Drake was pacing around his apartment, zipping between his bedroomĀ closetĀ to the freshly folded pile of clothes in his laundry basket, and then back again. HeĀ didnātĀ know why he wasĀ stressingĀ so much about what to wear, but he was. It was important to make a good impression, even if it was only Conner. Well,Ā maybeĀ onlyĀ was the wrong adjective to use to describe Conner. Conner wasĀ somebody.Ā He mattered.Ā
Eventually, with a little soothing from Hope as he frantically textedĀ herĀ his predicament, he finally settled on the simple art of calming down.Ā There was no need to panic or pick out an entire outfit. Conner was his best friend, and heĀ wasnātĀ about to startĀ overanalysingĀ the ins and outs of Drakeās dress sense. Not unlessĀ heādĀ become a secret fashion guru in the three years sinceĀ heādĀ been locked up.Ā Instead, Drake opted for throwing on his headphones, kicking back on theĀ sofaĀ and listening to hisĀ momĀ itāsĀ not a phaseĀ playlist on Spotify. Before he knew it,Ā he was relaxed and ready toĀ go seeĀ hisĀ favouriteĀ person in theĀ whole world.Ā
As heĀ slipped out of his apartment and started making the journey to Connerās, his phone started buzzing in the pocket of his jeans.Ā Glancing down as he pulled it free, he spotted a text from Claudia.Ā He smiled fondly, before wondering ifĀ sheādĀ seen Connerās post yet.Ā
Claud š:Ā heyĀ cutieeeeeeeeĀ iĀ just got out ofĀ wrkĀ are u free?Ā
Drake:Ā iĀ have plans :(Ā
Claud š:Ā what ifĀ iĀ promised kisses from a qt girlĀ wldĀ that changeĀ urĀ mind?Ā
Drake:Ā aha very tempting :)Ā i'mĀ on my way to see conner though.Ā he'sĀ back!Ā
Claud š:Ā ohhhhhĀ yeĀ iĀ didĀ Ā
Claud š:Ā do u thinkĀ heādĀ wnaĀ see me?Ā
Drake:Ā whyĀ wouldnāt he?Ā justĀ text him babe, check in!Ā he'sĀ our best friend.Ā
With that, Drake slipped his phone back into his pocket andĀ carriedĀ on his way. He felt a little uneasy about the exchange, especially after speaking to Conner. His best friendĀ had seemedĀ upset about Drake and Claudiaās relationship, andĀ evenĀ more surprised to find that Claudia had made the first move. To hear ā metaphorically speakingĀ āĀ Claudia speak so casually aboutĀ Conner, andĀ seem so unmoved by the fact that he was finally back after three years inĀ jail,Ā it made Drake feel a little queasy. They were best friends, all of them. Why didĀ that have toĀ change?Ā
He pushed the thought to the back of his mind,Ā insteadĀ focusing on arriving at Connerās. The main priority for the evening was to wrap his best friend up in a bear hug and remind him just how muchĀ heādĀ missed him.Ā Ā
A couple blocks later, Drake found himself forgoing the lift entirely and eagerly bounding the steps up to Connerās apartment. His legs stretchedĀ far and wideĀ as he skipped every two steps, speeding his way up several flights of stairs with far more energy than he knew he couldĀ possess. Even after upping his game in the gym, leg day had never been hisĀ favourite.Ā
He gave Connerās door a quick knock and waited a little impatiently, bouncing back and forth on the balls of his feet. The second the door swungĀ open,Ā relief flooded through his chest at the sight of his friend. Beaming across at him, Drake wasted no time in launching himself at Conner and wrapping his arms firmly around the other manās shoulders, leaving him little-to-no time to react.Ā
āHoly heck, I missed you so much,ā he repeated, for what felt like the hundredth time.Ā