Roommates

Chapter 3

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"Hey, Jon, I'm going out for a bit," I told Jon so he wouldn't worry.
"Alright," he agreed, "What for?"
"I want to meet up with Dan, because he seemed really upset," I explained, "We're going to have lunch together."
"Okay, you have fun," Jon grinned at me, and I waved to him before I left.
I drove to the nearby restaurant, and spotted Dan almost immediately. He really always stood out from a crowd. I walked over to him swiftly, waving to him, and greeting him with a simple, "Hey!"
"Arin? Hi!" Dan smiled, and I could already tell that he looked like he had been stressed, or maybe even cried a night or two ago, "Are you doing okay?"
"Are you doing okay?" I retorted, "You look like you've been sick worrying."
"You don't look so great yourself!" Dan couldn't help but chuckle.
"Okay, so we're both not doing so good," I clarified.
"Pretty much," he confirmed.
We made our way to our table, ordering whatever. I smiled warmly at Dan. I could tell that he really cared about me, which made me feel special. Down to the little things he does, I could tell. The way he would glance up at me every three minutes to make sure I was okay, the things he would say, down to the very gentle way he spoke.
"Hey, Arin, if you don't mind me asking, I just want to know what you're going to be doing about your living situation," Dan seemed really worried again.
"I told you, I'm staying with Jon."
"For how long?"
"I don't know," I shrugged, "A while, I guess. We're just gonna be roommates or something like that."
"Okay," Dan nodded, "I just want you to be safe."
"I know, Dan," I smiled, "Don't worry about me too much, or else you're going to end up sick!"
"You just mean so much to me," he gazed right into my eyes, and I could've sworn I saw him tearing up a bit.
"You okay, Dan?" I asked, reaching out my hand to grab his.
"I'm fine!" Dan tried to convince me, although I didn't believe him.
"Please don't worry about me," I stared back at him.
"I have to," he held my hand tighter, "Who else will?"
    "Me?" I answered.
"I know, I know," Dan sighed, looking away from me, "Just don't hurt yourself."
"Dan," I muttered his name, "Don't stress yourself about me."
"I try not to," his gaze wandered to where our hands were, still intertwined.
"Aww, stop! You're making me sad," I whined, trying to lighten the mood, at least a little bit.
"I'm sorry," Dan apologized, and you could tell that he genuinely felt bad.
"Don't be sad! Um..." I thought for a second of something I could do to cheer him up, "I'm doing fine!"
"Okay, alright," Dan took a deep breath and looked back at me, "I know you are."
"So, anyways," I changed the topic so Dan and I could have a good time.