The Stars That Night [boyxboy]

The Stars That Night {16}

                Dad peeked at me as we ate breakfast together, mom in the background trying to wrestle a shoe from Michigan. Dad noticed me looking and dropped his gaze quickly, but peeked back up after a moment.

                "Do I have something on my face?" I asked.

                "A sad look," he said. He reached out, patting my shoulder a little. "Did something happen?"

                I looked down at my breakfast, my appetite slowly fading. "I, uh, I broke up with Roan. It just wasn't going to work out."

                Mom abandoned the shoe to its horrific fate at the jaws of our dog. She came over and brushed her fingers through my hair like she had when I was sad as a child.

                "That happens, sometimes. Two people want things to work, they really do. They try. But things just don't. You're young, and I know you're going to be upset about this for a while. But try to remember that now you've learned from it." She kissed my head and ran her fingers through my hair again. "You two weren't the most compatible, but I know you really cared about him. I'm sorry it didn't work out, Garrett."

                Dad pat my shoulder again before giving me a one-armed hug. "You know, I'm thinking we can go get lunch at that place with the good cheesecake tomorrow."

                I brightened a little. "Really? We can?"

                "Sure. Maybe you can even have your own piece instead of splitting with me," he said.

                "Thanks, guys," I said gratefully. They'd let me talk at my own comfortable pace, and they'd just offer me support until then. "Oh, mom, um, Mich has...the shoe is...wow, that's bad."

                Mom spun around, saw the torn piece of shoe on the floor, and threw her arms up in exasperation. "Get a dog, they're great members of the family! I was bamboozled from the damn start." She stalked off in Michigan's direction, giving chase when he darted out of the room.

                Dad frowned at the pieces on the ground. "Hey, that's my shoe."

                "Not anymore," I said, reaching out to pat his shoulder.

                I finished eating and left the kitchen as dad moved to pick up the pieces of his destroyed shoe. I got ready and grabbed my car keys, heading downstairs.

                "I'm going to hang out with my friends," I called.

                "We'll be here spending the day retraining the dog," mom called back.

                I shook my head, smiling to myself as I left the house. I got in my car, driving off to Akira's house. I knew I couldn't avoid them forever.

                I got out of my car and went up to the door, ringing the doorbell. Kaito answered, and by his expression, I was guessing he'd been expecting one of his friends.

                "He's in his room," he said, stepping aside to let me in.

                "Thanks, Kai," I said.

                He just grumbled something out and walked away from me. I sighed and headed for Akira's room, remembering when we were younger and Kaito used to teach us how to make model volcanoes. We'd loved that moment where he'd add the baking powder in and the concoction would bubble up and over the sides. He and Akira had been a lot closer as children, but the pressures of adult life weighed down on Kaito far too fast, and he didn't care to spend time around any of us anymore. It was sad how time changed things.