Impractical (1)

22

Stepping from his jeep, he watched as Murr walked around the back of Camden's car, "Since when are you close with Brody?" He asked hesitantly, lifting his hat and running his fingers through the top of his hair as his friend approached, "What?" Q asked with a forced shrug as his eyes followed the car, asking, "Did he need help with homework?"

"Yeah." Murr answered quickly, a sniffle pulling at his red nose as he mentally thanked Brian for creating an excuse, "He had a theater project and needed someone to hold the camera." Brian nodded, placing his hands at his hips as he examined his friends small nervous movements, "Would you want to come inside for a beer?" He forced himself to ask.

"I thought you would never ask," Brian hummed with a forced grin on his lips, noticing the guilt that pulled at James' blood shot eyes as he quickly moved toward the front door.

Brian followed James' path, noticing how his feet moved faster than his upper body. He was struggling to keep up, his hands fidgeting with every object on the path to the fridge. His hands were shaking and he refused to look at Brian's eyes as he held out the bottle, muttering, "Excuse me for a moment."

He rushed out of the kitchen and shut himself in his bedroom. Pacing for a moment, he entered the master bathroom and splashed water over his face. His nose was puffy and his eyes were blood shot, it was obvious that he had been crying, "Sorry," He hummed as he moved to find Brian sitting in the living room, "I --." He shrugged his shoulders, turning almost immediately as he announced, "I forgot my beer!"

Brian watched closely as his friend purposely sat on the opposite end of the couch, his eyes focused on his drink as he continued to shift in his seat, "Is everything alright, man?" Q asked him, slightly leaning toward him as James' eyes darted up to meet his glance, "You seem a bit shaky."

"I'm fine," James said quickly, his quiet voice forceful as the room fell silent once more.

He had washed his face, but his eyes and nose were still swollen. Brian knew that he was hiding something, but he chose to sit silently. James was quiet, uncomfortable in the air that surrounded them, "So, I stopped by Sal's house this morning --."

"How was that?" Murr asked eagerly, wanting the discomfort to fade from the air. Crossing his legs, Murr angled his body toward his friend and lifted the beer to his lips once more. His eyes were wide, his posture oddly taller as he leaned away from the couch.

"He convinced me to stop searching for answers," Q shrugged, watching closely as Murr blankly stared in his direction, "I'm going to wait for Olivia."

"Is that right?" Murr asked uncomfortably, switching his crossed legs as his wide eyes locked on Brian's glance, "You're stepping back?"

"If she needs space, then I'll stop begging for a response," He hummed, shifting in his seat for a moment before continuing, "You know," Murr watched as Brian stared down at his drink, "I came here with intent of questioning you about Olivia, but I shouldn't have doubted you." He sighed, forcing a laugh into his voice before lifting the beer to his lips. He turned to look at Murr, forcing a grin onto his lips as he locked on his glance, "You're my friend. If you knew something, you would tell me."

"Exactly --." Murr muttered, his eyes drifting down to look at the drink in his fingers. His voice trailed to silence and Brian stood, placing the beer bottle on the coffee table. Murr followed his movements, his eyes following Brian's larger figure as he stretched his arms into the air and behind his head, "Are you leaving?"

"I should get home before I drink too much," He hummed as he pulled the keys from his pocket and stepped toward the front door. Reaching for the doorknob, he glanced back at Murr as he spoke. His eyes were tired and his face was still flushed pink, "If you hear anything, let me know." He sang, watching as Murr's eyes fell to look at the ground.