the twentith day of texts

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On Tuesday woke Freddie woke up with the fresh lease of life that comes after a hangover dissipates. He was up before then sun and had already made the decision to get a gym session in before class when he got a text from Leo.

You coming to the centre? Leo asked.

The smile that spread across Freddie cheeks might have reached the moon.

Depends if there's someone to spot me, Freddie replied.

Freddie didn't bother waiting for a reply before he'd kissed Georgie on the cheek and ran out the door. He saw Leo's answer when he plugged his phone into the car stereo.

You've got 30 mins, Leo had sent.

He made it with five minutes to spare but Leo was already standing in front of the large glass doors holding two takeaway coffee cups. Freddie saw him before Leo noticed, so he had a moment to look at him standing in the low morning light looking like he'd stepped off the set of a perfume commercial. Dark hard falling onto his face, bag wrapped around his back like a harness, cheekbones that glistened, he was walking art.

"Ridiculous," Freddie said to himself shaking his head.

Leo looked up and smiled that tiny smile Freddie had started to think of as his own. This time Freddie didn't hesitate, marched forward and wrapped his arms around Leo's shoulders. It was a bit awkward because Leo was still holding onto the coffees, but after a second of stiffness Leo relaxed into the hug letting his arms rest against Freddie's back. It was over in a couple of seconds but it felt like a muscle Freddie didn't know he had tensed was finally relaxing. He pulled back with a smile and grabbed a cup out of Leo's hand, as he took a sip he heard Leo object. It wasn't his coffee. It was Leo's. Chocking on the bitterness Freddie handed the coffee back to Leo.

"What the hell was that?" Freddie coughed out grabbed the other cup from Leo and coating his mouth with sugar.

"Coffee?" Leo replied looking delighted by Freddie's disgust.

"People drink that?" Freddie asked taking another drink of his sugar milk, astonished.

Leo laughed, out loud, and it was so infectious Freddie found himself joining in.

"I can't believe you drink that," Freddie said once the laughter faded.

Giving a look at the cup in Freddie's hand Leo made his point without words and Freddie returned to his drink chastised.

They ended up sitting on the same garden wall they'd shared a coffee on the day Leo left on his trip. The trip that Freddie now understood was actually the A League finals.

"I can't believe I'm such an idiot," Freddie said to himself as much as Leo.

"I can," Leo replied.

Freddie knocked against his shoulder in protest.

"Ey," he said.

Leo just smiled.

They ended up on getting in a half an hour workout before Freddie had to head to class but they made plans to meet up later and Freddie smiled for the whole morning. It got broader and broader as the day progressed, to the point that Nikki started asking if he was high. Walking on air Freddie ditched a disgruntled Tim and Nikki, with promises to make it up later, and heading off to meet Leo. He was half way to the car park when he got a call from his mum saying Georgie had fallen from the monkey bars at preschool and was heading to emergency with a probable broken arm.

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