Equals: Witch And Wolf

2.

He looked at me without blinking, straight in the eyes. The kind of look that's so penetrating that you feel like he's probing you completely. This lasted at least half a minute and then he finally said to me in a slightly slurred voice:

- hi, are you the new neighbor?

As he spoke, he also tried to get up without much confidence and I thought that this kid must have had one drink too many.

- Yes it's me. Hello… I replied a little hesitantly.

He eventually got back on his feet and I could judge that we were almost the same height, even if he was two or three centimeters taller than me. He was just a kid anyway, he must have barely been 18 years old.

But… where did he get those eyes from?

- well, welcome to the fourth floor! From today on, we're like brothers...

As he spoke he put his arm around my shoulders.

“…if you need anything, come see me!” And even if one day you get depressed and want to cry, my door is wide open, understand? »

In the end, it was several drinks that must have been too many. I didn't answer him but apparently he wasn't expecting a response.

Suddenly he snapped two fingers as if he had just had a brilliant idea and rushed into his apartment without saying another word.

A little annoyed by this behavior, I finally went home. This kid... We couldn't help but be fascinated by his physique. Only, drunk people get drunk. I wasn't this stuck before though. The reason was that after Eric, I had been so horrified by the image I had discovered of myself that I had done everything I could to change. Maybe I overdid it a little?

An 18 year old kid had every right to get drunk on a Friday night and smoke a little, in a corridor that he probably thought was deserted. No?

I sighed then scanned the entrance with my eyes. Everything had been put in its place according to my instructions. There wasn't much left to do, except maybe unpack my personal belongings, but that will be for tomorrow. Right away, I was going to bed and rest from my long day behind the wheel.

Let's take a bath to start.

...this young man was still quite strange, leaving like that without a word. I didn't even have time to ask him his name... and why was I thinking of that? I had nothing to do with his name! Ah yes… it was because of his eyes, they reminded me too much of Eric. Besides, when I thought about it, Brook had the same eyes and when I pointed it out to her, she laughed and said that almost everyone had those eyes in her family... What if...?

The ringing of the door cut me from my thoughts. I had just arrived in the area! Who the f**k could come see me? Unless…

I opened the door and saw him. Always with his magnificent eyes and… cans of beer in his hands. Without asking me any questions, he pushed me and entered and finally launched me towards the living room:

- it's to celebrate your arrival!

This kid... he pissed me off...

I followed him and saw him wallow comfortably on MY couch, spilling the cans on MY coffee table and popping the opening of the one he had kept in his hand, but the moment he directed it towards his lips, I took it to him I snatched it from behind and heard him cry:

- hey but what do you have?

- I think you've had enough to drink for tonight. I replied calmly

I saw his eyes slowly darken and noticed that they were gradually turning blue, a blue-green which made them even more beautiful...

- and who are you to tell me that?

- the one with whom you are at this very moment…

He just had to go back home if he wanted to get drunker than he already was.

- He probed me once again with his penetrating gaze then responded, all storm suddenly leaving his gaze.

- It's true! So, offer me something else...

-… ok I'll see. I replied, a little confused by his ability to shift from one mood to another, and headed towards the kitchen.

Why was I putting up with a weird kid at home when I was completely exhausted? Would anyone like to tell me? In other circumstances I would have already kicked him out, not caring at all about the fact that he is my neighbor and that we would perhaps remain at odds for years. Only, there, something was stopping me and I didn't know what.

I had sent out to stock my fridge so I was sure I would find something in there to give him. I hesitated for a moment between a soda and a fruit juice, then ended up opting for the latter. I brought it back to him and guess what? I found him sound asleep on the couch! He definitely wanted to ruin my evening!

Of course I let him sleep there. I got a blanket from the bottom of my unpacked things and covered him. Not because he would surely have caught a cold. Finally Yes. But above all, the sight of his flat stomach, which the shirt rolled up by his movements had deserted and which was rising to the rhythm of his breathing, made me strangely uncomfortable. I had a hard time understanding why I had this crazy desire to put my hand there...

The next day, I got up quite early, the idea of ​​a young man sleeping in my living room completely gone from my head. So I was quite surprised to come across him when I entered. Coincidence, he woke up at the same time.

He blinked a little, not seeming to recognize the place. Then turned his head and his eyes fell on me. I heard him whisper:

" s**t… "

There was something changed in his eyes.

He stood up and gave me a smile… damn… Why did this guy have such a beautiful smile? Come to think of it, if he was drunk the night before, the only thing he didn't do was laugh. He hadn't even cracked a single smile even though he was in one of those states where you laugh stupidly over nothing.

- Sorry. he whispered

His voice... it no longer had anything to do with that of the day before. A completely harmonious sound came from his throat. Soothing even I would say. Neither serious nor fine, the happy medium...

-…

I remained a little stunned. The young man in front of me had nothing to do with the kid from the day before.

It's nice of you to have me around. In your place, I would have kicked myself out... he said again

-… no… it was a pleasure…

What was I saying?

- He smiles again. Yes, continue...

- in any case, thank you… I better go home now.

Why was he in such a hurry to leave all of a sudden?

- No. Um… you don’t want to stay for a coffee? It is with pleasure that I offer it to you. After all, we are neighbors...

He looked me in the eyes and answered

- I would have thought I had told you my whole life yesterday.

I smile in turn. Those eyes fascinated me...

Holding out his hand to me, he introduced himself

-Alex James.

I was a little disappointed

-… Kyle Morgane… I replied

I almost expected to hear him say "Portman"

Let's not be discouraged. He can very well be part of his family without having the same name. So I show him the toilets just in case and go to make coffee.

Later, sitting at the kitchen table, we got to know each other a little better, until, catching my eye on him, he asked me if he reminded me of anyone.

- my eyes maybe? It wouldn't be the first time... he added

- yes, indeed… it reminds me of a friend…

- Have you lost track of each other?

-… yes, he disappeared one day and I never heard from him again…

- give his name. Maybe I could help you

So it was true

- Eric. Eric Portman. I told him with hope

Suddenly he seemed surprised. For what? As soon as he mentioned his eyes, I was sure I was right. Don't let him tell me he's never heard that name!

- Eric… he whispered, he was… he’s my cousin…

I smile. What luck! Running into Eric's cousin like that on the first day!

Yet something about Alex's expression didn't sit well with me. There was something like pain there...

Happy with my fortune, I exclaimed:

- it is enormous ! I will finally be able to find him!

-… I don’t think so, no… he interrupted me in my joy without looking at me.

why was he telling me that? I asked him.

And there, he turned to me and fixed his gaze on mine, even deeper than usual, as if he was trying to register my reaction, then he announced to me without formality.

" He is dead. »

My eyes widened. It was impossible… Impossible! But why? What had happened? Why did they want to prevent me from repenting? It was so unfair!

- too bad... he murmured again.

Then he stood up as if he had just told me that his cousin had moved and warned me that he had taken enough advantage of my hospitality and was therefore leaving.

I grabbed his arm quickly and repeated like a fool

- dead? He is dead? Eric is dead? But...what happened?

He looked down at my hand still gripping his shirt and gently removed it before asking me

- meh, are you really interested in that?

- Yes really…

- Well… when my mother brought him back he was no longer really alive, he was no longer the adorable cousin I knew. He no longer smiled. Instead he spent those days crying. He hated himself because he was fat and ugly. He was completely obsessed with it. So he no longer ate, had seizures after seizures, depression, anxiety, fear, it was hard to live with for those close to him. Especially me. Because he was not only my cousin but also my best friend. Then we had to hospitalize him, feed him through a tube, and then one day it ended...

-… I…

-… it's funny because it was all the fault of one person. He kept repeating her name. Let's see... what did you say earlier? Oh yes, it comes back to me. Kyle. Kyle Morgan.

I was stunned. Yes, that was the word. The building caretaker had told me a few details... but I never would have imagined such a thing... and it was all my fault. Eric was dead because of me...

“But Eric was simply an i***t,” these words brought me out of the lethargy I had fallen into when I heard the news. I looked up at the person who had just said them. His gaze was inscrutable. So what kind of person was I dealing with?

“Yes, he was an i***t. After all, you didn't have to like him. It happens to everyone to get thrown out. And then what's the idea of ​​making this kind of statement to a straight guy? So even if you were a little harsh he just had to know where his place was. Is not it? »

It was a funny question that had some ironic intonations. I didn't really know what to say anymore. I wanted to tell him how sorry I was. How guilty I felt. Why was I looking for Eric but he didn't give me time...

“Okay, I’m going home to take a bath. See you. “KYLE.” »

And he was gone...

I didn't see him again for three weeks. I even wondered if he had moved. If behind his false indifferent appearance he didn't blame me for Eric's death. I felt desperately guilty and alone because I had no one to confide in.

Since Eric, I had gradually moved away from my friends to finally discover that I was a profoundly solitary soul. Only Franck remained my friend. It was impossible to escape from him anyway. we had experienced too much together and he still called me to tell me about his life!

I started the job without much enthusiasm and little by little I got used to the extremely boring life that awaited me in this city where I no longer had any goals.

After the fourth week, however, I finally ran into him on my way home from work. I couldn't explain why I wanted to see him again, why I thought about him every day, wondering where he had gone, if he had moved. I actually went to ring his doorbell two days ago when I had no idea what to say to him if by some miracle he actually came to open the door. I justified all this to myself by telling myself that I was new in the city and that the loneliness was probably weighing on me.

As he tried to slip the key into the door lock, He turned at the sound of my footsteps muffled by the luxurious carpet in the hallway and smiled at me. Tell me why I still thought he had a smile to damn a saint?

Finally, the important thing was that he smiled at me instead of calling me a murderer. I walked over and greeted him.

- Hello Alex. You've been missing since the last time.

- Yes, I spent a few weeks with my family. I didn't think it was necessary to warn you. You certainly didn't need me. If?

-… No…

He considered me for a second and then opened his door.

- Oh yes I see. Sorry, I forgot you were new around. I hope you haven't made too many friends in the last few weeks because I plan to make up for it!

He then opened the door wide and invited me to come in if I'm not too tired. Of course I'm not. I'm quite curious to see what his apartment looks like. I find myself in the middle of his living room thinking that I have never seen such mismatched decor. In fact there was no decoration. Any object present in these places surely owed it to its usefulness and it was placed in the place where it would serve best without regard to color or gender. But all this rather gave a warm air to the place and one had the impression that it was good to live there. As I sat down on the couch as he suggested, I even felt the urge to spread my feet on the table and lean back, my hands placed under the back of my neck, and sigh with contentment. I didn't do anything about it anyway.

Three months had passed and Alex and I had become inseparable. After all, there were only two of us upstairs. We didn't even lock our doors anymore. Moving from one apartment to another as if it were just one. We met every day after work. On Friday evening we would go out and spend the rest of the weekend together. I still have to admit that he hung around my house more than the opposite. The lazy guy hated shopping so he emptied my fridge most of the time and he ate dinner at my house every night to avoid cooking. Besides, my sofa had become his bed because he slept there very often. Let's admit that I liked it. It's been a long time since I've felt this close to someone.

All the time I felt more and more strange. Especially when he came home and I found his scent everywhere in my house, on every piece of furniture and even in my bathroom. When he stared at me with his penetrating gaze, when he smiled or even when he unintentionally fell asleep on my shoulder during a film. I really didn't know what was happening to me but I let myself be carried away slowly without asking too many questions.

“You are somewhere else” his harmonious voice said to me while we were in our usual Friday evening pub.

I worked a lot today. I'm a bit tired. I answered him

At the same time a girl passed the entrance of the premises and my gaze lingered a little on her. Quite pretty and curves just the way I liked them. I looked back at Alex and saw the knowing smile he was giving me.

- you should try talking to him. he told me

- She doesn't interest me. I answered him

And it was true

- either you have really picky tastes or it's something else. Since I've known you, you've never been interested in any girl. It's strange for a man like you.

- a man like me?

- yes, Eric was telling me how you fell for girls in high school

- He told you a lot about me it seems

- Every time I had him on the line, I got a good dose of Kyle Morgan.

Not knowing what to answer I choose to attack

- You speak. It's the kids your age who spend their time chasing girls. Why don't I ever see you do this?

- Because I'm gay.

He had locked his eyes with mine again. And while I had not yet digested the news, he continued in a very normal tone.

-… which is not your case. And then you keep calling me a kid, yet you have no idea how old I could be.

- 19 at most and I'm still nice, I replied, playing along.

He made a face

- SO? I asked him

But why did you see it so right?

And I laughed like every time he brought out his childish side.

While we were chatting quietly while sipping our cocktails, I saw a man approach behind Alex's back and bend down once he reached him to whisper softly in his ears:

"Hello my heart."

These words sounded strange to my ears. I wasn't used to hearing men say that kind of thing to each other. I did notice Alex's frown when he turned around.

- I thought you had a lot of things to do in Switzerland? he said to the man, his voice hard.

- Yes, but I was quick for you, darling.

Alex seemed very annoyed. Obviously he wasn't expecting this meeting.

- Get out Sean. In case you haven't noticed, I'm not alone.

The man's gaze then slid slowly towards me and to be frank, I had a little difficulty swallowing my saliva. He was really big and those muscles looked like they weighed a lot. Basically, he was a huge hound and the look he gave me was not at all friendly.

- Leave him alone. He's just a friend. Alex said again, looking the man named Sean straight in the eyes before adding

“And you’re nothing, so get out!” »

The man finally stood up, gave me a suspicious look and said before leaving

- Yes, that's it, see you later.

I saw him leave, wondering if Alex slept with that kind of person. I also realized that there was a lot I didn't know about him. Did it really matter? I knew everything I needed. These s****l orientations were none of my business. Neither did those he slept with. I was just his friend and that was enough for me...

- sorry… he whispered

There was no reason.

He looked at me for a moment then smiled and asked me where we were in our discussion.

One Saturday and I found myself spending the day alone because Alex was out. I rang his house in the morning with no answer. I wondered why he would disappear like that without warning. So I walked in circles for hours and as it struck 11 a.m., my doorbell rang. It couldn't be Alex. It never rang, it knocked.

Who could it be then?

I went to open it and came across a complete stranger. He stood there in front of me and was a good head taller. I don't know what I felt at the time but I was still conscious of thinking that this guy was breathtakingly handsome and that wasn't normal.

Clearing my throat to regain some composure, I wondered why he didn't say anything but stood there looking at me with those silver eyes and that warm smile plastered on his face?

- Good morning.

Finally. He was saying something. He had a deep, regular voice.

-… hello… I replied,

Greg Trainer. I'm a friend of Alex.

A friend of Alex….

-…Kyle Morgan…

- Yes I know. Alex told me a lot about you. I was actually extremely curious to see what you looked like. He was right. You're hot.

Alex said that...?

- Well, I will explain to you the reason for my presence. Today is Alex's birthday and I guess he didn't tell you anything.

His birthday?

- Don't worry, he's always like that. I guess he's gone to spend the day holed up somewhere by himself.

Was Alex like that? The Alex I knew wasn't like that. He would sooner be the type to come up to me by surprise in the morning to tell me that it was his birthday and that we had to celebrate.

-… but when he comes back, he continued, I plan to prepare a little surprise for him and since you are his friend I thought it would be nice for you to join us.

It was Alex's birthday and he hadn't said anything to me. Why did I feel so disappointed…?

“I must admit that in fact I also really need help” joked the other.

I heard myself accept and we headed towards Alex's apartment.

Next to the door I saw packages filled with everything needed for a party.

The other put his hand in his pocket and took out a bunch of keys, from which he chose one and inserted it into the lock. The door was not closed. I guess he figured Alex must have forgotten to do it. What bothered me though was the fact that he has a key to the apartment. What did this man mean to Alex? This Greg.

We spent the rest of the day decorating. He made conversation and tried to find out a little more about me. I looked at him a lot on the sly. This dark brown hair, almost tending towards brown. Those completely fascinating ash-colored eyes. Each feature of his face was in harmony with the rest. I couldn't help but compare him to Alex. They were both perfect apollos But in completely different ways. Alex had fine features while he exuded strength without being brutal. He was well built but not overly muscular. A bit like me.

Our work finally finished around 4 p.m. and we made ourselves a little sandwich to snack then we sat on the carpet, our backs against the couch, and we talked about Alex. He told me a lot of anecdotes about him since he had known him for a long time. In the end, I found that he spoke more like a brother than anything else. I didn't know why but it reassured me.

I must have fallen asleep because when Greg gently shook me awake, we were in darkness. I also realized that I had fallen asleep on his shoulder and that embarrassed me a little.

The sound of the door slowly opening caught my eye and I didn't move.

I saw Alex's figure slowly slip inside as if he didn't want to make a sound. Was he trying to hide his return from me? Failed then because as soon as he lit up the room Greg sprinkled it with multicolored confetti and we shouted “happy birthday!”

Alex remained motionless for a moment. Completely surprised. Then his gaze lingered on Greg and his face took on a painful expression that I had never seen on him before.

- Greg… he whispered before throwing himself into her arms.

I felt too much during the few seconds that their embrace lasted. When they finally let go Greg said

You stink of cigarettes. You promised me you'd stop.

- You promised me to return in a month. Alex replied, scanning the party decorations.

His gaze finally stopped on me and he finally seemed to notice me.

- Hi Kyle!

- Hi…

- You're here too. THANKS. Sorry for disappearing like that, I just wanted to be a little alone

- Yes of course…

- Come on. You should never waste an opportunity to get drunk! He finally finished rather happily, wrapping his arm around my shoulders.

That evening, even though I felt mostly excluded from the conversation, the three of us laughed and drank a lot. Especially Alex. He sent the liquid as if it were water and with each glass he seemed a little more cheerful. It was becoming quite worrying. In any case, it was obvious that he was extremely happy to see his friend again. I had never seen him so happy. I just understood that Greg had been gone for a while and had stayed much longer than expected. His return was a real surprise for Alex.

In the middle of the evening when the two had disappeared into the kitchen to bring back beer, Alex had returned with a necklace that had not been on his neck a little earlier. It was a pretty necklace that alternated gold and silver and at the end of which was a pendant in the shape of a parchment on which the word "kitten" was written.

Weird…

Noticing my gaze lingering on the object, he explained to me that it was Greg's gift. I apologized. I had nothing for him.

"It doesn't matter! You couldn't guess" he replied, smiling. In fact he was laughing because he was completely tipsy. Moreover, he ended up falling asleep in the middle of a discussion, which led Greg and me to end the evening on the balcony which offered a fantastic view of the city and its lights.

The fresh air did me a lot of good and we talked for a long time. Especially from me. I must have been pretty drunk because I was talking a lot. In fact it was him who made me talk and despite the number of drinks he had downed, he seemed to be the most sober of all. Once the cans were empty, he went to get more but after a few minutes he didn't come back, I decided to go and see what was keeping him.

As soon as I walked through the balcony door I heard the moaning. I walked over and found Alex crying in his friend's arms. It was so amazing. Alex, the boy indifferent to almost everything who cried like a child on Greg's shoulders. His hands behind his back gripped the fabric of his shirt so tightly that his knuckles turned white. The sight had such a strange effect on me that I couldn't understand a single word of what he was saying even though he kept talking between his moans.

"I'm sorry...I shouldn't have left you..." Greg whispered

He must have felt a presence behind him because he turned towards me. Our gazes remain glued for a moment before he turns around without saying anything.

He carried Alex to his room where he stayed for a good thirty minutes before returning.

- Alcohol… he said to me upon his return, leaning against the wall with his arms and feet crossed.

- Yes… I whispered without really knowing what to say

- He always has this reaction when he drinks too much… but it's okay now, he fell asleep.

He glanced at his watch and informed me

- it's after two o'clock. You must be tired. You can go back, I'll take care of him.

I would have liked to stay. In fact I wanted to run into that room, hug him and ask him what was wrong. I wish it had been in my arms that he had cried and that it had been my shirt that he had clutched so desperately.