Don't Touch || BOYxBOY ✔️

13

Leo's footsteps echoed through the empty street as he approached the front door to his student house. The late evening sunlight shone down on him, casting long shadows on the walls. With each step, the weight of the upcoming conversation pressed down on him, tightening the knot of anxiety in his stomach. The winter air did nothing to settle his nerves.

He took a deep breath and unlocked the front door, pushing it open with a quiet creak. The familiar scent of his shared home, a blend of old books and lingering meal, hit him like a tonne of bricks. He stepped inside, trying to steady his nerves. The house was eerily quiet, and he could hear the faint hum of the fridge in the kitchen. Aaron's voice wasn't anywhere to be heard, and for a moment, Leo wondered if Aaron had left. But he couldn't have. He knew that the boy would be waiting.

He glanced down at his phone. 5:49pm. Leo was a little bit early. Thank god. He didn't want to be late. He didn't want to give Aaron another reason to hate him.

As he made his way through the hallway and into the living room, Leo spotted Aaron, Rex and Victoria sitting on the sofas. He momentarily halted by the door. Aaron was hunched over slightly, flipping through a textbook with a distracted air. His posture was tense, and when he looked up and saw Leo upon hearing a creak, his face shifted from surprise to a guarded neutrality.

"Hey," Leo said to the three of them, trying to keep his voice steady as he approached.

Rex was the first to speak up. "Dude, what the hell?" he asked loudly.

"Where have you been?" Victoria added with a glare on his face.

"What?" Leo asked in surprise.

"You disappear for days and come back and say hey? What the hell? Where have you been?" Rex asked sharply with a mild glare.

"Or should I say, who have you been with?" Victoria asked quickly.

"Don't tell me you disappeared for a girl," Rex said in an annoyed voice.

Victoria sighed and crossed her arms over her chest. "You better not have. Especially after what you told us about Sophie. She's pissed, you know."

"Oh yeah. We're definitely gonna talk about that. Aaron told us not to bother you and that you said you'll be back soon but he was being too cryptic about it all. So tell us where the hell you were, man," Rex said sternly.

"I..." Leo trailed off in confusion.

Leo and Aaron's eyes connected and then it clicked for Leo that Aaron hadn't told his housemates of their argument or anything that happened. A sliver of hope ran through him. If Aaron hadn't told the rest of the gang what Leo had done, then maybe there was still a chance to get over this whole mess and steady the friendship again. This also made Leo realise why nobody had bothered to message him. Aaron had told them all he was fine. He didn't know whether to be relieved or annoyed at that.

"Guys," Aaron finally spoke up, looking over at Rex and Victoria. "Can you give us a minute? I need to talk to Leo."

"You can talk," Rex shrugged.

Aaron chuckled. "Alone."

"Boo," Victoria grumbled. Then she grabbed her boyfriend's hand and yanked him off the sofa. "Call us back down when you're done."

As they walked out, Rex patted Leo's shoulder in a friendly manner and that instantly put him at ease. All that overthinking and self pity for nothing.

It was silent.

Leo hated this.

Aaron set the book down on the coffee table, his eyes narrowing slightly as he looked back up at Leo who was still hovering near the door. "You're back."