The Little Mistakes (boyxboy)

Chapter 43

I woke up to being lightly shaken. When I snapped my eyes open in panic, they focused on Patrick’s face. His brown eyes furrowed as they took me in. It didn’t last long before he had a gentle smile sitting on his lips. He moved his hand down to brush his fingers over my arm. I felt myself growing calm as I watched his features.

 

“Hey,” he said quietly.

 

“Uh, hi,” I said in return. Trying to get myself together, I sat up and looked around. I was still laying on the couch in the basement and Patrick was crouched next to me. I rubbed my face with my hand and sleepily asked, “What time is it?”

 

“Almost noon,” Patrick answered, taking his hand away and sitting back on his heels. “I have to run over to Aria’s for a little while--”

 

“Can I come?” I asked, cutting him off. I smiled at him, but saw his face fall which made me falter. “I can get ready really fast or whatever if you wanted to leave right now. I promise I won’t take long.”

 

Patrick frowned at the ground before he looked back at me. “No, that’s not it. Just--Aria asked me to come over because she, uh, had a fight with Jaxon or something. It should probably just be me who goes over there.”

 

I could tell by the way he couldn’t hold eye contact and his flustered words that he wasn’t telling me the truth. And I wanted to say something about it until I remembered that it wasn’t my place to call him out like that. Besides, I really didn’t want to fight with him. I needed him. So I did what I always did best, I ignored it.

 

“Oh...alright.”

 

Patrick quickly stood and I stared up at him. “Yeah, so I shouldn’t be gone too long. Maybe a couple hours?” He reached for my hand and I let him pull me off of the couch before he let go. “Come upstairs with me so you can lock the door, alright?”

 

I nodded and followed my cousin upstairs on clumsy feet. I did my best to forget the hurt I felt from being rejected by Patrick so quickly. I didn’t know what I had done wrong. We were fine last night when I got home, and even this morning he had been smiling at me before I so rudely tried to invite myself along with him today. I bit my lip. That was probably it. He just wanted alone time with an actual friend and not me--a sad excuse for everything, really.

 

“Pops said he might get home early today,” Patrick was saying as he opened the door to the garage. I immediately knew he was talking about Kristian, who he referred to as ‘Pops’ or ‘Papa’ which I was beginning to find completely endearing about him. “I’m thinking it will probably be around four, so just keep an eye out if I’m not home by then.”

 

I nodded once more as Patrick walked towards his car. I remained standing by the door, holding it open by grasping the handle and leaning my back up against it. The other boy looked over his shoulder at me as he walked further away.

 

“I made myself some breakfast not long ago, and there’s plenty of bacon on the counter in the kitchen. So go ahead and eat it,” Patrick said as he opened the door to his car. I watched him lean in and press the remote to open the garage door. When he was done he told me, “There’s leftover pasta in the fridge that you should heat up for lunch. And you better actually eat some of it, or I’ll kick your ass, okay?”