The Perfect Balance

Chapter Eight

On Saturday morning, I wake up early and go downstairs for breakfast. I find Diego eating a bowl of cereal at the table. He glances up at me before looking back down at his food. I sigh quietly as I pour myself a bowl of cereal. I make the adult decision to not run upstairs and instead, sit across from him and eat. It's awkward and silent.

"Hi..." I greet him.

"Hi," he responds.

"So, uh, how was the coffee shop last night?" I ask. He didn't stop by my room after work but it's not like I expected him to. I secretly hoped he would, though.

"Good," he answers dryly. I suddenly feel like an outsider; at one point, I was an insider. I could ask him about work and he'd fully go into detail about a stupid customer or about how he wanted to pour scalding hot coffee on himself because someone irritated him. Now, I feel like my parents- one word responses and shrugs.

"So you're still mad at me..." I trail and he finally looks up at me as he eats his cereal. I watch as he chews and swallows.

"No," he answers in short.

"But you're not talking to me," I reply.

"But I am," he responds. "This...is talking."

"Not like it used to be," I mumble.

"Sorry," he retorts in a tone that tells me he's not at all sorry. I give up trying as he takes out his ringing phone. He answers it and listens. "Yeah... Right here... Sitting across from me... I don't care." Wow, talking about me right in front of my face.

"Hi?" I say as he glances at me.

"Sage," he replies shortly and I nod. "Not really, no... I mean, I can." I sit there awkwardly as he continues to talk on the phone, most likely about me. "She wants to know if you want to hang out tonight."

"After work?" I ask.

He stares at me for a second. "No, during work," he says sarcastically. He reacts to something Sage says on the phone. "I'm not being mean; it was just a dumb question."

"You're being a little mean," I mutter and he looks at me and sighs.

"Sorry," he replies, coming off a little bit more sincere. "So do you? Yes or no?"

"Yeah, sure," I reply.

"She said yes," he tells Sage. "Yeah, I know... I know what it means."

I sit awkwardly, finishing my cereal as he brings his conversation with Sage to an end. When he hangs up, I look at him curiously. "So what are we doing tonight?"

"I don't know. And I don't know if I'm going," he responds.

"Why not?" I ask. He glances at me and I sigh, getting up and putting my bowl in the sink. "I don't think you should let my presence impact your decision. And if you really don't want me to go, then I won't. I don't want to impose."

I go upstairs to my room and bury myself in my homework, only to hear a light knock on my door. I look up and find Diego standing in the doorway. "I'm going to go tonight. You should also go tonight...because, you know...Sage."

I furrow my eyebrows at him. "Okay."

"Alright," he says and we awkwardly stare at each other for a second. "That's all." He backs up and closes the door to my room. 

+++

When it's time to go to work, Diego takes his bike and Calum drives me. He seems to notice something is off, too. "Are you and Diego okay? You're still friends, right?" he asks.