Heroic Acts

Fourteen

The next afternoon, Darien did what he always did; freak out and get ready way too early. He made sure his outfit was clean, dry, and wrinkle-free before making his way down to the shower room. While in the shower, he spent his time ironically overthinking about not overthinking, making sure his cinnamon locks were soft and clean. He liked Andy, a lot, and he really wanted to impress him. Andy reminded him of Teagan in a few ways, which is probably why he grew to like him so much. He thought about the decision he made to go on this date in the first place, and he was pretty satisfied with it, but there was something blurry in the back of his mind about the whole thing that he couldn't quite put his finger on.

He rinsed and dried himself off, pulling on his underwear and some temporary afternoon clothing. He soon found himself aggressively blow drying his hair in his bedroom.

"What the hell are you doing?" Seth asked, watching his roommate.

"It needs to get dry as soon as possible so I can style it in a few hours," Darien explained. Seth just rolled his eyes and shook his head, returning his attention back to the game, but that didn't last too long. He looked back over at Darien.

"Are you hungry?" Seth asked.

"What?" Darien replied.

"Hungry," Seth reiterated. "I didn't see you eat anything for breakfast this morning. You've been so worked up over this thing that you didn't even eat."

Now that he thought about it, Seth was right. Darien hadn't eaten a full meal since the practice date. He really was too worked up.

"Yeah, now that you mentioned it, I am," Darien said, embarrassed. "Why?"

"I'm running to get something for myself, I wasn't sure if you wanted me to pick anything up for you," Seth said. Something in Darien felt odd. Why didn't Seth ask him to take a break and go with him? That's what he always did.

"Don't you want me to go with you?" Darien asked. Seth shook his head.

"No, you stay here and continue what you're doing. You're stressing because it means a lot to you; I can tell. I'll just grab you some lunch and we'll eat together here instead. I'll be back soon," Seth said, slipping on his shoes. He grabbed his room key and headed out the door, closing it gently behind him. Darien watched as the light from the hallway disappeared from the floor and gleamed through the crack in the door.

***

Seth made his way downstairs, his footsteps almost silent against the tiled halls. His thoughts were a mixed drink of one part hunger and two parts jealousy. He sighed to himself and made his way out the main door and over to his car. Climbing in the driver's seat like usual, he noticed a note stuck in his windshield wiper. He got back out, grabbed it, and sat in his seat to read.

I've got the stuff for the next big thing. The plant blooms at 8:00 pm. -Z

Signed by Z, Seth thought. It must be something good. He finally had something to do while Darien was on that stupid date. He wouldn't have to sit inside and fill his head with regret. He smiled to himself a little bit, excited that he can finally mix in some more crime. He had been quiet for too long. Long enough for the boy in blue to let his guard down? Maybe.

***

Darien was quite happy when Seth returned. He was given rice, chicken and vegetables tossed in teriyaki sauce, which was one of his favorite meals. Seth had to remind him twice to slow down, considering he was eating like an animal.

Darien finished his meal and sat next to Seth, giving him a big, tight hug as thanks for his lunch. Seth hugged him back, and then playfully shoved him off.