Indifference (boyxboy)

23. Face First in the Grass

Elijah

I was tucked up in bed watching Brooklyn 99 on Netflix when my phone vibrated on the bed next to me.

I saw "Idiot" flash across the screen and I felt a slight skip of excitement. Honestly, I had no idea why I craved his attention so much - it was pathetic. Nevertheless I snatched my phone off the bed like a thirteen year old girl.

Idiot: Do you like me?

"Huh, maybe he's a thirteen year old girl too," I mumbled to myself.

I wasn't going to dignify that with a response, so I called him instead.

He picked up after just one ring.

"Elijah hey!!" he said enthusiastically.

"Ryan?" I said warily. "What's going on?"

"Nothing! I was just thinking of something, but then you were in my phone. Hey isn't that weird, like telepathic or something!"

Ok, so that answered one of my questions.

"How much have you had to drink?"

"Why, what are you, my mum?" he said quite angrily but then started laughing.

I frowned at my phone.

"I'm going to go now," I said, "I'll speak to you tomorrow, ok?"

"Wait! NO!! Don't go. I neeeed you," he whined.

"Why?" I asked curiously.

"Because," he said, then paused for so long that I thought that was the only answer I was going to get. I was about to reiterate about hanging up when he said, "Because I need you to help me figure this out."

"Figure what out?"

"Me."

"What about you?"

"Just me and whether.."

There was a rustle and thump on the other end of the phone.

"Ryan?"

"Ryan?"

"RYAN?!"

I heard more rustling.

"Shit, Eli, are you there?"

"Yeah, what happened?"

"I fell off the swing," he said laughing like it was the funniest thing ever.

I groaned and rolled my eyes. "Where are you?"

"The Rec."

"Who are you with?"

"No one."

"What?! You're at the Rec on your own!! What are you thinking?!"

He laughed. "I can handle myself, you know that."

"Sober maybe."

"I'm fine."

"You fell off a swing."

"Tomato tomarto."

"Oh god.....you're going to be the death of me you know," I said, putting my phone on speakerphone and getting dressed.

"I'd never kill you!" he said, sounding amused.

"Maybe not, but one day I'm going to die trying to save your butt."

"Ahhhh, Elijah saving my butt. I like the sound of that!"

Yeah, he was definitely drunk.

"Don't move. I'll be with you soon, but I've got to hang up now to order a taxi."