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Leo’s mom often joked that Leo was like a plant and Jason was the sun. Without Jason, Leo simply died until he was brought back into his proximity but plants were beautiful in every stage of being. They spewed beautiful colors right before they died out and stayed strong and resilient under the blanket of winter snow. They spent the winter seasons helping their roots grow stronger and came back full of life. Plants were useful in multiple ways and loved by everyone. They provided. They made their way into every corner of life. The girls Jason dated were beautiful flowers. Always kept people smiling and their absence was always dearly missed by everyone. Not a winter day went by when people didn’t mention the naked trees and talk about the green of summer. Leo figured he was more like the moon. How many people noticed when the moon was restarting phases? He still relied on the sun but it didn't have as much significance to people as plants did. The moon didn’t have colorful phases that would make people stop and stare. It was plain and only provided entertainment to those too tired and bored in the middle of night to do anything else. Leo was not beautiful and helpful in every stage of being. As the sun went away, so did his shine, and in the sun’s absence, he did not create any meaningful impact. He disappeared and isolated himself until Jason pulled him back into the light. Jason was definitely the sun, there was no doubt about it, but Leo was certainly not a plant.
On a chilly autumn day the morning of a new moon, both the plants and the moon were unaware that they were about to lose their sun. Leo woke up to the sound of vacuums and milkshake blenders. It seemed an ordinary day to him. Sunlight filtered through his uneven blinds and hit him right in the face. As it was seemingly impossible to get shut eyes, he got up and started his day. It wasn't until he was sitting on his living room floor with his homework in his lap that he got the call that caused anxiety to start stirring in his stomach. Anxiety that would not come to an end for a while. He picked up the buzzing device from under his textbook and answered. Piper’s voice rang in his ears but it wasn’t at its usual bubbly level. She quivered on her words as she told Leo that Jason was in trouble.
“What?!”
“Hospital! I don’t know, he overdosed or something, I don’t know! Can you just get here?”
Leo had already gotten up even before she asked. He got his keys and ran to his self-fixed car. It always had a 50-50 chance of working but Leo really hoped it wouldn’t break down now. Thankfully the engine sputtered and started running, maybe it needed the sun as well. Every stoplight caused excruciating agony. He was still on call with Piper but she had broken into tears and wouldn’t answer Leo’s questions, or maybe she was trying. Leo couldn’t tell. When he got to the hospital he found Piper waiting at the front for him. She took him up the elevator and led him through the hallways. All of the rooms looked the same from the outside. The only thing that signified that they had reached Jason’s room was Piper coming to a halt and Jason’s friend sitting outside on a chair.
Leo had questioned for a long time if the feelings towards this girl were jealousy or love. He spent all of his sophomore year telling himself that every time his heart fluttered whenever he went over to Jason’s and she was there, it was due to a crush on her. However, when she and Jason were taking a break from their relationship, his heart still fluttered when going to Jason’s and he realized that Jason was the common denominator. This realization hit him in his Junior year.
As far as he knew, the two had gotten back together for a short amount of time afterwards but then things ended for good about a month ago so he had no idea what she was doing here.
“Hey…” Piper went and sat next to her. Then as if on que, they both started crying into each other's arms. Leo was never one to cry in public. Matter of fact, there has only been one person who he allowed himself to tear up in front of, and he was currently located on the other side of the door.
“Can you please just tell me what happened?”
The question wasn’t really directed to anyone in particular, but he did hope Piper would answer. That was not the case. The girl who-leo-really-didn’t-feel-like-naming looked up at him and explained. Leo didn’t want to make eye contact and was looking everywhere but her face as she talked. She said he got into a motorbike accident near their school plaza. It was because he was on a whole lot of drugs and wasn’t thinking straight. He didn’t get major physical injuries but the overdose had sent him into a coma.
“He was doing drugs? Why was he even over there? That’s on the other side of town.”
“He was coming….to see me.”
So that explained what she was doing here. Leo caught her hesitations. She probably thought Leo would be upset if the person he liked was meeting someone else. He was upset, but not for the person she was thinking of.
They all sat outside for a couple of hours. Piper and her had taken the seats so Leo sat on the floor by Piper’s legs. They were all silent. Not much to say when there's a chance your best friend might not wake up. Doctors had gone in and out and Leo tried to read their faces but none of them showed anything. At one point, he went to the hospital's food area to get lunch. He brought back some drinks and sandwiches. He gave one to miss. Stole his man (joking) and she went “Thank you. Sprite is his favorite.”
Of course I know that. That’s why I got it.
Piper looked at him with a knowing look and smirked slightly. She was the only person who knew who Leo’s heart truly belonged to. Plus, this was the first time she had smiled since he’d seen her today so he was glad, even though it was at his expense.
After two hours, the doctors told them to go home. They said his levels were fine and he was in a coma.
“Expect him to be up in six or seven days.”
It was the worst week of Leo’s life.
He spent a lot of time when he was younger by himself and he thought he was used to it but Jason had intertwined himself into Leo’s life in such a way that now he didn’t know how to live without him. The pain of not having Jason to immediately text whenever he was bored was killing him. He couldn’t focus on anything. It brought him some comfort in knowing that Jason hadn't completely fallen off the face of the earth. He was only a ten minute drive away. What bothered Leo was what his ex was doing at the hospital. Leo knew his chances with Jason were very, very low but that didn’t mean he couldn’t be upset. The probability of dating the most beautiful, kind man he had ever seen went from 0.3% to 0.1%. He could not be acting like a jealous psychopath when his friend was in the hospital though so he tried to conceal his feelings. Tried.
By the fifth day without Jason, Leo was about ready to die. He decided to go to the hospital and just sit in his company. That had to calm his nerves down a little. He was praying the whole time that Jason’s ex would not be there. Unfortunately, god hated him and he smelt her perfume before the door was even open fully.
She had pulled up a chair and was sitting while stroking Jason’s hand with her thumb. When she saw Leo she immediately straightened up. Leo sat on the edge of the bed and seriously started wishing he had brought Piper. He would have been completely fine with sitting there in silence, unfortunately, she was not.
“The doctors said he might be up soon. How have you been holding up?”
“Fine.” Complete lie. “You?”
“Not well. I miss him a lot. It feels like I’m without half of myself, get it? Or I guess you wouldn’t know.”
She started talking about Jason and sharing memories of them together. She also shared how much pain she had been in for the past couple of days, and it was the exact same state Leo had been in.
The next day they got the call that Jason was up. Leo went to see him, this time with Piper and when they got there his ex was already sitting next to him on his bed. Leo felt a twinge of jealousy but he brushed it aside. He had to be okay with seeing Jason with other people because he looked immeasurably joyful with her and Leo figured he could never make him as happy as this. Jason was like the sun, and Leo was the moon, during a lunar eclipse with the entire world being between them and keeping them apart from each other. And Leo had to learn to swallow that pill.