Don't Stop | Michael Clifford

Chapter 71

Michael was once again home again, us cuddling on the couch. I was watching Supernatural on the television, Michael being silent, seeming to be in his own thoughts. I had asked him before if he was okay. At first he didn't answer, I don't think he actually heard me until I asked again. Then he told me he was okay. Obviously it was a lie, but I felt on him that he didn't want to talk about it, so I shut up. Maybe he was just in a bad mood?

The problem was, he didn't even play with my fingers when our hands were intertwined. "Michael?" I say, once I was tired of it. We had been on the couch all day, Michael never saying more than a few words. Other than that, he just shrugged and hummed if I asked if it was okay I kept watching Supernatural. I wanted to do more than that, since they were only home for a few days, but since he didn't seem to be in the mood, I figured to just kind of leave him to be, but it was starting to bug me, since I figured he'd come around throughout the day.

I sit up when he didn't seem to notice me talking to him. This makes him look up at me. I raise an eyebrow. "What?" he asks, making me sigh. Or more like groan.

"What's wrong? You've been silent and MIA all day." He shrugs, scratching his upper arm a bit. "Stop giving me the silent treatment, Mikey, please," I say, turning my entire body to me.

"It's nothing, okay?" he says, sounding annoyed.

"I don't believe that. You've been acting strange ever since you guys got home, but today it's been especially bad. So it is something, and if you're going to be acting like this the entire time you're home, then I deserve to know why so I can either be silent with you, or do something to make you feel better. I deserve that much at least." He groans, sitting up and eventually standing up.

"I don't want to talk about it, okay?" he says, and I can hear he's trying not to raise his voice.

"Well, suck it up buttercup, because you're going to have to right now, alright? Or you can just go home," I spit, making his fists tighten. He stands there for a few moments – I honestly don't know how long, my head was hurting with trying not to cry and anger. I honestly felt a bit dizzy too. He eventually storms off, and I hear the front door close. I sit there, my jaw slightly hanging before it roughly opens again, it slamming shut.

"You want to know what's bothering me!?" He's shouting now, his usually pale skin now red in his face, me just sitting there, trying not to react to it. "I feel like we're fucking stuck, alright?"

"Stuck, what do you mean?"

"Stuck, or running in fucking circles. Look at Maddie and Luke, they're having a kid. They're moving in together, they said they loved each other before you probably even thought about saying that to me," he spits, his breath being heavy. I was silent for a few seconds.

"Just because they're moving incredibly fast does not mean that we're stuck. We're taking things slow-"

"It's not just about fucking that!" he now full-on yells. "I feel like there's a huge part of you that I don't know!" I sit there quiet and still for a few seconds.

"Please tell me you're not talking about my fa-"

"Of course I'm talking about your fucking family! I know I said that I didn't mind, but I thought that you were going to tell me eventually, but every time I try to get to that point, you freaking push the subject away."

"Because I said I did not want to talk about it. Ever. I've told you this, time and over, and you said it was okay-"

"Because I figured you'd actually tell me eventually!"

"What part of I never want to talk about it or tell you do you not understand!?" I now yell as I stand up, my hands swinging around. It is now completely silent between us, the only thing I can hear is the throbbing in my head from anger. "I've told you this, Michael, and now I'm going to tell you again." This time I'm speaking calmly. "I am never going to talk about my family, and the only conversation I'm going to have about them is when you bring this up and I tell you I don't want to talk about it." Michael is now silent again.