Facebook Friends

Vic will admit that he spends a fair amount of time on the internet, but if there’s one social media website that he hardly ever goes on, it’s Facebook. It’s just boring, not to mention the fact that at this point, the only people on there are middle-aged parents. If he weren’t friends with a bunch of family members on it, he’d probably have deleted his account by now. (Seriously, though, are there actually people his age who still use it regularly, or is that just a myth?)

In fact, the only reason he’s on Facebook at all right now is because there happens to be a little number 1 in the corner of the Facebook app on his phone, signaling that he has a notification. It annoys him when that little number is there, so he has to open up the app to get rid of it. (He really should just delete that app, since all it’s doing is taking up space.) He doesn’t intend to stay on there for more than three seconds, but he gets distracted by the notification that brought him here in the first place: some person named Kellin Quinn liked a random photo that he was tagged in recently.

Vic goes into his friends list, and sure enough, Kellin’s name is listed. The thing is, Vic’s pretty sure he’s never met a single person named Kellin in his life. He has no clue who this guy is or why they’re Facebook friends.

Vic visit’s Kellin’s profile, wondering if maybe looking at his face will trigger some sort of memory, but there’s nothing. The only thing Vic can gather from it is that Kellin is pretty young (probably in his early twenties, around Vic’s age) and really, really cute. So there’s that.

In all honesty, Vic has a habit of pressing “Accept” on every friend request he gets without even thinking, simply because he wants the notification to go away, so Kellin probably sent him a request and he accepted it without stopping to wonder who the fuck the guy was. Now, though, he’s starting to wonder.

With no other way to solve the mystery other than to talk to the guy himself, Vic mentally prepares himself for talking to a new person and then sends him a message:

Vic Fuentes: Okay no offense because you seem cool but who are you exactly?

He doesn’t really expect Kellin to respond at all, let alone in less than five minutes, but he must have notifications on his phone or something (since he didn’t seem to be very active on his profile), because soon enough, he’s got a reply.

Kellin Quinn: Uhh…I’m Kellin??

Vic snorts, shaking his head. This is going to be an interesting conversation.

Vic Fuentes: okay well no shit. but like…I don’t remember ever meeting you before. so like why are we friends

Kellin Quinn: …huh. I actually don’t remember

Kellin Quinn: OH WAIT NO so my mom is the boss of your mom and I guess they were talking about how they both have kids who are about the same age and then my mom told me your name and to send you a friend request and get to know you because apparently both of us are lonely and terrible at making friends

Now that he thinks about it, Vic sort of remembers having that conversation with his mom, who briefly mentioned one time that her boss’s son sent him a friend request on Facebook. He must not have paid much attention to that, but he’s certainly paying attention now.

Vic Fuentes: well then let’s get to know each other. what’s your favorite ice cream flavor?

—

The two hit it off surprisingly well. Vic doesn’t really expect to get along with Kellin just because he happens to be the kid of Vic’s mother’s boss, but that quickly proves to be wrong. They’ve gone from talking about ice cream flavors to debating over TV shows that they both watch to sending each other music recommendations (Kellin turns out to be one of those people who pretend that they listen to nothing but “hardcore” music when in reality they also secretly jam out to Rihanna). They trade phone numbers so that they can just text each other instead of using the Facebook messaging system, and Vic finds himself getting excited every time his phone buzzes in the hopes that it’ll be something from Kellin.

They’ve been talking for about two months at this point, but they’ve still never officially met up, even though they only live maybe a half hour away from each other. Kellin’s never brought it up, and Vic’s always been too nervous to, as if he’s afraid that wanting to hang out with Kellin in person will make him break off their friendship completely. Or maybe he’s afraid that when they meet, they’ll have nothing to say to each other, or it’ll be really awkward, or something. One Friday, though, he decides to just go for it.

Vic Fuentes: Have you ever thought about us meeting up?

The three minutes that it takes Kellin to respond are some of the most stressful three minutes of Vic’s life. The fact that he has a little bit of a crush on his friend doesn’t help matters at all (Kellin is bisexual, which means that Vic would possibly have a chance, if it weren’t for the fact that Kellin already has a girlfriend).

Kellin Quinn: Yeah actually….would you want to? When and where?

Vic sighs in relief, feeling excitement bubble up in his chest. He almost can’t believe it. He’s going to meet Kellin.

Vic Fuentes: would tomorrow work for you? I could drive over to your place and we could hang out there, maybe go out for lunch somewhere near you, idk

Kellin Quinn: I’ve got nothing going on tomorrow so sure I’d love to hang out with you loser!!

Vic Fuentes: Wow okay that’s rude

Kellin Quinn: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Vic Fuentes: I’m canceling

Kellin Quinn: I TAKE IT BACK

Kellin Quinn: PLS HANG OUT WITH ME

Kellin Quinn: I HAVE NOTHING TO DO

Vic Fuentes: that’s what I thought

—

Kellin gives Vic his address, and at around eleven in the morning, Vic heads out to find it. As he gets closer and closer, he can’t help but feel even more excited. It’s one thing to talk to someone over the internet, but it’s another to meet them in person.

Once he arrives at what he’s pretty sure is Kellin’s apartment complex, Vic heads inside, taking the elevator and searching for the right number on the right floor. Part of him is afraid that he somehow got this wrong, and another part of him is just afraid that this whole meet-up is going to go wrong, but a bigger part of him just really wants to meet Kellin, and that’s the part of him that forces him to knock on the apartment door.

He hears the muffled sound of clumsy footsteps, and a few seconds later, the door opens, revealing none other than Kellin Quinn.

“Whoa,” Vic says automatically. Kellin is a lot more attractive in real life; his pictures really don’t do him justice. If Vic thought he had a crush on him before, well, there’s no going back now.

“Holy shit,” Kellin says, his mouth quickly curving up into a wide grin, and then he throws his arms around Vic in a warm hug.

Something about that one moment absolutely sells it for Vic: the sincerity, the eagerness, the openness, the fondness. It’s everything that he loves about Kellin all wrapped into a single gesture of affection, and it’s something that he wants more of. He wants more of Kellin.

That day is one of the best days of Vic’s life, even though they don’t really do anything particularly special. They just hang out, but that’s enough for them. The only thing that would make it better for Vic would be getting to kiss Kellin, but he has a feeling that that would be too far. They’ve already become closer with each other than they are with any of their other friends, and plus, Kellin has a girlfriend, and Vic isn’t going to let his stupid feelings ruin any of that.

—

Kellin Quinn: listen….listen something happened and I need u to come over like right now….I know it’s late but just pls I’ll leave the door unlocked I’m in my bedroom

It’s ten o’clock at night, but the second that Vic receives that text message, a few months after their first meet-up, he hops into his car and rushes to Kellin’s place, feeling his heart beat fast at the thought of his best friend being upset. He hates it when people he’s close to are upset; it rips him apart, and Kellin is definitely no exception.

When Vic opens the door to Kellin’s apartment, most of the lights are off. “Kellin?” he calls, closing the door behind him.

The lights in Kellin’s bedroom are off, too, and Kellin is lying on his side underneath the covers, his gaze focused on the TV across the room that’s quietly playing some random adult sitcom. He looks less like he’s actually interested in the show and more like he’s just trying not to cry, and it’s an awful sight, really.

“Kellin,” Vic repeats from where he’s standing in the doorway.

Kellin shifts his position a little to look up at Vic, smiling halfheartedly. “Hey.”

Vic makes his way over to Kellin’s bed and climbs in without a word, pulling the covers up over himself and shifting his body closer to Kellin’s (they’ve done things like this before, so it’s not weird). After a few moments of silence, Vic speaks up: “Do you want to talk about it?”

Kellin sighs, finally turning his body to Vic’s and sitting up a little bit more. Then, resting his head on Vic’s shoulder, he says softly, “My girlfriend broke up with me, okay?”

Vic’s first thought is not one of excitement that maybe now he can finally have a chance. No, his first thought is one of heartbreak and anger at the girl who hurt Kellin, because he can see just how much this has taken a toll on him, and Vic wouldn’t wish that on anyone.

“Sorry if it’s dumb,” Kellin adds, closing his eyes, his voice tiny and shaky.

“It’s not dumb,” Vic replies truthfully, wrapping his arm around Kellin and slowly rubbing his back. “It hurts. I get it.”

Instinctively, Vic leans forward a little and presses a soft kiss to Kellin’s forehead. It’s not necessarily meant to be taken romantically; it’s just a gesture of comfort, an indication of sympathy. Kellin glances up at him with a question in his bloodshot eyes, and Vic doesn’t say anything. He doesn’t feel as though he needs to explain himself, and after a moment, Kellin just nods and returns his head to Vic’s shoulder.

“Vic?” he says after another long moment.

“Hmm?”

Kellin sighs again, moving his body slightly closer to Vic’s. “I’m really glad you sent me that message one time. Because otherwise I never would’ve gotten up the nerve to actually talk to you.”

Vic smiles a little at the memory. “Well, I’m glad you liked that random picture of me,” he says. “Because otherwise I never would’ve even realized we were friends.”

They don’t speak much more for the rest of the night, because they don’t really have much to say. Vic knows that most of Kellin’s mind is occupied by thoughts of his ex at the moment—if he’s going to ramble about how much he misses her, he’s saving it for another day—but that’s fine by Vic. It’s not about him right now. Right now it’s about his friend, and Vic makes sure to stay with him for the entire night, their bodies close and their breathing slow, and for the time being, that is enough.