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 Posted: Wed Jul 28, 2021 9:37 pm
Malcolm didn’t have much left in his emotional reserve, and he was dangerously close to crying, himself. His lip trembled but he pressed it into a firm line and forced a quick nod.
“Of course you can sleep over. As long as Zac won’t give you a hard time. I know how he can get.”
And, he really didn’t want him scaling up his wall and breaking into his room in the middle of the night to make sure they weren’t doing anything weird.
Not that Zac could be worried about something like that. He of all people should have known that Malcolm couldn’t ever have tried to put a move on Cambria or done anything nefarious.
His heart was pounding and he didn't quite know how to talk about any of his issues, but there was something that felt warm blossoming in his heart when she said she was there for him to lean on. He felt like he’d been on his own for so long that he didn’t know how to lean on anyone--and, even then, he was afraid to ask for help and be perceived as too needy, or too useless.
“...I’d like to catch up,” he confessed. “...I’m just worried that I won’t be the same person you used to like. I’m worried I’ll be boring. I’m worried you won’t like me anymore. And I’m…”
He swallowed and squeezed her hand a little tighter. “I’m really scared of that. I really don’t want to lose you. I just...if you don’t want to be my friend anymore, please just tell me? Otherwise I’ll get all weepy and pathetic and anxious and I’ll never move on. Okay? And I’ll just sit in my room and feel lost and not know what to do and be afraid to make new friends and--” he swallowed. “...Just. Please just let me know. If something ever happens. And I’m not a good friend for you and you want to move on without me.”
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Posted: Wed Jul 28, 2021 9:52 pm
“If Zac gives me a hard time I’ll kick him in the head.” She murmured, reaching out and stroking his cheek as though she were ready to wipe away whatever tears might show up. “I don’t care if you don’t feel the same, Mal. You’re you and that’s all that matters to me. I won’t leave you. I won’t ever stop being your friend. I promise. You’re wonderful and I’ve missed you so much…”
Cambria swallowed, squeezing the hand in hers again and jumping when a rather flustered waitress stammered out that their food was there, placing both sandwiches in front of them and the box of sweet buns on the edge before scuttling away, clearly embarrassed for whatever she might have interrupted.
“I have never stopped thinking about you. And I should have reached out more...I’m sorry that you’re scared. I won’t do this again. We’ll get through this. Malcolm, I love you, and we’ll get through this. I promise.”
If she could help Evan be a human again...she could help Malcolm feel worthy enough to be her friend again…
“We’ll be okay. We’re still here, Mal.”
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Posted: Thu Jul 29, 2021 7:45 am
It was easy to fluster and embarrass Malcolm, and the waitress did nothing to help his already unsettled nerves. It took him a good few seconds to even remember how to talk, and by then his cheeks and ears were pink and he couldn’t look Cambria in the eyes.
He forced himself to nod, and tried to swallow the lump in his throat.
The image of her kicking Zac in the head was both horrible and amusing, and even though he didn’t wish harm on his brother--who, yes, despite it all was still his brother--he did think it was maybe a little fun to picture. He would take comically threatened harm over actual harm any day.
“Thank you,” he said after a few seconds. “I needed to hear that. I’m not. I haven’t felt like me in a while. I think the world of you, you know that. It means a lot to hear you say that,” he said, and sniffled--even if he wasn’t overwhelmed with emotions. Yet.
He took a hasty bite of his sandwich to force himself to think about something else, to clear his mind and just breathe.
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Posted: Fri Jul 30, 2021 6:29 pm
“I’m glad you’re here...Malcolm. I love you, and I’m sorry I haven’t let you know enough...if you don’t feel like you...that’s okay. You’ll always be my best friend, no matter what. We’ll figure all of this out. Starting with lunch today, a sleepover tonight...and after that...we’ll get there. Together.”
Like they should have been for the past few years. Well. She wouldn’t let this chance slip away. There was no way she would lose Malcolm.
Quietly, Cambria took a bite of her own sandwich, and after a moment, took the male’s hand once again, squeezing it reassuringly. “...Damn. The food’s good too!”
Now...perhaps they could just enjoy. The ice had been broken. They could both begin mending whatever had fractured in this friendship. It would all be okay.
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