Drake was pacing around his apartment, zipping between his bedroom closet to the freshly folded pile of clothes in his laundry basket, and then back again. He didnât know why he was stressing so much about what to wear, but he was. It was important to make a good impression, even if it was only Conner. Well, maybe only was the wrong adjective to use to describe Conner. Conner was somebody. He mattered.Â
Eventually, with a little soothing from Hope as he frantically texted her his predicament, he finally settled on the simple art of calming down. There was no need to panic or pick out an entire outfit. Conner was his best friend, and he wasnât about to start overanalysing the ins and outs of Drakeâs dress sense. Not unless heâd become a secret fashion guru in the three years since heâd been locked up. Instead, Drake opted for throwing on his headphones, kicking back on the sofa and listening to his mom itâs not a phase playlist on Spotify. Before he knew it, he was relaxed and ready to go see his favourite person in the whole world.Â
As he slipped out of his apartment and started making the journey to Connerâs, his phone started buzzing in the pocket of his jeans. Glancing down as he pulled it free, he spotted a text from Claudia. He smiled fondly, before wondering if sheâd seen Connerâs post yet.Â
Claud đ: hey cutieeeeeeee i just got out of wrk are u free?Â
Drake: i have plans :(Â
Claud đ: what if i promised kisses from a qt girl wld that change ur mind?Â
Drake: aha very tempting :) i'm on my way to see conner though. he's back!Â
Claud đ: ohhhhh ye i did Â
Claud đ: do u think heâd wna see me?Â
Drake: why wouldnât he? just text him babe, check in! he's our best friend.Â
With that, Drake slipped his phone back into his pocket and carried on his way. He felt a little uneasy about the exchange, especially after speaking to Conner. His best friend had seemed upset about Drake and Claudiaâs relationship, and even more surprised to find that Claudia had made the first move. To hear â metaphorically speaking â Claudia speak so casually about Conner, and seem so unmoved by the fact that he was finally back after three years in jail, it made Drake feel a little queasy. They were best friends, all of them. Why did that have to change?Â
He pushed the thought to the back of his mind, instead focusing on arriving at Connerâs. The main priority for the evening was to wrap his best friend up in a bear hug and remind him just how much heâd missed him. Â
A couple blocks later, Drake found himself forgoing the lift entirely and eagerly bounding the steps up to Connerâs apartment. His legs stretched far and wide as he skipped every two steps, speeding his way up several flights of stairs with far more energy than he knew he could possess. Even after upping his game in the gym, leg day had never been his favourite.Â
He gave Connerâs door a quick knock and waited a little impatiently, bouncing back and forth on the balls of his feet. The second the door swung open, relief flooded through his chest at the sight of his friend. Beaming across at him, Drake wasted no time in launching himself at Conner and wrapping his arms firmly around the other manâs shoulders, leaving him little-to-no time to react.Â
âHoly heck, I missed you so much,â he repeated, for what felt like the hundredth time.Â