Boy Next Door ✔

chapter forty

C A L E B 

Seconds passed - which turned into minutes, which turned into hours. I was growing sick of the silence that was enveloping us, yet every time I tried to say something, he would either ignore me or glance at me for a brief second then look away again. I had just about had it with this asshole.

"Why are you being like this?" I attempted in a soft voice. I waited for any sign of a reaction from him, but he only stirred in his position a little, not bothering to look at me. This time, I wasn't going to let it get to me. I simply continued, "Do you have any reason as to why you're ignoring me?"

Again, he said nothing. However, still, that wasn't going to make me stop. I could already feel an angry rant bubbling up in my throat, yearning to escape my mouth in the form of harsh words, but I had to keep my cool - at least for now. 

"I can't think of any possible reason as to why you might be ignoring me - trust me, I've tried to think about it. I've spent all day and night breaking my mind over it. Do you know how many sleepless nights I've gone through because of you? First, it was because of your damn music - next it was because you stopped playing your damn music, and then it was because of your music again and now it's because of this-- this whole.. I don't even know what to call it," I paused so I could catch my breath. "I know we both enjoyed the time that we spent together - and you thought of me as your friend, didn't you? But friends don't ignore each other like this-"

"Friends don't try to kiss each other either," he shot back. 

I was taken aback. Primarily because I had heard his voice after so, so long - and it was still as deep and raspy as I remembered. I mean, of course. Why would it change? Puberty had already beaten him up a decent amount. 

"B-But that's not.. I-" I began, but shut my mouth when I realized that I had nothing to say. I simply hung my head in shame, defeated. 

"That wasn't supposed to happen. I don't know what came over me, but it should have never happened. I shouldn't have even come over to your place the night before that day. I should have just taken some sleeping pills or something, but no, like a dumbass I had to go to your place," he began. "And here you are, pretending like it never even happened at all."

"I did try to talk it out with you, but you ignored me," I retorted. "Do you have anything to say about that?"

"Because you don't fucking understand!" he yelled. "You don't fucking understand why I'm like this."

"How do you expect me to understand if you won't even try to explain yourself to me?" I asserted. "You know I would gladly listen to everything you have to say - and you know you can tell me anything. Then what are you so fucking afraid of?"

He let out a deep breath, squeezing his eyes shut and pinching the bridge of his nose out of frustration, "I don't know how to tell you, damn it. That's the fucking problem."

I was about to respond, when suddenly, the elevator started up once again with another ear-piercing screech, and then the doors swung open. He barely took another glance at me and strode out of the elevator, leaving me there with my heart throbbing in my chest. 

I stepped outside so I could run after him or even call his name, but a hand on my shoulder stopped me. I turned around, already half-annoyed, but quickly cooled down when I saw elevator installers instead. 

"Did you not see the sign which read that you shouldn't use the elevator?" the man questioned, crossing his arms and tilting his head at me.

"I did see it," I blurted out before I could stop myself. "I wanted to be rebellious."

The man scoffed before shaking his head at me, "Don't repeat it, kid. Next time, you might get yourself killed." 

With that, he left. 

In all honesty, I wished that I would've been crushed by the elevator at that very moment - because no kind of pain would be a match to the pain I had experienced talking to Mateo again after so long - and having it go to ruins again.

And just like that, the stars which I thought had aligned scattered themselves across the abyss once more, and the Gods went back to opting for the opposite team. 

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A/N: This book is going to be coming to an end very, very soon so pls point out any errors if you come across them, it would be much appreciated :-) ty x