Connor [2:04pm]
I can't take this anymore
my mum has played Celine Dion over the radio nine times Dakota. Nine!
plus I've got a 3 hour class this afternoon
save me!!
Dakota [2:06pm]
You're being dramatic.
I can't help it. I haven't seen you in months!
It's been two weeks.
Dakota Anderson is calling you.
Connor answered the call on the second ring. His phone had been glued to his hand for the past hour.
"You're annoying."
"And you're being dramatic," The gentle baritone of his boyfriend's voice filtered through the phone speaker. "As usual."
"I am not! You just don't understand how it feels to be in this situation!"
"I am in the same situation as you." There was a hint of amusement in Dakota's voice. Connor bet he was sitting in his room, rolling his eyes with that damn smile he had every time Connor became theatrical and needed to be grounded. "I'm just better at handling it."
"You know," Connor rolled over into his stomach from where he was laying on his king-sized bed. The sheets were untucked and a mound of laundry tumbled off as he moved. "You're really sucking at holding up your end of the deal. As my boyfriend, it's your duty to keep me entertained."
Dakota scoffed. "Oh, is that how it goes? Why don't you tell me more, Connor."
"Your supposed to be giving me love and attention and getting chocolates delivered to my house and sending me cute texts like 'I miss you' and 'you're hot' and stuff."
"And stuff." Dakota deadpanned. "You sound like a twelve-year old girl on Valentine's Day."
"Hey, I'm just trying to keep the romance alive."
"Like we didn't already do that last night."
Connor could hear Dakota's smirk through the phone. His voice had lowered and was full of innuendo. A shiver ran down Connor's spine.
"That was my first time ever..."
"Having phone sex?" Dakota asked. "Not surprising."
"Hey!" Connor shot up, glaring as if he could burn holes into the other boy through the phone. "You couldn't have known that! For all you know, I've done it countless times. In fact! Some might even go as far as to call me a God in bed!"
"Right. For the sake of our relationship, I'm just gonna go ahead and pretend even one person has said that. For the romance."
Connor slowly sunk back down, this time opting to lay on his back. He stared up at his ceiling, tracing the pattern along the moulding with his eyes.
"I miss you." he said quietly.
"I miss you too, Con."
Connor shut his eyes, letting himself bask in the sound of his boyfriend's voice. It wasn't that long ago that he'd been able to physically lay in his arms but now that restrictions had cracked down again, all he had was their phone calls.
It wouldn't be so bad if both of them didn't still have university. Connor loved his course and was grateful he could still study online but between that and his family constantly being home, it made time with Dakota harder to find. Even texts would sometimes go unanswered for hours.
After all, it wasn't just school that was taking up all his time. The lack of routine meant things were just piling up at home in one big effort to complete. Piles of dirty laundry sat around Connor's room, empty food packets on the floor from when he pulled all-nighters to study for assignments, the constant ruined state his bed was in because there was no point making it everyday. It was becoming quite overwhelming.
"How are your classes going?"
Connor knew what Dakota was doing. He was trying to distract Connor from his blue state and get him thinking about the real world again. It usually worked but sometimes it didn't. Connor gave in.
"They're fine. I have an exam on molecular cell biology next week. I've been studying all week."
"Can't say I miss that."
"Well not everyone gets to go and do their fancy writing course and never sit an exam again." Connor teased.
"But you're doing what you love. That's what matters, right?"
"I guess." Connor sighed. "What about you? How are your classes?"
"Good. I've got pretty easy units this semester and just finished my first round of assessments. Feels weird to be doing them through a computer screen though. It still feels strange to be home at all."
Connor nodded even though Dakota couldn't see it. It felt strange to be home for him too, though not as much as it would be for Dakota. Ever since school shut down for social distancing, student's classes had been online and they'd moved back home to wait out quarantine. It was cheaper and easier than student housing.
"How are your parents doing?"
Dakota inhaled a sharp breath. "Mum and I still see each other throughout the day since she only works part-time in the mornings. Dad is working from home but he's holed up in his office all day. He's always grumbling about how inconvenient things are right now."
"Are you guys still not talking?"
"We talk. More in the past few months due to the pandemic but it's an effort to try anymore."
"Dakota," Connor started sadly but Dakota wasn't hearing any of it.
"It's fine, Con." he said. "I don't need him. He's never been much of a father figure to me anyway, and my mum's always been around. You too."
"Yeah, if you mean all the years we tried breaking one another's legs on the soccer field."
"Good times," Dakota sighed happily. "Years of foreplay paid off."
Connor gaped. "Foreplay! I'd hardly call nearly breaking your neck to get the ball foreplay."
"It got me what I wanted in the end, didn't it?"
Connor sighed. "You're such a sap sometimes."
"Oh, but sending cute texts isn't sappy?"
"I didn't want them all the time." Connor grumbled. "Just when I wake up and when I go to bed."
Dakota laughed brightly. "I never thought you'd turn out to be so clingy, Taylor."
"Don't push your luck, Anderson. There are plenty of people who want a piece of this. Consider yourself lucky."
"I do." Dakota's smile practically screamed through the phone. "Everyday."
Without saying a word, Connor tucked his face into the crook of his elbow and breathed. A moment of silence passed.
"Is your mum still playing Celine Dion?"
"Oh my God!" Connor threw his arm away from his face and groaned. "I swear to God, that heart is about to stop going on altogether if I have to hear it one more time!"
Dakota laughed and Connor heard the bed shift on the other side. He pictured his boyfriend rolling over with that amused expression he got when Connor was going off again. "I think I can hear it through the phone."
"That's it!"
Their phone call ended when Dakota heard Connor throw open his bedroom door and thunder down the stairs, calling out to his mum that if he had to listen to that song one more time she would find out exactly what dog faeces looked like on her art collection around the house. Deciding it was best to leave them to it - and for fear of dying of laughter while listening to his boyfriend argue with his mum - Dakota hung up the phone and tossed it aside.
Later that night when Connor was climbing into bed - he'd managed to tuck in the sheets at best - his phone chimed on the table beside him. Picking it up, he smile turned to daylight.
Dakota [10:21pm]
It's only a month. We have our whole lives. Hang in there. I love you.
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