Midnight Calls

PART 6

The silence of the dark room was shattered by the aggressive blaring of a phone. Addy winced, the sound piercing through his skull like a needle.

With a groan of pure exhaustion, he dragged a pillow over his ear, pressing down hard and praying that whoever was calling would just give up.

​The ringing stopped. Peace returned for exactly two seconds.

​Then, the melody started again, even louder than before.

​Half-asleep, irritated, and mourning the loss of a perfectly good dream, Addy fumbled in the dark. He snatched the vibrating device and pressed it to his ear without looking at the screen.

​"...Hello..." he muttered. His voice was a wreck rough, low, and heavy with sleep.

​"Addyyyyy... hey..."

​That honey-sweet, mischievously bright voice floated through the speaker. Addy didn't even need to check the caller ID.

There was only one person in the world who had the audacity to call him at this hour every single night.

​Addy stayed silent. It was his usual defense mechanism.

​On the other end of the line, the caller immediately sensed the cold shoulder and switched to a tone of dramatic, fake hurt.

​"Aaaaddyyy... Addyyyy..."

​He dragged out the syllables of the name like a spoiled, whining puppy looking for attention.

​"What do you want, you brat?" Addy finally snapped. "Will you ever let a man sleep?"

​He only spoke because he knew the truth: if he stayed quiet, this kid would keep calling until the sun came up.

​Hearing Addy’s grumpy response, the boy on the other side burst into giggles. It was a soft, bubbly sound, like pearls dropping onto a glass plate.

​"Ohhh, was my Addy sleeping?"

​"No," Addy replied sarcastically. "I was doing a cabaret performance in my living room at two in the morning."

​"You mean stripping?" the voice teased, dropping an octave. "Can I watch? Please? You know I really want to see my man like that..."

​Addy felt a wave of horror. The kid had officially graduated from being a nuisance to a full-time flirt.

​"One day, I’ll deal with that 'curiosity' of yours," Addy threatened, though his voice lacked any real bite.

​"Stopppp... don't say stuff like that... you're making me blush..."

​It didn't matter what Addy said; the boy managed to turn every single sentence into a double meaning. Addy leaned back and palmed his forehead, wondering how his life had come to this.

​"I miss you so much, Addy..." the voice softened, becoming sincere for a brief moment. "I just want to see you."

​Addy didn't answer. He couldn't.

​"I know you miss me too," the boy continued confidently. "But don't worry. Once my exams are over, I’ll fly over there. I promise."

​Still, Addy remained a wall of silence.

​"Can you at least talk? I just want to hear your voice a little longer."

​"Go to sleep,you drama queen," Addy muttered.

​The boy laughed again, sounding fully awake and completely chaotic. "Love you, Addy. Call me tomorrow, okay?"

​He hung up only after forcing a half-mumbled promise out of Addy. Left in the sudden quiet, Addy clenched his jaw and buried his face into his pillow, feeling a strange mix of defeat and lingering warmth.

​"So, hey, hopeless romantic... what did your hero say this time?"

​his roommate looked up from his bed, smirking at the boy who had just ended the call.

​"Same as always," the boy replied. He zipped his lips shut and turned away, refusing to give his friend the satisfaction of a real conversation.

​"Can I ask you something?" the roommate pushed, his voice turning a bit more serious. "How can you still love someone who already rejected you once?"

​That question hit like a physical punch. The smile vanished from the boy's face. He didn't have a poetic answer, so he just offered a weak, shaky grin. His roommate reached over and smacked him lightly on the head.

​"You keep saying 'I love you' all the time... has your crush ever said it back? Even once?"

​The boy’s cheeks puffed up in irritation. He hated it when people poked at the cracks in his heart. He sat up straight and lifted his chin with a surge of stubborn pride.

​"One day, you’ll see," he declared arrogantly. "He’ll be begging for my love just like I am now. And when that day comes... that's when I'll give you my answer."

📌

​Long past midnight, in another part of the city, Ryan sat by the floor-to-ceiling glass wall of his dorm room.

The city lights were blurred in the distance, but his mind was sharp and restless. He couldn't stop thinking about the conversation he'd had with his sister, Olivia.

​"You shouldn't have reacted like that, Ryan," she had told him, her eyes full of concern.

​"You already know everything, Livvy. And still, you defend them..."

​"Knowing a story isn't the same as being sure of the truth, Ryan. How can you prove your version is the only truth?"

​Ryan had felt the anger bubbling up then.

"So you're saying I’m lying? I heard it with my own ears. How can that be false? Whose side are you on, mine or his?"

​Olivia had sighed, reaching out to touch his arm.

"I didn’t mean it like that. Maybe you misunderstood something. But look... Pappa was really excited today. You know he’s never forced you into anything. He’s given you everything . This is the first time he’s asking for a favor."

​"He’s still hurting about Uncle Victor, isn't he?" Ryan had asked quietly.

​"Yes. He misses that friendship, even if he pretends he doesn't. If your answer is still 'no' regarding the meeting, that's fine. No one will pressure you."

​Ryan stared at his reflection in the glass. His heart felt heavy. He wanted to protect his father, but the memories of the past felt like a barrier he couldn't climb over.

​After hours of tossing and turning, he finally made a decision. Just as he was about to close his eyes, his phone buzzed on the nightstand. It was a message from an unknown number.

​"It's me, Zane. We should meet. Mavel's Restaurant. 3:00 pm. Save my number, Ryan 😉"

​"Of course he’d add that stupid emoji," Ryan muttered to the empty room. He felt a flicker of annoyance, but he didn't ignore it.

​He typed a short reply.a single thumbs-up emoji.and tossed the phone aside. He fell into a deep sleep, completely unaware of the many sleepless nights this simple "yes" was about to cause him.

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To be continued...🤍

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