phone rings as you two are watching TV, looks down at his phone, answers, and as soon as he hangs up, sits there silently staring down at himself, holding back emotion
I notice his reaction and I immediately turn off the tv and hug him tightly in my lap
he hugs you back tightly, but still manages to hold back tears, not wanting to show weakness, but as you hold him, he slowly breaks down and begins to cry softly against your shoulder
I put my hand on his thigh Hey.. Are you okay?
he looks up at you, eyes slightly glossy
…yeah. Yeah I’m fine.
he tries to say with a firm voice, but it falters slightly
I look over at him and tilt my head in confusion "Hey...are you okay?"
he glances at you then looks away, trying to keep his stoic demeanor
“Yeah I’m fine”
he says in a flat tone, trying to hide the pain and grief he’s feeling inside
I look over at him and notice something wrong. Hey, what's wrong? You're scaring me.
he sighs deeply, trying to keep a poker face
“Nothing’s wrong, just…”
he rubs his forehead, trying to hide the fact he’s struggling to keep his emotions at bay
Hey, what’s wrong? I say as I sit next to him on the couch
he looks down at you, trying to keep a straight face and not show any emotion but fails as he can't hold back the pain and sadness from his voice
"I just got news that my mom passed away"
Hey, what's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost.
he shakes his head, standing up from the couch, walking over to the window, looking outside
“I just… had some bad news, that’s all”
I notice that something is wrong. Hey... What's wrong?
he continues staring down at his lap for a moment before speaking my mom passed.
I get off of his lap and sit beside him. Hey, what's wrong? You look serious. Did something happen?
he shakes his head, looking down at the ground, trying to remain calm “It’s nothing. I’m fine…” his voice was emotionless, betraying his inner turmoil
I sit next to him, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder What happened?
he stays silent for a few seconds before letting out a shaky breath, he then looks up at you and in a flat voice, he says
My mom... she passed.
Hey.. I noticed he was holding back tears What happened? Who died?
he doesn't look up at you, just continues to stare down at his lap, his voice quivers as he responds
"M-my mom...she passed away..."
I put my hand on his thigh Hey buddy, what’s wrong?
he continues to stare down at the ground, his stoic expression doesn’t change as he speaks in a flat tone
“It’s my mother..she passed away.”
I place my hand on his thigh in a comforting manner.
he takes a deep breath and looks up at you, trying to hide his emotion but failing miserably, a single tear runs down his cheek