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nothing really changes when you turn twenty three, david learns. he still leaves a mess behind him in his house, he still eats unhealthy food when he knows he shouldn't, he still drinks too much sometimes and occasionally smokes things he knows he shouldn't smoke.
things around him change, though. erin gets engaged. fucking engaged. he knew that it'd happen before it did, tj had asked him for advice (like david would have any advice. like, who did tj think david was? his only serious relationship had spiraled out of control and left him a heartbroken mess), sent him pictures of rings. he'd knew it would happen. and then it did happen. that made it different, somehow. made it real. and he was happy for erin and tj, he was. but. but twenty three is a lot older than david feels.
he visits chicago. films with friends that he hasn't seen in months. gets a little drunker than he should. goes back to los angeles. he feels the absence of his family and old friends as soon as he leaves. feels the hole in his heart grow a little bigger with every passing second. he films his vlogs as usual--he hadn't expected to still be vlogging at the age of twenty three. thought he'd have given it up by now. he hasn't, though. he's left alone with his thoughts of her.
he walks around his house in circles, bottle of beer on his coffee table. he should edit. clean. do something productive. he texts her instead.
10:20pm sent Come get drunk with me
10:21pm recieved no way i'm going to a club w u. r u kidding
he smiles at this. she never really liked clubs. funny how he met her at one. that's how all of this started. his smile fades.
10:22pm sent Not a club. Come over
he doesn't really think when he texts her. maybe that's the problem; that he doesn't think around her. his brain sort of short circuits and the only thought he can really form is her. he knows she's arrived before she knocks because the windows are open and he can hear her close the car door and thank the uber driver, tell them to drive safe. he waits for her to ring the doorbell, winces as the shrill sound fills the house. his house. who would've thought he'd own a house like this at twenty three? he opens the door and lets her in.
"hey," she says.
"hey," he responds. he's smiling. he looks away, looks back at her. he closes the front door, watching as she kicks off her shoes and lines them up neatly. it's a no shoes on house, david had told her the first time she'd come over and ever since then she's been diligent about taking her shoes off instantly. he opens his arms for a hug and she, as always, is in them immediately.
"i didn't bring anything to drink," she admits as the hug ends and his arms fall limp to his sides, resisting the urge to draw her in once more. she doesn't say it's because she was calling an uber as soon as she'd gotten the text from david to come over. he kind of already knows.
"that's okay," david says as he leads her through the house and towards the living room. "i'm sure we can find you something to drink." he keeps a lot of alcohol in the house, after all, even though he doesn't drink. perks of having friends that teeter on the border of alcoholism. "pick your poison," he says, gesturing towards the cart in his hallway. a smile spreads across her lips as she shakes her head, her arms remaining limp at her sides.
