He tried. Really hard. He’sbeentrying since he first stepped on the plane to come here. And he reached his limit. And I know when he reaches his limit… he explodes. Iknowthis. So why didn’t I see it coming…
“I can meet you back at your place,” he says, not looking at me. “I can take your key and?—”
“No,” I say immediately.
He looks up at me, and I step closer. “I don’t care about the party. I’ll come with you.”
He drops his gaze again and rubs a hand over his face. “You don’t have to. I’m sorry for fucking it all up…”
I grab his hand and pull it away from his face. I stare at him until he meets my gaze again, and I don’t miss the glisten in his eyes that he blinks away.
“That guy was annoying,” I say.
He gives a slight nod.
I smile. “Someone would have kicked his ass at some point anyway.”
Silas doesn’t smile back, and I can see every ounce of guilt and shame he’s feeling written all over him.
“I’m sorry, Si.”
He shakes his head and looks down.
“Let’s go,” I say gently. “We’ll go back to my place and watch a movie.”
I grab our jackets, and we walk back to my apartment. And the whole way, I just keep wishing we could have a do-over on this whole night.
While I’m disappointed that my two worlds had a full-on destructive collision instead of seamlessly weaving together like I had hoped, I only have Silas for a weekend. And I promised him it would be a good one.
We can only go up from here.
“I would have been pissed if I made this trip just for the Habs to lose.”
I scoff. “Because that’s the only reason you came to Toronto?”
Silas smirks at me. “You were a bonus.”
I give him a shove and he laughs, slowing to a stop outside airport security. I look over his shoulder at the line and sigh. One weekend wasn’t nearly long enough.
“And the turtle,” I say, bringing my gaze back to him.
He gives me a serious nod. “I’d come back just for that turtle.”
I laugh, picturing the turtle that tried to follow Silas everywhere through the aquarium. Every time we thought we would see something new behind the glass, the turtle would appear, focused on Silas like it thought it belonged to him. We ended up stopping to sit and hang out with him, and Silas drew him. The drawing of the turtle, who we’ve fondly named Raphael for his persistence and attitude, is now hanging on my bulletin board in my room.
We’re both quiet for a moment, then I reach out and pull him into a hug.
“I wish I could see you on your break,” he murmurs.
“I know,” I say, releasing him with a sigh. In a few weeks, I’ll be on break for reading week, but I’m not going home. This year, I’m headed to Mont Tremblant to go skiing. “But you can come with us. You know Noah and Julien now.”
Silas shakes his head sadly. “Not really my thing.”
I nod. “Yeah… I know.”
We’re both quiet for another long moment, neither of us eager to be the one to move first and end our time together.
“I miss you, Vi.”
