My Lion. || BXB

chapter fifty-six.

lionel was currently showing me enzo's number that he had typed into his phone after the unsettling call with his dad. i watched as lionel started typing out a text. but i gently placed a hand on the screen, "maybe you should call him? so he knows its really you?"
"i don't know if i can do that." he mumbled in response.
"of course you can. and i'm right here with you if you feel anxious."

he took a deep breath while clicking off the message and returning to his contact. i watched his finger hover over the call button momentarily, before he eventually pressed it and stared nervously at the phone as we both heard it rung.

lionel slowly lifted the phone to his ear, and i could no longer hear the ringing. but when his face lit up, i could tell enzo had just picked up.

"lorenzo?" lionel spoke, and a pause...
"yeah, hi. it's lionel—your brother." he said, and then yet another pause. although this one was longer, it seemed as though i was sitting there waiting for him to speak again for hours.

"yeah— i asked dad for it and um... yeah."
"yeah. oh really? wow, i hear new york is beautiful." his brother was residing in new york? thats a bit random.
"right, yeah." another pause. "oh, alright. no thats okay." i watched lionel's face sadden slightly before listening to him say his goodbyes over the phone. as lionel dropped the phone from his ear he held his head in his hands. i knew something was wrong.

"what happened?" i asked, moving the phone from the bed to the table alongside us.
"he doesn't want to see me." he stated almost as if it were the most simple sentence in the world.

"what?.. but he's your brother.. i don't understand." i questioned,
"i do. i'm a stranger, we're not brothers. fuck, this is just making me hate my dad even more. why did he have to take my brother away from me?"
i frowned, "i'm so sorry lionel. are you gonna be okay?" lionel's face was sadder than i had ever seen it, which twisted my heart in an uncomfortable way.
"i'll be fine." was all he said, and i sighed. i knew if lionel didn't want to talk about something, he wasn't going to.

i watched him stand up from my bed, my eyes followed him cautiously.
"i think i'm gonna go home, i'm tired." he mumbled, glancing at the clock.
i frowned, but knew i was in no place to argue. "oh, okay then. call me later?"
"of course." he replied with a half smile plastered on his face before making his way out my room and then i heard the front door open and close.

i didn't see or hear from lionel for the rest of the night, which slightly bothered me as he said he'd call but i didn't contact him in fear of looking like a clingy boyfriend. instead i went downstairs and watched the rest of a random football game with my dad on the telly. it was nice how close we had become over the past week or so, he really had grown as a supportive parent.

the next day, it was a monday morning and school was actually something i was started to not dread anymore. after the whole ordeal with cormac and my old friends i hated going to school, but recently — with the help of my new friends — it's been much more enjoyable.