Nate was truly, properly, upset.
He didn't want to admit how much Theodore's undirect rejection affected him. All Nate had done since the night of the concert was cry, listen to sad music, go to class when needed, and curl up in his bed while the pit in his stomach grew. Theodore had texted him to try and make plans, but Nate kept dodging it with made-up excuses as to why he couldn't. Being around Theodore was too much at that moment. It pained him to think that his feelings weren't reciprocated in the slightest.
The only person he told about the situation to was Zivia. He felt too tired and embarrassed to show the others—his parents included—that he was utterly devastated. The night after the concert, they had a sleepover. He cried in her arms as they discussed how crappy the situation was. She listened to him ramble about his heartbreak. They watched a movie and listened to playlists and talked and lied on the floor together. He appreciated it more than anything; there was nothing more he needed than for someone to be there as he grieved what could've been.
Two weeks had passed by sooner than he'd realized. He remembered that time always passed fast and simultaneously slow when he was depressed. Nate wasn't in a depression, but it felt very similar. From the outside it did too apparently, because his parents had come into his room and asked him if he was. He assured them he was just tired and that he wasn't slipping back into an episode. They left him alone after he had insisted, but he felt bad for partially lying. They had done so much for him and yet he couldn't find the courage to tell them he was struggling. It was a nasty habit of his that he wished he could get rid of, but he just couldn't.
One night—after ignoring another message of Theodore's for two days—he lied in bed listening to Teenage Blue by Dreamgirl over and over again. Luna curled up against his chest and cooed as he stroked her soft fur. He was about to repeat the song once more before a knock sounded against his door.
"Come in," he sighed—assuming it was his mom or dad.
Instead, he was met with the sounds of multiple people shuffling in. He sat up and furrowed his brow.
"Hey Nate, the whole gang's here," Zivia spoke. "We decided that we're coming over and pulling you out of this funk ourselves."
Nate—for the first time in a bit—felt a smile creep up across his face.
"I brought your favorite," Vincent spoke next, plopping a giant bag of sour gummy worms in Nate's lap.
"Zivia didn't tell us what's happening, but I hate seeing you like this. It's probably the saddest thing I've ever witnessed," Amiel continued.
They all sat on his bed—making themselves at home.
"You didn't even come to our Despicable Me movie night," Leo added.
Nate realized that he wasn't wearing his sunglasses; Leo was the only one that hadn't seen his eyes out of the four. He figured it was too late now, and gave up trying to hide them.
"I'm sorry guys," he replied. "I just... it's about Theodore."
"Did he do something? Do I have to kill him?" Vincent immediately jumped.
"No," Nate grinned weakly. "We had a talk about dating, and he told me he's pansexual."
"That's great!" Amiel exclaimed.
"Yeah, except he also said he wasn't into anyone at the moment, which means he's not into me."
"Oh."
There was a silence that passed, and Nate felt numbness at the words that he spoke. It wasn't even upsettingly painful anymore; all he felt was emptiness. Suddenly, he felt arms fly around him.
STAI LEGGENDO
All Our Sensitivity
Storie d'amore"Are you always going to forget I can't see?" "I don't need to remember when we're kissing." "Weirdo." Nate was born blind. That was a fact. Nate was also gay. That was a fact that came much later after his six-month relationship with his best frien...
