Saval woke up late. The sun was already coming through the window and his eyes stung a little, as if he had slept too much. He stayed in bed a few more minutes, staring at the ceiling, listening to the muffled sounds of the street and the sound of his own breathing. He felt strange — not bad, but... restless. He reached for his phone and checked his messages. There was one from Semiel, short, sent very early:
—My old man asked me to stay home today, he has to go out and can't leave her alone. I'll let you know if anything changes.
That was it. No emoji, no joke. Just that.
Saval sat up in bed, feeling the weight of the silence. He knew it wasn't a special day or anything, but he had gotten used to having Semiel around — hovering, being a little annoying, making dumb comments while he tried to focus on something. He rubbed his face and headed straight to the kitchen. He made himself a medium-strong coffee and some buttered bread. He didn't even bother turning on the TV. Everything felt too quiet.
He tried to study, but his mind wandered. He opened his university notes, and suddenly found himself rewatching the last stream where they played Minecraft together. The part where Semiel screamed because a creeper exploded right behind him made him laugh out loud.
He liked the video and then, without thinking much about it, let it play in the background while he tried to go over some dates.
After half an hour, he closed everything.
He wasn't making any progress — not with the notes, not with his thoughts.
He leaned back against the sofa, arms crossed. There was something weighing on his chest, something subtle. Since the night Semiel told him that moment made him happy... they hadn't brought it up again. He had been clear — or at least he thought so. That he cared about him as a friend, that it wasn't going to change. But when he remembered how Semiel looked at him right before the phone rang, how he hesitated for a second before smiling again and telling him to go out with Mia... it hurt a little.
He didn't really know why.
It wasn't like he wanted something more.
Or did he?
He ran a hand through his hair, frustrated.
—I'm being an idiot —he said quietly, more to himself than anyone else.
He got up and washed the coffee mug, as if that could also clear his head. Then he grabbed his phone and texted Semiel.
—How's everything over there? Were you able to get some rest?
It took several minutes for a reply to come through. When it finally did, Saval read it slowly:
—A bit, yeah. My old man's back now. Maybe tomorrow or the day after I can stop by. How about you?
—I miss you —Saval almost typed that. But he didn't. Instead, he wrote:—All good. Tried to study but got distracted. Was watching the Minecraft stream. I laughed again at that creeper part.
Semiel's reply came almost instantly.
—That was your fault for not warning me it was behind me. Traitor.Saval smiled.
—Didn't want to interrupt your glorious diamond-mining moment.
—I'm gonna ask for a cut if you're making clips with my screams —Semiel wrote.—Too late, they already have like a hundred views.
They kept texting for a few more minutes, until Saval felt a bit lighter. He ended up suggesting:
—What do you say we do another one tomorrow night? Something chill, maybe a survival run.
—I'm in, sounds good. Let's do it.
—And what if next weekend we go to the park again?
There was a pause.
—Are you the one suggesting this?
—Yeah. Don't get used to it —he typed, then added a laughing emoji.
—I'm already getting used to it, scary stuff.
Saval set his phone aside. He stared at a random spot on the ceiling.
He had turned Semiel down, yes. He had wanted to protect what they had, to take care of the friendship. But now he wasn't sure if that was enough. He didn't understand why, sometimes, he wished Semiel would say again that those moments made him happy. That he wanted them to last forever.
Maybe, he thought, the problem wasn't what Semiel felt.
It was that he didn't know what he felt in return.
He lay back on the couch, closed his eyes, and let that last thought drift, like a leaf refusing to fall.
Tomorrow, he thought, will be another day.
And he would be waiting for it.