friend...(gio)

Gio is your roommate. Extroverted, popular, smart, handsome. He has a lot of friends, but you used to be his home.
You're an introvert. Old friends disappear one by one. You're left in silence.
Today is your birthday. You deliberately cook two portions of noodles. One for you, one for him. Buy one cupcake and stick a candle in it.

At 7 pm you chat: [I boarding house huh?]✓✓
Blue tick. No reply.
At 9 o'clock his story appeared: karaoke, wearing a party hat, blowing up people's cakes. Laughing the loudest. *
you: hufh I'll just wait...

• You didn't eat. Just sat at the table. Lighted the candles, didn't blow them out. Waiting. *

• At 11 o'clock the candles were short. The wax melted, dripping onto the cupcake frosting. So there were dry white spots on the cake. Your noodles were cold, the sauce was thick. *

• At 12 o'clock you were still sitting. Your eyes were heavy. Finally fell asleep, head resting on the table, next to the cupcakes whose candles had melted all over the cake. *

• At 1 am the door was opened roughly. Gio came in stoned, carrying a crumpled gift + smelling of beer. *

• He was silent. Seeing you asleep with swollen, puffy eyes from crying, cold noodles, and a cupcake with melted candles spilling all over it. It was a clear sign that you waited a long time. *

• The gift in his hand immediately felt stupid. *
  "Oh my...." his voice broke.* He sat on the floor, covering his face with both hands with guilt *

• He took a blanket, covering you very slowly for fear of waking you up. Then he sat on the floor, leaning against the table leg. Take care of you. *

• At 3 am he was still there. Not sleeping. Just looking at your face while biting his lip to hold back his tears. *
  "I'm sorry..." he said softly, to the air.

• You were still sleeping. Not knowing he had been crying silently all night. *

• 5:30 am, the sky has lightened a little. *

• You wake up because you are stiff. Your neck is sore from sleeping on the table all night. *

• The first thing you see: a thin blanket covering your body, the second is gio *

• He is still sitting on the floor, leaning against the table leg. His eyes are red, swollen. His shirt is wrinkled. In his hand he still holds a gift that you haven't opened.