[ lighter ]
[ lighter ] my muse pulls out a lighter and lights it for your muse to use to light their cigarette ——————— FLASHBACK
BABA where are you samir? come home NOW. HELLO? ANSWER YOUR PHONE
It was a small town, they could have found him if they really wanted to.
The last thing he wanted was to go home and sit in silence, just because it made them feel better to know where he was. In hindsight, it probably wasn’t the best idea to fuck off for three days without notice, but it never did feel right, asking them for any kind of permission.
It felt much better to just… sit. Sit and watch.
He wasn’t sure whose basement it was, but he was among friends that didn’t always want to talk about home (which no one was ever invited to) or school (which he was failing). If he could just maintain a comfortable buzz that kept his mind from racing and his anxiety at bay, he could be happy, or at least something close to that.
He fumbled with a box of cigarettes he’d nicked from someone’s bathroom in his travels because it was easier than figuring out what to do with his hands when there wasn’t a drink in one of them.
Sam, go smoke outside. My mom hates the smell.
He didn’t remember how he got there, but the sting of cold air on his face once he made it outside woke him up and made him realize he wasn’t alone.
“You’re Evan, right?” There’s no telling how he could remember the name, but he recognized the kid, who was only a few years younger, and definitely wasn’t hanging out much inside. Sam could picture him sitting over the piano at the local church, which Sam, being not particularly religious, himself, had little reason being at, other than the Holiday masses being one of the few things to do around Blackrock in the dead of winter.
“You want a cigarette?” He asked, and offered the semi-crushed box for Evan to pluck one out. It shook lightly as he held it. His fault for forgetting his coat inside. He tucked the box in his pants pocket and lit his cigarette.
“Oh, sorry. Here.” Sam held out his lighter and waited for the other to lean into the flame.
“Don’t worry, it kind of sucks in there. You’re not missing much.”
