Ocean Eyes

Chapter Eight

Ric had spent the rest of the night pacing his own apartment, his mind racing with thoughts of Theo. He had never felt so torn before, his heart at war with his head, his fear of losing Theo's friendship fighting against the love that had been growing inside him, unnoticed, for so long. The sun had barely risen when he finally collapsed onto his couch, his body aching with exhaustion and his mind a tumult of doubt.

He had always been the one to fix things, to make people laugh, to be the glue that held everyone together. But this time, he was the one who had caused the mess, and he didn't know how to fix it. He had felt something shift in Theo's embrace, something that had made him want to hold on forever, to never let go. But the fear of not being the son his dad wanted, had held him back. He had built his life around being the person everyone needed him to be, and now, he was faced with the possibility of losing the one person who ever, truly got to know him.

The apartment was silent, the walls feeling as if they were closing in on him. He needed to get out, to clear his head. He pulled on his running shoes and hit the pavement, the early morning air cool and refreshing against his flushed skin. The beach was calling him, the waves whispering secrets that only the dawn knew. As he ran, he thought about Theo, about the way his eyes had searched his own, looking for answers he didn't have.

He thought about their friendship, the laughter and the tears they had shared, the quiet moments that had meant more than any party or fling ever could.

He reached the shore, the sand cool beneath his shoes as he slowed to a walk. The ocean stretched out before him, vast and unknowable, much like his own feelings. He sat down, the waves lapping up to meet him, and let out a long sigh. This was his place, where he had come to share his deepest secrets and his most profound moments. It was here that he had to find the courage to face the truth, to face Theo.

He had to tell him that he loved him too, that he wanted to explore this new chapter in their story. But how? How could he do that without messing it all up again? Ric leaned back, the sand cold against his neck, and watched the sun rise over the horizon, painting the sky with hues of pink and gold.

The world was waking up around him, and he knew that he had to wake up too. He had to face the day, and the conversations that lay ahead. With a deep breath, he stood, brushing the sand from his clothes.

The days that followed were marked by an unsettling silence, one that seemed to stretch on endlessly. Theo had expected things to be awkward with Ric after his confession, but nothing could have prepared him for the complete absence of communication. Raw and unfiltered radio silence. It was as if the world had gone mute, leaving him stranded in the deafening quiet. Theo spent most of his days going through the motions, trying to maintain some semblance of normalcy. He went to work, kept up with his responsibilities, and even forced himself to smile and nod when people spoke to him.

However, inside, he was unraveling. The weight of Ric's silence pressed down on him like a heavy fog, suffocating and relentless.

The first day, he told himself that Ric just needed time to process everything. He tried to stay positive, convincing himself that they would talk soon, that Ric would reach out and they would figure things out together. Like they often would. But as the hours turned into days, that hope began to wither. Theo found himself checking his phone constantly, his heart leaping into his throat every time it buzzed, only to sink again when it wasn't Ric. He replayed their last conversation over and over in his mind, scrutinizing every word, every gesture, searching for some clue as to what Ric might be thinking.

All he found was doubt—doubt that he had made the right choice, doubt that Ric would ever see him the same way again.

Ric had always been the type to confront things head-on, but this time, he didn't know how to begin. It had left him in a haze of confusion and uncertainty. Every morning, he would wake up, reach for his phone to text Theo like he always had, and then stop, his fingers hovering over the screen as the weight of what Theo had said crashed down on him again. Every time he thought about reaching out, the fear would creep in—the fear of saying the wrong thing, of making things worse, of losing Theo for good. Ric had never been one to shy away from a challenge, but this felt like uncharted territory, and he wasn't sure how to navigate it.