Tord nods, and Paul sighs. "That's the guy. He's in the back with a doctor who happened to be here. Come on in. He could use a friend right about now."
Tord said goodbye to Paul and made a mental note to catch up with him sometime later. He walked inside of the pub, and looked around for Tom. He soon hear some girl bitching and crying in a booth, Tord turned in the direction and saw a police officer cuffing her up. The girl had tan skin with clear pale areas. She must've been on a vacation to a warmer place, recently. Her hair was bottle-blonde and she wore a dark green dress with reddish spots that matched her eyes. She wore messy and snugged makeup.
"You don't understand! He abandoned me! He ghosted me for five years that BITCH! I finally see him again and he says that sex with me isn't worth it!!" She exclaims loudly and dramatically bawling and sobbing.
Tord winces and backs away, looking around more. He soon hears light sniffling and a soft voice speaking to someone. He looks inside of a back room and sees someone patching up a bloodied body.
Tom.
Tord runs to his side and grabs his hand. "Tom??! Tom are you okay? What the hell did that bitch do to you?!"
The person looks at Tord, surprised. "You know him?"
"He's my friend! Faen i helvete, what happened here?"
The person holds an ice pack up to Tom's head. "I can't say I know. I was at the bar and only ran over when I heard someone shout for a doctor."
Tord looks at Tom and helps him sit up. "Tom?"
Tom coughs, his neck red and covered in scratch marks. Tord notes some marks around his neck that tells that Tom was choked. "Tom who is that?"
Tom groans, his throat sore. "My ex. We dated when I was a freshman."
Tord gasps, recognizing her. "Hannah?! That's Hannah?! I thought she was a redhead! And paler..."
Tom coughs and holds onto Tord tightly, still out of it. "It's...a long story."
The doctor sighs. "If I were you both, I'd head home. The girl's giving the police officer's shit, I don't want that to happen to either of you both."
Tord nods. "Of course. Thank you for this."
"No problem! Happy to help!"
Tord calls an uber and the two climb inside. Tord looks at Tom, his face stern. "Look, as much as you hate it, you can't keep big secrets anymore. You're getting hurt and I don't even know why! You froze up earlier and got all distant—and that hasn't even been the first time! I want to help you, Tom. I want to be your friend. I want to care for you, care about you. It's harder when you're such a closed book." He puts a hand on Tom's. "I'm not asking for you to be 100% open immediately, but it doesn't hurt to let things out once in a while."
Tom stayed silent while Tord spoke, and soon sighed. "She was in grade 13 when we dated."
Tord winced. "THIRTEEN?"
Tom nods.
"You were- you were fucking TWELVE???"
"Twelve when we started. She was...My dad wanted us together. Things happened and we broke up. Two years ago I uh...met her again, She looked like that I barely recognized her."
Tord listens closely. "Yeah, she looks like a trashy, woman Jeffree Starr. Very trashy."
Tom chuckles lightly. "Yeah. So we uh...hooked up. Woke up the next morning, and she was all, high and mighty that she had me back so...I left her again, Haven't been with anyone since. Neither has she apparently because-because she..." His voice broke, and tears pricked at his eyes.
Tord furrows his brows. He leans close to Tom and rubs his back. "Tom? What are you-?" He thinks back to the conversation with Paul.
"What happened?"
Paul shrugs. "Some chick saw her ex and started screaming at him. scratched up his face with her long ass nails. Almost hit him with her stiletto. Apparently she had a pregnancy scare or something? She just started screaming at him. Calling him an abuser? The poor guy looked like a deer in headlights, even before they saw each other. Not a good day for him, I don't think."
Tord froze, his body tense. "Oh god no..."
Tom breaks down and sobs, hugging himself as he collapses into a fit of messy sobs. Tord wraps his arms around him and hugs him tightly. "It'll be okay, Tom. I promise, everything will be okay."
Tom sobs into Tord's chest. "HOW?! You've met her, she's insane! I don't even know if the kid is okay I-I don't know Tord I didn't know."
Tord hugs Tom tighter as Tom buries his face in his shoulder. Tord shuts his eyes and holds Tom, letting his friend cry on him. "Thomas, look at me, okay? I'm here. Whatever happened, whatever will happen, I'll be here, okay?"
Tom looks up at him, his eyes welling with tears. He blinks a few times before he hugs Tord even tighter. "You're a good friend, Tord. A really good friend. Thank you for being here for me...Thank you so much."
Tord hugs Tom tighter, his cheeks growing warm. He...likes being close with Tom like this. Even in this terrible situation, the fact that he has Tom it...it makes him happy.
Tom makes him happy. huh.
<><><>
I was gonna make them kiss but it's supposed to be a slow burn so i held back
YOU ARE READING
The Cicada
Fiksi Penggemar"Sick of his own face; sick of his skin, of the dark. He crawls outside himself to sing-a better poet than most." Tom himself is a cicada, always has been. The fear and panic forcing him further underground as everyone around him strives to reach th...
