Speak up already - Phan

Chapter 16

The following day was Dil's last day at work before Christmas break. He still wasn't experienced enough to properly do someones nails, however he could do simple ones such as fake nails. Instead, whenever the shop was empty he would sit on one of the chairs and watch closely at the precision each person would take in doing someone's nails. He had learnt to really admire it because it wasn't as easy as it looked. It was like a form of art, a temporary art like henna and anyone could wear. Even boys.

He was told to wear his most festive jumper so he scavenged through his parent's wardrobe obviously leaving it till last minute. Dil quickly ironed a black shirt and black jeans, searching through both wardrobes. One wardrobe with more black than other colours. He moved to Phil's, where almost everything was colourful. He picked a jumper with a small elf on the front smiling. Dil left his hair still wet, running late as usual having to skip breakfast.

When he arrived at work, Kei was spinning a bottle of nail polish around a small table with Jin, playing some sort of finger hockey.  Dil sat beside Jin watching.

"Slow day huh?" Dil asked, spinning around on his chair.

Kei had his eyebrows furrowed not looking up as he was trying not to lose and let the small bottle pass his 'goal'. Jin looked up, making a double take smiling brightly. "Go put on your uniform, but wear the jumper over it, we might get some people later. We have a lot scheduled around noon."

Dil nodded, whistling as he went to change. He was folding his clothes back when he felt an uncomfortable shiver shoot down his spine. He spun around to see Ryan standing at the door. He smiled, awkwardly shuffling his feet to his locker and dumping his clothes inside. He bit his lip, quickly turning to Dil.

"I...I know you might not want to talk to me at all, but you're my best friend and I want to talk about something, not to do with you though." Ryan said nervously.

Dil clenched his fists, taking a deep breath. "Fine you fucker what's up?" He half-smiled.

Ryan smiled brighter. "I really like someone else! And I think i'm over you, but the thing is I don't thing they'll like me back."

"Well..." Dil thought. "Be ready to face the facts, because if they don't, you can't do anything about it, nothing at all. You leave them, are we clear?" He added sternly.

Ryan nodded weakly. "They're this really cute cashier at the flower shop. You know the one down the road? Yeah also, I have a bunch of bunches of flowers, I've just been buying them as an excuse to see him so if you need flowers you know where to go."

"You need to work on your people skills." Dil grinned. "Idiot. Have you talked to them at all?"

"No. Soon okay." Ryan smiled childishly, doing some sort of skip away.

Dil smiled, shutting his locker and turning to see Kei standing there.

"Fuck you scared me." Dil spoke under his breath, hand on his heart.

Kei shuffled closer to Dil, peering down and patting his head. He started playing with Dil's loose curls in his hair, running his fingers through them creating more curls. "I didn't know your hair could liok this cute."

Dil rolled his eyes, pushing him away. "Fuck off you grizzly bear."

"I'm trying to be nice!" Kei laughed.

"No you're being patronising."

Kei rolled his eyes. "I'm trying to be nice it just never works." He said in a fustrated tone, exiting the room.

Dil stood in confusion before it clicked.

**

Kei was sorting out the boxes in the back room, whispering something repetitivly to himself, sighing in fustration. He felt the door behind him open and unsure footsteps behind him,

"Hold this." Kei ordered, turning and seeing Dil with a small pout. He placed a box in his arms full of Christmas decorations. Taking them out, he led Dil to the front room where he began to create a display of sparkling lights and small paper snowflakes. Whilst doing so, he began to hum jingle bells under his breath. Dil smiled, eyes closing and listening contently.

Once his rendition had finished, he turned to face Dil again. "Look, i'm going to try to explain it as best as I can."

"What?"

"The situation."

"Which is?"

Kei sighed deeply. "I'm stuck in a sink-hole. The more I try to show afection, the worse I get. The more I struggle the worse the situation evolves, condecending into some sort of epitemy of darkness, I j-just try to let you know how I feel. B-But...I dont't know why it's so hard!" He said quickly.

"You don't have to express how you feel, I can tell. I can read you like a book. You're comic sans though."

Kei rolled his eyes. "Thanks." He said in a monotone.

"You worry far too much about these things, you're like a Christmas elf, running around trying to sort everything out by yourself." Dil grinned. "I'm smarter than you think."

Kei tapped Dil's head. "I didn't think you were."

Dil nudged Kei, continuing to put up Christmas decorations, whistling Christmas songs continuously.

xx