Chapter 90 Chapter Eighty-Six

Chapter 90 Chapter Eighty-Six

Omniscient Narrative. 

Months….

That's how long it had been for Alex, months of trying.

Months of watching Demi walk past him in school like he was someone from a different life.

Months of pretending he was okay when he wasn't even close.

And college hadn't fixed anything, if anything, it made it worse.

Because now it was obvious Demi was ignoring him, he had tried talking to Demi, tried getting his attention, but it all went to vain. 

He misses Demi so much it hurts. 

"Hey” Alex said one afternoon, catching Demi outside a lecture hall.

Demi paused, already guarded. "Yeah?"

"I was wondering if we could-“ 

"No, thank you” Demi said immediately, he wasn’t in the mood for Alex. 

Alex blinked. "You don't even know what I was going to say” 

"I don't need to” Demi replied.

Alex felt something twist painfully in his chest. "You don't mean that” he wasn’t trying to be positive. 

Demi looked at him.

And for a moment-just a moment-Alex saw it again.

That flicker.

That hesitation.

Then it disappeared.

"I do” Demi said. "You need to stop doing this Alex” 

"Doing what?" Alex asked, frustration creeping in.

"Trying to pull me back into something that hurt me, I thought we agreed to just do our own things now that we’re in college and that we would just leave each other alone” Demi said.

Alex swallowed. "I'm trying to fix things Demi”

"You can’t”Demi said quietly.

That was the part Alex couldn't accept.

Demi on the other hand wasn't as strong as he pretended to be.

Every time Alex showed up-every time he said his name, every time he looked at him like that-something inside Demi shifted.

It made him angry, really angry. 

Because it meant Alex still mattered to him and that pissed him off, because it meant he hadn't let go, he can’t let him go. 

And Chris had noticed.

Of course he did.

"You saw him again” Chris said one night, leaning against the kitchen counter as Demi stood by the sink.

Demi didn't turn. "Yeah” he knew if he turned around Chris will see right through him. 

"And?"

Demi shrugged. "Same as always” 

Chris studied him.

"You still love him Demi” he said calmly. 

Demi closed his eyes briefly.

"I'm trying not to” he replied, he can feel tears in his eyes, his chest tightened. 

Chris nodded slowly as he moved to hug Demi from the back

"I know” he whispered into Demi’s hair. 

There was no accusation in his voice.

That somehow made it harder.

.

Alex sat alone in his dorm room, his roommate gone for the weekend. The silence pressed in around him, thick and suffocating.

His phone sat on the desk.

He picked it up. 

Went to Demi’s contact. 

Typed.

Deleted.

Typed again.

Alex: 
>I miss you.

He stared at the words.

Then sent them.

The message delivered.

No reply.

Minutes passed.

Then an hour.

Nothing.

Alex let out a shaky breath, running a hand through his hair.

"I don't know how to do this anymore” he muttered to no one 

No matter what he did it wasn't enough.

And the worst part?

He still didn't fully understand why it hurt this much.

Only that it did.

Deeply.

Relentlessly.

Alex was tired. 

Tired. 

And he didn’t know who to reach out to, he didn’t want to call his parents or siblings.

He just didn’t know what to do. 

So he took his coat and went outside. 

.

It happened sometime later that night.

Not loudly and not dramatically.

Just a moment where everything became too much and Alex couldn't carry it anymore.

Someone had found him.

There were voices.

“Is he okay?” The voices sounded close yet distant. 

Movement, he felt someone was trying to lift him. 

Then, 

Darkness came but all he could think about was Demi. 

“Demi” he muttered. 

.

Demi's phone rang just after midnight.

He frowned, glancing at the screen.

Unknown number.

He almost ignored it.

Almost, but something told him to pick it. 

"Hello?" he said, his voice still sleepy. 

"Is this Demi?" a voice asked, he has never spoken to this person before so he doesn’t know who the voice belonged to. 

"Yes, who is this?"

"This is the hospital. You're listed as an emergency contact for Mr Alexander Ricci."

Demi's heart dropped.

Everything else disappeared.

"What happened?" he demanded, already standing, already grabbing his jacket.

“Demi what’s wrong” He heard Chris ask as he got out of his room. 

"You need to come in," the voice said gently.

That was all it took.

"I'm on my way."

Chris could see the boy panicked and moving around so he grabbed his jacket and he grabbed his keys.

"I'm driving” he said.

Demi nodded, barely processing anything as they rushed out the door.

The car ride was silent.

Not calm silence.

The fluorescent lights were too bright.

Demi stood at the front desk, hands shaking slightly.

"I'm here for Alexander Ricci," he said.

The nurse nodded. "Oh yes, I was the one that called you, he is stable now”

Demi exhaled sharply, relief hitting him so hard his knees almost gave out.

"Can I see him?"

"Doctor will speak to you first” 

Demi nodded, barely hearing anything else.

Chris stood beside him, steady and quiet.

"I'm here” he said softly.

Demi didn't respond.

His eyes were fixed on the hallway.

"He's going to be okay," the doctor said.

Demi nodded quickly. "What happened?"

The doctor chose his words carefully.

"He's going to need some time. We're keeping him under observation."

Demi swallowed.

"Can I see him now?"

The doctor hesitated-then nodded.

Alex looked so...small.

That was the first thing Demi noticed.

But something about him-his stillness, the way he lay there, eyes half-open but distant-it made him look fragile in a way Demi had never seen before.

"Alex," Demi said softly as he reached out to cradle his cheek. He felt a little cold and that made Demi’s heart squeeze. 

Alex's eyes shifted.

And when he saw Demi something in them broke.

"You came” Alex whispered.

Demi's chest tightened painfully.

"Of course I did”