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The half drunk coffee cups littered along the side of the room welcomed Sky home. He dropped his book bag without a care in the world. Grabbing the unwashed baby blue and white blanket, he threw apart the patio door.
His eyes glanced at the eerily quiet night. It’s usually full of students. The nights are always filled with students coming in and out, food for late night study sessions, last minute project materials. Sky glanced at the analog clock on his study desk. 8pm. Tonight, even the sunset is early. It was not a long day nor the worst day Sky had.
But, somehow he lost his usual optimism disguised sarcasm along the test he worked so hard on yet blanked, everyone’s chatter and the rainy storm on his way back.
He got through Gun, he wasn’t going down after some irrelevant number on an even more irrelevant paper with ink stamps. Sometimes like now, it plagued his thoughts if there was enough strength left.
Sure maybe he’s gotten through an abusive relationship but that remains unseen. The Sky yearning for young love, adoring him and unscathed is unseen.
To everyone else he’s just an architectural student struggling over some bad weather and an underprepared test.
He sat on the chair, chin on his knee cocooned against the world.
For what seemed like hours later, Rain stumbled into their shared dorm.
“Ugh, the rain makes me look like a drowned bunny. Sky, You know what would make this day better? Some hot chocolate!.” Rain chattered excitedly, while he took off his shoes. There was no response. “Sky,” he called.
The room looked as if the washing machine threw up. Mismatched pairs of socks lay near the shoe rack, usually they were Rain’s. There was an impending mountain of laundry dead center of the room.
As Rain stepped further into the room, it smelt like musty cardboard and fish mixed into a smoothie. That blend of desperation is usually reserved for finals weeks, as students drink cups of coffee.
“Sky” Rain called out once again. “Sky, where are you?” more frantically this time, before schooling his voice down.
While Sky held their group strong during hell weeks, Sky broke over seemingly simpler, “low stakes” events. It stemmed from Sky’s overdrive brain reasoning that it shuts everyone out. Rain knew this was a vulnerable time for Sky, every year a couple of weeks before finals, Sky would shut everyone out and sit alone. Rain grew to understand he needed space.
Rain took a deep breath. “If Sky doesn’t come home by 10pm, then, I’ll call P’Pai. Sky can handle himself. He’s got this, Rain!” Rain murmured to himself. “Now, let’s make hot chocolate, once Sky gets back it might make his day better”
Rain put on some melodious music complementing the rainy weather and got set on making hot chocolate.
Sky drifted awake, lashes fluttering and his leg muscles complaining. Sky rubbed his eyes, blanking falling off his shoulder as he stood up to stretch. He turned around, the lights were on. He winced as his eyes adjusted to the brightness.
He opened the patio door and walked in. The wafting smell of chocolate hit him first, instantly soothing him. Why was there chocolate? Sky thought. He walked into the room and saw Rain in front of a couple of mugs.
Rain frowned. “Red or Blue?” he said out loud holding up two mugs, one red and one blue scrutinizing them. “Red says I love you. I’m here. Red, it is.” Rain decided firmly as if he were securing a world peace treaty.
“Rain, are you mediating global peace?” Sky said his usual sarcasm but it had tired underlying. Sky unfolded his arms and grabbed a mug. As he took the first sip, he closed his eye and exhaled, a small smile on his lips as he opened his eyes.
“Sky” Rain exclaimed. “Our lives are as important as global peace. Managing exams, projects and a million other things while trying to stay sane” Rain complained as his arms made wild gestures.
Sky chuckled. At the end of the day, Rain was there to pull him out of his hell hole of a life. Rain was always waiting and now, there’s P’Prapai. No matter how far he went, Sky would always come back for them. If not for himself, for them.