Obsessed [book: one] // Thiam

Chapter 14

We sit there in silence, the only sounds coming from inside the school. The cool breeze runs up my body, sending cold shivers throughout my body. I look down at the goosebumps on my arm, trying to warm myself up with the minimal clothing I have on.

I look over to Theo, his eyes full of tears. His bottom lip, shaking. His breathing uneven and staggered. His posture poor, indicating that he's uncomfortable.

"Theo," I whisper, breaking the silence. "You don't have to talk about this now if you don't want to. You don't have to talk about it at all."

I wait for him to respond, but he doesn't say or do anything. He just sits there, staring at the field of flowers. I sit there, watching as the tears fall down his face. I want to do something, I have to do something, but I don't know what to do.

Theo and I aren't really friends. We talk sometimes and we're friendly towards one another, but we aren't friends. So, I don't know what I can do to help him and I'm sure he doesn't want my help. He probably isn't talking to me because we don't know each other, and he probably doesn't trust me with what's going on in his life. I don't blame him for not wanting to talk to me.

"I don't want to do this, I'm sorry." He finally speaks, his voice calm and steady. He wipes away his tears, his eyes connecting with mine. "I really am sorry, I really did try."

"It's fine Theo, you don't need to apologise," I reassure him, giving him a small soft smile.

I quickly check the time, noticing that my next class starts in about 15 minutes. I sigh and think about what to do. I don't know when Theo's next class is, but I know that I can't leave him here by himself. I tap my finger on the table, thinking about what to say next.

The silence surrounds us again, the only noise coming from a distance. I look up at Theo, the tears finally stopping. I reach over and slowly place my hand on his, making sure I don't startle him or do anything that he doesn't want me to do.

"I was actually about to head to this cafe just down the road," I lie, trying to sound as convincing as possible. "I was wondering if you wanted to come with me. They have a pretty mean milkshake."

He looks up at me, giving me a small smile as he quickly nods. I smile and stand up, looking at the time. There's no way I'm going to make it to my next class, so I quickly text Mason, letting him know that I'm not going to be there for English.

We both start walking away from the school, regret finally kicking in. My palms begin to sweat as we walk down the road, away from school.

"How far away is this cafe?" Theo asks me, his voice soft and quiet.

"It's about 5 minutes away, just past this corner." I point up ahead.

We walk most of the way in silence, the both of us not knowing what to really say. When we finally make it to the cafe, we grab a seat and order two chocolate milkshakes.

"Do you come here often?" Theo asks me, looking around the place.

"Yeah, at least three times a week. This is what's known as my happy place and the place I come to get inspiration," I tell him, oversharing unnecessary information.

"It's a nice little place," he looks around, taking in the scenery.

Barbra, the owner of this place, comes over with our milkshakes, smiling as she hands them to us. I thank her and take a sip, closing my eyes as the flavours burst in my mouth. I watch Theo takes his first sip, his eyes widening as he looks up at me.

"Wow, this is actually really good. Probably the best I've ever had," he laughs, his whole face brightening up.

I smile at him, admiring his features. His jawline, sharp and chiseled, capturing his many other facial features. His eyes, brighter than they were before. His lips, plump and full. I exam his face, noticing that I've been staring far too long.

"Yeah, they are the best here. Barbra over there has owned this place for 50 years, and she doesn't plan on giving it up yet." I tell him, making it sounds like I have absolutely no life.

We continue on talking about how he's settling in here and what he thinks about Beacon hills. He tells me about his old life and how much he misses it, but he hasn't mentioned much about his life here. Just that it's different and that his step father and his son are now in the picture.

I don't want to go poking around in any business that isn't mine, but I have my suspicions of who gave Theo the busted lip. Whenever he mentioned his step dads name, it's like something is crawling around him, sending shivers down his body.

I quickly change the subject, talking about our biology test that's coming up and changing the subject onto how I am for sure going to fail it.

"Same here," he laughs. I smile, watching as he whole faces lights up, his smile lighting up the whole room. "Biology is probably my worse subject."

"I suck at every one of my subject, apart from art. Which I don't do anymore, because I can't make a successful career out of it," I tell him, suddenly changing the mood again.

"What do you mean?" He asks me, hurt in his voice. "Of course you can Liam. I haven't seen any of your work, but I know that you can make anything possible. Put in enough effort and time, and you can make anything happen. Anyone can."

I want to tell him that that's not exactly what I meant. It's not that I can't make a successful career, it's just that I need a stable career and a career I'm guaranteed to get. I can't afford to not have a stable career, especially with the money issues we're already going through. I need to get a good job, with good pay, so then I can help out with bills.

But Theo doesn't need to know about his, and I don't need to bore him with my everyday problems. Especially when he has his own to deal with.

"I totally agree with that." I tell him, taking another sip of my milkshake.

He smiles and we continue on talking, the time flying by as we sit there, talking and laughing. We begin to joke around and make more plans like this, maybe even make it a usual thing, but after school instead of during school. He reaches into his pocket and grabs out his phone, his bright smile, fading within a second.

He reads something on his phone, staring at it with a blank and emotionless expression. I instantly get concerned, my smile also fading. I furrow my eyebrows as I listen to his breathing, heavier and faster than before. He quickly looks up and grabs out his wallet, throwing some money on the table and quickly gets up.

"I'm sorry, but I really have to go," he quickly speaks, running to the door.

I sit there, processing everything that just happened in those few short seconds. I stand up and throw some money on the table, running outside to try and find Theo. I quickly look around, sighing when I don't see him in sight.

I might not know where he is, but I know what I have to do now. It's just a matter of how I'm going to do it.