Zain barely made it through the rest of the day. His mind kept drifting back to the weekend, to the party, and to everything he still had to figure out. But it felt good, for once, not to be thinking about all the mess at home. For a little while, he could just be... normal, like everyone else.
As the final bell rang, he met up with Theo outside the school, already leaning against the wall, looking way too cool for his own good.
“Ready to get out of here?” Theo asked, his eyes lighting up when he saw Zain.
“Yeah, I guess,” Zain said, his voice a little distracted as he pushed his hands into his hoodie pockets. “Just... gotta survive the weekend, right?”
Theo’s expression softened. “You’re not alone in this, Zain. You don’t have to do all of it by yourself.”
Zain nodded, even though the weight of everything still pressed down on him. But, with Theo standing there next to him, it didn’t seem as heavy. “Thanks. For, you know, being here.”
Theo just shrugged, his smile wide. “It’s nothing. Besides, I’m not going anywhere.”
They walked to the parking lot, talking about random stuff like they always did. But Zain’s mind kept drifting back to his mom, his dad, Ella, and the whole mess of his life. He didn’t want to think about any of it right now. All he wanted was to get through the weekend, have fun at the fair, and maybe—just maybe—let himself enjoy whatever was happening between him and Theo.
Once they were in the car, the drive home was quiet, but in that peaceful, easy way. Zain could feel his nerves slowly settle as he glanced over at Theo, who was humming along to the radio, completely unaware of the storm inside Zain’s head. He looked so... easy. Like he had everything figured out, even though Zain knew, deep down, that Theo didn’t. But maybe that was what made him so comforting—Theo didn’t care about the stuff Zain was dealing with. He just wanted to be with him.
As they pulled up to Zain’s house, he could feel the tension creeping back, but he didn’t want to show it. He just wanted to escape for a little while longer.
Theo turned to him before Zain could open the door. “Hey, I’ll see you tomorrow, right? We’re still on for the fair?”
Zain nodded, trying to smile. “Yeah, we’re still on. See you then.”
He stepped out of the car and waved, but the moment he was inside the house, his shoulders tensed up again. His mom was sitting at the kitchen table, looking up when she saw him.
“So, you and Theo are getting along?” she asked casually, but Zain could tell she was watching him carefully.
Zain sighed, dragging his backpack off his shoulder. “Yeah, we’re fine.”
She gave him a small smile, but there was something in her eyes that Zain couldn’t read. “I’m glad. Just... don’t let things get too complicated.”
Zain didn’t respond. He couldn’t. He didn’t even know how to explain everything going on in his head, let alone what was happening with Theo. So, he just nodded and headed upstairs, hoping tomorrow would feel a little easier.
But as soon as he opened his bedroom door, his phone buzzed. He looked down, seeing a text from Theo: You good?
Zain couldn’t stop the smile that spread across his face. Yeah, just tired. I’ll be okay.
Theo responded almost immediately: Alright. I’ll be here. Just say the word.
Zain leaned back against his door, his heart doing that stupid flutter thing again. Maybe everything wasn’t figured out yet. But he didn’t have to do it alone, not with Theo in his corner. And for now, that was enough.
ns 15.158.61.13da2
