Chapter 30

"You are my best friend. You are my only friend." Max Jerry Horovitz, 'Mary and Max.'

Holding my breath, I wait in the cold silence of the room, listening for some indication of life from behind the darkness. If I strain, I can hear small, haste breaths and can make out the rise and fall of a chest. Shuffles occur, thumps and thuds soon follow after that as well as a few curses. Moments later, light appears, causing me to startle as I come face to face with a pair of emerald-green eyes.

"Wyatt?" I stammer, extremely horrified.

His face is soon illuminated by an intense glow, his distinguished smirk coming into view. Chuckling nervously, he runs a hand though his dark, brown hair. Then, Wyatt rubs the back of his neck, avoiding eye contact with me whilst whistling. Sporadically, his jaw clenches, and he looks as if he may comment or remark on what's on his mind. Of course, he doesn't, sighing softly when he can't find the right words to say to me.

Meanwhile, I recover from my momentary terror. Arms folded in front of me, brows furrowed and lips pulled into a frown, I begin to grow impatient as I halt for my much delayed explanation. Realising that this interval is becoming long and tedious, I skim through possible sentence starters before finally coming across one that I think is suitable for this predicament. When gathering my courage, I cup his face with my hands and because of this, I can tell that Wyatt now feels compelled to give me his acknowledgment.

"Why did you bring me here?" I ask slowly. "What was the point in bringing me here."

Instantly, Wyatt smiles.

"I love it when you look into my eyes," he swoons.

Repulsed, I immediately pull away, clearing my throat.

"Tell me what'd going on!" I demand

"Quiet!" He half whisper-shouts. "You wouldn't want anyone to hear us, would you?"

"Yes. Yes I would," I say, already opening the door.

"No!" Wyatt screams, quickly shutting it and backing me into a corner. "Please just listen!"

Closing my eyes and pinching the bridge of my nose, I reluctantly open them as a sign that I am willing to hear him out. Satisfied, Wyatt then chokes out his next set of words.

"I'm sorry," he says, biting his lips. "I'm sorry for not understanding. I should've known that I was your first friend, that you were just trying to look out for me because you cared for me. I... I really like you Val. I really liked being your only friend but I guess Red replaced that role," he mumbles towards the end.

"Don't trust him!" My inner voice warns. "It's a trap! Runs whilst he's distracted!"

We stand there, the dim light casting upon us, the silence consuming us. Gazing into Wyatt's eyes, I realise how much I missed him, how much I yearned for him. He's staring at me expectantly, breathing heavily as he awaits for my response.

Exhaling, I fumble with my hands, wondering what the correct approach may be. Coming to a conclusion, I resolve to do the next best thing.

"Umm...I need some t-time to t-think," I stutter, feeling uncomfortable. "Just a few days to recollect my thoughts, see if you've really change."

Shaking his head, Wyatt chuckles, retorting with:

"I thought you'd say that."

"You did?" I quiz.

Nodding, he takes a step closer, reducing the already small space between us.

"I'm gonna prove it to you, Val!" He declares. "I'm going to show you that I've changed. I'm going to get better, for you," he smiles, winking.

And with that, he leaves.