“Can’t I just be concerned about my friend’s well-being?” Ezra asked defensively.
“No,” Jude deadpanned. “Now, if you’re done playing mother hen, I would really like to go lie on my bed face-first for a while.”
“Oh, wait, actually, before you go inside.” Ezra put a hand on Jude’s shoulder to stall him. “That’s what I came outside to tell you. I wanted to just let you know, before you went in, that I tried to stop him.”
Jude shook his head, confused.
“What?” he asked, feeling tired and exasperated.
“Al. I told him not to, but I couldn’t change his mind. He said that the two of you had a—a disagreement about something, apparently? And he became just really adamant and I couldn’t stop him no matter how hard I tried.”
“Adamant aboutwhat?” Jude asked, stomach dropping. Panic seized him suddenly as worst-case scenarios hit him like freight trains. “He didn’t—he didn’tleave, did he?”
“What?” Ezra asked, knitting his brows together. “No, man, of course not.” Jude breathed a sigh of relief, but then—“It’s just… he insisted on making you dinner, man. By himself. I’m sorry.”
Jude’s eyes widened in horror. He looked at the house as though making sure he hadn’t missed it being engulfed in flames.
“Oh no,” he muttered.
“Yeah,” Ezra said sympathetically, elongating the word. “Like I said, I tried. He put alotof effort into it, though, so try not to be too harsh.”
“How bad is it?” Jude asked. Ezra sucked air in between his front teeth.
“It’s not great.”
“Fantastic.” With a heavy sigh, Jude made for the door, only to be intercepted by Ezra, who swooped in and took hold of the handle, specifically so that he could hold the door open for Jude. “The fuck, man?”
“You said you had a long day,” Ezra said, defensive again. “I just didn’t want you expending any unnecessary energy, that’s all.”
“… Right.” Jude, not remotely in the mood for whatever the fuckthatwas about, decided to let it go. He stepped over the threshold into the house and was instantly accosted by a smell that could only be described as “burnt.” Holding a hand to his nose, he grimaced at Ezra, who shrugged.
“I told you it wasn’t great. He’s waiting for you in the kitchen, by the way. I told him I’d send you in when you got home.”
“Stellar.” Jude deposited his bag and shoes carelessly on the floor, and padded in his socks to the kitchen, where what was sure to be an extremely awkward and unpleasant meal was waiting for him. The burnt smell was considerably stronger there, and there was a thin haze of latent smoke lingering in the air.
Al was still at the scene of the crime when Jude entered, fussing over a plate on the counter. When he heard Jude approach, he looked over his shoulder and sucked in a breath.
“Jude,” he said, “you made me feel surprise. I did not know you had arrived home from the university.”
“Uh, yeah, well…” Jude trailed off, shrugging like an idiot. The tension in the air between them was thicker than the scent of burnt food. They both cleared their throats, their last conversation hanging around like a pesky ghost. They needed to talk about it, but Jude didn’t have the first clue about where to begin.
Thankfully, Al took the reins. Like a bubble bursting, he began rambling. “I feel regret for how we parted the night prior. I do not wish for you to feel pressure to return my feelings of love for you. There was an unfortunate misunderstanding, and it causes me to cry, which I feel much dislike for because it is wet and hurts my head, but I have realized that you are not at fault for this. I spoke with Ezra, and he suggested I tell you that I am not putting blame on you, and also to make a ‘peace offering.’ He explained that a peace offering often comes in the form of providing sustenance to the one who has been wronged, so I prepared your nightly meal, even though Ezra said to me, ‘Dude, no offense, but letting you cook is a fire hazard.’ I felt offense anyway and assured him this was not the case. Therewasconsiderable smoke, but no fire. Well, not an abundance of fire. Very minimal fire.”
Al said all of this very fast, clearly nervous, and any remnants of frustration or anger that Jude might have still been holding on to melted away. It was obvious Al was tryingsohard to make things right. Maybe they couldn’t go back to the way things were, but that didn’t necessarily mean that Al’s last bit of time on Earth had to be miserable for the both of them.
Jude knew he still had things he needed to get off his chest, but all he could muster the energy to say was, “That was very kind of you.” He gave Al a small smile, which was the right decision, because it seemed to add ten years to Al’s life, the guy looked so relieved. “What did you make me for my nightly meal?”
Al beamed. He reached over to snatch the plate off the counter. On the plate there was a black lump resembling charcoal with a lit birthday candle stuck in the center.
“It is a candlelit dinner,” Al explained, without a trace of irony. “I made you chicken, as you have stated on many occasions that you feel enjoyment toward it. I am aware that chicken that is not cooked properly will cause humans to become ill, so I made sure to cook it extra long for you, as I would feel anger with myself if you were to become ill because of me.”
Al handed the plate and a fork to Jude, who accepted them after a moment’s hesitation. He poked the chicken with the tines of the fork, and the edge of it immediately crumpled into inedible ash.
“You know what?” Jude said, setting the plate and fork back down onto the counter. “As good as that looks, would you mind if I save it for later? It’s just that I’m sleepy, and I want to eat it when I’m wide awake so that I can really enjoy it.” He was already plotting how to trash it without Al finding out. Maybe he’d lie and say his pregnancy cravings got the best of him and he ate it all up when Al wasn’t looking? Whatever, he’d think of something plausible later.
“Oh. All right, Jude,” Al said, sounding a tiny bit dejected, but not enough that Jude felt obligated to eat chicken ash. “Your rest is also important. Would you like me to leave you alone so that you can become unconscious in your bedroom? I am able to have my unconsciousness on the couch again if that is what you feel preference for.”
Maybe it was the stupidest idea he’d ever had, but right then, the thought of going to bed alone was the worst thing Jude could imagine. He had hardly been able to sleep a wink the night before, he’d gotten so used to Al beside him.
