Now You Know ✅

Chapter 32: No Love Lost

If there was one thing that Pelham would never take for granted, it was April's impartialness. Despite being the one to end things with her because he couldn't withstand the confinement that was the closet, despite having had lied to her and himself for seeing their relationship as intimate when he was, in fact, chaste about it, April was considerably forebearing.

Sometimes, Pelham couldn't help but think that April - like himself - had faked their entire relationship. It was too much to ask for, especially from a girl. But that was simply his brooding mind going astray. Pelham believed that everyone was unique in their own way, including how they perceived the function of actuality. Of course, there was also the fact between partiality and impartiality in people, and those who stood on no-man's land.

If he were to draw it out, April and his father - as well as Lucio - would occupy what he referred to as the "Land of Partiality", while his mother and Roshon - and probably Miguel - would stand on "Land of Impartiality". And he would fill "No-Man's Land" - probably along with Oris. Adrift, he thought, for two coastlines stood on either side of him, leaving a vast sea in-between, where he floated, carried by the tide, unananchored. Adrift.

A couple of days had passed, and Pelham could feel his guts beginning to constrict at the lack of interaction between himself and his mother, who seemed to grow more and more occupied, yet actually seemed to enjoy it. Pelham didn't, of course. Besides that, he was beginning to think about Roshon. It struck Pelham as funny on how just last month they were the archetypal pair of best friends who were both geeks and played video games together every evening.

Funny, he thought, on how fast things could change in just a short period of time. It was like missing a very relevant scene on a show by simply blinking. Afterwards, you were left to ponder over the whole plot.

Perhaps that was exactly what was happening in Pelham's life at the moment; where things had escalated to their maximum. Rollercoasters, he thought meditatively. Like rollercoasters. The only issue was whether any of it was ever going to descend.

His only anchor now was Lucio. If Lucio could stomach it, surely Pelham could as well? They stayed up late almost every night, talking to each other on the phone rather than texting. Most of the time, they talked about Lucio's life, but when Pelham sensed that the boy didn't feel like chewing over the topic, he simply asked what the boy did in his free time.

"Playing the piano," Lucio had replied once, after shying out of the question.

"Just playing?" Pelham had pried then, feeling himself smirk; he had seen the piano around when he was over at Lucio's house, but he hadn't really paid it much attention.

"What else am I supposed to do, eat it?"

"You can take it out on a date or something,"

"You're so full of wit, aren't you?"

"I always know I'm funny. People just rarely notice."

Lucio had snorted back then; Pelham could distinctly see him rolling his eyes. He wasn't sure why, but there was simply something appeasing about being on the phone with Lucio in the wee hours of morning.

Now that he thought about it, there was always something appeasing about Lucio - something about him that tranquillized Pelham in a way that nobody else ever had, yet he couldn't get a proper explanation out of it. It just existed; like a plant growing from a seedling in the soil. It was there, all right, only he never saw it until it emerged.

Perhaps that was the reason why Pelham couldn't decipher the feeling when April, after school hours had ended, and she had sent him a text message asking whether he would like to join her at a nearby food parlour, added that Lucio was with her. If there was a faint flip in his stomach at the mere mention of the younger boy, he paid no heed to it.