I closed the door gently behind me making sure not to alert my father I had arrived home. I must've looked like the biggest idiot on the planet with the goofy ass grin plastered on my face. I never felt this way before. I felt like if I wasn't holding on to something I could just fly away. Adam made me genuinely happy and that is something I hadn't been for an extremely long time. Who knew one day could possibly change your outlook on life. I knew I was getting ahead of myself. I mean I just met the kid and the chances that he felt the same way about me were highly doubtful. No one ever felt that way about me. I mean except Joe Cramer, the pimple faced kid from down the street who oftentimes could be seen from outside my window attempting to serenade me with some old love ballad he learned to play on his acoustic guitar. I mean he was nice, don't get me wrong, he just wasn't the knight in shining armor I always dreamed of sweeping me off my feet and taking me away from this slow-paced, boring life. I wanted adventure in the great wide somewhere; I wanted it more than I could tell. But Adam, he was mysterious, and gorgeous, and compassionate, and I could go on and on about his sparkling personality til the end of time. I wondered what he was doing at this exact moment. I sauntered up to my room leisurely plopping myself down onto my bed and removing my HP book from my bag digging into the words of my favorite author to ever grace the planet, J.K. Rowling. I dreamed of becoming half the author she was but as of now I was just some mediocre wannabee author with no future in the career. Becoming absorbed in the book I hadn't realized I had received a text message from an unknown number.
"Hey B, its Adam. Uh, I hope its ok I call you B, it's just I heard Chip call you that today and I quite liked it to be honest but if you don't want me calling you that I totally understand. Oh god, I'm rambling again. Gosh, why do I do that so much? Why can't I just be normal and sound chill when I text a girl? You must think I'm the biggest dork on the planet. You must be laughing at how dumb I am, huh? I just realized you're probably thinking how did this psychopath get my number. Chip gave it to me actually on the way home from school. She slipped a crumpled up piece of paper into my hand when we first left the school. So I guess I should just get to the point of why I texted now. Here goes. "What's up?""
I never laughed so hard at a text in my life. This kid was almost as socially awkward as I was yet I found it to be the most adorable thing in the world.
"Adam, what's good bro beans? Trust me; I don't mind the rambling in the slightest. I actually find it quite adorable. And as for calling me B, it would be a great pleasure for the spectacular Adam to acknowledge me by this simple, yet obvious likable nickname."
I hit sent but immediately regretted acknowledging Adam as "bro beans". I mean honestly could I sound anymore naïve.
"Ha, bro beans. That's a new one. You are rather good at making me laugh B. That's a huge accomplishment if you were to ask my parents. I don't laugh much at home; nothing humors me greatly there."
"And why is that?" I mention curiously.
"Ever since the baby was born my parents haven't had much time to have a good laugh with me. Babies take a lot out of you I suppose. They just tend to the baby all day and when they aren't doing that they're dealing with work. They don't have much time for me anymore. I guess that's not a horrible thing though. I can get away with practically anything."
I couldn't help but feel sorry for Adam when I saw that. Here I had a dad who would go to the ends of the earth to make me happy and I shut him out for no good reason at all. Adam craved for attention from his parents but they couldn't even give him the time of day. I realized I was pretty selfish with the life I've been given. I should be grateful for what I have not wanna push it away. I vowed to at least attempt to talk to my father a little more when I could.
"Well, to be completely honest I don't know what to say to that. I'm sorry that that happens to you at home. I truly am. It must suck to be ignored by your own parents. Sometimes I wish my dad would ignore me but I suppose I shouldn't, I guess I should be lucky, huh?"
"Count your blessings B. I wish I could walk in your shoes; even just for a day. That'd be nice."
A knock on the door startled me from my state.
"Yeah dad?"
"Hey honey just wondering if you wanted to get some take out for dinner tonight."
"Sure; that'll be fine. Chinese?" I suggest.
"Sounds delish. I'll order it now."
"Cool. Thanks dad can't wait."
I swear I could almost hear him smile through the door. It made me happy that I possibly just made my dad form an actual smile on his face. A true, real smile; one I hadn't seen for years now. I didn't mean to hurt him I honestly just couldn't help it. It was the defense I inherited through my mom's death. Shut the world out and there wasn't a chance I could be hurt again. It seemed to work for a while but after a few months it just killed me that I was hurting the only man I had left in the whole world.
I was drawn out of my own thoughts by my text tone. Adam and I talked for a while after that. I laughed at his various attempts to charm me with his humor. I heard dad thanking the take out guy and decided I should probably say good night to Adam and head down to enjoy the first dinner since mom died that I was actually looking forward to. Maybe tonight I could make amends with my dad.
"Adam, I gotta run. My dad's waiting for me for dinner. See you tomorrow?"
"Most definitely. I hope you have the dinner of all dinners. The most incredible dinner in the history of all dinners ever had. Dinner fit for a king. Okay, I'm being weird again. Haha, night B."
I threw my phone down on the bed laughing to myself. What had I gotten myself into with this kid?