@interphrase
“They keep saying my blood pressure is out of control, so ....” He trails off, for a moment, scratching idly at his eyebrow in silence. It feels ... strange, to try to have a conversation this way. Sitting on his basement steps, with a glass of bourbon, leaned into the wall so he can pretend it’s casual somehow, when it’s not. “They limited me to two glasses of alcohol a day. No coffee, everything’s gotta be decaf, which is -- ...”
He shrugs. Sighs. Nearly laughs, because it feels ridiculous, all things considered. He’d never really been all that heavy a drinker, not since he’d gotten his PTSD under control. But he wanted it more, now. It was like an itch. But that’s not the kind of thing you say to people. Not in this situation. So he takes a breath. Lets silence linger.
Honestly, he’s not even sure Carlos is listening, anymore. But he can’t just let him sit in the basement for days on end, being ... half a person. And this is the closest to normal he can get, he’s pretty sure. “Harper wanted to come say hi. Verity’s doing a good job of keeping her from asking too many questions, though, at least. Which ... helps.”
He trails off.
“Carlos, can you please just -- just come try to talk to me for like, five minutes?”














