Chapter five: Alcoholic aftermath

Warren was sitting in the couch, watching old episodes of Babylon 5 – like he usually did when he didn't have anything better to do – and sipping on his Coke, when Andrew emerged from the stairs. He gave him another one of those nonchalant gazes, and then he went back to the telly.

"W-what're you up to?" stuttered Andrew. He both sounded, looked and felt insecure as insecure can be.
"Nothing much. Watching B 5. You?"
"Uh... I think I need to ask you something."
"Oh yeah? Well, ask away."
Andrew hesitated. This was the hard part. This most definitely had to come out right, or he'd have really screwed up.
"It's... it's about yesterday...?" Hoping that Warren would instantly know what he was talking about, he looked at him hopefully and cut off the sentence.
"What about it?" Warren's tone of voice was quite neutral; not upset, not wondering, not... nothing. Just blank.
"Well, you know..."

Silence. Suddenly silence wasn't as good anymore.

"... no, I don't, actually."
"I mean, what happened... with... us!"
"What happened with us? I have no idea what you're talking about, Andy."
"You must know! Look, I know you were wasted and all, but..."
Warren held up a hand, to shut him up. It worked with deadly efficiency. Andrew didn't utter one more word.
"Nothing happened yesterday, okay, Andy? Nothing. I was drunk, you were drunk... nothing happened."

Andrew could feel his insides contort inside him. This was exactly what he could've expected, and yet, it hurt like hell being hit by it.

How could you be so stupid? How the hell did you think this was going to work out, exactly?
It's Warren you're dealing with here.
Like he'd ever admit to anything like that!
His head was spinning, spinning out of control. He was spinning out of control.
This is crazy.

"Okay, I get it," said Andrew, smiling brightly as ever. "Must've been imagining things."
"Must've."
"So I'll just go upstairs again, then."
"Suit yourself."
"Just one more thing though."He looked straight at Warren, for dramatic effect. "I'm here, Warren. Right upstairs if you want to talk or anything. Or watch Voyager again. Or get really wasted. Whatever."
Warren was looking at the telly again, but Andrew could see him nodding slightly. "Yeah. I know, Andy."

The steps Andrew took walking up the staircase were the hardest ones he'd ever taken.