For The Beta I Fell For (bl)

Old Friends

From the window of Keith's bedroom multiple dawns and dusks Keith witnessed, the sun would rise above the houses and he would be awake to watch, when it comes down he would also be in his room to see.

Keith locked himself up in his room for the first five days after he came back home.

The phone on the table rang continuously until it died, Keith watched in patience till the ringtone stopped ringing in his ears, every time it rings he would have the thought of getting up from his bed and turn it off but everytime his muscles tell him to make an action next time for this time they don't have the energy to.

The heavy eyelids forced themselves to close even though he couldn't sleep, the dark thoughts dancing in his mind blocking any attempt to rest.

"GET THE FUCK UP!"

The feminine voice ringed louder than his annoying alarm, for a moment he thought 'that must be Kathy' no one other than Kath could annoy him this way but, for another moment he wished it was actually his alarm waking him up for school in Thailand.

His shirt was yanked and a brutal force threw him to the wall, he winced in pain crumbling on the ground.

"You didn't need to be that violent Caro."

Said his best friend Joey hiding behind the door.

"I'm tired of whining babies, I'll beat him up if he doesn't stop acting like this."

His eyes remained closed but his body totally awake pulling him up and driving him to the bathroom to get ready.

Today he was scheduled without his consent to meet with his old friends.

————

"Oh my god you grew bigger!"

Josh said with a laughter before giving him a hug, Zain followed with a tighter hug.

They met in a local bar they promised themselves to go to after becoming adults, almost everyone one of them kept their promise other than Keith, Joey and Layle.

"You look great.. all of you."

Keith said forcing an awkward smile, he nodded repeatedly affirming what he said.

"I wish I can say that about you to."

"You had it rough in Thailand, eh?"

It was not hard to notice the change in him if it was good or bad.

The dark circles moved to his cheeks digging a hole around his eys, his beard and hair were unkempt growing longer than they should be and the only thing that would stop him from being called a homeless man is some weight put to his figure but when he took off his coat before settling on his seat his shirt exposed skin on bones.

"You lost weight."

Joey noted.

"I lost my appetite."

He waved his hand for the waiter ordering beer, if he was going to be criticized he might as well be criticized for being drunk.

They spent the next two hours talking about the present rather than reminiscing about the past, most of the things and people they mentioned Keith and Joey had no idea of, and on the contrast the things Joey and Keith talked about where mystery for the rest of the group.

Keith started to smile and laugh, his back started to hurt from sitting too long but he ignored that, he started to have fun and that what mattered, ordering a round after round of drinks.

"Zain is playing basketball for the central university, isn't that cool?!"

Josh proudly told Keith, his friend Zain showed photos to Keith proving the statement.

"Yeah of course I know, I watched your plays."

Everything was normal and pleasing. The only thing was missing is a person no one mentioned till Caro had the nerve to mention throwing at Keith a pile of hideous accusations.

"Speaking of uni. Do you see Layle at uni Zain?"

"Ah, hardly."

The feeling of uneasiness was shown on Keith's face. He tried to dismiss it with covering his eyes, his mouth on the other hand twitched in annoyance.

"How is he doing?"

"Great, he's well popular everyone knows him there."

All eyes turned to him before a wobble of questions filled his cup to drink.

Caro fixed her posture and pushed the locks of her hair from her forehead before asking the first question.

"Why didn't you call him all these years?"

"What?"

"Why did you do that to him? He was in pain did you know that?"

"I only assumed-"

"Of course it was an assumption, you refused to hear anything about him you wouldn't know."

He was flabbergasted laughing in denial, never imagined he would be hold responsible and questioned about Layle.

"No need to bring the past." Josh being the mature one tried to soothe the matter "Layle is doing much better now, that what matters."

"Yeah I think he is better off without Keith."

The smile dropped from Keith's lips, he looked at Caro with visible anger, "why did you have to bring him up?"

"What? Do you think you can get away with that? Maybe all of them don't understand what Layle had been through but I know, you fucking played him, you destroyed him so don't act innocent."

All the drinks they consumed played a rule, it made some relaxed, the other agitated. Keith rose from his seat to be yanked back by Josh who sat next him.

"I think there is a point we need to make before you leave." He said without looking at Keith afraid the familiar face would bend his already made decision.

All of them went quite even Joey didn't try to help, he played with his food waiting for the judgment to take place.

"You're going to Central university right? Layle is there too, I don't want you to hurt him again."

Keith felt steam escaping his ears and eyes, his hands shaked uncontrollably and his face made a disgusted look.

"Who are you to tell me what to do?! Who the fuck you think you are? I never tried to hurt Layle and I'm not going to do it now."

"But you already did."

"Shut the fuck up Caro, shut the fuck up!"

He yelled in rage making all of them watching in disbelief, they even showed a bit of fear they masked by their attacking pheromones.

"You never knew what I've been through and why I left, you never understood the relationship I had with Layle and how it fucked us both. If you care about him you should care about me too, I'm your friend too."

"All of what I'm saying is if you're going to leave Layle again don't bother to be near him in the first place, he might be changed a little bit and built walls between us and him but I blame it on you. He is still my best friend and I choose him over you any day of the year."

Keith turned his head to Joey hoping for a backup but Joey refused to look at him.

"Sorry man, but Josh is right on this."

That night Keith left shaking from anger rather than fear caused by their pheromones. The pain in his chest this time caused by anger too.

He was already at loss of what to do or say to Layle when they meet again but Josh gave him an opinion he never thought of before. Not to cross Layle again.