When In Rome ► Timothée Chalamet

11 | Framed

Y/N

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I swung open the door to my dorm, expecting Elliot to already have been back from his music presentation. The dark room and silent space made it clear I had returned alone.

I flipped on the light switch, and tossed my backpack onto the table, making a beeline for the kitchen. The clock on the wall said school had ended two hours ago, so I assumed my roommate would be back in a few minutes; how long could a music presentation be?

Answer: very long.

"Sorry I'm back so late," Elliot announced, slipping through the door an hour later, "had to pick something up from the store."

He had a parcel tucked underneath his arm, which seemed to be wrapped in brown parchment paper. It looked about the size of a book, but not nearly as thick enough to be.

"What did you get?" I asked, spooning a pile of yesterday's spaghetti into my mouth.

"A gift," he smiled, setting the package down on the table and pushing it towards me, "for you."

"For me?"

"I thought you'd be needing it," he smirked.

I picked it up from in front of me, and it was surprisingly heavier than I thought it would be. It felt rough around the edges, but was missing something in the center. I raised an eyebrow at the amused grin on the boy's face, before setting it back down.

"I'll open it later," I said, "but thank you!"

"Why won't you open it now?" he pouted, sticking out his bottom lip.

"Because I'm eating right now, and I'm suspicious of that look on your face."

"Can't help it, I'm excited."

"Oh!" I exclaimed, letting my fork clatter back into my bowl, "do you know what happened after class?"

Elliot's eyes lit up quickly, and he sat down in the chair across from me. I couldn't tell if he was pretending to be interested, or was genuinely that excited to hear what I had to say.

"Remember that scene from Roman Holiday?" I started, "where Joe takes Anne to the Mouth of Truth?"

He nodded, leaning in closer.

"Well," I continued, "Timothee took me there today. It's funny how the world works, you know? What were the chances?"

"The chances were about seventy-five percent," he said smugly, "considering I told him to take you there this morning."

My jaw dropped open in a mix of surprise and betrayal. I knew Elliot was one to press into my romantic affairs, but I was also disappointed that my visit to the plate wasn't really Timmy's idea.

"I can't believe you," I gasped, "why would you tell him that?"

"In my defense, he asked," the boy said, raising both of his hands into the air, "and I wasn't one hundred percent sure he'd take you there!"

"He asked?"

"Yeah, he just asked where to take you, don't beat him up about it. I just remembered how you were head over heels watching that scene from the movie yesterday, so it may have slipped out."

"Well, I guess I can't be mad at that," I shrugged, "it was a nice gesture."

"Are you done with your pasta, then?"

"Almost, why?"

"Open the gift!"

"You're impatient," I laughed, pushing my bowl off to the side to grab the parcel.

Elliot's eyes eagerly watched as I unwrapped the package, trying to delay the reveal. Whatever was inside seemed to whip him up into a frenzy. I removed the rest of the cover, and held up the object he so desperately wanted me to see.

"Is this a picture frame?" I asked quizzically, "with no picture in it?"

"Yes!" he smiled, tapping his hands on the table, "I figured you'd need it."

"I appreciate it, but why?"

"Give me second," he said, waving his hands as if to shoo me away, "I'll show you."

I set the mahogany frame back down, and picked up my bowl, taking it into the kitchen. I heard Elliot shuffling around in the other room, followed by the sound of him snapping something into place.

"Voila!" he called out, "come look."

I peeked out behind the doorway, curious as to what was in store for me. The boy held up the frame for me to see, and I came face to face with Timothee.

Or, the sketch of Timothee.

"Oh my god," I panic, snatching it away from him, "where did you find this?"

The last place I put it was under my pillow, and I had forgotten to take it out from there since. But other than that, I was mortified that Elliot knew I had a drawing of Timmy lying about.

"I saw you try to hide it yesterday night," he admitted, "you weren't very smooth."

"Yes, but-" I fumbled, trying to find words, "aren't you confused on why I have this?"

"Yeah, I was going to ask Timmy, but I wasn't sure if he knew about it," the boy shrugged, "so tell me. Why do you have it?"

"Well, I met him on the train here," I explained, "and I thought I'd never see him again, so he drew me a self-portrait, and I didn't know what to do with it... so I shoved it under my pillow."

The whole thing sounded sketchy, but Elliot understood it for the truth. It took me about five minutes to convince him that handing up a photo of Timmy in our dorm was weird, especially if he'd happen to walk in and see it, but he still made me put it up anyways.

"I think it makes this place a little more aesthetic," he smiled, "don't you think?"

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Getting this book to launch is tricky, since not many people in the Timmy fandom are aware of my acc, but WE CAN STRIVE THROUGH! thank you to those reading though, you make me very happy <3