His cell phone rested on the counter and Gareth found himself staring at it, lightly chewing on a thumbnail as he debated about what he should do next.
Work had been awkward for the rest of the day and he wasn't even able to finish what he was supposed to since David had called him into his office and spent the whole day telling him that if he quit like Tim had, he would not be able to collect his paycheck for the days he had worked so for.
Gareth had sworn to David that he would never leave this company and it wasn't until it was time to leave that David finally let him go home.
Now he was staring at his cell phone and wondering whether or not he should call up Tim and ask him to pick him up for dinner.
One part of him wanted to trust that Tim only wanted to be a friend, but then he would remember all of the messed up pranks Tim had played on him and the hand that would be holding the phone would let it drop onto the counter again and once more the argument in his head began.
On one hand, Tim had been the only one to sit down and listen to him when he needed someone to talk to.
But then again…he was the one constantly putting his stapler in jelly! And then he threw it out the window!
Tim had driven him home when he knew that no one else there would have even offered.
Tim had wasted a lot of his cell's minutes by calling him just to call him a cock and then hang up!
Tim had been there when Gareth had really needed someone to talk to about his mother and his father and he had promised to come to the wake with him.
This was the same bastard who had made fun of him with those overt gay references…
Gareth shut his eyes when he remembered that and a single tear rolled down his cheek.
"Could you…deal a man a lethal…blow?"
"If I was forced to, yeah."
"What if he was coming, really hard?"
"Ok…You've dug your foxhole and pitched your tent…They've spotted your camp and you're caught with your trousers down and they've entered your hole!"
"Shut up!" Gareth suddenly screamed against the memories, pressing his fists hard against his temples as he shut his eyes tightly.
He had finally figured out what Tim had really been saying hours later and afterwards he had run into the bathroom and vomited as his stomach started to hurt.
He was not a homophobe; Gareth was constantly being forced to defend himself against that accusation against him. He didn't hate homosexual people for being homosexual.
For a moment Gareth thought that he felt large hands running down his back and his stomach and he flinched and cried out; despite the fact that he was all alone.
"This is insane." He muttered softly, holding his head in his hands. Slowly he opened his hands and he looked down at the cell phone once more.
His stomach started to growl.
Once more he went over everything and he then closed his eyes and took a deep breath, picking up the phone and starting to dial Tim's number.