Upside Down (COMPLETE) Inside Out, Book 2 [BoyxBoy]

Keith

After encountering the mysterious boy in the high school bathroom, Keith's thoughts went in shambles. He knew he was up to no good, especially since nothing Ivan spoke now sparked any interest for him.

Besides, Keith found Ivan getting duller and more predictable in their phone calls. Whenever he asked if something was wrong, Ivan would just leave the question hanging or change the subjects. Keith didn't know if this was the right time for him to express his frustration over Ivan's unpleasant attitude because everything felt too early. Hell, even talking to Ivan on the phone now with his miserable flirtatiousness felt way too ahead of time. Talking to Ivan now without Keith rolling his eyes seemed almost impossible.

"Baby, what are you thinking about?" Ivan said. "Say something, babe."

Well, apart from me really wanting to end this conversation? "Nothing," Keith said.

"Come on," Ivan replied. "You barely said anything since we called. Tell me something."

"Um . . . there's nothing for me to say, really," Keith retorted. "I'm still wondering if you're fine."

There was a short silence after that. Keith heard Ivan breathe in, and he closed his eyes, anticipating a displeasing response.

"I'm totally fine," Ivan grunted, and Keith didn't like the sound of his voice. "Unless you keep ignoring my calls ... or decide not to talk to me."

Heat started to rise in Keith's chest. He braced himself. "Well, you did notice that I was at school, and I wasn't intentionally refusing to talk to you, didn't you? Come on, Ivan."

"Well, that's clearly just an excuse!" Suddenly, Ivan ended up almost yelling, and Keith almost shouted back. He kept his anger in check and forced himself to lie down on the bed. Ivan proceeded, "If I were you, I would find time and prioritize this whole thing. We are just starting, and both of us should not fuck it up!"

"I am not trying to fuck anything up, Ivan," Keith said, trying his best to not explode. "I just have things to do! It's school, Ivan—what do you expect? I just moved here, and I need to settle some stuff—"

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Ivan said, mockery stinging his voice. "You have a life to live there and I don't have any. I know I'm such a miserable, needy, petty boyfriend and I know everything's my fault. I know I am the one who is actually fucking it up right now. Alright, Keith, I get what you mean. Sorry for being such an asshole. Feel free to find better guys there and please forget me when you fuck them—"

"Ivan, please—" Keith tried to say, but he knew Ivan wasn't listening.

"Sorry. Goodbye." The line went dead, and Keith let out a groan.

He put his phone aside and squeezed his head as all thoughts inside his head whirred like crazy. He knew for sure he couldn't persuade Ivan any longer. What did Ivan expect, anyway? Why would he be the one to mess things up while Ivan was the one to rush too quickly at the start? The worst was probably Ivan trying to make him feel like shit, like everything was his fault.

For a moment, he really did wonder what happen to Ivan in LA. As far as Keith knew, Ivan did have his group of friends, and he did fine before they even meet each other. Their meeting was brief and quick, and Ivan having such disastrous attachment to Keith so sudden was really irrelevant. Then suddenly Keith felt inconsiderate; shouldn't he be more accepting and tolerant towards Ivan's attitude? Was he an impatient person that would never make it to a good relationship? Well, all relationships went through shit and rainbows, right?

He felt worse because all along he was thinking about the boy who'd gone mad in the gents. Keith smiled as he recalled the boy's face on top of his lap and their awkward encounter when Keith fell due to his numb legs. The boy had stayed to give Keith a massage, and it drove him crazy. He flushed just thinking about it.