How To Not Fall For Your Online Best Friend

06

Introducing Cloud to the mix!

Cloud's pov

What does grief look like? Some people, if not most, feel grief at least once in their life. The ones who don't at the lucky ones.

A rare amount of them feel this though. A rare amount of them feel what they're feeling now.

I'm sitting on call with an old friend from way back. They just recently lost their partner to suicide.

He saw the whole thing too. He was apparently there when it happened.

So days later, I got a text from him, asking if we could call for a bit.

Now this isn't something out of a romance type manner, fair warning, I'm into women. Secondly, they're into guys so like it's understandable.

I'm here because I lost my late partner a year ago. I'm right now talking to someone but I don't think she will ever not be a part of me.

Ranboo here, he's struggling. They haven't eaten in days, haven't slept, and I can't even begin to talk about self care or anything.

He mostly sits in their room and cries, listens to music, looks at old texts, or just stares blankly at the ceiling.

I sometimes go over there to comfort him. I try to go at least once a week to get him to shower and eat. My present girlfriend also helps a lot, saying that as she has dealt with loss too.

But Ranboo, he's taking this hard. I know they hasn't been out since the morning after and that was only because they stayed out until 7am sitting on that bridge.

I personally don't know how I got better. Losing someone so dear to me did a number on me and almost ruined me. But I knew that Ranboo was taking it the best that they possibly could. It was just shit because they didn't know how else to react.

But I snapped back to reality by hearing his quiet hum of a song he apparently used to their ex.

"Mark, are you okay?" I asked while texting Aimsey to check on them.

"Do you think that it was my fault..? You know, that he died. Was it because of me?"

"Ran.. nothing was even remotely your fault. Now you need to forgive yourself. I know that he wouldn't want this for you. Aimsey and I are going to hang out soon though if you would like to come with us. We're going to watch a movie and just chill at the movie theater for a bit." I explained while hearing him chuckle after contemplating it.

"Yeah.. maybe I need that. I'll be ready in like fifteen if that's okay?"

"Of course Marky now go get ready. I'll be at yours in like 20 to pick you up!" I spoke as we both said our goodbyes.

So I got ready and texted Aimsey and shortly after that got into my truck and drove over to Ranboos' house.

Pov change! Oliver timeee

I mostly sat in my room nowadays. I didn't know what to do and if I should reach out to Mark. In a way it feels weird calling him that. I don't know.

I was also, in a way, sick. More like just have a bad cough and it messed with my voice, meaning my voice sounded so much deeper than usual but I'm sure I'm not contagious.

But last night, after my cry fest, Toby suggested that we dyed our hair so guess who I going black box dyed hair? Me. Because I have no idea or self control over myself. Sue me.

Either way, we ended up dying my hair earlier and apparently Toby is dragging me out to see a movie before work which I got a job at this flower shop. I don't know what movie though. He didn't tell me.

So as I got changed into a nice black crop top with a cropped sweater vest to go over it and higher waisted jeans, having pink tinted glasses with me.

We ended up driving into the movie theater before getting out and walking in, and I swear, out of the corner of my eye, I see Mark. Maybe I'm just hallucinating though. Maybe I'm just going crazy. I honestly don't know. But I make sure to pull up my hood and keep my face down as we walk by them, Aimsey I believe, and someone I don't think I've met yet Toby's eyes seem to meet theirs and Toby stops in his tracks.

"Cloud?" He asks while meeting eyes with one of them.

"Oh shit. Toby? Is that you?" She immediately looks relieved.

"Yep it's me. I haven't seen you since I was like 13, how are you?" He asked while I silently took his hand and kept my gaze down as I felt all of their gazes on me.

"I've been good. Right now hanging out with my friends, who you've probably heard of, Aimsey and Ranboo! Who's that with you?" And as he made eye contact with me slightly, he realized.

"Oh this is my- best friend! Yeah this is Cam."

"H-Hey." I say while looking up slightly, Marks gaze still sticking to me.

"You seem familiar.. Sorry but uh, have we met?" Mark asks as I take a further step back.

"N-Not that I remember. Sorry. Uh shouldn't we get back?" I ask as I tug lightly.

"Oh yeah definitely! Sorry guys gotta get going! Have a great day though. It was nice meeting both of you!" He says before turning back to me and walking into the theater room where the movie is starting soon.

---pov back to Ranboo

I watch the familiar seeming boy walk away with one of Clouds friends as something falls from what seems his pocket. So I lean down and go to pick it up, only for it to be the bracelet I gave Oliver back when we started dating.

The bracelet that he supposedly died with.

"I-.. Oliver?"