Salubrious part ten

Allan dropped his water bottle, feeling woozy. The whole interaction between him and that random girl made him realize how close he was to losing Charlie.

Sure, she flirted with him first, but then when he pointed out Charlie, she was interested immediately. He didn’t quite understand why he felt so strongly about that, but he knew that the anger welling inside felt intolerable.

Charlie knelt down to pick up the water bottle.

“Hey, you’re giving me shit over not drinking water and here you are dropping your bottle,” Charlie teased, handing it to him.

There was a slight intermission for the concert headliner, Dethklok, so they were just chilling on the grass.

Allan took it but looked disturbed, which Charlie noticed right away.

“Something wrong?” Charlie asked.

“Were these tickets originally for you and Zoey?”

Charlie looked like a deer stuck in headlights. “Oh, um, well…”

“Are they?” Allan asked more directly.

Charlie sighed. “Yes. Pim got them for our six month anniversary. That was until we broke up. I thought it would be fun to go with you, that’s all.” Charlie looked confident in that answer, looking like he recovered well.

“But, you would’ve gone with her before?” Allan’s tone turned sharp, tense. He squeezed the water bottle, looking at the stage lights instead of Charlie.

Charlie nodded slowly, looking concerned where this was headed. “Yeah. What’s with the inquisition? I asked you to go.”

“You seemed excited that that girl thought you were cute. Right?” Allan said quietly, making Charlie frown.

Charlie laughed nervously, “It’s really rare for girls to actually find me attractive. So, I can feel good about it, can’t I? I mean, fuck, you probably get hit on all the time.”

Allan shrugged. “Why didn’t you and Zoey work out?”

Charlie gulped down the rest of his water. “Well, I think we were just mismatched. They say that opposites attract and all that shit, but if you’re too different, it can be difficult to find a way to close that gap.”

“Okay. That makes sense,” Allan said quietly, grumbling something unintelligible under his breath.

“Do you think… I mean, this is gonna sound gay as hell but I don’t care. Do you think I just am using you as a replacement to Zoey?” He snorted out a scoff. Allan looked at him finally, looking a little hurt. “I wouldn’t do that shit, man. I … you and I have a completely different and separate relationship from anyone else.”

Allan frowned. “Charlie I just saw you were, like, totally ready to abandon me earlier if some hot chick came over to flirt with you. I don’t ever abandon my close friends. They’re like my family.”

“Dude, so were you! It looked like it from my vantage point. It looked like you were flirting with her,” Charlie complained.

Allan chuckled, though it felt more ironic in his tone, “I wouldn’t do that to you. Charlie you are better than that. You sound like you think we’re three hour brunch friends. I honestly consider you family.”

“So I’m like your brother?” Charlie almost spat out, looking mildly annoyed.

Allan shook his head. “No. More like a cool cousin that is only connected by marriage, not blood.”

“Cool, I guess.”

Allan moved in closer to Charlie, and gave him very clear eye contact, making them both feel a shudder.

“Forget the family thing, Charlie, if it bothers you. You’re important to me. That’s all. And, you can’t just abandon me,” Allan said in a squeaky, tense way.

Charlie looked at him with a sudden expression of intensity and sincerity.

“Listen Allan, I wanted to come here with you, only you. I freaked out a bit when you texted me that sort of weird, flirty text but I didn’t want you to think I would have chosen anyone over you. Okay? You shook my tree. You rattled me. It takes a lot to do that. I don’t know…” he bit his lip, looking like he was shocked he was suddenly so vulnerable. “I don’t know what this is between us. I don’t think it matters because it’s ours. Okay? I wasn’t going to leave you over that girl. Or anyone else for that matter. Do you understand that?”

Allan looked like he was trying hard not to crash out. He was slowly tearing off bits of the paper around the edge of the water bottle.

“Look, dude, everything is okay, please don’t freak out,” Charlie said softly.

“I can’t think properly. My mind feels like a dead little critter on the side of the road.”

Charlie blanched. “What? That’s fucking dark, man. Don’t say shit like that.”

“Why not? If I don’t, I’ll still think it.”

Charlie sighed. “Yeah. I get it. Just don’t let it fester inside.”

Allan took in a huge breath, “I just don’t want you to think I was trying to control the situation by preemptively speaking for you. You know, telling her you weren’t interested. I think I overstepped.”

Charlie sighed, patting Allan on the shoulder. “You did overstep a little, but I don’t see it as a problem for me. I think it’s fine. I wasn’t expecting to get laid or anything by coming to this concert. I just was trying to normalize hanging out with you more.”

Allan nodded, seeming to come out of his stupor slowly. “I understand that. I want that too. I mean, one of the last times… remember when we thought we killed the bosses son?”

Charlie frowned, wiping sweat as he recalled the stress, “I was freaking out. I thought we killed him just by talking too much. Like ignoring him.”

Allan put his hand over Charlie’s. “But, we didn’t kill him.”

“So true. So true.”

“It was nice that we were both relieved together about that when we hugged that day. Like two adoptive parents. Or something,” Allan suggested.

“Or we could be like two uncles,” Charlie added.

“Would that work? We can be friends, uncles and parents?” Allan asked casually, but his eyes were locked into Charlie’s.

“Sure. Why the hell not?”

Allan grinned. “Hey, I think the band is coming back on stage-uh.”

“Oh, great. I love their finales. It is so effing epically amazing.”

Allan locked arms with Charlie, “Do you want to mosh with me once the band starts?”

Charlie immediately took Allan’s arm and pulled him close. “Okay.”

The band started playing, and he saw after a few minutes a random mosh pit erupted in the middle of the grassy area.

“Can we test the waters?” Allan eyed the mosh pit.

“Sure, let’s go,” Charlie said, as Allan started skipping toward the mosh pit while their arms were still interlocked. Charlie usually would have gotten out of the whole skipping arm to arm thing sober but he was still a little high and a little drunk.

They both skipped happily along, cracking up at their antics.

“We’re off the see the wizard!” Allan sang.

Charlie sang along with gusto, still laughing in between. They landed in the mosh pit, falling on top of each other, laughing hysterically.

They got some funny looks, as the collective group of strangers started pushing each other again within a second of the odd couple’s respective entrance.

Charlie got up before Allan, throwing careless punches and casual kicks, shoving people randomly without thought.

Getting caught up in the haze of letting out some pent up anger and frustration was a huge relief to Charlie. He didn’t see Allan anymore. It didn’t occur to him for a few minutes until he heard a high pitched whine that Allan was actually still on the ground.

“Oh my God, holy shit. ALLAN?!” He yelled.

“CHARLIE!”

He sifted through the moshers, as he saw someone kicking Allan on the ground. Hard.

“What the fuck!” Charlie ran over and kicked the guy hurting Allan angrily, then shoved him to the ground. “You’re not supposed to fucking kick a person when they’re already on the ground! What’s wrong with you?”

The guy sat up, apologizing, “Dude, sorry! I thought he was into it.”

Allan was actually wheezing, trying to catch his breath. His color was pale, and he was hunched over, coughing up a little blood. Charlie saw red at this point.

He leaned down toward the guy that hurt Allan and said with a fierce anger, “You’re lucky he needs me otherwise I’d fucking murder you right here in front of everyone.”

Charlie kicked him again hard in the stomach.

“Fu-ck!” The guy doubled over, “You said don’t kick a guy when he’s down!”

“Fuck you. Fuck you, you piece of shit!” He spat on him.

He swooped in toward Allan, picking him up bridal style.

“Char—char —-lie——I can.. can’t breathe….” He gasped, wheezing worse than before.

“It’s okay, man. I got you. Let’s get the fuck out of here.”

He walked over to a vendor area, sitting Allan on the bench.

“Your inhaler, fuck! Can I grab it for you in your pocket?” Charlie panicked. Allan nodded, looking terribly pale, wheezing and shaking. Charlie fumbled through Allan’s pockets, finding nothing at first. “Oh my God, I killed you. I can’t believe I killed you by taking you to a mosh pit. Holy fuck. Allan, fucking hang on!” He finally found the inhaler in Allan’s back pocket.

He gently handed it to him, but Allan was shaking so bad it fell.

“Fuck. Fuck. Okay, let’s try it again,” Charlie hurriedly picked it up, gently helping him cup the inhaler. “Do I press this and put it in your mouth?”

Allan nodded, as the medicine finally came through and he started to shake less. His color slowly changed back to normal, and the wheezing began to fade into slow, steady breaths. Allan grabbed Charlie’s hand tightly as the asthma attack subsided.

The panic was so overwhelming and palpable that Charlie’s pacemaker was seemingly glitching. His heart started beating slowly, making Charlie feel dizzy, scared and nauseated.

Allan was still in between trying to recover from the injury of being kicked over and over and the severe asthma attack he just had. But he saw Charlie doubling over, and instantly went to him.

“Charlie, Charlie, what’s wrong?” He wheezed out.

Charlie just sat on the bench, trying to calm down. Allan took his hand again.

“I’ll call the ambulance. I’m calling them, Charlie.”

Charlie suddenly shook his head, taking in a shaky breath. “No. No. I’m… okay. Just stay here.” He realized having Allan next to him, holding his hand tightly was the best medicine.

A small crowd of people gathered around asking if they needed medical help.

Allan said after taking in a more relaxed breath, “We are okay. Thank you.”

The silence between them seemed to eat away all the earlier tension between them and tied their bond together in a single moment of calm.

“Would it help if I told you finally who Doctor Monster was?” Allan asked.

Charlie burst out laughing. “You’re insane.”

“You like that about me.”

Charlie started feeling his heartbeat normalize. “Maybe I do.”

The evening decidedly ended after that. Charlie and Allan stayed on the bench holding hands until they both felt normal again.

Charlie drove them home, but Allan didn’t want this to end.

“Stay over. That way we can keep an eye on each other.”

Charlie shrugged. “I’m really tired anyway. Okay. I’ll stay over tonight. That way you can keep an eye on my heart and I’ll keep an eye on your lungs.”

“Doctor Monster is my therapist. Massage therapist,” Allan quietly confessed as they walked inside the apartment.

“That just leaves more unanswered questions. I don’t know if I want more answers!”

Allan laughed as they settled on the couch, talking until four in the morning.