Road To Happiness ✔

SIXTEEN

Trigger warning: Panic attacks

A couple of days into the semester break, Hugo spent another night at Renee and Stefan's apartment. They were celebrating him getting a place on campus. Alcohol was buried somewhere in their fridge, ready for whenever they wanted to start drinking, which would be whenever Renee and Stefan finished cooking.

The pair of friends argued constantly in a joking tone while Hugo sat on the couch and watched them. He had no idea what they were cooking, but he was happy just to watch them mess about as they did. He now understood why their kitchen was always was such a mess. Stefan flicked a noodle at Renee and scoffed. The noodle completely missed and landed on the bench with a faint splat. Hugo itched to clean it, but it wasn't his place. Messes always aggravated him.

It was meant to be stir fry and somehow, after everything it went through while Renee and Stefan cooked, it still looked and tasted like it. Hugo didn't know which of them was the better cook, but anything they made tasted amazing. Stefan pulled the drinks from the fridge, some weird Swedish cider that Hugo liked more than he probably should.

"So, when are you going to move in?" Renee asked with a mouth full of food. She swallowed and repeated her question when Stefan elbowed her in the ribs.

"I don't know yet," Hugo answered. "I'm thinking the week before classes go back."

"We could help you," Stefan suggested. "My dad has a truck. I'm sure he'd let me borrow it so we could move your furniture."

"I don't have much furniture. It's all my dads' stuff," Hugo replied. "But that would be good, thank you." There was no way he was going to be able to move everything on his own. He had no idea what he was doing.

The trio ate in silence after that, the only noise coming from the television, which was blasting a show Hugo hadn't seen before. Renee stood when she was finished and took the bowl from him. All she did was dump them on the bench and he knew the dishes probably weren't going to get done that night, but he wasn't going to say anything about it, despite how much it annoyed him.

"So, are you coming to Stefan's party next week?" she asked from the kitchen, an expectant smile on her face.

Even though there had been plenty of time to figure it out, he still wasn't sure if it was a good idea. Obviously, Renee and Stefan could see it in his face. Stefan rested a hand on his arm and Hugo almost pulled it away. He could hide the blush and the tingling feeling in his stomach. The room was warm, if either of them asked, that would be his excuse.

"There's going to be plenty of people there who know sign language, you don't need to worry about people not being able to talk to you," Stefan said. There were times Hugo forgot that he was deaf. But it was the number of people that made Hugo the most nervous, not being mute.

He looked at Stefan's face, at the hopeful expression in his wide eyes and the subtle tilt of his mouth and he knew he was too far gone. "Yeah, I'll come," he told him. If he had to, he'd go outside and take a break for a bit, or he'd leave. He doubted Stefan would mind if he had to go home early.

He ignored the butterflies that fluttered in his stomach when Stefan smiled at him. He was trying to make it go away, but he was sure that every time he saw the man it would get worse. There was no helping it anymore. He'll just have to deal with it until it eventually went away, which he sincerely hoped it did. It would be far too awkward to have a crush on someone who considered him a friend.

"You will? That's great!" Stefan said, a wide toothy grin on his face. Renee said something in agreement, but Hugo tuned it out. He couldn't take his eyes away from the look on Stefan's face, at the crinkles in the corner of his eyes, then way his cheeks puffed up when he smiled, how his top teeth were a little crooked and he didn't even care. "You alright, Hugo?"