Zen sat down on his bed, wondering if Seven meant "I'll be back later, probably," as "It's important, so I will be coming back," or "Hey, I might drop by uninvited like I usually do and rummage through your medicine cabinet."
He recalled the various times where Seven had just randomly barged into his house, acting like he already lived there.
One time Zen caught Seven moisturizing his face at three in the morning, it was strange. Zen had been getting terrible sleep that night, waking up every few hours and not being able to get back to sleep immediately. One time, when he woke up, he noticed that his dim bathroom light was on. He thought he was just seeing things, but got up to check it anyways. There was Seven, slathering lotion on his face and neck. "Hey!" Seven had said, seeing Zen. "Why are you in my house?" Zen remembered replying. Seven had explained that he couldn't sleep, so they both just sat on Zen's couch and watched television for the remainder of the night.
Another time, Zen found Seven drinking his liquor at the kitchen table at some other absurd hour of the night. Zen found him there when he went to get a glass of water during the night, but just shrugged and offered him snacks. "Make sure you drink as much water as you do alcohol." Zen had said. Reflecting on this memory, Zen realized he sounded like a dad. Seven later ended up fumbling into Zen's bed, taking all of the covers and mumbling something about "fidget spinners" in his sleep.
Based on the previous incidents, Zen guessed Seven was just going to drop by and probably eat his newly purchased groceries or something. He decided to just go to bed early to prepare for a new role he'd just landed in a movie.
It was a story about unrequited love, he would play the lead, who was oblivious to the charms of his best friend. The main character didn't realize the love she had for him until she leaves the city to pursue her dreams. He then realizes he loves her, and travels the state to find her, picking up friends along the way, and reflecting on memories.
Pretty sick story, right?
Zen looked over the script. It was a good story, but he wondered how the lead could be so oblivious to his best friend's love. He chuckled to himself, knowing he could never be that oblivious to love.
Zen read over the script a few times while eating cereal for dinner. Dinner was never really too exciting, Zen only cooked when he had company over. As he read the script, he got nostalgic about the euphoria of love, and his highschool days.
He remembered being mushy, and leaving notes in his girlfriend's locker, playing R&B tunes and dancing across the homecoming floor, and the general warmth of being exclusive to someone. Zen sighed and put his bowl in the sink, rinsing it and placing it into his dishwasher. He wished he had someone to say "I love you," to, someone to hold close and laugh with as they swayed to old love songs, or someone to love senselessly.
Zen closed his blinds, still showing the sun falling into the mountains through the cracks. He laid on his bed, thinking about how he hadn't dated someone in so long. He missed it of course, but he convinced himself that his career was more important. Zen wondered which one was really more important, love, or his career? He fell asleep feeling like he was missing something beside him.
Seven knocked for once, wondering if Zen would be impressed that he didn't just walk in as usual. He didn't hear a response, so he knocked again. After not hearing another response, he decided to just walk in. It had been only a few hours since he was here, but somehow the house seemed cleaner. His spilled soda was cleaned up, and the dishes he ate a grilled cheese on were gone from the sink.
"Zeeeeennnnnn?" Seven called through the house, not receiving a response, just like his knocks. He walked towards Zen's room, and briefly looked at the script Zen left in the hallway. Seven picked it up, scanning through the plot. "How funny.." Seven laughed to himself as he saw Zen's lead role as an oblivious student.
He walked into Zen's room, only to find him neatly sleeping on the bed. Seven noticed Zen slept on his stomach, and had a hand tucked under his pillow. It made him tired, but there was more of Zen's house to explore, so he left the room. He wandered around the rooms, seeing things he'd already seen before. Seven always hung out at Zen's place, even when he wasn't home.
A lot of the time Seven would snoop through bookshelves, drawers, and boxes, just trying to find interesting things. It was the hacker in him that was always interested in psychoanalyzing and delving into people's past. It was pretty much an invasion of privacy, but Zen never caught him, so Seven thought it was fine.
Seven sometimes just looked at the pictures of Zen and memorized the details of his face, his long thin nose, sultry red eyes, strong jawline, and his contagious smile. It's hard not to be in love with a man that beautiful. He gushed in private, or in his head, but when in his presence, he simply just tried to make jokes, insult him, and act casually. Seven thought he was pretty good at keeping a facade, but from time to time, he found himself slipping up.
Apparently neither of them have any impulse control, because Seven found himself slipping into the other side of the bed, staring at Zen's face. Zen would sometimes stir and move his head or his hands, and Seven would just watch like a weirdo. Lots of things went through Seven's mind, but he mostly wondered why he was doing this. Seven looked at the man next to him and concluded that it was pointless to even try to pursue him. He sighed.
He thought about the resets, and how maybe it wouldn't make a difference if he tried to date Zen. Seven paced back and forth in his mind, wondering if he should try pursuing Zen or not. It would probably fail anyways.
Zen turned around and put an arm over Seven. His arm simply stayed over Seven's shoulder until Zen turned over and held Seven's waist, much like a child would hug a stuffed animal. Seven was dangerously close to Zen, with his nose almost touching the other's collarbone. He lost any attempt at self control, and stuck his head into the warmth of Zen.
Seven decided that he would make an effort for Zen.
The next thing you know, it's five in the morning and Seven's awake. He internally panicked, as Zen was now spooning him. He decided to enjoy it for a second, then realized Zen would probably wake up soon, so he left.
