Canti

Disclaimer: I do not own Demon Diary.


Canti
By 11


Chapter 07

It had been nearly four whole weeks now, and Chris was finally starting to find the ending of his seemingly forever-going vacillation between Leeche and Raenef.

He had been watching both of them for a while, and he had ultimately decided on response and just how things had turned to develop over the time he’d known them and been with them.

Leeche was always open with him, where with Raenef he almost could never tell, as if he always wore a masking smile.

Leeche did care for him… Raenef had never once spoken of his feelings. He just went along with whatever Chris wanted, and in a relationship that wasn’t what he really wanted.

Was he really making the other boy happy? Was he himself happy with how things had turned out?

No… not really. He loved Raenef… but…

A part of him had already known the answer to the questions that had been rebounding in his mind. It had known it for some time, except that he had never paid it any heed.

The bell rang and the students compiled themselves towards the door to head off on their different ways home.

“Leeche!” Chris called after the blonde girl. She turned somewhat surprised to see the dark-haired youth chasing after her. She stopped and let him catch up to her.

“I’m sorry. But I think I’ve decided,” he started bluntly, “I do like you the best. It’s weird I do love Raenef, but it’s strange, I feel sometimes like he’s not even there. He doesn’t have an opinion of what he wants to do, and he doesn’t talk to me unless it’s necessary.”

“Like a masking smile,” Leeche agreed. “So what are you going to do now?”

“I don’t know. I guess…” Chris said looking over at the wall for a moment, he had figured this would come up, “I’m going to have to tell him.”

“If you do,” Leeche started, “Or rather when, I guess, you need to do it really soon, the later he finds out the more hurt he could be.”

“Yeah,” Chris agreed, “I don’t think he’s left yet, I’ll go…” Chris nodded to himself “tell him now I guess.” Leeche smiled and wished him luck before he dashed off.

He was right Raenef hadn’t left the school grounds yet, “Raenef!” he called after him, the blonde boy looked up at him and waved with a smile as the dark-haired boy soon joined him.

“How are you, Chris?” Raenef asked amiably, “You needed something?”

“Yeah… I need to talk to you,” Chris started. Raenef nodded for him to continue when he didn’t.

“Yes? What do you want to talk about?” he prompted. Chris’ throat went dry, there was a ton of people around right now, but if he asked him to a private place it wouldn’t look right.

“Um…” Chris started, but the words just didn’t come, “your birthday was a few months ago right?”

“Yes,” Raenef affirmed somewhat puzzled by the question.

“Well… I never got to ask you how you liked that book I got you,” Chris said, internally slapping himself for the lameness factor of this whole situation.

“Oh, I enjoyed the book a lot Chris, and if I forgot to say thank you, because I really don’t remember, thank you,” he told him with a smile.

“Okay, cool,” Chris nodded as he backed up some, “I will see you tomorrow then, see ya!”

“See you, Chris,” Raenef smiled after him before both turned, and started off. Chris grimaced, Raenef knew that wasn’t what he was originally going to ask but he didn’t say anything about it.

But he hadn’t told him… but break-ups are difficult… especially since he was the one who initiated the whole thing. But he promised himself he’d call Raenef when he got home and tell him then.

`

Chris arrived home and went straight upstairs Hejem wasn’t there at the moment so he had some time to get this out of the way before he had to help clean the temple.

He dialed the number and it rang. Once. Twice. Three times. Then the receiver picked up and he heard Raenef’s jovial voice reply over the phone.

“Hello, you have reached the Darkeyes and Knight residence, Raenef speaking, who is this?” the blonde answered. Chris meant to open his mouth… but it was glued shut, and when he did manage to get it open he couldn’t speak. “Hello?” Raenef repeated politely into the receiver.

Chris gasped and hung up the phone. Of course using the phone was so cowardly! Only idiots and wimps break up over the phone!

Chris griped the sides of his head with his hands and groaned loudly in frustration. What could he do? What could he do? What could he do?

Chris picked up the phone again after a moment and dialed another number. The phone only rung twice. “Hello, Quin residence, Leeche speaking, who is this?” Leeche’s light cheery voice asked over the device.

“Leeche, it’s me, Chris,” he began, “Can I meet you in Kato park in just a bit? I need some advice.”

“Oh, sure, Chris. Right now you mean?” she asked.

“That’d be good,” Chris nodded on the other end.

“Okay then, it’s kind of late though,” she remarked and he glanced over at the clock. It was getting to be summer so yes it was getting darker earlier than usual, but that was fine. “I’ll meet you there then, by the fountain, okay? Okay, see you then. Bye.”

`

Chris stood wavering impatiently shifting back and forth on his feet waiting, it was already pretty late as Leeche had mentioned, and the park was completely vacant, but she had said she’d be here, and he really did need her advice. This was just to difficult!

“Hey Chris,” Leeche’s voice spoke and he turned. She looked over at him expectantly and he nodded, “You said you needed to discuss something?”

“Yeah… uh…” Chris oh-so-eloquently started, “I really needed to ask you I guess, how to break up with someone. This Raenef thing is getting to be difficult… for whatever reason, and I don’t want to hurt him of course! But at the same time sort of break… up? Am I making an sense?”

“Not really, but I think I get the gist of what you’re asking me,” Leeche told him, “Have you already tried at all though?”

“Yeah, I tried after school, but that didn’t work… and I called him later but I don’t think that would have been good either,” Chris shrugged staring at the ground his face contorted in a look of chagrin.

“Yes, you probably shouldn’t break up over the phone. Preferably not when other people are around, a private place so that no one has to feel to terribly hurt and have everyone watch it,” Leeche agreed, “All I can tell you Chris is that you need to talk to him. Face to face, and just be truthful. It’s all you can really do.”

Looking back up at him Leeche’s face went pale, Chris turned around, and stepped back in shock. Raenef stood there with a bag of groceries looking at the two of them, his face was blank but soon lit up with his trademark smile when he realized both Leeche and Chris were looking at him, “Good evening, how are you both? Leeche? Chris?”

“Um… Raenef… hi, good evening,” Chris said slowly, his mind running around in panicked circles, “Were you standing here long?”

“Only a little while,” Raenef told him, but the smile didn’t fade, did that mean maybe, he didn’t hear? “I was actually just running an errand for my sis when I saw you guys over here, I was just gonna say ‘hi’ though.”

“So…” Chris started his throat again becoming very dry. “Did you hear what we were talking about…?” Chris near choked out the question.

“Yes, all of it,” Raenef said, his smile still in place.

“I’m so sorry, Raenef,” Leeche began taking a few steps forward.

“I was gonna tell you, it was just a little difficult,” Chris said his eyes averting to the ground, half in shame and guilt, half in embarrassment.

“We didn’t mean for you to find out like this,” Leeche said sadly watching Raenef for any signs of hurt or pain, but saw none.

“Don’t worry about it,” Raenef said his smile just widening slightly, it was a bright smile and the warmth was still there, as if it hadn’t phased him at all, “I forgive you. We’re friends, right? And I care about you guys, if you like each other it’s fine, I support you in that.”

Chris looked up at Raenef, amazed. He had always known Raenef to be an emotional person, he cared a lot about people, and even if he hadn’t thought of their relationship as much, he didn’t seem at all offended or hurt by the incident, he treated it almost like any other daily surprise or occurrence.

“I have to go now, Erutis’ll be mad if I take too long,” he said glancing down up at the clock across on the store front across the street, “But I’ll see you guys again at school tomorrow, ‘kay? See ya!”

Leeche and Chris waved after him with their own ‘bye’s as Raenef walked away out of sight towards the neighborhood again.

“Raenef is always smiling,” Leeche stated after a moment. Chris nodded in silent agreement with her, always happy and cheerful, but is that what he really feels? Is his smile just a mask to cover the hurt? So that others won’t worry?

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