Strangers In The Night

5. 23 Hours, 45 Minutes Until It Ends

"Well, idk what else to say to that."

Ian groaned.

"Does Ian like him?"

"I think so?" Ian said back, though his answer fell on deaf ears.

"Does the guy with the country bumpkin name, at least, like him?"

"I d – I don't know," Ian said. How could he even begin to explain the lighthearted feeling Bo gave him, how their conversations flowed. "I just...again, he's pretty readable, but he also might, just, be embarrassed by me or something. I get this vibe, though –"

"Oh my God. Vibes are bad. They're really bad. Remember me and Brianna?"

The name made Ian shudder, bare his teeth in remembrance. Haley cried for days after Brianna rejected her, all because of a misunderstanding of body language and a lack of forthrightness on Brianna's end.

"And, and me and Alex. That's another one."

"That doesn't count if you were both drunk and both stupid."

"It was college."

"Being drunk and stupid aren't college-specific," Haley called, her voice distant.

"Bo isn't like that," Ian said.

Cat snorted, a short sound on the other end, which stoked further rage in Ian's heart. "Sorry, I still can't get over the fact he goes by 'Bo'. It's such a country bumpkin name, isn't it?"

He liked Bo's nickname. It was cute, short, and suited him better than 'Robert'. "He wouldn't – he's more forthright than you and Alex," Ian said. "Than you and Brianna. He wouldn't –"

"Bo. Bo."

Ian grunted, stumbling as he swept into the shoe section, eyeing the soft pink and neon-blue gel soles hanging on the racks. He pulled his phone from his face and checked the time. Every second felt so wasted. "Guys, focus. Please."

The phone shuffled, and Cat's voice faded into the distance as Haley slid into her room. "I don't know why you ask her things. She's dumb."

"So are you, but I still love you."

She scoffed at that. "Can't believe we used to date."

"Haley, not. Now. Focus."

"I don't know why you can't tell him you like him. It's just –"

Cat's voice came distantly, bombastic. "Haley, there's a spider."

"Just kill it."

"It's got long legs."

Haley groaned, and movement shuffled through the receiver. "Why couldn't you have this kind of crisis back in Boston, Ian. So inconvenient." She chuckled, obviously lighthearted.

Her words, however, cut through him. Ian swallowed, gritting his teeth and drawing in a shaking breath. Throwing back the burning rage in his throat, he tried throwing on a smile but couldn't seem to keep one up. A smirk seemed too far from his grasp to do. "I didn't realize I was – "

"Ian, you're – " The call cut out, the LOW BATTERY sign flashing across the screen before turning black.

He stared at his phone, powering it down before slipping it into his pocket. "Good fucking riddance," he hissed, swinging the basket of things onto another arm as he moved into the menswear section.