Cliché

10: Yang

During last winter I had submitted many pieces of my work to an art committee in Tokyo.

And now here I was, in a hotel room with my best friend.

Everybody stared at Dex and me when we entered the hotel lobby, he's the 3rd richest man in the world and the youngest billionaire. We've been friends since he was 6 and I was 7 and had dated from middle school to senior year of high school. Dexter is gorgeous by the way, pale blue hair and big red eyes. His milky white cheeks and his delicate figure is what really made me attracted to him.

But alas, we broke up a few months into senior year. He had fallen in love with Rayvn, who at the time was but a naive 13-year-old who did not know what she he was getting into. My heart was shattered, overtime Dexter picked up the pieces and put me back together. I was going to propose to him on his 18th birthday but never got the chance, he was with someone else.

He says he admits his mistake and wants me back, but now he's married with two small children and I have my Yuki. It would be immoral to crave him again, and yet I did...

Back to the present, to our hotel room. "Small room, no?" Dexter said with his Italian accent (Which should've worn off as he's lived here 20 years) "I'm sorry it's not to your liking princess, but this is the biggest they had" I dropped my sketchbook and backpack on the bed and caught a whiff of myself. "I'm going to go take a shower, Comportati mentre sono fuori" behave while I'm gone. I learned basic Italian just for Dexter's sake so we could understand each other better. "Very well, Guarderò solo la TV" I'll just watch TV, he said with his goofy smile. I smiled back and went into the bathroom.

In case you're wondering why I brought Dexter in the first place, it's because he practically begged to come along. Back in 9th grade, I taught him how to do simple landscapes and that's what got him hooked. I specialized mostly in charcoal or ink but dabbled in watercolour and gouache. "Wow! Teach me too will you?" Dexter asked me one day as I was doing a simple watercolour of the big cherry blossom tree in his backyard. "Sure, it's not as easy as it looks though." I had told him. He shook his head and smiled, "That is okay with you as my teacher I will enjoy learning!" Dexter liked to ask stupid questions while I drew. 

"What you are drawing?"

"You."

"Why do you draw me every day?"

"You're cute."

"You are a flirt, you know that?"

"Yes."

"Do you think my eye is... ugly?"

"I think your eyes are beautiful, Dexter."

"No no no, my other eye."

He was referencing his eye behind his emo fringe, I'd never actually seen it up until that point.

"I've never seen it, Dexter."

"Can I not show you?"

"Whatever you want, Dexter."

A few weeks after that day, Dexter was diagnosed with anxiety. Specifically, GAD. He couldn't tell anyone but me because he was supposed to be 'perfect'. That's how I found out he was cutting himself, not on his wrist, but on the side of his face which was covered by that hair of his.

"Why, Dexter? Just why?"

"I hate it and I hate myself."

"Dex, no. Just no. You aren't allowed to do this."

"You're not my father."

"I'm your boyfriend and I love you."

From that day on, my Dexter called me his guardian angel. Watching over him for all his life.

~

After my shower, I went into the bedroom to see Dexter watching Peppa Pig on TV.

"Dexter, no," I said, turning it off. "I don't allow you to watch that..... GARBAGE" He pouted and crossed his arms, "But it's educational! You want me to learn, no? And Suzuki watches it all the time."

"Suzi is 1, you're 26. So shut up." I adjusted the hotel robe I was wearing and dug through my suitcase for clothes.

"Also, I smuggled vodka because you know I simply mustn't live without my daily dose," Dexter said, he was pulling said bottle out of his PomPomPurin backpack. "I brought my medicines and some painkillers too." He said that looking straight at me. I pulled out my button-down, black sweater and jeans. Dexter was struggling to get the cap of the vodka bottle off and I sighed. "Dexter, we are not getting drunk in the same room"

"Why?" he asked

"Because."

"Why?"

"Because."

"But, why?"

"Because I'm older than you a year and two months so you do what I tell you to do!!!"

He stared me dead in the eye and took a huge swig of vodka.

"DEXTER!" I yelled whilst attempting to button up my button-down.

"Ha. Ha. Ha."

"Dexter I swear to Jesus Christ I am going to pry that goddamn bottle out of your hand no matter how many goddamn bruises you get."

He smiled and took another big sip.

"DEXTER NO."

"Dexter yeeeeeeeeeesssssss"

I walked over to him and grabbed the bottle out of his hands. He whimpered and gave me the puppy dog eyes.

"Why do you hate me, Yang?"

"I don't hate you I'm trying to look out for you!"

"But it calms me down!!!"

"Dexter, drinking vodka and downing painkillers is not going to help you at all!!"

Dexter looked down at his feet and started to cry, his crappy dollar store eyeliner running down his cheeks. Honestly, though, he needs to grow up. Although I guess I was the one who got him hooked on alcohol and taking... drugs. It was a bad habit but I never thought he'd keep doing it!

"Dex..." I said, sitting down next to him, "You're gonna be fine, okay?"

"I wanna go home."

"Dex, come on. Two days. Two days where we can actually bond and talk and catch up on things! I miss you everyday..."

"Then prove it."

"What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean, idiot."

And then he kissed me.