A Break Apart

CHAPTER 27. Coming to Terms

"Here they are." I offered him a few more copies of my school work that I had just retrieved from my room.

"Oh." He dropped my phone beside him and took the papers from me. "You owe me fifty percent of your grades for this." He folded the papers and shoved them in his joggers pocket.

I laughed. "Not until I've gotten a feedback."

"Yes, boss," he said, then made to pick up my phone.

"And I'm expecting yours, too," I added and he paused. We exchanged a serious look then, mine encouraging, and his, not so willing, as though partaking would open wounds he would rather not deal with.

I further encouraged him with a smile and, with a light chuckle, he said, "We'll see," then picked up my phone from the couch.

"By the way," I said, and he looked up from my phone screen, "honest responses only," we shared a knowing look, "so they shouldn't fill the forms if they're angry."

He let out a sound laughter, nodding. "Well played."

I started laughing then.

"Although..." He stuck out his index finger at me, from the hand that held my phone, and I waited to listen. "The gym isn't a place where angry people socialise."

"If you insist."

He laughed again, refocusing on my phone while I settled next to him. I had accepted our friendship for what it was, and was willing my mind, body, soul and spirit to synchronise with the reality of what it couldn't be.

"Where's Mum?" he asked, his eyes on my phone as he swiped through the pictures in my gallery.

"She traveled to get more stuff for her store."

He paused and looked at me. "Wow. And you'll be alone in this big house for how long?"

"Only a few days, and there's Morphy to keep me company so don't sympathise with me."

He chuckled, then continued to view more pictures. I moved closer, watching with him, unfortunately to my disadvantage because his next swipe switched everything up. The atmosphere became dense and uncomfortable, especially when he didn't proceed like he had done with the others, and I could only imagine what could be going on in his head. Curious to know, I slowly drew my focus to his face, and what I saw was far beyond what I could have possibly imagined. His eyes, now widened with an intent focus on my phone screen, were filled with numerous questions, and his face was an unrecognisable mask of shock.

"You know him?" I asked.

"No, no..." he replied, shaking his head and squinting, as if trying to clear a haze from his eyes that was making him dizzy. "W-Who's he to you?" he asked, staring at the picture of David and I. He had also stuttered, which was unusual.

"He's... my ex."

"Your what...?" The intensity in his eyes almost threw me off the couch when he turned his head to look at me, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Yeah..." I managed to say, feeling exposed and judged under his gaze, and then I scoffed, finding my voice. "And why do you look so surprised? I told you I was in a relationship."

"You also told me it wasn't the right one," he interjected, and I shamefully swallowed my words because he had a point, "so I'm just confused why you're holding on to a picture of your ex. Still in love with him?"

"Of course not!" I snatched my phone from him. "I just... hardly go through my gallery.

"How did you both meet?" The curiosity in his eyes made me hesistant with my response, but my thought, not so much.