Roger lazily closed his eyes and relaxed further, loving the gentle play with his hair. “I’m far too smart for a feckin’ placebo effect, Zach.” The slack in his grip didn’t go unnoticed by Evan who wiggled free and ran off toward his sister who was lounging on the chair at the opposite end of the room. “Just wishing something to work just… won’t.” He finished rather lamely.
As the smoke began to pour out of his ears the vain side of Roger took over, clapping his hands over the sides of his head and looking annoyed. “I can’t.” was the distracted reply while sitting up and reaching for a blanket to bury himself under. “I can’t just tell Cho. She already knows. Our history is really complicated.” Sounding more annoyed than he meant to, Roger gave Zach an apologetic look. “Sorry, its just, we’ve been off and on so many times, you know? I fall for her, we get together, and then she just disappears. I’m twenty-seven and been chasing the same girl since I was fifteen. Part of me doesn’t want to let her go out of familiarity and yet, I don’t know, maybe you’re right. Maybe I need to see what else is out there.” Now sitting up fully Roger picked up the bowl of soup and brought it to him, stirring the contents thoughtfully. “Who knows, maybe there is a girl out there who will want me for more than just an object to make her look better.” He smiled, but unlike his skin it did not contain any warmth.