Still June 14, that evening
Dylan
Why am I feeling like this? Dylan asked himself as he looked at his reflection in the mirror inside his small, cluttered room. The dim light cast a shadow on his face, emphasizing the sadness in his eyes. I don't have the right to feel hurt since we're just friends and nothing more, he reminded himself, though the words felt like a knife slicing through his skin.
Dylan admitted that he had harbored a secret hope, a foolish, delusional dream that EJ would ask him to the Back to School Bash. The thought had been so colorful in his mind that he could almost hear EJ's voice asking him to be his date. But reality crashed down on him when EJ mentioned helping him ask a girl to the dance.
It felt like a cruel joke from the gods if there were even gods.
He sighed deeply, the sound echoing in the quiet room. Maybe it was time to push his feelings for EJ to the back of his mind? To bury them deep and just be grateful for their friendship. At least they were always hanging out, sharing laughs and secrets. But the wound of earlier, when they had an altercation with Brandon and Christian, became sharper and more painful now that EJ basically confirmed that he will never have feelings for Dylan.
Dylan replayed the moment in his mind, how EJ had defended him. At first, it had filled him with a warm sense of gratitude and hope. But now, every detail seemed tainted, twisted by the knowledge that EJ didn't see him that way. It was as if he was caught in an endless spin cycle of emotions that will only hurt him in the end.
He walked over to his bed and plopped down on it, wanting nothing more than to escape and sleep. Tomorrow would likely be an awkward day, filled with uncomfortable silences and forced smiles. The idea of EJ coming over suddenly was suddenly painful, but uninviting him seemed impossible. It would be incredibly rude and out of character for Dylan to do that.
There was a slight knock on his bedroom door, breaking through his spiraling thoughts. "Come in," Dylan said, sitting up and trying to compose himself.
His father, Lucas, poked his head inside. "Need company?" he asked, his voice gentle and concerned.
Dylan contemplated for a moment before nodding his head. Lucas stepped inside the room, still wearing his uniform from the restaurant where he worked, the scent of marinara sauce clinging to him. He carried with him an air of warmth and familiarity that always made Dylan feel at ease.
"So, how have you been doing?" Lucas asked, pausing to sit on the edge of the bed next to Dylan. "I know I've been busy and haven't been able to check in on you much, but now that I have a bit of free time, we can talk if you want."
Dylan hesitated, his mind racing. He knew his dad genuinely wanted to know how he was doing, but the thought of sharing his feelings for another boy was something that he was not ready to do...yet.
"I've been doing good, Dad. School has been keeping me busy, but it's okay," he replied, offering a small, reassuring smile.
Lucas nodded, his eyes soft with understanding. "So, your mom told me that your friend EJ will be joining us for lunch tomorrow."
"Yeah," Dylan nodded, he turned to his dad and smiled. "I hope you're okay with it, Dad."
"Why would I not be okay with it? Any friend of yours is already someone we can treat like family," Lucas said warmly. "You know, I'm glad you're starting to make friends. I know I put our family through a lot of downs when we I was scammed out of our money, almost went bankrupt, and had to sell most of our belongings to stay afloat and moved to a place that you barely know anyone. I'm still very sorry about that."
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Somebody to Love (bxb) (Complete)
Fiksi Remaja(COMPLETED) Dylan and EJ came from two very different worlds. Dylan was born and raised in Albay, Bicol, where he was surrounded by the familiar comforts of his school, friends, and everything he had ever known. However, the 2008 recession forced...
