FICLET FRIDAY THE TWENTY-EIGHTH: STILLXMYXHEART
boys will be boys (Eli, Ben, Miriam [references to Eli/Ashley]), G
"So, you and Ashley, huh?"
Eli looks up at his best friend where he's lounging on Eli's bed, sitting against the wall and flipping through a baseball magazine. A beat later Ben lowers the magazine, one eyebrow arched curiously, and Eli grins.
"Yeah, me and Ashley."
"Suppose she could do a lot worse," Ben mutters approvingly.
Eli smirks. "She already has."
"Oh, fuck you," Ben retorts, laughing as he throws the magazine at Eli.
Eli laughs too, raising his arm to bat the magazine away, and Ben pulls his knees up, staring at Eli over them.
"I didn't even know you liked her," he says, his expression curious again. "In that way, I mean."
Eli shrugs, moving to settle beside Ben. "I don't think I really knew either, until I saw her with you, and it just made me crazy jealous."
Ben looks over at him, his eyebrows raised. "You know I never would have gone out with her if I had known."
The corner of Eli's mouth lifts, and he nods. "I know. Can't really blame you for wanting to. She's pretty awesome."
"And we never like, did anything," Ben continues. "I mean, we made out, but that was all."
Eli snorts. "Thanks, Ben."
Ben grins as he elbows Eli. "Have you kissed her yet?"
Eli smiles broadly, thinking back to that moment in front of Ashley's front door, the softness of her lips and the way her fingers slowly tightened around his.
"Yeah, when I took her home after the fair."
"She's a good kisser, right?"
Eli reaches over to punch Ben's arm. "Okay, you can stop rubbing it in now that you got to date her before I did."
Ben laughs, punching Eli back, and there's a brief shoving match before they settle again.
"Vanessa's got a thing for you, I think," Ben says, absently rubbing his hand over his arm.
Eli frowns. "Vanessa?"
"Sophomore. Dark hair, not bad looking. Josh Maxwell's little sister."
"Oh, her. I didn't know her name was Vanessa." His frown deepens. "She's got a crush on me?"
Ben shrugs. "Seems that way. I overheard her and her friends the other day."
"Weird," Eli murmurs, and Ben snorts.
"Weird my ass. Wait until next year, when you're a senior, and hot shot star of the varsity baseball team. You'll be beating off girls left and right."
Eli grins. "You can have my cast offs."
Ben snorts again, and digs his elbow into Eli's side.
It rapidly escalates, and a moment later they've rolled off the bed onto the floor, laughing and shouting as they wrestle around.
Eli's over Ben, holding the other boy's arm behind his back, when the door opens.
They both look up to see Miriam framed in the doorway, and she stares at them a moment before she shakes her head.
"Dinner's ready, if you boys want a break from trying to kill each other."
Eli grins, releasing Ben's arm as they stand, and Ben gets in one more shove as they walk from the bedroom.
i hate you too (Ben, Eli [references to Eli/Beth]), PG
Eli sits listlessly on the couch, staring into space as he absently rolls Ben's boyfriend's basketball between his hands.
Ben walks in a moment later, sighing when he sees Eli.
"Still thinking about her?"
"It's been two days, Ben," Eli mutters, not looking up. "It's not like I'm going to just forget her."
"I know that," Ben replies, settling beside Eli, "but you can't keep dwelling on it. She cheated on you, dude."
Eli huffs and throws the basketball across the room, where it bounces off the wall with a loud thud. "Thanks for reminding me."
"I know you loved her, but she was kind of a bitch -"
"No, she wasn't," Eli says sharply, frowning as he looks over at Ben.
"Eli, she practically expected you to drop everything the second she walked into the room."
"That doesn't make her a bitch."
Ben sighs. "Okay, maybe not, but that doesn't make it right either. You've talked about this FBI thing since senior year, and you finally decided to stop living your dad's dream, and start living your own. I don't know if she ever got how much this means to you, and how hard you needed to work for it."
Eli sighs and tips his head back against the couch as he pulls his pillow into his lap. Ben and his boyfriend Logan offered to let Eli stay with them for a while until he could find his own place, and the couch is currently doubling as Eli's bed.
"I just wish she hadn't felt the need to fuck some other guy." Eli's throat is tight, and he can feel the tears threatening again. "If she would've just waited a little while longer - midterms were almost over."
"If it hadn't happened now, then it probably would've happened during finals," Ben says softly. "She needed more of you than you could give right now, and I think this would've happened sooner or later."
Eli doesn't reply, because he doesn't want to admit that Ben is probably right.
Instead he takes a deep breath, swiping his hand over his eyes as Ben shifts beside him.
"Look, maybe you just need to stop dating for a while. You haven't really been single since high school. There was Ashley, and then Melissa for a little while, and then Ashley again, and then right after you broke up with her, you got with Beth. Maybe you just need a break."
"Maybe," Eli murmurs, still staring up at the ceiling.
Ben nudges Eli's leg with his knee. "Why don't you go out with Logan and me tonight? Drink the pain away."
Eli snorts. "And fend off every girl who comes to me after she realizes you two are there together?"
"They never seem to understand that I like girls too, I just happen to currently be dating a guy. They always want to like... fix me or something." Ben frowns, and then shakes his head. "Whatever, though. You can have my cast offs," he finishes with a grin.
Eli laughs. "You just said I should take a break from dating."
"Yeah, but I didn't say take a break from sex."
Eli laughs again, and then shakes his head. "I think I'll just stay here tonight. But you guys have fun, and try not to wake me when you come home."
"I make no promises."
Eli makes a disgusted noise, and the corner of Ben's mouth lifts. "Is it because he's a guy?"
Eli gives him a look. "You know I don't give a shit who you have sex with, I just don't want to hear it. I didn't want to hear it when you hooked up with Vanessa either, remember? And by the way, I still can't believe you slept with her."
Ben shrugs. "It happened, and actually wasn't too bad. Though it was a little weird how she was like, overly excited that you were over. And then she was all disappointed when we came out of the bedroom later and you were gone."
Eli raises his eyebrows. "Dude, that's more than a little weird."
"Hey, I thought she was into me. I didn't think it was some other crazy way for her to try to get to you."
Eli shakes his head, waving his hand as though brushing away the thought of Vanessa.
"Whatever. I don't care if you and Logan fuck, just don't be surprised if you come out here and I'm gone."
"I'll try to remember to come get you from the roof."
"Just text me."
"What should I say? 'Gay sex over, all clear'?"
Eli rolls his eyes, and then laughs as he shakes his head. "Remind me to start looking for a new apartment soon."
"You say that now, but you'll miss me when you leave."
Eli shakes his head again, and then looks over at Ben, smiling slightly. "Thanks."
Ben shrugs, smiling back. "I'd be kind of a shitty friend if I didn't let my best friend crash on my couch after the girl he loved broke his heart."
Eli's smile widens as he raises his eyebrows. "You're a lot of things, Ben, but a shitty friend definitely isn't one of them."
There's a beat, and then Ben grins. "Dude, that's a little gay."
Eli groans as his head falls back against the cushions again, and he covers his face with his pillow.
"I hate you so much right now," he mutters, his voice slightly muffled.
"Yeah, I know. I hate you too."