A Good Friend To Have
They have an established system. Ephram sneaks a glance at Colin during class and then Colin raises his hand -- Coma Boy Puppy Dog look firmly in place. He asks to be excused and their history teacher looks at him with a face full of pity even now, months after his return to the conscious world.
He will receive this look for as long as he lives here; he's the Fallen Hero of Everwood, Colorado.
Ephram has found ingenious ways to exploit this look, like using it to get out of class to go make out.
Colin heads for the music room. He's glad they've moved their little impromptu sessions there. He was starting to associate the smell of bleach with the feeling of Ephram's fingers sliding under the waistband of his jeans, and that just wouldn't do at all.
Ephram will follow in a few minutes to "check on" Colin. He's such a good friend. Colin smirks at the thought.
Ephram was an admirable friend when he offered to help Colin in history, even owning up to his mediocre skills in the subject. Colin knows why Ephram doesn't excel in that class -- Ephram lives in the now. Colin appreciated that.
Ephram was a thoughtful friend when he offered to get Colin a Coke that day. He was a great friend when Colin stood next to him in the Brown's kitchen and babbled nervously, smiled just a little too much. Ephram was a great friend when he laid his hand, warm and sure, over Colin's own -- a slow, easy smile crossing his face.
Ephram was a skilled friend when Colin worked up the nerve to lean over and kiss him. It wasn't mind-blowing or earth shattering. It wasn't a destructive force. It was a renewal, a fortification. This is what resolution tasted like.
Colin's addicted to the taste of resolution, to the taste of Ephram. It seems that Ephram's addicted too when he smiles at Colin, sitting patiently by the piano.
They have a system, but they are never routine. The butterflies always take up sanctuary in Colin's stomach, but he doesn't mind them so much anymore. They mean Ephram is near, and when Ephram is near, Colin's world is a little less loud, a little less demanding and a little less ablaze. But Colin's world -- the world around Ephram -- is as brilliant as the stars shining in the sky on a clear winter night.