a mutually-assured attachment.

'You do it to yourseeeeeeeeeelllfff.....'

Chris. 19. Irish, living in America. Not interested in your pity. Wears mostly black- sue him, he likes the colour. Considered the edgy rebel of his ''friend group'', consisting of only one person. If anyone asks, it's a group. Unkempt hair- blonde, currently with strands sticking out from under his beanie.

A coffee cup clinks on the table in front of him. Another clink. He looks up.

Donovan. 20. American, Russian surname. Completely monotone voice. The only person in the world to ever say "eheheh" sincerely. Skinny- too skinny, Chris thinks. Wants to be a florist. Curly blonde hair that doesn't suit him. Looks like a surfer. Prefers to be called DD.

"You're spacing out." DD interrupts his monologue. Chris sighs, looks back down at the table. He doesn't want to be this anti-social today- he just doesn't feel like talking. DD always seems to pick up on when he's having days like these, and does the talking for both of them. "I met a guy today. Julian. He seems nice."

Chris has heard of Julian before- 19, Hispanic, on the chubby side with curly black hair, glasses, and the most glorious wheeze-laugh he's ever heard. He lets out a quiet noise to show he's listening, and DD continues. "We talked for a while- he wants to be an artist. I mentioned you. We're meeting up again on Friday, you can tag along if you want to."

He dares a glance upward at the calender. Today's a Wednesday- the 13th. Chris has always hated February, but he doesn't want to disappoint DD or a possible new member of the friend group. "Sure," he forces himself to reply, cursing himself internally for the thick Irish lilt that coats his words like molasses. "I'll go."

DD tilts his head ever so slightly, curly blonde locks falling into his face at the adjustment. "Are you sure? Don't feel like you have to- if you don't feel up to it, you can cancel any time. I know this is kind of a rough month for you." Chris buries a sigh and instead takes a sip of his coffee, masking a wince at the intense heat. "I'm sure. I wanna meet him. Make sure he's the one." DD sighs in that huffy way he always gets whenever Chris teases him. It's his turn to hide his emotions in his coffee, mumbling a quiet "it's not like that" into his cup.

This manages to actually get a chuckle out of Chris, surprising even him. February was his lowest point in life- his mood always dips this time of year, especially so close to the holiday. Valentines Day never really was his favourite day in the world, but ever since her, his tolerance for it had subsided completely.

"Are you sure you're coming though?" DD pushes again, and Chris sighs. He takes a little while to hesitate, trying to predict how he'll feel on the day. "No," he replies after much thought. "but I'll make an effort." That makes DD smile.

"Thank you."

They lapse back into comfortable silence.