It was unnaturally silent between the two of them - especially considering how much they tended to cause trouble for Amanda by being loud - something that had never happened before.

It had been that eerily silent even on their way back from the arcade.

They - Linda - had won their matches and they were, officially, in the competition. So Khwezi did not know what could have been wrong, but he did know that whatever it was that was wrong, was not good for his plan.

Khwezi had created his entire plan around the air of complete confidence that Linda would have after winning spectacularly in the competition, but, instead, Linda was down and out for some reason. It also was not helping that the silence was somewhat unnerving as Khwezi struggled with how he was going to bring up his pending demise, which was making him even more anxious.

"So, um, how did you find the games today?" Khwezi asked rather timidly.

"Quite easy." Linda replied instinctively. His voice was distant, hollow, which made it clear that his head really was not in the conversation.

"I see..." The direct, yet numb, answer put Khwezi in a position where he did not know what he would say next.

"Say..." Thankfully, it seemed Linda had something to say. "... How are you doing?" His voice was laced with much heavier emotion this time, betraying the turmoil that had his mind and heart in a terrible bind.

Khwezi was caught off guard by the question, drawing a heavy breath that may have very well been drawn from the darkest pits of the abyss.

It was a weirdly intuitive question for Linda to ask, and especially considering how Khwezi was in such a delicate situation. And just like that, the opportunity that Khwezi was convinced he had lost, was given back to him in another form. The circumstances that led to the moment were less than desirable, but the mood had been set. Now all Khwezi had to do was tell Linda the truth.

"..."

"..."

Telling Linda sounded simple, but the silence that persisted between them made it obvious that it was not easy.

"I..." Khwezi sounded wimpy, and he winced at his own lack of courage. For some reason, he could not meet Linda in the eyes.

Come on, tell him. Khwezi chided himself. This is your chance.

"I, uhm, well... I'm okay." Khwezi lied through his teeth in such a tone that made it obvious that he was not sure of the words that left his mouth. No, don't run away. You must tell him!

"Are you sure?" asked Linda, his tone still heavy with emotion. Please tell me. He kept that last part to himself.

Tell him now. "N-no, erm, but I'll be fine." Khwezi said, but his weathered expression suggested that he did not believe the words either. What am I doing? Why am I saying this?

Why won't you tell me? I want to be there for you. I don't want you to go through this alone. Linda grabbed fistfuls of his sweatpants, pulling on the garment. "I see."

Khwezi placed a hand on Linda's shoulder, making Linda look up.

Just like that, their eyes met.

Looking at Khwezi, Linda could tell how tired the other boy was just by looking at him. Khwezi looked thinner too.

"I promise." Khwezi said, smiling. He could feel his lips shake, the weight of curving his lips upwards too much for him to handle, but he held on. No, I don't. I need you.

I'm sorry. Linda forced a rueful smile of his own, "I'll believe you." It hurt him to say, but he knew that he could not force the issue. I'm sorry I can't make you feel safe enough to want to tell me.

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To Khwezi, the smile he saw on Linda's face was convincing because they had both forced their smiles. So, in a desperate effort to put the situation at rest, he allowed the fake smile to convince him that things were actually still okay; so desperate to convince himself that everything was okay that he fell for Linda's lie.

"S-so... should we get something to eat?" Khwezi was trying to help the situation along what he felt their usual conversations were like, but his question still came out awkward.

Linda shook his head. "No, I'm good. I think it would be best if I slept." He could feel the weight of the world on his shoulders, and if he felt so overwhelmed, "What's happening to you?"

"Huh?"

"N-nothing." Linda let out a weak laugh to cover his slip up.

"Hm..." Khwezi twisted his head sideways as if he was considering what was said to him, but then his eyes lit up. "Dibs on sleeping on the floor!" Khwezi latched on the opportunity first.

"Hey!" Linda was not having it, "I also want to sleep on the floor!"

And just like that, they had managed to file reality at the back of their minds as they regained a small bit of their normalcy, their usual banter. It wasn't much, but it was enough to remove the fakeness in their smiles.

"Well boo-hoo! Too bad for you, the floor's mine now!"

Khwezi stuck out his tongue dramatically, emphasizing his point by pinching Linda's nose.

Linda slapped the hand away, then proceeded to fold his hands underneath his chest. "Tch, foyn."

Linda may have acted flippant about the ordeal, but Khwezi knew that Linda did not like losing.

He's childish like that after all. Khwezi chuckled to himself.

"What?" Linda's brow furrowed childishly at being laughed at.

"Oh nothing." Khwezi shrugged. "Let's prepare for bed."

Linda's facial features eased, a smile blooming. "Sure."

By preparing for bed, Khwezi meant Linda helping to prepare the makeshift bed that Khwezi would sleep on.

It was a sponge over a large mat, then a few blankets over the sponge. It didn't sound quite as comfortable as an actual bed, but when you considered how hot the spring season had gotten in South Africa, being so close to the cold tiled floor offered the advantage of not overheating in the night. Plus the abundance of blankets Khwezi would be sleeping on were soft and comfy.

When they were done with the makeshift bed, Khwezi wormed his way into the blankets while Linda cocooned himself on the bed. They had both settled on each of the sleeping domains comfortably - the lack of shuffling a sign that they had found their positions of comfort for the night - when Linda spoke, "What about Amanda?"

The worm on the floor twitched. "What about her?" Khwezi asked back.

"When are you telling her?" the cocoon on the bed pressed with their question.

"Telling her?" Khwezi feigned ignorance. The conversation was giving him a de javu he could not quite place a finger on.

"When are you telling her that you love her?" Linda had no problem clarifying despite knowing that his question was being dodged. This was one thing he could not allow his friend to run away from.

Khwezi wormed himself deeper into the blanket. "Oh. That. I got over it." came the swift reply. It hurt him to say.

"I see..." Linda had no words for that answer. For all the answers he expected, the one he got wasn't one of them. It sucked the wind out of his sails, leaving him speechless.

Khwezi had spent the whole weekend with Amanda. He got more than enough chances to tell her how he felt but he hesitated each time.

What good would it do to confess when he knew he would get rejected? As much as Amanda was not aware that Khwezi was in love with her, Linda was unaware of Amanda being in love with him just as much. It was a cliche love triangle between three friends.

It's pointless now anyways, Khwezi bit back tears, since I'll be dead soon.

So Khwezi felt it would be unfair to confess in a situation like that. Amanda might even say that she loves him too, out of pity, and he did not want that. He did not want to be in a situation where he was emotionally blackmailing her to reciprocate his romantic feelings.

"Good night." so Khwezi put the subject to rest. "I love you," Then he poked his head out of the blanket. "I know I'm the only one who tells you that."

The sly remark did not go unnoticed.

"Hey!" Linda's shout of outrage came from the bedsheets that had covered him whole like he was in the belly of a python, "You don't have a girlfriend either!"

"Ha-ha-ha-ha!" Khwezi offered a hearty laugh at the reply he knew would come.

"A-anyways... Goodnight. I-I love you too." Even the layers of the blankets could not hide the timidness in Linda's voice. Honestly, Linda was surprised he had said it too, just as much as he had figured Khwezi would be surprised too.

"..."

"..."

"Flattery will get you nowhere, young man." cooed Khwezi.

Of course that's how the jerk chooses to spin this. A vein bulged on Linda's forehead. "Well-"

"Thank you," Khwezi cut in, "that means a lot." And he meant it too.

Linda drew back his argument and smiled. Khwezi was also smiling while his eyes traced the ceiling.

Slowly and steadily, as they smiled more and more, they pushed the cruelty of reality further and further down, deep into the back of their minds. They both closed their eyes, and in that small moment of complete comfort, sleep lunged at their vulnerability, bringing their heart to steady rhythms as they were drawn into the realm of slumber.