Chapter 85 Chapter Eighty-One
Omniscient Narrative
It’s been a few minutes and they haven’t move apart right away.
Chris's arms were warm and steady around Demi, not tight, not claiming, it was just there.
Demi rested his forehead against Chris's shoulder and let himself breathe for the first time since Chris had walked in.
His heart still hurt, still ached in that deep, familiar way, but it wasn't screaming anymore.
When they finally pulled back, it was slow and mutual.
"So," Chris said quietly, rubbing the back of his neck. "We don't have to define anything right this second."
Demi nodded. "I think I'd like that."
They sat back down on the bed, a little space between them now, not distance though.
Demi picked at a loose thread on his blanket, eyes down.
"I don't want to hurt you," Demi said. "Or use you to get over him."
Chris considered that. "I don't want that either."
Demi looked up. "Then why suggest this?"
Chris didn't flinch. "Because I care about you, a lot. And because i know how hard it is to get over the person you’ve grown to love deeply, even if we don’t end up falling for each other I want us to try and use each other to get over the two of them, maybe if we try to focus our attention on each other we might actually try to get over them little by little."
The honesty settled between them.
"Demi, you know I’m not asking you to forget him completely," Chris continued. "I'm asking if you want to stop being alone with it and go try and let your heart go after someone who will want you back."
Demi swallowed. That landed somewhere deep.
"I still think about him all the time," Demi admitted. "I hate that I do."
Chris gave a small, understanding smile. "I still think about Kyle too, especially when I know I can't have him, at least you got to have Alex in some form of way."
“I’m sorry Chris” Demi said taking Chris’s hand in his and giving it a tight squeeze.
“I bet being in love with Kyle can be a bit of a hassle, he’s a tough one” he added as he let out a small laugh.
“He can, can’t he” Chris said laughing as he thought about Kyle’s face.
Demi let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. "You know, I don't know what kind of boyfriend I'd be right now."
"Probably a messy one," Chris said lightly.
Demi huffed a small laugh.
"Same," Chris added. "Which is why we go slow."
Demi glanced around his room, the closed curtains, the scattered books, his room wasn’t looking like his room at the moment.
"What does 'together' even mean for us?" Demi asked.
Chris shrugged. "It can mean checking in on each other, you know getting to know how the other is doing, being honest with each other and also trying to show up for each other."
"That's it?"
"For now," Chris said. "We can add labels later if we want."
Demi nodded slowly. "I like that."
They sat quietly again, the kind of silence that felt chosen instead of imposed.
Chris leaned back on his hands. "Your siblings are still home, right?"
"Yeah," Demi said. "They're downstairs."
"Good," Chris said softly. "I'm glad you're not alone tonight."
Demi looked at him. "You could stay for dinner. If you want."
Chris smiled. "I'd like that, I miss your mom’s rice, my dad tried to recreate it and totally messed up, he had us eating tomato rice instead of jollof rice."
A small warmth spread through Demi's chest, not the lightning-strike kind, not the kind that made everything else disappear.
“She would be happy to hear this story so please do tell it for dinner” he said laughing lightly at the thought of Greg having a sour mood after ruining dinner.
Before they stood, Chris hesitated. "Can I-?"
Demi nodded before he finished the question.
Chris leaned in and pressed a brief, careful kiss to Demi's lips. It was soft, respectful, almost tentative.
Demi closed his eyes.
When Chris pulled back, he searched Demi's face. "Too much?"
"No," Demi said quietly. "It felt... nice."
They stood together and headed for the door.
As Demi reached for the handle, a familiar ache tugged at him, sharp and sudden. He paused, hand hovering.
Chris noticed. "You okay?"
Demi nodded, though it took effort. "Yeah. Just... thinking."
"About him?"
Demi didn't deny it.
Chris didn't ask him to stop.
Instead, he said, "You don't have to erase your past to build something new, the whole point of this ‘relationship’ is to try and get over him, it won’t be hard but we’ll be there for one another."
Demi opened the door.
They walked downstairs side by side, not holding hands, just walking.
And even though Alex's absence still hurt, still echoed in every quiet corner of Demi's heart, there was something else there too.
A small, careful hope that he might be getting his best friend back and they’ll forget all this ever happened.