I lingered in a bewildered high when my thoughts turned to Sera, the reason for the twitch in my hand and the piece on my wall. All of this came back to her, and if I wanted to keep my spirits and creativity up, I needed her around. Yet the only way I could reach out was through the computer. I grabbed it from my nightstand and brought it to life.
Facebook filled the screen. I smiled at the colors and familiarity of the site, the comfort. What a joke. After searching, I found her name and the green dot beside it.
Me: Hey. You around?
She responded instantly.
Sera: How are you? I haven't seen you online.
Me: Good. Things have been crazy here. How are you?
Sera: I'm slightly stressed with the gallery opening in a few days. You're still coming, right?
Me: Absolutely.
I had completely forgotten about the commitment. f**k. Dragging out the cell phone I'd purchased when Nate took me to get supplies, I realized it was almost one in the morning. But I dialed my best friend anyhow.
Sera: I really appreciate it, Bastian.
The phone rang as I continued to type. Nate didn't answer, and it went to voicemail, so I called back. He hated it, but he'd pick up if I called twice. True to form, he did, likely thinking something was wrong.
"Bastian? You okay?" The groggy slur of his words threw me for a loop. He was winded and sounded drunk.
I chose to ignore the fact that I'd woken him before I forgot why I had called. "Hey, Nate. I need you to do me a favor."
"Yeah?"
"I told Sera I would come to her gallery opening on Thursday, but I can't go alone. Will you go?"
"You called me in the middle of the night to ask me to be your date to your wannabe girlfriend's art thing? You know I have a job, right? One that I have to be at in less than seven hours." His irritation rang through loud and clear, but I overlooked it.
He'd forgive me in the morning because he was afraid I'd off myself. And while I shouldn't take advantage of that, this was the first step toward living again, not merely existing.
"Well, yeah."
"f**k you, Bastian. I'll talk to you tomorrow."
"So, is that a yes? You'll go?"
"Night, Bastian."
"Nate! Seriously, will you go with me?"
The fucker just laughed and hung up. I tossed the phone aside, knowing he wouldn't let me down. Every once in a while, it dawned on me just how much I loved the ugly fucker. I'd never tell him, but Nate was the only thing that had kept me alive for years.