Number Neighbours [Dreamnotfound/Gream]

3

Clay's POV:
The smaller boy stared at him, his face contorted in shock. Stuttering, he told Clay, "I-I'm t-terribly sorry." Clutching a bucket of chocolate raisins in his right hand, he knelt, trying to pick up the remains of the apple juice bottle.

Clay, slowly recovering from the shock of the incident, knelt next to him, helping clean up the mess. His damp hoodie clung to his chest, darker spots appearing where it had gotten wet. The air surrounding Clay felt colder because he was soaked, but he couldn't really blame the brunette. After all, Clay was the one running around without paying attention.

They stood up, taking the debris to a nearby trash can. Clay glanced down at the shorter man, finding himself beginning to study the features of the short boy's face. He didn't notice before because he was distracted by the apple juice, but the brunette was undeniably beautiful.

Feeling uncomfortable from the sharp green eyes seemingly staring into his soul, the shorter boy spoke. "Uh—My name is George. Sorry for spilling apple juice on you..." George trailed off, suddenly finding interest in staring at his own shoes.

Clay's cheeks tinged pink in embarrassment when he realized how long he had been staring at George. "My name's Clay. Don't feel bad, it's not your fault I bumped into you." In the back of his mind, the taller boy recalled that George was also his number neighbor's name. Clay wondered if this George and that George could be the same person. The dirty-blonde haired boy dismissed the thought, thinking that it was just a coincidence. George was a very common name, after all.

They stood in awkward silence for a few moments before George, obviously still feeling guilty about the whole situation, offered, "I can take your hoodie to the dry cleaners."

"It's fine, don't worry about it." Clay scratched the back of his neck, the awkward tension hanging in the air. He didn't want to cause trouble for other people and really didn't mind that his hoodie had gotten wet. Accidents like this happened all the time, and Clay could just wash his clothes when he got home.

"I insist! I feel really bad about making a mess of your hoodie." George persevered, eventually forcing Clay to accept his offer. Clay gave George his hoodie, deciding to exchange Snapchat usernames with George so he would know the dry cleaner's address and when the hoodie needed to be picked up. Afterward, Clay decided to get in line to pay for his groceries, but not before grabbing his beloved chocolate milk.

426 words

Feedback/constructive criticism is appreciated!

- ephemeral
(＾▽＾)