When George's phone lit up hours later he jumped at it, nearly falling off the couch in the act.

Maybe it was embarrassing, a twenty-five-year-old man sat at home all night staring down at his phone in the hopes that she would call.

But once again he was left dejected, sure Dream was his best friend, but it really wasn't the call he wanted right now.

"Hello?" He sounded almost bored.

"George!" He was met back by a bright voice, the golden retriever man's mood never faltering, "where've you been all day dude, you disappeared"

George wanted to sigh. He wanted to rip his eyelids out and throw a tantrum.

Because George knew exactly where he'd been all day, the same place he was right now, sat on the sofa desperately trying to distract himself from the thought of her.

"I've just been...busy"

"Ahhhh," Dream started slowly, he could sense the smirk on his face, " 'busy' alright alright" he laughed.

"What?" Perplexed.

"You're sneaking off with you're 'none bitchless' lifestyle" he faked a sniffle, "forgetting all about lil ole' me"

Now, he did sigh.

"That's ridiculous"

Yeah, it was ridiculous because Dream had been taking all of her time up; but he couldn't say that.

"Oh, I'm so sure" he laughed some more, clicking around his mouse as he spoke, "I'm about to hop on, bedwars? Sapnaps up for it"

He always admired how Dream could move a conversation along, knowing when too far was far enough and doing his best to make him feel comfortable.

It was nice, and reassuring, but really not what he needed from Dream right now.

He wishes he could scream at him, shout at him through the phone and cuss him out for hours.

But Dream wasn't taking up Astrid's time to be malicious, he was making somebody who was obviously nervous calm, helping her along the way.

Neither of them were doing this to hurt him, so why did it feel like they were?

It could have been hours, George didn't know, he never did when playing with his best friends. They had a way of making time seem slippy, like deciding to sit down in from of the computer was a death sentence to never get back up.

He loved his friends, he'd known them for so long and they were some of the most important people in his life.

It didn't matter if he'd never seen Dream's face, if he'd never hugged his best friends, they were still that.

But, despite this, he was lonely.

They lived halfway across the room, able to knock on each other bedroom doors to talk or sit in the kitchen talking all night long, things George couldn't be part of right now.

And it hurt.

Maybe that was why he started meeting Astrid in the first place, to distract himself. However, the small distraction from months ago had become a massive part of his life.

She had become so much more than that, and it scared him.

His plans had always been simple: apply for a VISA, get the VISA, move to America, and live a happy life with his friends.

If the world hadn't shut down he'd probably already be there, he probably would've never met Astrid.

He'd heard the whimsy girl talk about her views on life before, early in the morning when neither of them wanted her to leave. She told him how everything happens for a reason, how life had its ways, and sometimes it wasn't what we wanted but what we needed.

That was her.

A silver lining to being trapped in the UK for the foreseeable future. A reason to want to stay, holding the force of the massive list of reasons to leave.

Shouts came from his headphones as he blew up, flying off the edge of the platform with a frustrated sigh. His eyes flicked down to his phone, surprisingly for the first time since he started playing to see a message.

Sent half an hour ago full of apologies and promises, but the last caught his eyes. A question, one he'd wanted to see all day.

A smile made its way to his lips, careful hands picking up his phone to send a quick message back; a screenshot of an Uber that was on its way.

—————

Written: 17th October 2022

Published: 2nd November 2022

Sorry this took ages hopefully less time for the next one