Love to Hate You

Chapter Three

Luckily enough, Sean answers the door when I get to his house. He looks surprised to see me, at first. I would be too, if I were in his position. After all, I did run out on him last night after we got into a bit of a fight. 

He looks unsure, like he can’t decide if he should close the door in my face or let me in. Then, a defeated look crosses his face and he steps aside to let me in. Neither of us say anything to each other.

The gloomy day outside makes it seem later than mid-afternoon, so a couple lights are turned on throughout the house. When I’m through the door I can hear talking in the living room. His parents must be home.

“Sean, who’s at the door?” a voice I recognize as his mother’s asks from inside the living room.

“It’s Reese! We’ve got band stuff to work on. We’ll be upstairs!” he calls back to her and then steps around me and starts up the stairs.

I silently trail up the stairs after him and follow him to his room. He defiantly wasn’t expecting anyone. It looks like he didn’t even bother to get dressed this morning. He’s just got sweats and a cut-off shirt on with a beanie to cover his hair and those thickly framed glasses that cover his eyes.

When we get to his room, he lets me walk in first and then lightly closes the door after him. We stand facing each other, with him looking down at his feet, his back leaning against the door and with me standing in the middle of the room hugging myself.

“I thought you wouldn’t want to see me, after last night,” Sean says to break the silence as he finally looks up at me. There’s a soft blush covering his cheeks and he sinks further into the door on which he is leaning.

I swallow thickly and shrug, “I didn’t want to, but something happened an hour ago that I really need to talk to someone about.”

He looks confused, like he can’t believe I’d come to him, of all people. It’s understandable seeing as I normally wouldn’t come to him. However, this is a different sort of situation, and I need Sean’s intellect to help me figure out what’s going on.

He shifts slightly and asks, “Why not talk to Austin?”

The question only makes me feel embarrassed, but I answer it because it is the reason to why I came.

“Because it’s about Justin,” I answer quietly, and feel the heat spread across my cheeks as the incident replays in my head.

Sean’s eyes had started to look back down, again, but flicker up to meet mine when he hears Justin’s name.

“He cancelled practice today,” he says absently, almost to himself, and then follows with, “He came to see you instead, didn’t he?”

I hug myself tighter and look away from Sean’s eyes, which seem to be burning into me. I don’t like the paranoid feeling of someone reading my mind.

“He—“ I begin, and then switch gears, because I don’t want to just come out and say it, “Why do you think he came to see me?”

Sean rests his head back against the door and sighs in thought. “I have an idea,” he admits after a few moments, “but if it is what I think it is, I’m not going to be surprised in the slightest.”

“What do you mean?” I ask, scowling at his vague answer.

He tilts his head forward to look at me directly, “Did he try to—you know…“he stops and shrugs embarrassedly.

Good heavens, we should be able to say this kind of thing without getting all weird. Nevertheless, I nod slowly so that I can gage his reaction.

He shakes his head and rolls his eyes, letting out a puff of annoyed air.