vexatious (infuriating sequel)

chapter sixty-seven

"here you are," the sweet man places a salad in front of me and i thank him kindly.

"so..." colby begins once our food has finally arrived. he's been beating around some imaginary bush the entire time now, and frankly i am fed up with it. i just want to know what's going on, and to not be left guessing about his intentions.

"what's up?" i ask eagerly when he trails off again. just tell me, will you?

"i bought tickets to go home this weekend," he blurts out and i grip my fork tightly to avoid dropping it in surprise. what?

"for how long?" i ask, keeping my voice quiet and collected. i won't let this become a problem between us, i won't fight with him over something so simple. why would he make such a big deal out of visiting home? why wouldn't he just tell me about it?

"just for the weekend," he shrugs.

"why was that so hard to say?" i ask. just be honest with me. there has to be more to it than just that.

"because... i'm so stressed andromeda," he admits breathlessly. i tilt my head at him, confusion clear in my facial expression. i knew there was more.

"what's wrong?" i ask, genuinely concerned about the tone in his voice. i hope he isn't hurting.

"with everything that's been going on lately i... i just don't know..."

"i hope you know i love you, and i want you to be okay. if going home for a few days will help, that's okay," i assure him after a few seconds of his face growing more and more worried.

"i don't know how long i can do this..." there are tears in his eyes and i feel an unstoppable urge to move myself to his side and hug him, but i don't want to do that here. not in the middle of this stupid restaurant.

"do you want to leave? we can talk in the car?" i plea with him, my eyes desperate for him to agree. i don't care about this salad, i care about my boyfriend. he nods slowly and i sigh at the boy.

"can we get our check?" i say once i am finally successful in waving down the waiter. will we ever finish a meal in public?

"leaving so soon?" he smirks at the two of us and i want to slap him.

"yes sir, can we get our check?" i ask once again and pray that he doesn't have a comment this time. he nods slowly before turning on his heels and rushing out of my line of vision. thank god.

"you okay?" i ask colby once i set my sights back on him. his eyes are focused on his lap, and i hate the scene. it's rare for him to be so upset and vulnerable, i just want to help.

"yeah i'm alright," he assures me half heartedly. i give him an apologetic smile as the annoying waiter returns with our check. i rush to grab cash from my wallet, throwing it down on the table without a tip. usually, i would never neglect a tip, but right now all i can think about is getting colby out of here and to a place where i can grab him by the face and kiss him.

•

the car door is loud compared to the thick silence surrounding us. i feel like the cold air from outside has seeped down into my body, failing to conform to my body's temperature. i am cold, i'm freezing.

"talk to me," i plea with the blue-eyed boy as he rushes towards the front door, and away from me. he refused to say anything during the drive home, and i am feeling the composure slowly flee from my body.

i watch as he throws one foot in front of the other, strutting like a model. even in such an uncomfortable moment, he has me in awe of his beauty.