Chapter Text
“No, no, no. You can’t do that,” Patrick snapped at me, leaning forward in his seat - in an attempt to appear more intimidating, I’m sure. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“Ease off, Patty.” His round face was all scrunched up, eyebrows practically touching, but my words seemed to calm him some.
“Come on Jacob, you can’t.” He took a deep breath and sank back into his chair. “You can’t do that, man.” I gave him my best blank look. When it came to Patrick, one had to assess a situation carefully before reacting. He tended to fly off the handle at the drop of a hat.
“Do what, exactly?” I kept my tone even and my gaze steady. This man might be a wild beast, but I had spent the past handful of years learning how to handle him. We were good friends.
“That. That!” He gestures at the table between us, arms swinging wide in his exasperation. His flailing knocked a rook over, scattering the pawns in its immediate vicinity. His face started to redden, thin lips pressed into a white line. “I can’t trust you, man. I can’t trust you!”
“I didn’t do anything,” I stated calmly, hating how he wouldn’t just come out and say what the problem was. He’d just dance around the issue, getting more and more angry. There was no reasoning with Patrick when he went into a rage.
“You’re trying to cheat me, man. You’re a liar!” The last was snapped loudly enough to make me flinch in surprise. Perhaps the situation was more dire than I had initially anticipated.
“I’m not lying to you, Patty.” I tried to place a hand on one of his gesturing arms, to calm him. “Come on. Calm down.” I gave his arm a reassuring squeeze, but he tore it out of my grip, nose flaring as he straightened his back again. He was making himself imposing again, taking on an aggressive stance. As if I was the enemy. I always hated it when my friend lost control, when I was forced to watch him turn me into the enemy.
“Jacob,” he hissed, “you-”
“Patty,” I interrupted. Surely I could do or say something to reach him. “Patrick.” His eyes darted to mine and his jaw snapped shut. I was vaguely aware of my heart hammering inside my chest, but that was an insignificant detail. The only details that mattered were on Patrick - the way his hands twitched over the chessboard; the vein that bulged on his neck. “I’m your friend, Patrick. Calm down, please.” He blinked, once, twice, then took a deep breath. I could almost see the control returning to him as he took deep breath after deep breath, letting the unexplainable rage go.
“I’m calm, Jake,” he promised a long moment later. “You need to calm down now. I’m calm. Yes?”
“Yes,” I agreed, watching him warily for a sign that his switch would flip again. “Okay Patrick.” It surprised me when he extended a hand towards me warily, but the questioning look I shot him was met with a shy and hopeful smile. Yes, my friend was back.
“Okay?” he asked. I accepted his hand, squeezing it once.
“Yeah, Patrick. We’re good.”
“Good.”