NINETEEN
Midnight Whispering
Roman added him to a group chat after their conversation, and Elias had it muted almost immediately.
Marco texted. A lot. Which wasn't a surprise, but still. Elias didn't like having his phone buzz constantly. And he didn't want to put his phone on silent just because of one thing.
Elias didn't really respond unless it was something important. Like details about the trip, which was finally being brought up. The conversations beforehand weren't related to it at all.
Apparently, they'd be staying at a hotel for two nights, very close to a casino, which Marco only brought up because he wanted to go gambling. That was something Elias never in his life would do, so he brushed it aside completely and waited for the next topic.
Marco pulled out the room assignments. And immediately after he said Elias and Roman would be sharing, the latter texted back quickly:
Roman -
Only if he's okay with it
Roman -
Are you okay with it?? It's probably awkward sharing a room with another person
Elias -
Hmm sounds like you just wanna get rid of me. If that's the case just say so
Roman -
Wait no
Roman -
That's not what I meant I just want you to be comfortable
Elias -
I was messing with you lol relax. Yeah I'm okay with it, don't worry
Marco -
ooo the tension â anyway last call for changes
Marco -
going once
Marco -
going twice
Felix -
Shut up
Marco -
): and sold
Elias huffed out a quiet laugh and set his phone down. He was finally home from work, and Mars had beelined it to her room immediately, rambling excitedly about how there was a new update for the game she liked.
He fell back onto the couch. The diner was packed that day, and there wasn't a single break. It was busy from morning to when he left, and he had no idea why. It was one of those weird days that he never wanted to experience ever again.
His head hurt, but now that he was sitting down, he didn't want to get up again. "Ugh," he mumbled aloud, rubbing his hands down his face. He felt like he could fall asleep on the spot.
Elias sighed and glanced at his phone again. It was Monday, and on Friday Mars would be leaving with Lily and her moms. He would be leaving Saturday. He felt weird â leaving the house for more than a day. He wasn't sure he'd ever done it before. He never had anyone to visit or anywhere he wanted to go.
The more he thought about his social life and hobbies, the more depressed he got. Because he was just now finding a social life, and he'd given up on his hobbies as soon as he dropped out of college.
He really was so dreadfully boring.
He couldn't stop himself from feeling anxious when he thought about the trip. It wasn't far and it was only for two or three days, but it was so far out from what he usually did that it made him uneasy.
But he didn't want to back out now. He couldn't, really. Maybe I'll feel better once I'm actually there, he thought. I won't be alone either. I'll be fine.
I'll be fine, he assured himself again.
___
"You have everything?" Elias asked, watching Mars drop her bags on the floor as soon as she reached the bottom of the stairs. He went over to help carry them.
"Yeah," she huffed. "Pretty sure."
Elias raised a brow, amused. "You do know you'll only be gone for a few days, not a month."
Mars frowned, rolling her eyes. He flicked her forehead, and she responded by swatting his hand and saying, "Better to be safe than sorry. Don't make fun of me."
"I'm not."
"You are, shush." She reached for her things again. "Are they here yet? Lily said they were nearby."
Elias glanced out the window, finding a car driving up, slowing down to a stop. "Is that her moms' car?"
Mars pushed her way in front of him and beamed. "Yeah!" She dropped her stuff, again, and ran to the front door, swinging it open. "Lily!"
Elias decided to carry her bags out to the car for her. He spotted Mars barreling into her friend to give her a hug, and Elias smiled to himself. He was happy that she was happy. Lily seemed like a good person in her life. He was pretty sure Mars hadn't said a single negative thing about her, ever.
"Good morning," said a familiar voice he'd been hearing over the phone more often than face to face. Riko wiggled her fingers in a wave, and Hina was right behind her, a friendly smile on her face.
"It's noon, honey," Hina told her, gently patting her shoulder.
Riko waved her off. "It was eleven like five minutes ago. Hi, Elias! How are you?"
"I'm good, how are â " He was cut off by Riko pulling him into a hug. He froze for a moment, surprised. He didn't mind it, but he sure as hell wasn't expecting it. "Uh â how are you? The both of you."
Riko pulled away and squeezed his arms gently. She was the type of person to touch a lot when she liked someone, it seemed. "I've been okay! Work has been hell, which is unfortunately the usual thing. But we're getting away for a few days, so... Are you?"
Elias blinked. "Am I what?"
"Getting away," Riko clarified. "Don't tell me you're going to stay home alone."
Elias rubbed his neck. "That was, uh, the original plan. But I'm... actually doing something for this weekend."
"Oh? Do you have a lover, Elias?"
"Riko," Hina groaned. "That's none of your business."
"True, but I'm curious. Sue me."
Elias felt his cheeks heat up, and he wasn't sure why until the first thought that came to mind was of Roman. Of all people. "I â um, no. Just... with friends."
Riko narrowed her eyes. "What's with the blush, then? You have feelings for one of these so-called friends?"
"God, no," Elias whispered, facepalming. Riko was reminding him too much of Marco in that moment.
"I don't believe you, but I'll let you pretend I do." She grinned, then brushed past him to approach the two girls. "Hey! You two ready? Check in is at 2."
Hina offered an apologetic look. "Sorry, she has no filter sometimes. I hope you have fun on your trip, alright? Those bags tell me you need a break."
Elias exhaled. It seemed Riko's whole "no filter" thing had rubbed off on Hina without her realizing it. "Thank you. You, too."
He finished helping Mars put her bags in the back. When he shut the trunk door, he knocked on her window, which she rolled down quickly. "You swear you have everything?" he asked. "Toothbrush, toothpaste, that whole thing. You forgot it one time."
"Yeah, I have it."
"Okay." He reached out to ruffle her hair, then pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "Have fun, okay? Call me if you need me. Love you, Mars."
Mars smiled brightly. She looked so happy to be going on this trip, and Elias wondered why he hesitated in the first place. "I will. Love you, too, Dad. I'll text you when we get there like you said."
Elias nodded, waving goodbye when she rolled her window up. He lingered on the sidewalk until the car had disappeared from sight, then made his way back inside the house.
When he entered the living room, his eyes landed on his phone screen lighting up where it was placed on the coffee table. He half expected it to be messages from that group chat until he remembered he muted it.
Instead, it was a missed call from an unknown number. He swiped it away and went to check the group chat.
Spam calls were the worst.
___
He woke up to his alarm the next morning, rolling over onto his stomach instead of getting up right away. He didn't have anything to do, so he could afford a few more minutes in bed.
A really comfortable, really warm bed.
He hated and loved when his alarm rang again five minutes later; his eyes had started to close again. Elias forced himself out of bed and stumbled into the bathroom, glaring at his reflection. His bedhead made him look like an idiot. He patted it down as he reached for his toothbrush.
Once again, the house was painfully quiet. It hit him like a truck when he started making breakfast and Mars wasn't there to pester him about when it'd be ready. He'd gotten so used to routine â it was ridiculous.
When he sat down, he caught his phone vibrating on the table. It was another unknown number. He declined and checked the messages he'd gotten through the night. Some were from Mars, sending a bunch of pictures, and the others were from the always active group.
He wondered how they could text so much. Were they not busy? Or maybe Elias just didn't care as much about group chats.
Marco -
here's the address by the way
Marco -
elias better not back out or I'll have some words
Felix -
He won't back out
Roman -
Even if he did, it's none of our business
Felix -
True
After that, Marco sent the rest of the information needed. He really was going gambling almost right away.
He appreciated what Roman said, and was relieved Felix agreed. It made him feel a lot less guilty about potentially feeling anxious. He would still go â he wasn't sure he quite liked how quiet it was.
And he knew he wouldn't experience silence with Marco and them around. He'd get it at the end of the day when rooming with Roman though, so it was a nice balance.
He glanced at the clock. He had until noon to finish getting everything put together to go. It was plenty of time.
He was pretty sure he hadn't been on a trip in years. So, he wasn't exactly sure what to expect.
___
A/N: kind of a filler but bare w me i swear things start picking up . very soon
like very very very. Very soon
as i'm typing this i'm crying bc i accidentally left a mcflurry in the freezer and now it's frozen solid and i'm sitting here feeling like i'm watching paint dry
gonna go play genshin now ð