Shattering Me

17~ the Crumbling Boundaries

The two college students didn't make it back home till late at night.

Ryan had been tempted to call Carman and fill his older in on what happened, but the twins managed to convince him otherwise. If Carman Krag found out that some dude had made move on their little sister, Ryan's reaction would look like child's play. The red-head would literally burn down the entire city in pursuit of vengeance. It wouldn't even be the first time he'd done it.

Kyle had a hard time believing the relaxed, casual, and super cool guy was actually the most aggressive sibling, but he didn't want to see for himself.

Instead of calling Carman, Ryan spent the day going over the ground rules for the twins. Over and over again till they fell asleep as if the rules became a lullaby.

As Kyle turned his key into the new door they'd installed, he smiled nervously at his roommate. The awkwardness was suffocating him even more once the door closed behind them and he was alone with the man.

"So...about what I said earlier," he started.

"You don't have to say anything, Kyle. I lost myself back there. I'm sorry you had to see that."

"No, man. That's not it. I just want to say that...I meant what I said to you. I just...ugh! This is frustrating," Frustration was not something Ryan got to see very often on his roommate. "Just forget it. Let's talk tomorrow or something."

Ryan raised a brow as his friend threw his arms in surrender and sulked back to his room. Part of him wanted to offer some comfort, but he was honestly too tired. Despite what the rumors would make people believe, he was just a human being after all. He ran out of energy just like anyone else.

He crashed onto the hard sofa and punched the stuffing out his pillow. Before he could close his eyes and will himself to sleep, Kyle's head poked out of the bedroom door.

"Hey Rye, come here," he beckoned.

"What is it?"

"Just come here. And bring your pillow," using that insistent tone that irritated the hell out of Ryan.

"Kai, I swear...if this is about a spider, again, I'll make sure to bury it in your hair this time." He growled and forced himself back onto his feet.

Ryan followed him into the bedroom and was surprised to see that a huge pile of clothes and blankets laid out beside the string bed. It looked like a make-shift mattress. Kyle climbed onto the string bed and patted the blankets as if saying, 'come on, it's safe'.

"What's this about?" he asked walking over to the long pile and sitting down.

"You've been sleeping on a chair for like three months. I figured this might be more comfortable...and you know."

Ryan cocked a brow once again.

"You know what I mean! Like if you feel like talking or something, then I'll be right here and all that. I just thought it made more sense that sleeping out there," the boy's gaze was on the strings that wove the cheap mattress. There was an anxious little smile on his face like he was waiting for a judgment.

The older boy couldn't help but smirk. "Sure Kai. Sounds like a good idea if you can handle it. I might accidentally punch you if you snore." Just like that, he triggered the true smile of Kyle Cane. The wicked and playful one that usually came before causing some kind of trouble. They had really come a long way.

If Ryan had made that same threat a couple months ago, the smaller boy would have recoiled and become submissive. Now though, he'd become too comfortable with his roommate to be afraid every time he heard something like that. They talked about school for a while and argued about who had better taste in music. It wasn't long before Kyle tipped over and fell asleep, leaving Ryan to his thoughts.

The room was half flooded in filtered moonlight, so it was just bright enough for him to see his closest friend's sleeping face. He wasn't stupid, Ryan knew he was being weird. Watching another dude sleep was pretty far up on his list of creepy things to do. Yet he couldn't bring himself to stop.

There was a certain quality to Kyle's features that had caught his attention more than once. Now, under the pale glowing light, he couldn't ignore it. Kyle wasn't very handsome in a manly way, but he was kind of... "no." he shook his head and banished the thought before the word could manifest itself. It was time for bed, so he willed himself to sleep.

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Where do you think Ryan's last thought was going? I'm curious about what you think about Ryan's relationship with Kyle. Are they too friendly with each other for just roommates, or is casually sleeping in the same bed a reasonable thing to do? 

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