Addicted [BoyxBoy]

As Time Goes By

He didn't know what he was doing when he walked out of that house.

Luckily, I did.

He didn't really have anywhere to go, but I had managed to convince my mother to let him stay with us.

It was difficult. My mother isn't the easiest to convince. But she soon gave in once I told her he really didn't have anywhere else to go.

From there, we spent the next couple of months figuring things out.

There were a few instances where I told him that it might just be easier if he did go back to Sacramento, and that maintaining a relationship long-distance shouldn't be as hard as our long-distance friendship.

"No," he would say, "I refuse to leave you. No matter how hard it is right now, it'd be harder away from you."

So he stayed with me, camping out in the living room. Despite the obvious issues it presented, my mom loved having him around. He'd help clean, cook, and he started a movie night tradition that took place every Monday night.

After the whole fiasco with his uncle, Bobby and I didn't fight again. It was hard to find reason to fight once I discovered just how far he was willing to go for me; it was nice to know I wasn't alone on that front.

So we adapted: went to school, stayed together, tried to enjoy life. And that we did.

On top of Bobby, though, other things came about that changed my life drastically.

Murphy, for one.

We started to actually become friends.

There were days when the three of us would all hang out and enjoy each other's company. And Bobby had no issues about it at all. In fact, their friendship was being repaired in the wake of Murphy's change of heart.

My perception of Murphy was shifting drastically as well. I was actually starting to see him as a friend rather than an enemy or something to fear. I discovered quite a bit more surprises regarding him, including the fact that he had a four-year-old sister.

We had all decided to hang out at Murphy's house to play video games and sleep over to give my mom a break.

We had shown up at his house mid-afternoon to see his mother preparing to leave.

"Ma, where are you going?" Murphy had asked as soon as he saw her.

"There's an emergency at the hospital, one of my patients is in labor, I have to be there. I was just about to call you, but you're here so I can leave sooner than expected. I need you to watch Sara for me."

At that precise moment, the little redheaded beauty ran into the living room with boundless energy and a loud voice, "Murphy, you're here!"

She immediately floated into his arms, and they graciously accommodated her tiny figure.

"Hey, Sara, yes, I'm here," Murphy said in a hushed tone. His smile was warm and huge. I had never seen him smile like that until then.

"Any telling when you'll be back?" Murphy asked his mother, Sara still clinging to him like a koala on a tree.

"No, I don't know how long it'll take, it's labor, different for everyone. Just be careful, order pizza, don't blow anything up."

With that, she quickly greeted Bobby and I before rushing out of the door.

Murphy seemed sort of down about our ruined plans, but he sighed and looked at Sara and said, "Well, kid, meet Bobby and Caleb."

I smiled and waved at her, her previous face sending waves of warmth throughout my entire being.