Ryan got out of the car and walked to the other side, opening the passenger door. He held out his hand for Carl, who took it with a smile.
Carl's gaze drifted upward, landing on the lit window of their apartment. The study lights were still on. "Did I disturb your work?"
Ryan blinked, confused, then followed his gaze. "No, I was already done."
Carl nodded, not saying anything more. He started weaving his fingers through Ryan's until each was interlocked. Each step he took felt like climbing the road to paradise. Ryan never left the lights on, no matter how urgent the task was or if he was in a hurry. He would always switch them off. But now, because of him, he had left without doing that.
The truth was, Carl wasn't fully drunk when his friends decided to call Ryan. Oliver had suggested it, saying it would be a good way to gauge how much Ryan cared about him, to figure out how much of a chance he had. While the phone rang, multiple thoughts ran through his mind.
