𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐚𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 | dealor

the third telephone call

Dear Rog,

Roger! Bloody hell! I can't take your money! €20?!?! I cannot stand you sometimes!

Nonna says thank you :)

So do I. Thank you.

John dialled the ever so familiar telephone number and listened to the ringing of the phone line. On the third ring, somebody picked up.

"Hello? Taylor and Mercury residence, darling." A unfamiliar voice sounded.

"Uh, hello. Is Roger there?" John asked, biting his lip and twiddling his fingers on his lap.

"Yes, he's in the other room. May I ask who's calling?" The voice wondered.

"It's John... tell him it's Deaks."

There was no reply on the other end except from the faint noises of footsteps walking across a room. And then, a familiar voice sounded out.

"Deaks! How are you, m'love?" Roger cried, a broad smile appearing on his face. Freddie looked at his friend with a suspicious gaze and a smirk.

"Roger! How dare you!"

"What have I done now?" The blonde teased, chewing on the end of his pen.

"€20?! I can't take your money! Please. You're too sweet." John stressed.

"Oh don't worry about it. It's hardly a million. Plus it means we get to talk more, doesn't it?" He smiled.

"Yes.. yes, it does. Nonna was very happy. I just wrote a small letter to you actually. I just said to you what the letter says though so there's no point in sending it now, I guess."

"No! Send it at once! The more letters off of you, the better."

Roger met Freddie's eyes and the older boy made a circle with his thumb and pointer finger and stuck his opposite pointer finger through it. Roger flipped him off.

Roger got up and moved into his bedroom for a bit more privacy. It didn't help to be talking to John whilst Freddie was making sex gestures right at him. Now they were alone at last.

"Sorry about the ruckus, had to go into my bedroom to avoid Fred."

"Oh, was that Freddie who picked up the phone?"

"It sure was." Roger nodded. "He was distracting me so I had to get away."

John giggled. "What was he doing?"

"Just making sex gestures at me whilst I was talking to you." The blonde admitted, earning a small gasp from the younger boy.

"Oh." John breathed. "Good you got away then, I s'pose."

"Yeah." Roger sighed.

There was a brief moments silence between the two boys, both lost in their thoughts.

John knew he liked Roger. He wasn't that oblivious. Who didn't like Roger? Well, his inner voice said, nobody likes him as much as you like him. John reasoned with that.

And Roger knew that he liked John . They were both incredibly aware of their feelings but both were terrified of admitting them. They hadn't even met each other. It would be absurd.

Even if John did like me back, it would be impossible to be with him. He lived 842 miles away! A 14 hour and 56 minute drive! A 252 hour walk! Roger would have walked if it was a last resort, though.

"Why don't you come to Kensington one day?" Roger finally asked. John sighed.

"You don't know how much i'd love to come, Rog... it's just the money. Me and nonna don't have the finances. If we did, i'd be on a plane in a heartbeat."

Roger's heart soared at that. "I would too. I'm skint too, though." He frowned.

Both of them wanted to see each other desperately. John just wanted to take him in his arms and huggle him for hours on end.

Their feelings towards each other had come all at once in the beat of an eye. They weren't expecting it at all. Maybe their feelings were always there but hadn't quite made it to the surface until recently? Neither of them knew but frankly, neither of them minded.

"John, can I say something?" Roger spat out without thinking.

"Of course, anything. Go for it." John's breath hitched. Was this it?

"Well, promise not to be weirded out? I mean, you can end the call if you want but just... don't freak out ple-"

"Roger just spit it out."

Roger took in a deep breath and prepared himself. He closed his eyes and took a handful of his bed duvet, squeezing it hard in his fist.

"I like you, Deaks. Like I like you. You know?"

There wasn't an answer for a long time and Roger thought he had blew it. Blew their entire friendship into smithereens in the space of three, maybe four seconds.

"You can just end the call if you like, you don't have to say anything if you don't want to or if you don't feel the same way."

There was still no reply and Roger had to force himself to keep in the tears that were building up and threatening to spill onto his cheeks.

"Um, okay, Deaks, i'm gonna go. I'm sor-"

"I like you too, Rog. Sorry, I was in shock a bit. I'm sorry, please don't hang up."

Roger froze in his spot with his mouth wide open. "You do?"

"Yeah." John chuckled. "I do, as it goes." He teased.

"Okay." Roger blushed so hard his face looked like it was about to explode. "Well. That's good then, isn't it?"

"I guess it is, yeah." John replied, biting his lip. He looked up at his calendar on the wall. February 21st. Mark the date!

"Write to me?" Roger asked shyly.

"Of course I will, il mio tesoro."

il mio tesoro - my treasure/darling

:,) this seems so so rushed im so sorry