HEATED // EGD

S I X

P E T E R

A day has passed since the balcony. I cracked my knuckles as I sat on the couch, unsure of what to do with myself. Again, life had been boring for me those days when I wasn't too busy overthinking and drowning in my own thoughts.

Ethan walked over before he sat beside me on the couch. I looked over to him with his cheeks filled with air as he looked down.

"Can I help you?" I asked, confused as to what he was doing.

"I, uh-- no. I'm good," he replied as he let out a deep breath and shook his head. He tugged lightly on his lip ring, something I caught him doing often.

"Okay then," I nodded awkwardly.

It was silent between us. It was horrid. The awkwardness was murderous. The air around us was thick. Both of us wanted to say something to fill the silence but neither of us knew what to say.

"I just wanted to say... about last night—you know what never mind" He shook his head.

"What? You could talk to me, you know that, Ethan,"

"It's just that I-- it's nothing actually."

"Ethan?"

"Yeah?"

"Everything alright?"

"Yeah why wouldn't it be?"

"Don't lie to me."

"Not really, but I'll be fine. Don't worry about me."

"What did you want to tell me?"

"You're not going to let me get away without saying it will you?"

"What can I say? I'm stubborn."

"And so am I," he stated before getting up.

"C'mon, E, tell me. If it's that you're uncomfortable talking about it just tell me and I'll stop. Otherwise, I'm going to bug you about it."

"I'm uncomfortable saying it."

He disappeared into his room for the millionth time in the past week.

The jingle of keys sounded from outside of the door. My head immediately shot towards the front door to see the door knob being unlocked. Dallas was home.

"I'm home, guys," he shouted just as always did.

A frown formed on my face as I remembered that he was still ignoring me from my comment that I made when we were arguing a couple days back.

He tossed his keys on the counter as he let out a heavy sigh. He turned towards me. A frown was prominent on his face as well. It felt so odd to see Dallas frown; Dallas was a happy boy, he simply very rarely frowned.

"Naomi, we need to talk," his told me with his voice low. His head hanging low, he walked to the couch and cautiously sat down beside me. "I'd like to apologize for being over dramatic about what you said the other day..."

"Dal, over dramatic runs in the Rivera blood."

"es verdad," (that's true) he replied with a weak laugh following. "But still... What you said upset me, a lot. But I shouldn't have ignored you. That wasn't an excuse, I'm sorry."

"It's okay, I get it. What I said was messed up. Just entirely messed up."

"I can't deny that..." he admitted. "But I was dragging out my lecture on keeping in contact with me when I'm in class and you already apologized and said it wouldn't happen again. It should've ended like that but I kept going and eventually you snapped and it's my fault that you snapped. But that doesn't change the fact that what you said hit me like a truck..."