EIGHT
Midnight
Mars got better two days later, and it was almost like she had never gotten sick in the first place. She was far too excited to go to school â she was never excited for school. In fact, she called the place a prison.
He wondered if it had to do with that new friend she made.
If that was the case, Elias was happy. She was making friends and slowly getting out of her comfort zone. That was one of the main things he wanted for her.
He aimed to tell Roman about it, oddly eager to see even one or two of those assholes, but when he got to work, he was left disappointed seeing the barstools empty. Roman wasn't there, and he was always there.
He thought he was just late, but when he still didn't show up even hours later, Elias knew that wasn't the case. He wondered if it had to do with when he came by. Had Elias said something wrong? He ruminated over everything he could've possibly said that had made him not show up, but absolutely nothing came to mind.
Maybe he made him overwhelmed? Was Elias too friendly, too blatantly eager to have company that it made him uncomfortable? Elias thought they were friends, but there was a high chance that was a one-sided belief, if this was anything to go by.
Elias debated messaging him, but he kept becoming too busy to even think of what to say. So, he pushed it all aside and chose to focus on work instead of anything else. If he thought about it too much, he could screw something up.
When work ended without any sign from Roman, Elias situated himself inside his car and stared down at his phone. Maybe he should text him. And if he didn't respond or sounded bothered â or told him to fuck off, which didn't seem like something Roman would do â then Elias would just leave the situation be. He wasn't a fan of pouring his energy into someone who didn't want it.
Elias -
You didn't stop by today. I hope everything is okay (:
He waited for a few minutes to see if Roman would respond right away like he always did, but nothing came. Elias sighed and tossed his phone into the passenger seat, heading home and turning on the radio.
The situation was a little more frustrating than he expected it to be.
When he brought Mars home after picking her up from their neighbor's house, he listened to her excitedly tell stories about her school day. She sat with Lily at lunch and met some of her friends, they included her, she got their numbers and was already part of their group. Apparently they all had similar interests, so Mars got comfortable fast.
The day seemed to pass by quickly, as it always did. He collapsed onto his bed around midnight, fresh out of the shower, and he was fully prepared to just pass out, but his phone buzzing woke his brain up.
Roman had finally texted him back.
Roman -
Sorry
Elias waited. To see if he had anything else to say, but it seemed like he wasn't going to follow up with any explanation of why he was apologizing.
Elias -
? Why are you sorry??
Roman -
I feel bsd
Roman -
bad*
Elias -
For what? Not coming by? That's okay, I'm just wondering if everything is alright with you
Roman -
that too
Elias -
??
Elias -
Are you okay?
Roman -
I don't know
Elias blinked. He hadn't expected him to say that. He wasn't sure if he was more surprised by him being honest in general, or being honest with him. He seemed like the type to keep things to himself.
Then again, Elias didn't know him that well yet.
Elias sat up, adjusting his pillows.
Elias -
Can I call you?
Roman -
It's loud
Elias -
Haha that's okay (:
Roman -
Then go ahead
Elias tapped on the phone icon and pressed the device to his ear. Roman picked up on the second ring, and immediately Elias could hear just how loud it was. He wasn't kidding. He was pretty sure he could hear Marco in the background, which explained everything.
"Hey," Elias greeted, deciding to lay back down. "Where are you?"
"Marco's," Roman mumbled, his words sounding a little slurred, but still comprehensible. It was pretty obvious he was tipsy, or maybe fully drunk, and Elias was pretty sure now that was why he had been so honest. "He wanted to hang out. And drink."
"So, I'm assuming you're drunk, then?"
"...Yeah. Kinda."
Elias cracked a tired smile. "If that's the case, you don't have to talk," he told him, running his fingers through wet hair. "I don't wanna feel like I'm taking advantage of your state to get you to talk to me about... whatever is going on. You tell me on your own â sober â terms. If you want to, that is."
"I'm sorry."
Elias let out a soft laugh. "Roman, you don't have to ap â "
"I should've told you I was leaving..."
"Roman â "
"...but I couldn't think right 'cause I felt anxious. Not your fault... it's mine. I'm sorry. And I should've told you I wasn't coming by, that way you wouldn't have been worried. If you were worried. I don't know if you were. Sorry if I'm wrong."
Elias frowned to himself. This was the most Roman had ever talked in one breath, and it was because he was drunk and â most likely â emotional. He hated that he kept apologizing for things he didn't have to apologize for. He sounded like himself when he was a teenager. A depressed, insecure teenager.
"You're not obligated to tell me those things," Elias told him gently, hoping he could sense by his tone that he wasn't angry in the slightest. "I told you you could leave or stay. You didn't have to say goodbye. And no one is telling you that you have to come by every single day, so â "
"But I want to see you every single day."
Elias paused, a little confused. "That's nice to hear. But again â your comfort comes first, Roman. Prioritize yourself, always."
A soft, shaky exhale. "I like it when you say my name. You say it in a nice way. You are my co â "
"Rome, what the fuck are you doing?" That was most definitely Marco, and after he spoke, there were so many voices overlapping that Elias could only make out a few words. Stop â idiot â you told us â hang up.
And then the call abruptly ended.
Elias furrowed his brows, staring down at the screen that no longer had a call pulled up. He tried to call again, just in case hanging up was an accident, but he was sent almost immediately to voicemail. It wasn't an accident, and probably Marco or Felix's doing. Maybe even the double Anthony's.
He sighed and switched over to text.
Elias -
I hope you're okay and you feel better soon, that was a lot at the end there. Sleep well when you do (:
He plugged in his charger and discarded his phone on the bedside table before curling up into his covers and pillows. It didn't take him very long to fall asleep, his exhaustion catching up to him quickly.
___
When morning rolled around, he woke up tired. That wasn't a surprise, but that didn't mean it wasn't a shitty feeling. He turned his alarm off and rolled over, lazily reaching for his phone and bringing it up to his face.
There were two texts waiting for him. Both from the same person.
Roman -
Sorry again
Roman -
I know you don't like it, but I really am sorry
Elias -
There's nothing to apologize for. Next time I see you I'm not teaching you how to say "I'm sorry" in ASL
Roman -
I'll figure it out (:
Elias assumed that small joke and the smile meant things were a little better, whether in general or between them. But when Elias got to work after dropping Mars off, Roman wasn't there once again. No one from the group was.
And the day after that, he was still absent. All of them were. And another day, and another, and another â all until two, slow weeks later.
___
A/N: what if now i just . didnt update for a full week or more lolololol
and hey !! i made a playlist for this book (-: the link to my spotify is in my bio