three weeks post-summer-friends-phone-call newt and thomas finally started hanging out again.

the were sat next to each other on the bench of thomas' grandma's back porch. they sat in a suffocating silence, filled with their own thoughts and the hues of a sunset.

thomas only wished he could get a word out. he hated that things changed so much. he wished they had never had that conversation in the first place. it was a heavy silence between them he wasn't used to and he just wished they could laugh again.

newt leaned his head against thomas' shoulder and thomas thought newt might have fallen asleep. then, newt startled him by taking ahold of his hand and intertwining their fingers. electricity ran through his body and he thought it was the only thing he wanted to feel.

"hey, i'm sorry," newt mumbled.

"it's okay," thomas replied, matching newt's tone. "i'm sorry, too." he added.

"maybe you could stay here." newt suggested slowly.

"what to you mean?"

"i mean, move in permanently with ruth. stay after summer ends." newt explained.

"i cant, i have school."

"you could go to school here."

"what about my friends back home? and my parents? newt i don't know."

"well, they could always visit and-"

"i can't stay, newt." thomas' interrupted, voice on edge.

"you don't want to stay." newt accused.

thomas hated newt for always being able to see straight through him.