the silence

eighteen.

    needless to say, eddy was nervous. he hadn't seen mae in a bit and he had no idea what mood she would be in. getting in and out of his house quickly would not be easy, but it had to be at least doable. right?

   after a very nervous drive, eddy pulled into his driveway and sat in it silently. the house looked mire intimidating and less like home than ever. its windows were dark and it almost looked inhabitable. the lights were all off and no noise came from the inside.

    eddy got out of the car and walked to the door. his long fingers rested on the knob and he listened for any sign of life inside, but there was none. he took that as a good sign and opened the door, being met by nothing but silence.

    the house look just as eddy had left it. photos of him and mae were still everywhere and he found himself staring at them, feeling as if he was looking at a stranger. he shook his head and pushed his hair out of his face. he was not there to reflect on his past.

    keeping an eye out for any sign of mae, eddy walked quietly through his house to his bedroom. the door was open and there was no one in his bed, but it looked well slept in. he sighed.

    as the thought of brett and their date reentered his mind, a smile spread across his face. he was excited, almost too excited. he had a few things planned and he couldn't wait to show brett the type of date he deserved. eddy wanted to spoil the hell out of him.

    he found a nice outfit for their date and changed his clothes. he'd been in the house for awhile and knew he'd been pushing it if he stayed for too long, so he headed for the door right after. just as his hand touched the wood, he heard a voice.

    "eddy?"

    fuck.

    panic shot through him and he cringed, his fingers still on the door. he almost made it.

    "yeah," he turned around, defeated.

    mae stood there in her pajamas, confusion clear on her face. eddy didn't know where she had come from and didn't really have time to care.

    "what are you doing here?" she asked. there was no anger in her voice.

    "it's my house. and you're supposed to be out of it soon, remember?" he replied lowly. mae walked towards him and looked him up and down.

    "are you going on a date?"

    eddy was silent. he could hear the pain in her voice. she just knew him too damn well and he was too predictable. his outfit must've been too obvious. he took a deep breath and sighed.

    "yes."

    mae just nodded and leaned against the wall, avoiding eye contact with him. she was close enough to touch and eddy could feel her pain.

    "i'm sorry," she whispered. eddy shook his head.

    "i know. but i don't really think it was all your fault," he sighed. "but i can't get into that now. i have to go."

    "it's brett, isn't it? you're gay, right?"

   eddy stared into mae's eyes in the near darkness. being asked that question, out loud and in person, was not something he'd been prepared to handle. was he gay? it would explain a lot, but he wasn't sure.

   "yes, it's brett. i have to go. i'll be back," he said quickly, walking out the door before mae could say anything else. he went to his car without looking back and left the house.

    heart pounding, eddy drove off. he was headed to the store to get brett flowers and tried to calm himself by thinking of the other boy's touch and the way he could never seem to sit properly in a chair. interacting with mae had freaked him out way more than he'd expected.