Not Who You Thought (BxB Drama-Romance)

Warm Beneath The Snow

Then

This is how our friendship changed for the first time.

The snow was falling outside, causing me to worry about my mom commuting back home after her shift ended at eleven. I told Charlie I was worried and he tried to reassure me that she would get home safely. The snow accumulation was supposed to be six inches overnight, which he claimed wasn't too bad. He pulled up the weather forecast to try and dispel my fears. It didn't help, but I pretended that watching the weatherman point out the storm on a thermographic map comforted me.

Despite being raised in Connecticut, I never became fully used to the snow. Every year the winter season came in a gust of snow and sleet, making the lake freeze over and become unrecognizable. I hated the cold world, the dangers of driving over black ice, and being trapped at home when it was too snowy to drive. If I was being honest, the winter felt suffocating and frightened me. It took away my ability to get out of my house during heavy snowfall and left me trapped at home. My mom told me that my original people were from a warmer climate and that maybe one day I would find it in myself to move back to Mexico.

"Do you want to watch something on Netflix?" Charlie closed the weather app and dropped his phone down on the sofa. "Sometimes when I'm upset, I watch a horror movie. The people in those films have it so bad, it makes me feel better about whatever situation I'm in."

"I hate when my mom works late shifts." I glanced out the window, into the dark. The lights on the front of the house illuminated the snow as it fell, causing my anxiety to grow as I watched how heavy it was becoming. "I don't like being alone all the time. You'd think it would be fun, but it sucks."

"I get it." When he tucked his hand into the crook of my arm, I didn't pull away. He gave me a tug to try and turn me from the window. "I feel alone a lot, too. I wish I had siblings or a dog. I fucking love dogs. You should get a dog, Lucas."

I looked at him in surprise. "You have two parents. Aren't they usually home?"

"They make me feel more alone." His palm felt warm against my skin. "Sometimes they make me feel like I'm the only person like me."

"Like what?"

He didn't answer me, only dropped his hand and went to sit on the sofa. I watched him tuck his ankles underneath him and pick up the remote, then pat the empty space beside him.

The snow fell.

We already knew we had a snow day the following day and didn't need to go into school. By the time we put on the movie we chose, it was already nine at night. I thought he would be getting ready to walk home, but all he was doing was sinking deeper into my couch as we watched The Shining. He started to get sleepy, his eyelids closing and then fluttering open, his body tilting until his head was leaning against my shoulder.

I don't know what I was thinking when I looked down at him, observing the color of his hair and the way he had his arms wrapped around his body like he was giving himself a hug. His cheek was squished against my shoulder, when I shifted underneath the weight of his head he started awake.

Then we were looking at one another.

"Are you still worried, Lucas?"

"Not as much." I missed the feeling of his head on my shoulder. I could feel the absence of him where the weight had been pressing against my shoulder. "Thanks for hanging out."

"It's cool," he murmured. "I like hanging out."

I looked at his hands and realized I wanted them on me. I wanted him to touch me, stroke me, grab me.