Pay Attention, Mr. Iero (Frerard)

12 - The Email

I watched from the window for a while until Professor Way turned a corner to a building and was out of sight. I wish our morning didn't have to end so soon, but hopefully it wouldn't matter in the long run. Surely if he liked me back we'd have all the time in the world to be together.

After closing the window, I fell back onto my warm bed and sighed. From across the room, however, I heard a door opening.

Sitting back up, I discovered it was only Ray, but he wasn't coming through the front door. He was coming in through the bathroom with only one way in... which meant he had been in there... this whole time.

"Ray!!" What the hell?!"

He jumped back, clutching onto the fuzzy towel that was wrapped around him, "What?!"

"You've been in the bathroom this whole time?" I asked, growing embarrassed as I remembered everything that I had said to Prof. Way just minutes prior.

Ray walked over to his dresser and grabbed some clean clothes, "Yeah, I was showering. Do you have a problem with that?"

"No, I- I just didn't realize you were in there..." I struggled to say. "I thought I was alone with Professor Way".

"Well at least you didn't start to go at each other again while I was on the other side of the door," he rolled his eyes.

I scratched the back of my head nervously, "Yeah, thankfully... Did you, uh- happen to hear anything we talked about?"

Ray thought about it, "I mean, I heard you guys freaking out over something and then there was talk of jumping out of the window, but I couldn't really make out the details over the sound of the shower".

"Oh thank-"

"-Although I did happen to hear you tell him that you love him," Ray cut off my sentence along with a laugh. "Don't you think that was a bit soon, man?"

I felt my face turn boiling hot as I got up and stomped my foot, "Hey, I do love him! What's so wrong about expressing my feelings?!"

Ray didn't take me seriously and continued to laugh me off, "Well he might think you're coming off too strong. You did just admit your feelings for each other yesterday. He might start to think you're too obsessive over him. He doesn't know- maybe you could be like one of those freaks that kidnaps a guy to keep him all to yourself. I'm sure he wouldn't appreciate you keeping him away from his art".

"Yeah right, do I look like a kidnapper?" I shook my head. "I was just excited and got carried away in the moment. That's all. And he was the one who tried getting in my pants the other day anyway! Not me!"

"Ah whatever, you don't have to prove anything to me, I'm just messing with you," he smiled, ruffing up my hair jokingly as he walked pass me back to the bathroom to get dressed. "I'm really happy everything worked out for you two".

I appreciated Ray's empathy towards me, despite the teasing he threw in along with it. Right as he went to close the door, I stopped him though, remembering how I wanted to help him back.

"Wait, Ray?"

"Yeah?" He perked up, opening the door back up a bit.

"How are things with Mikey?" I raised my eyebrows. "Where did he end up anyway? He's not in the bathroom too, is he?"

He smiled shyly, losing eye contact with me, "No, no, he ended up leaving last night. He had to get up early for a test in one of his classes and didn't want to be late... unlike his brother who apparently jumped out of the window to get to his class on time." He chuckled before continuing, "But things are going alright between us. We're good friends".