Affliction | ✓

extras: sam & elio

I | How To Fall Out Of Love: A Guide By Elio
Tip: Just Fall In Love Again

Elio took a giant bite off his donut as he watched the setting sun's hues highlighting the sea. There was a lot on his mind, lot on his plate and he decided to tackle it with complex carbohydrates and pretty backdrops.

He was not okay.

He'd been convincing himself that he was okay, that he was alright, he was fine that Ella had left him, had fallen for her fucking ex-bully of all people but he was still stupidly in love with her, dammit and love doesn't fade so easy.

He could still feel the ghost of her fingertips on his skin, could still hear the sound of her laughter in his ears and could still see the image of her on bed, so enticing, the girl wasn't even aware. He tried telling her but he was never too good with words.

Letting her go had been the hardest decision of his life but he knew that Noah wasn't a bad guy, not anymore, not when he'd been struck so harshly to the ground that he still struggled to get up. Elio wasn't angry that Noah got to be the one to love her and have it reciprocated, Ella had loved him too, he knew how it felt to have her love only reserved for him and it had been a good run, had felt the sparks tingling when they kissed and the electricity coursing through their veins.

But, that was just him being sentimental.

He polished the crumbs off as he got up, twisting his arms around to crack the bones and he made his way home, he'd brooded enough for the day.

♦

The thing Elio prided on was being a happy dude, he was always happy and he was always happy whilst eating so he grabbed a chips packet from the aisle even though he'd already eaten two lunches ("pre-lunch is to warm up your stomach before lunch, it's a thing!") and Noah was staring at him with wide eyes.

"Dude, how are you still hungry? I just saw you devour a whole chicken."

Elio pulled The Finger out and saw as Noah cowered at the sight of it. "Now," he said in a chiding tone as if he was a motherfucking lecturer, "the importance of always filling your stomach is not a concept for the mere mortals, only the purest breed of homo sapiens are-"

"Alright, alright, shut up." the other man interrupted, absolutely done.

Elio grinned in reply and decided to take some more snacks; he was a healthy growing boy, sue him. Noah was grumbling behind him but the larger man just ignored him, he had his own concerns because across the aisle, between the cereal boxes was a gorgeous male specimen.

He could feel Noah tapping his arm and urging him to hurry the fuck up but Elio was too busy staring; the boy before him was easily the prettiest man he'd ever gotten to witness with his corneas; lush blonde hair, sloped nose and sharp jawline.

"Get on with it, man." the other whines, tugging on his arm and Elio snaps out of it, knows he's a hundred million leagues below this Greek God so he pushes it away, plasters a smile, picks up another chocolate bar for the night, pays the bill and exits.

Doesn't think about the beautiful man with the gorgeous tan and cat-like eyes.

♦

Elio blinks once and then he blinks again. "I'm... sorry, could you please repeat that?"

Instead of the elderly librarian with the permanently grumpy expression on their face, was a young man with bleached tips. The Greek God from two weeks ago, to be precise.