If We Weren't Such Good Friends I Think That I'd Hate You
Chapter Five
Oddly enough, it seemed like time flew for the next couple of weeks. Kyle was still sleeping on Faris’ couch, but he wasn’t a fuss. Faris had almost grown accustomed to having him there.
Faris’ day consisted of waking up, eating, recording, sketching, recording some more, eating, and then heading back home where he’d listen and give analyses on records with Kyle. In the back of his head he actually looked forward to whatever he and Kyle would be doing in the evenings. Kyle was trouble but he was also intriguingly interesting to Faris.
“Faris.” said Kyle, leaning his arm across Faris’ bed to pass his half-finished cigarette to Faris, whom was sitting quite comfortably on his bedroom floor.
Faris took the cigarette between his fingers and continued to pick through a stack of records he’d laid on his floor. They were Kyle’s records. Kyle had a few boxes show up at Faris’ doorstep that morning; apparently his girlfriend was doing a bit of cleaning.
“Aren’t you getting bored of this?” asked Kyle curiously, leaning back onto Faris’ bed.
Now, normally Faris would think that the idea of someone spending a lot of time in his bedroom with him would be an invasion of personal space, but he didn’t mind this at all. It fascinated him.
“Are you bored of this?”
“Typical Faris, answering a question with another question.” sighed Kyle, yawning and rolling over onto his side. “No, I’m not bored of this; I’m just not used to being boxed up like this.”
“Boxed up?” repeated Faris, feeling somewhat offended.
“I just feel a bit fucked from not being out to a pub in a while.” replied Kyle, followed by a grimace on his face. “But I enjoy this, it’s just different than what I’m used to.”
Faris fidgeted a bit on his floor, the feeling of comfort no longer lingering.
“You don’t have to stay here, you know.” said Faris bluntly.
“I know, but I want to.”
Faris was happy that Kyle wasn’t able to see his face; he wouldn’t have been able to handle Kyle’s reaction if Kyle had seen the grin form on his face after he’d finished that sentence.
Faris continued to look through Kyle’s records but kept silent. He hadn’t realized that the record they’d been playing had finished. Faris frowned at the record player on the other side of the room, then slowly stood up and walked over towards it.
“What’s next, then?”
Faris held one of Kyle’s ‘Squeeze’ records in his hand, turning back to look at him.
“Kyle?”
Kyle had fallen asleep, his curly hair flowing over Faris’ pillows while his legs were tangled up in Faris’ blankets. Faris was shocked at this sight, knowing that the last person to have slept in his bed besides himself was Peaches.
A small voice in Faris’ head was telling him not to panic or do anything drastic because deep down he knew that he didn’t really feel like he was being invaded. It was just a bed, even though it was his bed, but it wasn’t as though Kyle was harming it.
And it worked. Faris had calmed down, grabbing his sketchbook and sitting on the bed next to Kyle. He started to draw, occasionally glancing over at Kyle. Faris was thankful that Kyle was a quiet sleeper.
* * *
Faris opened his eyes, feeling pleased that he’d closed his curtains the night before. The sun shining in on him in the morning normally left him feeling grumpy, and he didn’t forget about the sun nearly killing him when he was hungover.
“You’re really kind of good, you know?”
Faris jumped, nearly falling off of his bed. He clutched onto his sheets, glaring over at Kyle. Kyle was holding onto his sketchbook, his fingers clinging to the pages as he flicked through them every few seconds.
“You’re in my bed.” stated Faris, glaring over at Kyle.
“I know, mate.” laughed Kyle, closing Faris’ sketchbook and laying it on Faris’ stomach. “I sort of just passed right out last night.”
Kyle lit up a cigarette, inhaling deeply then held it out to Faris. Normally, Faris didn’t smoke a lot, but Kyle had increased the habit.
“Faris?”
Faris quickly sat up as his door opened slowly. Tom walked into his bedroom, followed by Rhys. The two of them stared curiously at Kyle and Faris laying there in Faris’ bed.
“I see.” said Tom. “I suppose I should resort to knocking next time.”
“Knocking indeed.” added Rhys, an amused look on his face.
“Would you like something?” asked Faris, glaring at Rhys.
“I thought Kyle had left, but… I see he hasn’t.” answered Tom awkwardly, scratching at the back of his head. “We don’t have to record today so we were thinking of going out later.”
Kyle sat up eagerly, messing about with his hair. Faris had forgotten that it must’ve been just as unusual for Kyle to be boxed up in Faris’ apartment as it had been for Faris to allow Kyle to sleep in his bed.
“Yeah.” said Faris, staring at Tom and Rhys. “Okay?”
Tom and Rhys exchanged looks, then left Faris’ bedroom. Faris felt much better when he heard the sound of his door shut. He knew that there was a sense of awkwardness as he listened to Rhys and Tom’s footsteps become further and further away.
“You really don’t like that, do you?”
Faris turned over towards Kyle, wondering what he was possibly going to rant about now.
“What?”
“I just thought that your whole ‘anger-towards-everybody- thing was an act, but maybe I was wrong.” replied Kyle, shrugging at Faris.
“You think I’m angry at everybody?” snorted Faris, folding his arms on his chest.
“You seem bitter about something.” admitted Kyle, grinning at Faris. “What, you think nobody notices?”
“I just like my space.” said Faris awkwardly, shifting his eyes towards the floor.
“I don’t know what you’re afraid of, mate, but you’ve got to stop fearing it.” said Kyle softly.
“Where’d you get the black eye?” asked Faris suddenly, watching as Kyle’s expression changed.
“Some random bloke outside a bar.” replied Kyle quickly.
“I see.”
Faris didn’t believe that for a second, not that Kyle wasn’t an annoying asshole sometimes when he was drunk but he could tell there was something else.
“Honestly?” started Kyle, turning back on his side and looking back at Faris. “Kieren punched me after he saw me at the bar a couple of nights before we met up.”
Faris didn’t break his gaze with Kyle, but he couldn’t help but curiously raise his eyebrows. Kieren, Kyle’s best mate, was supposed to have given him the outrageous, lingering black eye? ‘Not possible’, thought Faris.
“He saw me with some people, didn’t make him too happy.” muttered Kyle, looking almost as equally uncomfortable as Faris.
“What people?” asked Faris, amused at himself for being so intensely nosy.
“Pete Doherty, actually.” laughed Kyle lightly. “Kieren doesn’t mind Pete, though.”
“That doesn’t make sense, Kyle.”
Kyle bit his lip, turning over onto his back so that Faris couldn’t hold his penetrating eye contact any longer.
“He saw me snogging Pete.” said Kyle bluntly, his cheeks flushing slightly.
Faris glanced over at Kyle, watching him as he lit up another cigarette. Faris didn’t respond to Kyle, knowing that Kyle didn’t want to continue the conversation anymore. Faris felt better though, knowing the story behind the mysterious black eye. In fact, Faris had to roll over on his other side so he could hide his unusual grin.
Faris’ day consisted of waking up, eating, recording, sketching, recording some more, eating, and then heading back home where he’d listen and give analyses on records with Kyle. In the back of his head he actually looked forward to whatever he and Kyle would be doing in the evenings. Kyle was trouble but he was also intriguingly interesting to Faris.
“Faris.” said Kyle, leaning his arm across Faris’ bed to pass his half-finished cigarette to Faris, whom was sitting quite comfortably on his bedroom floor.
Faris took the cigarette between his fingers and continued to pick through a stack of records he’d laid on his floor. They were Kyle’s records. Kyle had a few boxes show up at Faris’ doorstep that morning; apparently his girlfriend was doing a bit of cleaning.
“Aren’t you getting bored of this?” asked Kyle curiously, leaning back onto Faris’ bed.
Now, normally Faris would think that the idea of someone spending a lot of time in his bedroom with him would be an invasion of personal space, but he didn’t mind this at all. It fascinated him.
“Are you bored of this?”
“Typical Faris, answering a question with another question.” sighed Kyle, yawning and rolling over onto his side. “No, I’m not bored of this; I’m just not used to being boxed up like this.”
“Boxed up?” repeated Faris, feeling somewhat offended.
“I just feel a bit fucked from not being out to a pub in a while.” replied Kyle, followed by a grimace on his face. “But I enjoy this, it’s just different than what I’m used to.”
Faris fidgeted a bit on his floor, the feeling of comfort no longer lingering.
“You don’t have to stay here, you know.” said Faris bluntly.
“I know, but I want to.”
Faris was happy that Kyle wasn’t able to see his face; he wouldn’t have been able to handle Kyle’s reaction if Kyle had seen the grin form on his face after he’d finished that sentence.
Faris continued to look through Kyle’s records but kept silent. He hadn’t realized that the record they’d been playing had finished. Faris frowned at the record player on the other side of the room, then slowly stood up and walked over towards it.
“What’s next, then?”
Faris held one of Kyle’s ‘Squeeze’ records in his hand, turning back to look at him.
“Kyle?”
Kyle had fallen asleep, his curly hair flowing over Faris’ pillows while his legs were tangled up in Faris’ blankets. Faris was shocked at this sight, knowing that the last person to have slept in his bed besides himself was Peaches.
A small voice in Faris’ head was telling him not to panic or do anything drastic because deep down he knew that he didn’t really feel like he was being invaded. It was just a bed, even though it was his bed, but it wasn’t as though Kyle was harming it.
And it worked. Faris had calmed down, grabbing his sketchbook and sitting on the bed next to Kyle. He started to draw, occasionally glancing over at Kyle. Faris was thankful that Kyle was a quiet sleeper.
* * *
Faris opened his eyes, feeling pleased that he’d closed his curtains the night before. The sun shining in on him in the morning normally left him feeling grumpy, and he didn’t forget about the sun nearly killing him when he was hungover.
“You’re really kind of good, you know?”
Faris jumped, nearly falling off of his bed. He clutched onto his sheets, glaring over at Kyle. Kyle was holding onto his sketchbook, his fingers clinging to the pages as he flicked through them every few seconds.
“You’re in my bed.” stated Faris, glaring over at Kyle.
“I know, mate.” laughed Kyle, closing Faris’ sketchbook and laying it on Faris’ stomach. “I sort of just passed right out last night.”
Kyle lit up a cigarette, inhaling deeply then held it out to Faris. Normally, Faris didn’t smoke a lot, but Kyle had increased the habit.
“Faris?”
Faris quickly sat up as his door opened slowly. Tom walked into his bedroom, followed by Rhys. The two of them stared curiously at Kyle and Faris laying there in Faris’ bed.
“I see.” said Tom. “I suppose I should resort to knocking next time.”
“Knocking indeed.” added Rhys, an amused look on his face.
“Would you like something?” asked Faris, glaring at Rhys.
“I thought Kyle had left, but… I see he hasn’t.” answered Tom awkwardly, scratching at the back of his head. “We don’t have to record today so we were thinking of going out later.”
Kyle sat up eagerly, messing about with his hair. Faris had forgotten that it must’ve been just as unusual for Kyle to be boxed up in Faris’ apartment as it had been for Faris to allow Kyle to sleep in his bed.
“Yeah.” said Faris, staring at Tom and Rhys. “Okay?”
Tom and Rhys exchanged looks, then left Faris’ bedroom. Faris felt much better when he heard the sound of his door shut. He knew that there was a sense of awkwardness as he listened to Rhys and Tom’s footsteps become further and further away.
“You really don’t like that, do you?”
Faris turned over towards Kyle, wondering what he was possibly going to rant about now.
“What?”
“I just thought that your whole ‘anger-towards-everybody- thing was an act, but maybe I was wrong.” replied Kyle, shrugging at Faris.
“You think I’m angry at everybody?” snorted Faris, folding his arms on his chest.
“You seem bitter about something.” admitted Kyle, grinning at Faris. “What, you think nobody notices?”
“I just like my space.” said Faris awkwardly, shifting his eyes towards the floor.
“I don’t know what you’re afraid of, mate, but you’ve got to stop fearing it.” said Kyle softly.
“Where’d you get the black eye?” asked Faris suddenly, watching as Kyle’s expression changed.
“Some random bloke outside a bar.” replied Kyle quickly.
“I see.”
Faris didn’t believe that for a second, not that Kyle wasn’t an annoying asshole sometimes when he was drunk but he could tell there was something else.
“Honestly?” started Kyle, turning back on his side and looking back at Faris. “Kieren punched me after he saw me at the bar a couple of nights before we met up.”
Faris didn’t break his gaze with Kyle, but he couldn’t help but curiously raise his eyebrows. Kieren, Kyle’s best mate, was supposed to have given him the outrageous, lingering black eye? ‘Not possible’, thought Faris.
“He saw me with some people, didn’t make him too happy.” muttered Kyle, looking almost as equally uncomfortable as Faris.
“What people?” asked Faris, amused at himself for being so intensely nosy.
“Pete Doherty, actually.” laughed Kyle lightly. “Kieren doesn’t mind Pete, though.”
“That doesn’t make sense, Kyle.”
Kyle bit his lip, turning over onto his back so that Faris couldn’t hold his penetrating eye contact any longer.
“He saw me snogging Pete.” said Kyle bluntly, his cheeks flushing slightly.
Faris glanced over at Kyle, watching him as he lit up another cigarette. Faris didn’t respond to Kyle, knowing that Kyle didn’t want to continue the conversation anymore. Faris felt better though, knowing the story behind the mysterious black eye. In fact, Faris had to roll over on his other side so he could hide his unusual grin.