HOLD ME CLOSER (BL/BXB)

Twelve

"Did you have a fun time at your department?" He asked. His voice was trying to tell me something that I could not comprehend, could not decipher, and could not see what it was trying to imply.

"I'm alright." I told him after taking a spoonful of ice cream that we bought from the convenience store.

"You seemed more than alright."

"How do you tell?" I took another spoonful.

"Uhm, you are enjoying someone's company rather than with me." He told me. He was the one taking a spoonful of ice cram this time.

"So, you're telling me that I am happier with others than with you when I spent all of my afternoon Fridays eating ice cream with you." I retorted.

"Yeah."

"What do you mean yeah? I am offended."

"I mean don't hang out with that freak."

"Freak who?" I raised a brow, trying to determine who he was pertaining to.

"You know who I am referring to."

"Nathan?" I asked, giving him a smirk.

"Yeah, he's close to you."

"So what?"

He nearly choked on his ice cream. He coughed twice before looking back at me, hitting his chest.

"What do you mean so what?"

"He is just being nice. He doesn't have that many friends to begin with." I told him.

"Defend him more." He snapped back.

"I will. He's doing nothing wrong." The sky turned orange as the sun was trying to sneak its way from the sky.

"How about me?" He asked, pointing the head of the spoon towards him. I gave his shirt a look and thankfully, it wasn't stained by his ice cream, or else his sister would be so mad about him.

"What about you?" I replied back.

"I am your friend, your true friend. I should be the only one." I gave him a look.

"Well, just like you, I do still have friends."

He did not utter a word and instead gave me a look. His brows slightly furrowed and looked at the setting sun.

"How's your sister?" I asked, trying to change the subject and change the mood.

"Why are you asking about her? When I am the one here with you."

"Why so mad? I am just asking. I miss her cooking already." I told him.

"You miss her cooking? How about me when you are trying to run away and look so busy after getting that damned job?"

"You're a little dramatic." I commented.

"Well, if you think I am, then I am."

"Nice. Seems like someone got a little self discovery." I joked and smiled after I saw his shoulders fall and heaved a sigh. I could see the frustration in his face. But why though?

We had been doing this kind of thing for quite a while now. Ever since I met him in our seventh grade, we were inseparable. Now that we are in college, everything seems to go away. We had different lives, and he had to go somewhere without me, and I was the same. I had to fend on my own and to try not to depend on someone else like him, who was kind enough to help me, or someone like my father, who wasn't that kind enough to begin with.

We finished our cups of ice cream and we started to head back to his parked car. We were both silent. He was pondering on something I wished I had the courage to ask but cowered in fear to keep the question within myself.

"Wanna go somewhere else?" He asked, wanting to go somewhere.

"I am sorry." I rejected the offer. "I have somewhere else to go."

"Not again. It's Friday. It's our day. Don't beat yourself up." He was trying to convince me to go with him but my coffeeshop work was waiting and no one would man up my place there.

"I am sorry." I replied, my voice faint and was knitting my brows together into a sad expression.

"Okay. Fine. Hop inside." He sighed, defeated.

His car lit up the moment he pressed his car keys and I obliged. I hopped in and fastened up my seatbelt.

I kept looking at the time plastered across the screen of my home whenever its backlight lit up after pressing the power button and at the time displayed at the stereo near the steering wheel. I held my seatbelt as he drove.

"Why so anxious?" he noticed how my hands did not stay on the belt but played with it for a couple while.

"I might be late?" I asked him unconsciously.

"I told you, if you work with me, I would not even ask you to be on time. More of my sister's baked goods."

"Sounds tempting?" I rolled my eyes.

"I mean it's not my loss anyways."

"Yeah." I just smiled painfully.

"Quit that shitty job and work for me. I'll double the pay."

"It's not shitty."

"Then what is it?" He asked, tone raised and was trying to get into my head.

"It's a decent job."

"A decent job?" He scoffed, irritably laughed at what I just uttered. "Or a place you would rather be staying than be with me."

"Uhm, it can be like that."

"What do you mean?" He gave me a glance. His voice raised and agitated.

"You know some g–" I paused. I did not want him to know that three girls accused me of having a crush on him. If he found out, he might also ask if their accusations were true. And because, at some point, I was close to a half in liking him. If he found out, if that secret got revealed or something. I would not be having a face to show.

He stopped by the bus stop and that's when I hopped out of his car as quickly as possible and as swift as the wind. I did not want him to ask about the girls, or the accusations and the crushes. No not that we just got

"What did you just say earlier?" He popped his head out of the car window. "Some–what? That I know?" He asked.

"Oh. no. Nothing."

"No, you are about to tell me something." He got out of his car and was about to take a few strides towards me.

"No, nothing. Really. The words just slipped.

"The words just slipped, eh?" He smirked. "If I found out where you are working, I'll drag you out of that place. Remember, this duck is after you."

"Bye, just go." I tried to shoo him away and got back to his car as he was just parked on the sidewalk. When I saw his car was gone, I took a quick look at the time on my phone and ran as fast as I could.

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