Undorn: The Middle

Part Five

Part Five

Bones, Region of Orrosta

Location: The Dorms

Bones sighed, running a hand over his face. He had just seen Beo duck into their dorm room, moving so fast that he didn't even see Bones turn the corner toward him.

It was certainly now or never, Bones thought. But every single step he took toward his bedroom kept pulling the rip in his heart open, open, and open. In a few short minutes, the rip would be a full-blown tear.

He took a deep breath, pushing the door to their dorm room open.

Beo was at the foot of their bed, scrambling around on his hands and knees, throwing papers and files around desperately looking for something he had hidden in his big cardboard box of politics.

"Biondi?"

He didn't look up. "Hey, sorry, really have to find the notes from last week's call. They should have been in my book..."

"Biondi."

Whether it was the sadness in Bones' voice or the unwavering firmness in it, Beo stopped what he was doing. He couldn't turn around, it seemed like. His body was dead still. "Yes?" Voice small.

"Beo, I need you to turn around and look at me."

He began fiddling with the notebook in his hand. "Thomas, I, um—"

"Beo." It made Bones' heart ache to hear Beo use his real name. It didn't ache, really. It stopped beating. "Five minutes."

Slowly, Beo turned around. He had been crouching, his hands on his knees. When he saw Bones he collapsed on the floor. "God. You, you look—are you okay?" Beo's voice was breaking. Bones could feel it. Beo knew.

Bones just shook his head. He crouched down next to Beo. "No. I'm not."

"Bones—"

"Stop. Just let me speak. Let me finally just speak to you." Beo's bottom lip dropped open. With a deep breath out his nose, he shut it. "You're never around," Bones began. "You're swamped. You're exhausted. You hardly have time to eat. I can't stand seeing you like this. I wish I could help. I wish it could be different." He paused to take a breath. He knew Beo was itching to butt in with his classic this is important work, Thomas. But he didn't. Not now. Because he knew. "I don't want to be one more thing on your to-do list, Beo. I'm just one more thing stressing you out. Well, I can't change the Resistance. And I can't change Catherine. But what I can do is change this. Us."

"No, Bones—"

"It's not fair to you, Beo. It isn't. Or to me. We... were not even together, Beo. Not anymore."

"Of course we are." Beo was pleading. He reached a hand out for Bones' knee. "We are. We are."

Bones raised his eyebrows tiredly. "Really? Then when's the last time you kissed me?"

Beo looked confused. "Last night."

"Last night?" Bones snorted. "Was I conscious?"

You could see Beo's adams apple bob as he swallowed. "Well, you were asleep, but—"

"Exactly." Bones sighed deeply. "We need to put a pause on this, Beo."

"Pause on what?"

"Us. Our relationship. It's not working."

"Really?" Beo suddenly looked incredulous. Like he was now playing a part in a teenage coming-of-age romance film. "You don't think I'm trying, is that it?"