"Andrea, wake up, wake up, wake up"
Alex was shaking Andrea's body trying to wake her up. He was so excited he could hardly contain his emotions and he needed an outlet. His primary application was a success and he got the okay to send his personal statement and essays to VP&S to finalize his paperwork and wait for an interview day.
"What is it?" Andrea's voice was low and raspy "I went to bed late, make it quick"
"I was approved to send the secondary application to VP&S, they sent the list of stuff needed"
"What?!"
Those words worked like a bucket of water to wake her up. She sat and faced him grabbing his hands on hers. She was smiling with tears in her eyes and Alex knew she wanted to hug him but was restraining herself.
"You can go ahead and hug me, I guess"
"Yay" She squealed and hugged him tight "I'm so proud of you, mom and dad are going to be so happy"
"I don't want to jinx it by celebrating too early. I still have a lot to do."
"What can I do for you, how can I help you?"
"You can start by not inviting me to do stuff with you"
"Does that mean you're not coming to today's rehearsal?"
Alex thought about it. He hadn't seen Montag in a week, since the bookstore date. Andrea and Julian had interrupted them and they couldn't even kiss goodbye. He missed him badly, but he had a lot of work to do and he didn't want to be pressured by a deadline. He wanted to send his best work and be proud of himself.
"No, I can't. I have to think about the structure of my essays and start researching. This is going to take me several hours and I can't risk sending something subpar. This is my future, after all"
"Don't worry then, I'm gonna go grocery shopping to get you some snacks so you don't have to worry about anything. Whatever you need just let me know"
"Thank you, sis. I'm going to take a shower and have something to eat. I'll let you know if anything comes up"
Alex left his sister's room, took a shower and had some cereal. After sitting at his desk, he decided to let his parents know about the new development and pondered about telling Montag. He wanted to share his happiness with him.
(Alex): Hey!
(Montag): Good morning, how did you sleep?
(Alex): Great, I have some news, my primary application was successfully verified
(Montag): Congrats! Wanna have a drink to celebrate? I can come to your place or you can come to mine after the rehearsal
(Alex): I can't :/, I'm not going. I have too much to do, sorry.
(Montag): You don't have to apologize if you didn't do anything wrong, being busy isn't something bad. We can catch up later
(Alex): Okay, I'll let you know when I'm free, I have to organize my schedule. There's so much to do between researching for the essays and thinking about a powerful personal statement. I don't want to overuse the immigrant or neurodivergent card but I also want it to be honest.
(Montag): Remember to eat and keep yourself hydrated, also get plenty of rest, your brain can't function without sleep
(Alex): will do.
(Montag): Have a productive day
(Alex): you too c:
Alex smiled and held his phone to his chest. He wanted to be more affectionate but he didn't want to push him away. He debated on whether or not to use a pet name and settled on not doing it. Everything was new for him so he was going to let Montag take the lead.
He opened his calendar and arranged his study hours to open some slots for his writing. He started by reading some forum posts about how to successfully write a personal statement. He found it difficult to express sincerity without feeling like he was manipulating the reader, but he was aware of the importance of the letter and how it needed to convey the truth about himself.
At lunchtime Andrea interrupted him to give him a chicken salad and a bottle of water and she also left some candy on his desk. After which, she announced she'd be staying the night at Julian's so he didn't need to worry if she didn't arrive.
Hours passed while he researched, organized and created several prompts for his essays. He decided to focus on the secondary essays first and get them out of the way before dedicating his full attention to the personal statement. He was terrified about it because he knew a lot of really smart people failed to enter med school because they didn't stand out.
Alex looked at the clock and was shocked to notice it was so late. 10:30 pm. The rehearsal was probably over and he missed it. He really wanted to hear Montag sing, his voice was like a balm for his mind, he could get lost in his words and melodies.
The doorbell rang and Alex frowned. Andrea wasn't home so he wasn't sure who it could be if not someone for her. He got up and stretched, rubbed his tired eyes and left his room. Nandor was watching the door cautiously from his cat tree. Alex looked through the peephole and almost fainted. Montag was standing in the hallway with some plastic white bags in his hands. He yanked the door open.
"Hi!" his voice came out breathless
"Hello" Montag smiled and showed him the bags "I come bearing delicious gifts"
"Come in" Alex moved to the side and shut the door "Not that you're not welcomed, but what are you doing here?"
"I heard Andrea said she was going to sleep at Julian's so I figured you were going to be so focused on your work you'd forget to eat if no one was here to remind you"
"How did you figure that out?"
"I do the same when I'm focused on my music" he took his forearm and led him to the counter "Now, the food's getting cold, let's eat. I wasn't sure what you'd like and I was worried your sensory issues were going to bother you so I did some research"
"Research?"
"Yes, turns out autistic people like carbs or so the internet says. That's why I brought some pasta and some sandwiches. Didn't know what you'd want. I avoided chunky and raw vegetab-"
Alex kissed him. In his 22 years on this earth no one other than his sister had ever taken the time to try and accommodate his food preferences. His dad didn't have sensory issues with foods so he couldn't relate and he tried to push him to "get used to" foods that made him uncomfortable. Montag responded by taking his face with his hands and deepening the kiss. Their tongues danced and Alex smiled while pinning him against the counter and putting his arms around his neck.
"Maybe we should eat first" Montag said, his voice deep and raspy
"You're right, I'm actually starving"
Alex broke the contact between their bodies and turned to grab one of the containers labeled BOLOGNESA. His stomach grumbled and he sat happily smelling the delicious scent of the pasta. Montag, kisses and pasta. He was in heaven.
"I didn't come here to distract you, you know? If you're actually finished for today, I'd rather you eat and rest"
"But I like kissing you"
"I like it too, but I don't want you to jeopardize your wellbeing, we can kiss all you want after you're done"
"Sometimes it feels like you purposefully avoid intimacy"
"Alex, I don't want you to get your hopes up. I enjoy your company and hanging out with you, you're one of the most interesting people I know. My body goes crazy when you're close and all it wants is for you to touch it, but I don't want a relationship, I'm not looking for one"
"You must think I'm some sort of lovesick teen. I'm aware of how adult relationships work and I also don't need one, I have too much to do but this is the first time I've ever felt some sort of attraction to someone and I'd like to explore it." He got up to pour himself a glass of water "I'm not gonna fall for you"
He brought the glass to his face trying to hide his expressive face. He was already falling for Montag so the warning was going to waste but he wasn't willing to let his silly feelings get in the way. He'd take whatever Montag wanted to give him, a week, a month, a year. His greediness knew no boundaries.