Alex woke up alone, his hand patting the mattress to make sure that Thomas had really left him alone. He sat up in bed, hair matted against his neck and feeling a tad sore. He needed a shower. He stood, bare feet cold against the floor, pulled on a shirt off the floor and grabbed some boxers from his drawer.
Then it hit him. The smell of pancakes. Alex chuckled, running a hand through his hair, and went to the small kitchen where Thomas stood cooking breakfast. He was humming an unfamiliar tune as he stood in front of the stove.
"Morning." He greeted, taking a mug out of he cabinet and making himself some coffee. "Did you sleep okay?"
"Since you were beside me." Alex couldn't help but laugh at the cheesy comment, though the laugh was hollow. "I have more if you'd like to hear them."
"No thank you." He sniffled, having the cotton feeling in his mouth go away as the hot beverage burned down his throat. His thumb nail scratched lamely at the handle, hearing the soft screeched of the glass. "So, I'm going to go take a shower. If you're still here, maybe we can have breakfast together."
"Of course." He smiled, watching Alex leave after placing his mug on the counter. He looked into the mug. The coffee was gone. Alex sat in the shower, hugging his knees as the hot water ran over him. He hadn't done anything he didn't want to, yet he felt dirty. He felt hurt, in more ways than one, and wanted nothing more than the heat of the water to wash away the pain.
🌻
"Why are you lookin' so glum today?" John asked, taking a small sip from his water. Alex shrugged, kicking at a stray rock on the ground by his feet. He sighed. "Okay, as your best friend, you need to tell me." He wrapped an arm around his shoulder. "Come on, I was the first person you told about bein' bi. You can tell me anythin'."
"I know," He replied dumbly. He picked at dead skin around his left thumb. "It's just overly personal- you know? I love you with all my heart, John. I just can't tell you... this."
"All right." He mumbled, rubbing his hand down Alex's shoulder comfortingly. "Want to go get some sushi and watch Disney movies to help cheer you up?"
"No, I-I'm fine, Johnny." He forced a small smile to reassure him. He stood and wiped his palms on his jeans before stuffing them in his yellow cardigan pockets. "Oh, um, I may have lost the jacket you got me."
"Aw, what?" He pouted, starting to walk beside him. "Honey that sucks, but don't worry. I can get you another one."
"I'm really sorry." He apologised. John shrugged, a smile on his face as he pulled Alex closer to him. "That jacket was really comfortable."
"You look damn good in green, Alex." He complimented, tossing his empty water bottle in a blue recycling bin. "Okay, I got to go to work." He pressed a soft kiss to Alex's cheek. He was always overly passionate and flirtatious with his friends, Alex more so. "See you for movie night later?"
"You can't pick Monty Python again." He called after him with crossed arms. John threw a thumb in the air for confirmation, but Alex knew he wasn't going to listen. Shaking his head with a smile on his face Alex turned on his heel and walked out of the park back to the small bakery for work.
"Afternoon, Alexander." George greeted with a short nod, moving back into the kitchen after serving a customer. Alex wrapped the apron around his waist and pulled up his hair into a loose ponytail. He put on a wide smile as another customer walked in.
