Curious

45

"Okay, are you ready?" I ask after a few more minutes of sitting in the car in complete silence. Joel was taking every last second he could to mentally prepare himself for what he was about to do, and I respected him a lot for that. 

He takes one last deep breath in and out before nodding. "Yeah." he looks over at me with a small but scared smile.

I unbuckle myself, and stretch out to kiss him on the temple. "Just remember that no matter what happens in there—good or bad—you'll always have Mark, Oscar, and I." I whisper holding his hand.

"I know. That's the only thing getting me through this." nodding, he smiles sadly. He looks down at our interwind fingers. "You know, if I had been given the option for who I wanted to come with me today, it would've been you either way." 

"That means a lot to me." I sigh. "Okay, let's do this."

After we're buzzed in, we make our way up to Eduardo's apartment. The door is already open, and he's waiting for us at the door. He opens his arms for a hug but I simply extend my hand, not willing to go in for a hug. I don't know that I'll ever be comfortable enough to give him a hug.
After I shake his hand awkwardly, I walk into his apartment and turn to see Joel and him hugging. Hugging. My eyes widen and I clear my throat awkwardly. Unintentionally, I think I've ruined their moment because Joel's eyes snap open and he takes two steps back from Eduardo's embrace. He rushes over to my side, giving him an awkward smile.

"Please, have a seat." he motions for the couch behind us, he takes a seat on the second couch, that's beside us.

We both take a seat and sit in silent for a few seconds. "So," Eduardo claps his hands. "You're a grown man now. You look good. How old are you?"

I bite back to urge to scoff. He doesn't even know how old he is. "Uh, Im seventeen." Joel answers back, nodding. "Im a junior."

"That's awesome." We sit in a few more seconds of awkward silence before Eduardo stands up. "I ordered some pizza, it's in the kitchen if you guys want some." he awkwardly waits for us to stand up before ushering us into his kitchen.

"I could go for a slice." Joel says, walking closely behind Eduardo.

I'm walking slowly behind them, looking around at the messy apartment until eyes land on a picture frame on a side table that's besides one of his couches. It's Eduardo embracing a woman with long blonde hair, a bright smile, and copper skin. He looks so happy. My attention is shifted to the picture directly next to it. I pick it up and feel my heart sink a little. This time, it's Eduardo, the same beautiful woman, a little boy who looks maybe ten, and a teenage girl. I hear Eduardo say something to Joel before I hear his footsteps right behind me. I turn with the picture frame still in my hands. "Aren't you com—" his gaze turns down to the picture in my hands.

"These your kids?" I ask calmly.

He shakes his head, visibly nervous. "No, they're my fiancé's. Sorry, I should have put them away." he apologizes, gulping nervously.

"Don't be." I shrug. "This is your life now." I look down at the picture one last time before looking up into his guilty eyes. "She's beautiful. Your fiancé." the words almost don't seem real leaving my lips. He has a fiancé. A family now.

"Thank you. I-I proposed a few months ago. I'm moving into her place in a couple of weeks. That's why this place is kind of a mess right now. I'm packing everything up." he clears his throat uncomfortably. "We should get back to Joel."

I nod, turning my back to him, and gently placing the picture back in its place. "Yeah, okay." I walk past him and into the kitchen when Joel is seated eating his slice of pizza, with not a care in the world. I take a seat next to him, giving him a reassuring smile when he looks at me suspiciously.