I learned that Adam is sort of an astronomy nerd.

        I found that out while I was studying on his floor one day, and my eyes wandered to his ceiling where I saw a giant tapestry filled with constellations and stars. I wasn't sure how I didn't notice it before. His entire ceiling was navy blue, and nearly every square inch was covered in a star or a planet. My eyes flew around as I tried to understand what was going on, but I really was lost in the galaxy of stars all condensed into one photo right above me.

        "Holy shit," I mumbled

        Adam followed my eyes and chuckled sheepishly. "Oh, yeah. I kind of have a thing for space."

        "How did I not know this?" I asked as I shifted on his carpet so I was laying down and staring up at the galaxy.

        He shrugged. "Never really thought to tell you."

        "It looks a mess."

        "I sort of know my way around it."

        "Show me, then."

        "Well," he began, laying down next to me. I scooted away. He didn't notice. "You know what the Big Dipper is, right? That's right there. And then the end bit of the ladle points to Polaris, which is the North Star. And the handle of the ladle on the Little Dipper is Polaris. And then right by it is Pegasus, which is my favorite constellation just because it looks so normal compared to the other ones. It genuinely looks like a horse, doesn't it?"

        I let myself look over at him as he kept talking, his finger pointing to random places on the map as he explained his favourite and least favourite constellations, or significant stars and their weird names. His eyes lit up with wonder, like even though he knew so much about stars, he also knew there was so much more to learn— so much more to see. And then I was filled with excitement just listening to him.

        My quick glance slowly turned into staring without me realising and Adam turned to face me. "So that's stars."

        I fought a blush and turned so I was looking up again. My out of the blue man-crush on Adam hadn't faded much, at least not to the point where I could look deep into his eyes and not think about how easy it would be to kiss him. "That's really cool," I told him.

        "Is it really?"

        "Mate, how do you even know all that?"

        He shrugged. "Anna gave me the tapestry for my birthday when I was eight I think. I didn't really care at the time, but one day I got bored enough to actually look at it and all the shit that's jam packed into this one tiny photo. I mean, think about it, Eli. Space is fucking huge and we don't even know the half of it. I'm sure what's on my ceiling right now isn't even 1%."

        "Christ, Adam," I groaned, but a smile slowly made its way onto my lips, "you're gonna send me into an existential crisis or something."

        "Sorry," he chuckled.

        Then: comfortable silence. The kind where we just sit and look at each other for a minute; the kind where nothing needed to be said.

        But, because I'm me, I shouted "I'm gonna go take a piss!" Before I could get any more comfortable, causing Adam to jump and clutch his chest like he was having a heart attack.

        "Then go. You don't need to announce it to the neighbours."

        So I went.

        But when I cracked open the door after I'd washed my hands, I heard another voice coming from Adams room across the hall.

        "I didn't think you were coming home for another few days."

        "I got off early so I can go to Edinburgh earlier. I want to fly in and visit your father before I actually have to work," the other voice explained. It was a woman with a very monotonous tone, her robotic voice hurting my ears a bit. I cracked the door open farther to find a lady in a suit typing on her flip phone and a very uninterested Adam. Then, I realised they both had the same stick straight, raven hair— only the woman's was cut short at her shoulders— and same tan skin.

        "How long are you going to be in Scotland? James said he wanted you to come to school with him for career day in a week or so," Adam told her. His voice had a slight shake to it, but I don't think she noticed.

        "I don't know yet. We'll worry about it when the time comes, yeah? Until then," she shut her phone in a very 2000's bitch way, "we have something to discuss."

        "What about?"

        "Your brother."

        Adam's previously raised eyebrows furrowed. "What about him?"

        She sighed, although it seemed to be void of any actual sympathy. "I think it's time he moves in with your father."

        "Mum-"

        oh that makes sense

        "-That's an eight hour drive from here. I don't see why it's necessary," he said, his deep voice suddenly matching her dull one.

        "It's necessary because I can't be responsible for him all the time. I've got too much work to do," she explained.

        "You're barely responsible for him now!" He snapped.

        "Don't speak to me like that! I take care of you and your brother as much as I can and you know it."

        "What? No you don't. You left your trip early and you're spending your time off going to see dad instead of your kids. James hasn't seen you in forever!"

        "I'll make sure to tell him goodbye before I leave."

        "Are you sure? Wouldn't that take up work time?" He asked, his voice dripping in sarcasm.

        His mother's head shot back and she wrapped her slim arms around her chest. "I really don't care for your tone. You and Anna aren't fit to take care of your brother-"

        "-and yet we do it and we do it well. James is doing perfectly fine here. Why would you move him to a whole other place with a guy he barely even knows? What's the point in that?" Adam asked, starting to sound more frantic and desperate than strong.

        "Because then he isn't my problem," his mum replied way too calmly.

        What a fucking bitch

        "He's your child! He's supposed to be your problem!"

        "Listen, Adam. I haven't made a decision yet, I was just thinking about it. Although right now, your attitude is pushing me close to the edge."

        Adam clenched his teeth and took a deep breath. "Fine. But if James leaves, then I'll be here all alone most of the time. Are you really alright with that, mum?"

        His mother sighed and punched the bridge of her nose. "I still live here, Adam. It's not like I don't take care of you."

        "You're supposed to be here always! Or at least as much as you can! But you really want to leave me here alone and take my baby brother away for no other reason than you can't handle it?"

        "You're assuming things-"

        "-I'm not, though. You want to send my brother off and pretend I don't exist for your own selfish reasons!" He yelled, making me flinch.

        "We'll talk about this later. I'm going to go unpack," she stated and walked out of the room, her heels clicking on the hallways hardwood.

        I looked at Adam, who was staring in the place where his mum stood seconds ago, his hooded eyes squinted and his glare was so heated it could've burned a hole in the wall. He was rigid and completely still, but his breathes were quick and shaky. I waited patiently for a reaction, my head still peeking out from the toilet.

        Then I saw his fingers curl up as he formed a fist so tight I could see his jagged nails cutting into the palms of his hands.

        And I slammed the door shut and winced as I heard a giant crash followed by a string of curse words.

        I opened the door slowly a few seconds later to find Adam's desk tipped completely over, pencils and pictures spread across the floor in shattered fragments. I scanned the room, my pulse quickening as I realised how much damage he'd blindly caused. My eyes landed on his bed, where Adam sat hunched over with his head in his hands. I made a noise and his head shot up, his features softening and his clenched jaw falling open.

        "Fuck," he said.

        "I have to go," I said.

        I picked up my bag and jogged out to my car where I sat for a while, letting my breathing go back to normal and my shaking subside before speeding home.

<><><>

Oooh boy. So here's some more insight into Adam and what he's like. What do you guys think?

I've been so busy with school it's hard to upload, but I'm still doing it weekly! I've prewritten most of the story and I only have a few chapters left to write, so it's not gonna be left incomplete.

Thanks for reading!!

~Teddy