#smooth buddy

Guy talking to me at the bar: So what else do you like to do?

Me: That's a big question.

Guy: I'm asking for real.

Big German guy: Man, you're digging. You're diggin' real hard.

Guy: Can you blame me??

Silence had usually been golden to Pearce – it had been his comfort and his friend for many years, but now... Now it mocked him. Words and insults and names circled in the silence like predators circling prey, and Pearce wondered how Col’s words could affect him so much. He’d only known the girl for a few days, but he always had a problem of getting attached too fast. Col had been the first one to welcome him or even speak to him, and he’d always appreciated that kindness.

Pearce realised now that she’d been pretending all along. She wasn’t going to teach him to whistle. She wouldn’t be his ‘Jedi Master’, and she certainly didn’t need him to push her to the store anymore.

There came a soft knock on the door, and Pearce called out for the person to come in before he remembered that it was Peyton. He’d invited her over during the fallout, needing at least someone who knew him to sit with. The silence was too much, and he knew that Peyton filled a void like no other. Their day at the pool had meant the world to Pearce, and he didn’t mind spending time with her.

Peyton ducked into his room, wearing very small pyjamas and looking radiant as usual. Pearce raised his head off his pillow and gave her a weak smile. Without a word – like she knew exactly what he needed – Peyton crawled into his double bed and lay down, stretching out along his body. He could feel how warm she was, and he closed his eyes, trying to press the memory into his brain: the feel of another human being.