Gone (Ianthony)

Three Months, Two Days, and Nine Hours Before

Anthony:        

I knew a Rise was in place when I woke up to find Ian's bedroom door open and him already dressed in the kitchen, eating a bowl of Rice Krispies and a plate of grapes.

He smiled at me.

"Morning!" He smiled and scooped another full spoonful, shoveling it into his mouth.

"Hey, you feeling okay?" I got right to the point, not bothering to say "good morning" or avoid the elephant in the room: he was eating and smiling and talking.

"I'm really fucking hungry."

I laughed. He ate another bite. I couldn't stop smiling. I was so worried he was getting so bad another Rise might never happen again.

"I bet. I'm hungry after not eating for an hour, let alone a week."

He smiled again, and that's when I knew it was a real Rise. Not some impostor Rise where he pretended to be happy probably just to show me he was holding on. But after cracking a risky joke and having him still smile was the best way to find out if these next few days would be normal or great.

"So, I was thinking, we should do something today."

I grabbed a container of Trix yogurt and sat up on the counter. He eyed me, leaning against the opposite counter, waiting for my reaction even though I'm sure he already knew what it would be.

"Yeah, sure. Like what?"

He finished his bowl and then did something that made me smile bigger than I had in months. He poured a second bowl.

"I don't know. We could like, go see a movie or something. Or maybe get dinner tonight at that one Korean place we used to go to all the time. Or... ooh, we could go to that new laser tag place! Or-"

"Ian." I laughed, setting my yogurt down. "Whatever you wanna do is fine with me."

"Alright, yeah, cool."

It was quiet for a moment as we both ate. It was weird. We hadn't both had a meal together where we both actually ate in a really, really long time. 

"Are you sure you're feeling okay?" I asked hesitantly. 

"Yeah." He finished off his second bowl, this time avoiding the third. "Really. I feel great."

He smiled at me. He was wearing normal clothes - not sweatpants and an old t-shirt like usual, his hair was actually combed and smooth, and he had finally cleaned up his mess of a beard. 

"It's great seeing you like this, y'know," I deadpanned, looking down. 

"I know." He leaned against the counter. "I wish I could be all the time."

"Me too."

It was quiet. One of those true hear-a-pin-drop moments. 

"Hey, get dressed. Let's do something." 

He nudged my arm before leaving.

"Hey, wait!" I called, hopping off the counter.

"What?" He peaked his head around the corner.

"Did you take your meds this morning?"

"No."

"Ian, you-"

"I don't need them."

I raised my eyebrows at him. He should have known I would protest.

"I'm serious, Anthony." He smiled. "I don't need them. I feel great."

"Promise?"

My best friend nodded.

"Promise."