Hey Stranger

3 weeks later/ Arden’s POV
I sat in the middle of Zaid’s bed watching him as he paced the floor of his room…I’ve noticed recently he does that a lot. In fact he’s always pacing. It drives me crazy but at the same time I find it rather endearing, it’s how he thinks, and the face he makes, his eyebrows scrunched together, eyes far away, is so cute. I’ve been staying here a lot lately…yes I did go home last weekend, once it was easier for me to breath and I wasn’t so reliant on the pain meds Nadia had given me…I have a prescription now.

I really like the way those little white tabs make me feel. I got hit when I went home for just taking off for a week and I felt almost nothing. It was awesome! I’m starting to run low though…I want more of them I just have to figure out how to get them. Zaid wouldn’t like me thinking like that but I figured if he didn’t find out I’d be okay. I really care about him but I don’t want him to get angry with me again. I’ll do anything to keep him happy.

Zaid suddenly stopped on the dark carpeting and looked at me, raising a black eyebrow. “What?” I asked softly, feeling a bit uncomfortable as he stared at me so intensely. “Two things, beautiful…but one is more important than the other.” He said and climbed onto the bed with me.

He was so careful not to hurt me as he pulled me into his arms and leaned against the head bored. He did that a lot just pulled me into his arms at random. He didn’t like getting to far away. When I was home by myself he’d call every night, just to talk and see how I was doing. “And those things are?” I asked leaning back on his chest.

“Um…what if we came out?” He asked. “Like told to everybody at school we’re together…”

“Are you sure you want to do that? That’s really big…and things are really good right now.”

We hadn’t actually told anyone yet. I mean sure we were always together between classes and at lunch, sneaking kisses whenever we could but no one actually knew about us being together. Zaid had given up his old friends…and the weird thing was that after a week of Zaid telling them to leave him alone…they did. I haven’t been called a fag by anybody in almost a week…it was really nice. People actually talk to me now.

“They aren’t good for me…” He said starting to stroke my hair. “I feel like I’m lying to everyone…I mean the guys from the team are always expecting me to comment when they talk about girls. And…I…I love you Arden. I want to be able to show everyone that.”
I swallowed hard. “I love you too…but it’s really hard to just come out of the closet…it takes finesse, you know?” His hand stilled in my hair.

“I thought you’d want to be able to tell people were dating…” Okay, I hadn’t been expecting that, and I was obviously trouble from the sad tone in his voice. I didn’t want him to be upset, ever. I quickly turned to look at him, well it was quickly as I could with my ribs throbbing. “I do, I just don’t want you to go through what I did. They ridiculed me, tortured me Zaid. And you’re on the foot ball team…what if they kick you off the team? You love playing”

“They wouldn’t do that…I’m their best player.” He was frowning at me.

“No, but they could still make it hell for you.” I said reaching out to touch his cheek. “You’ve told Nadia…isn’t that enough for now. High school isn’t the best place for gay teenagers…everyone is so fucking mean.”

His green eyes suddenly sparked with an emerald fire, it happened whenever he was really passionate about something. “I don’t care…I want to be with you openly. I don’t want to hide anymore.”

I sighed softly I wasn’t going to fight with him anymore. He was right, it was better to honest and I just wanted him happy so I’d stand with him in this. I’d take the beatings if I had to, because I’d be with him and I wouldn’t be alone.

“Okay…on Monday we’ll go into school and hold hands and make-out…and be as brash about it as you want.” I said and he grinned at me. I love it when he smiles. He leaned in to kiss me and now it was my turn to smile.

“So…what was the other thing you wanted to tell me?” I asked when he broke the kiss.
“Well…my great uncle died…” He said and my eyebrows raised high my forehead, I didn’t know if I should comfort him or not.

“But I barely knew him so you don’t have to look so scared.” He said laughing. I punched his shoulder before he continued. He was always picking on me. “And Nadia gave me these journals…they belonged to like to him I think…” He said before he leaned over the edge of his bed giving me a peek at lightly tanned skin from under his wife-beater. He corrupted me, I’m always perving on him now…hoping to catch him with his shirt off or in his boxers…he’s so hot and we haven’t even messed around in three weeks…I haven’t even seen him naked in two weeks…I’m losing my mind…Anyway back to the journals.

They looked so much like the one that sat just a few feet from me on the end of the bed. “So what so important about them that you wanted to show me?” I asked.

“This…” He said and picked one of them flipping through it till he came to a certain page.
He turned the book towards me and staring up at me was drawing of Zaid...just like the one in my own journal. In the corner was a little entry written my hand. ‘My beloved Zane. August 2nd, 1949. ~Adem Warvich~’