Darlings(BxB)

Chapter 2 (Where Nobody Knows Your Name)

When boredom takes hold, what do you do? Watch a movie? Dive into a good romance novel? Reach out to a friend? But there are moments when nothing seems to alleviate the dullness, as if we've grown tired of our existence and desperately crave a rush. Nick found himself in that exact predicament. It appeared that whatever he tried, nothing worked.

Playing X-Box proved fruitless in curing Nick's boredom. The click-clack of keys for an hour and a half only heightened his shit ton of boredom. Even when he was surrounded by friends, he still felt a deep sense of loneliness. Although he had many friends now, he was too quick to sever connections, never giving them a chance to hurt him.

Luke was the exception, an unwavering presence in Nick's life. Even during the harsh bullying he endured when he came out as gay in his freshman year of high school, Luke stood by him. Nick experienced ostracization, criticism, and the feeling of being an outsider. He vividly remembered the day Luke punched a big bully who hurled derogatory slurs at Nick. Later, that same student and his friends beat Luke, forcing Nick to escort him home.

Having Luke as his neighbor all those years brought Nick a sense of security. Their bond was akin to that of brothers. Nick knew that if Luke had witnessed the episode at the airport, he would have undoubtedly confronted the guy. However, the guy appeared slightly older and more muscular than Luke.

Nick pondered who would emerge victorious in a physical confrontation. It was impossible to decide. But ultimately he concluded that he didn't need Luke to fight his battles and that guy was an asshole.

Amidst these contemplations, Nick glanced at his phone. The clock read half-past seven. Outside his window, the setting sun painted the sky in shades of orange and gray, creating a picturesque scene. He could hear the rustling of the leaves outside. The scent of summer was so intoxicating. He wanted the time to stop here.  

The realization struck Nick that he had yet to open the gift Luke gave him at the airport. Birthdays may not hold much appeal for him, but the thrill of receiving a present, especially from his best friend, still stirred excitement within him. But the urge to sit beside the window and ponder upon his life right now seemed more interesting. So he did that. Soon, numerous thoughts started pouring in. 

On top of every one of them was one thought, why did he feel so alone? Luke wasn't dating someone either, he seemed fine. Being single bothered him so much. Nick had had numerous hookups since he came out but none of them became something serious. Some were blocked, some were ignored, and others were friend-zoned deeply. He was from New York and was still unable to find anyone good enough to date.

He felt uneasy imagining he would be 18 in less than six hours and he won't even have someone to kiss, someone to hug, to furiously make out with on the back of his car, or to call 'mine'. Soon the summer started to bother him as a trickle of sweat traveled from his temple to the right of his nose. 

He shut the window so the room can go back to room temperature. He checked his Instagram. There were many good comments on his post, some bad ones too which Nick replied with all the might and pride he had. The answers were good enough to shut some of them but others just retaliated back and Nick started fighting on the internet. This was probably the reason why he never wanted to date anyone he found online.  

He finally came back to his bed, opened his back, and took out the gift that his friend had given him. It was an album full of 18 years worth of pictures. There was a note written on the first page of it. Before he read it, he moved forward and saw over fifty pages of their pictures. 

When they were babies, when they went to pre-school together, their first day at the park, group outings of both families, pictures of them at countless family dinners they had, the first day of middle school, their Halloween pictures, and seventeen birthday pictures of Nick and Luke together. He went back to start reading the note: