Bookworms | ✔

twenty-nine

The second Nicholas walked into his flat, he knew that he was screwed. He shut the door behind him, slipping his shoes off, and trying his best to look away from the silhouette of his friend.

The room was silent, neither moved, neither spoke. A chill breezed past them, a remnant of winter lurking behind the windows while the storm outside was nothing compared to the internal hurricane that would soon take place.

Nicholas cleared his throat.

"Where are the sleeping pills?" asked Elijah harshly, standing up from the couch.

He gulped, but stayed silent.

"Nicholas," said Elijah, walking closer with brown eyes flamed with fury, "where are the pills?"

"I took them."

He watched his best friend fall apart. Elijah squeezed his eyes shut, gasping for breath, a hand clawing at his chest from the unbearable pain he felt, yet Nicholas didn't feel remorse. Nicholas didn't see the unraveling yarn spill into a pool of disasters. Nicholas didn't see how dark he had become.

Then he remembered Dina's words, and shame filled him.

"I-I'm sorry," stuttered Nicholas, anxiety rising in his bloodstream. The walls seemed to be closing in, trapping him to his everlasting chains. "I-I..."

Suddenly, arms wrapped around him. Nicholas stood frozen, his vision becoming blurry, time as still as stone. Elijah held him tighter, and Nicholas fell apart, pivoting into a mess of heart-wrenching sobs. He returned the embrace, letting his crystal tears fall on Elijah's shoulder.

"It's okay," whispered Elijah. "It's all going to be okay, Nick. I promise."

"I wasn't," he hiccuped, "thinking."

"Shh."

"I-It hurt. I couldn't d-do it anymore."

Elijah held Nicholas for a long time, soothing and comforting all his worries like the rain outside that washed all the impurities of the world away. He had never known the comfort of any type of love whether it be from his parents or friends or girls he used to like. Nicholas was a stranger to the concept of love, yet he realized that Elijah and Dina showed him true love.

"Nick, why?" questioned Elijah, tears brimming his own eyes. "You could have came to me. You could have told me. You could have confided your pain with me. Why didn't you say anything?"

Nicholas wiped his eyes, sniffling. "I didn't know how to."

His friend's brows furrowed.

"It's been so long. After my friends died in that accident in high school, I lost it. That was the start, losing my best friends and then told that I was the only survivor of that fatal crash was the chain I still keep around my neck. It still haunts me and the worst part was no one cared," he said brokenly.

Elijah stayed silent, listening to his best friend's grief and not knowing how to help.

"No one fucking cared that I was hurting, and life chewed me up again and again right after, refusing to let me heal. No one ever cared," whispered Nicholas, breath shuddering.

"I care."

His blue eyes widened. "What?"

"I care," smiled Elijah through his own tear-filled vision. "The world could hate you all it wants, but I will never hate you. I will never abandon you. I will never let you carry your burdens alone. I'm here for you, Nick."

It seemed as though Nicholas finally saw the light at the end of the tunnel, the rocks to keep the wall balanced, the friendship that destroyed his demons. For so long, Nicholas had no one to turn to, he had no one to rely on, he had no shoulder to cry on, yet he managed to keep one friend.