bit of an overreaction if you asked him.

But if Christian were to ever do the same thing...

Stop, his mind scolds. Christian would never. The two of them, albeit in a semi-new relationship, wouldn't do that to each other.

I'm sure Noelle thought the same thing about Damian.

Did she though? Damian was always disappearing at inopportune times. He was almost always out of town. Silas considered it to be a miracle that their relationship was so strong.

He, of course, would never voice these opinions. His best friend's going through something harsh because of some trashy rich boy. His job is to be there for her, he owes her at least that much.

So here Christian and he are, sitting silently with the Kings as they scrape forks against plates.

God, this dinner feels so awkward.

Noelle sullenly pokes at her pasta. She's taken maybe three bites since the meal began fifteen minutes ago. She's been forcing polite smiles during short conversations, but even an idiot could tell she doesn't want to be here.

Silas and Christian sit across from her and Leo (who is being surprisingly attentive) while Andrea and Dennis cap the ends.

Silas clears his throat, pulling attention from the awkward silence. "Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. King for inviting us to dinner." Christian and he give polite smiles.

"Yeah," Christian thankfully adds, "it's delicious."

Andrea gives a small smile. "You boys are too kind. Thank you for coming, we always enjoy having you over."

"We love being here," Silas admits. It's the truth. He loves coming to the King's apartment. Everyone here was always so kind to him, even more so now that he's got a partner who hasn't tried to kill his best friend and family.

"Yeah, this place is pretty awesome," Christian adds.

Someone's phone buzzes and Noelle perks up when she realizes it's hers. "Mhmm," Noelle pipes, already placing her fork down. "Thanks for coming, but it's getting late."

"Noel..." Silas tries, but Noelle's already standing with her plate in hand. Everyone watches as she quickly places her plate in the sink before retreating to her room to answer the call.

Silas doesn't get it. How could something like this leave his best friend so...shattered? Her boyfriend went on a missionary trip after his friend died, so what?Sounds like Damian needs this. Why is Noelle freaking out?

Andrea sighs before shaking her head. "Leo, sweetie, you can leave too, if you'd like."

The thirteen-year-old shakes his head. "Will she be okay?"

Dennis gives a reassuring smile before reaching over to pat his son's shoulder. "Your sister's gonna be okay. She's just...tired."

"Because her boyfriend left?"