Don't Touch || BOYxBOY ✔️

22

As the days passed by, Leo knew that Dante was slowly but surely ignoring him. Was he keeping his distance because of the giant secret he had finally told him? Probably. Was Leo getting more stressed, more anxious and more depressed as each day passed by? Definitely. The length of time between each text Dante sent was getting longer and longer, until it completely stopped on the fifth day.

It was Friday night and Leo had tried his best to focus on his university lectures and his assignments all week, but now that they were all over and it was the eve before the weekend, his mind was racing again. He had texted Dante three times today, not caring about double (or triple) texting. But much to his disappointment and frustration, Dante hadn't even opened the texts.

Leo groaned loudly as he lay on his bed with his face shoved into his pillow. He felt like the walls of his room were closing in on him. The silence from Dante was more than just unsettling; it was suffocating. The pillow muffled his groan, but it couldn't muffle the turmoil inside him. Every unanswered text, every hour that ticked by without a response, fed the anxiety gnawing at his mind. Leo felt like a lovestruck girl and he absolutely hated it.

He couldn't help but replay their last conversation over and over in his head, dissecting every word, every look. Had he pushed Dante away asking him to revealing too much? The fear of abandonment crept into his thoughts, making it hard to breathe.

Leo sat up abruptly, his face flushed from the heat of the pillow and the surge of emotions. He glanced at his phone on the nightstand, the screen dark and mocking in its silence. For a moment, he considered calling Dante, just to hear his voice, to confirm that their friendship wasn't irreparably broken. But he hesitated. What if Dante didn't pick up? What if this distance was exactly what Dante wanted?

He ran his hands through his hair in frustration. The weekend stretched out before him like an abyss, two whole days with nothing to distract him from the spiraling thoughts. He knew he couldn't go on like this. He had to do something, anything, to pull himself out of this mental quicksand.

After a deep breath, Leo decided to get out of his room. He grabbed his jacket and keys, not really sure where he was going but knowing he couldn't stay in his room any longer. All of his housemates were out. Jessica was with her boyfriend, Aaron was with Damon, Rex and Victoria were on a date. The only person left was Sophie but she was acting like Leo didn't exist.

He sighed. Maybe a walk would clear his head, or at the very least, give him a temporary escape from the anxiety that had been building all week.

As he stepped outside into the cool night air, he told himself that no matter what, he'd find a way to get through to Dante. Even if it meant confronting him face-to-face. The thought gave him a small measure of determination as he started walking, the city lights flickering in the distance.

The streets of London were alive with the usual Friday night buzz, but Leo barely noticed. His feet carried him toward the pub he'd been to before, the one where he and Dante had spent countless nights laughing over pints, back when things were simpler. He pushed through the door, the warmth and noise of the place hitting him all at once. The familiar hum of conversation and the clinking of glasses should have been comforting, but tonight, it just felt like background noise to the turmoil in his mind.

He made his way to the bar and slid onto a stool, nodding at the bartender. It was a woman he recognised, someone who had served him and Dante before. She gave him a knowing smile as she poured his drink, a pint of whatever was on tap.

"Back again, I see," she said, leaning in a bit closer than necessary. Her voice was playful, and there was a glint in her eye as she slid the glass toward him. Leo couldn't even remember her name, and he didn't really care. "Where's your friend tonight?"