It's a Hard life | Hardzello♡

39. The evil twin

*Buzz buzz*

The moment Joe feels the phone in his back pocket vibrate, he immediately grabs it in the hope his boyfriend texted him with his phone.
But to his disappointment, he sees that Ben's phone received a text from Rami.
And although it doesn't feel good to do, Joe decides to read the message. Ben is already furious with him anyway.

(2:44 Pm) Rami: I hope things aren't too bad between you now. I just felt like you should know.

Joe can't help but get curious. Rami knows why Ben is so mad at him?
He decides to unlock Ben's phone to read back the other messages Rami sent Ben today, since he knows the password. He clicks on the chat with Rami, and scrolls up to read the older messages.
His eyes widen once he has read the messages Rami sent Ben this morning.

(9:34 Am) Rami: He isn't at work

(9:35 Am) Ben: Yes he is. If you need to speak to him that urgently then why don't you call him?

(9:35 Am) Rami: Because I saw him this morning, and I wanted to talk about what I saw in person. But I think now you're online I might as well tell you first. You're not going to like it though.

(9:36 Am) Ben: Okay now you're freaking me out. Just tell me what's going on please.

(9:36 Am) Rami: I went to the supermarket to get some lunch, and I saw Joe there. He was with a boy. Well, not just any boy, it was one of his old flings. They were kissing. I'm so sorry Ben.

(2:44 Pm) Rami: I hope things aren't too bad between you now. I just felt like you should know.

Furiously, Joe bangs the phone on the counter.
The boy next to him gives him a questioning look. "Everything okay?" He asks.
Joe gets up from the bar stool, and chucks down the last of his Scotch. "I uhm... I gotta fix things. You know, with my roommate." He says.
The boy smiles at him. "Well go then!"
Joe smiles, and takes a five dollar bill to give to the boy.
The latter shakes his head. "No no, I told you it was my treat." The boy says as he shakes his head.
Joe rolls his eyes with a smile. "Okay then. I should go. And I'm sure you and your girlfriend will fix things soon too." He says before leaving the bar.
He quickly hurries to Rami's house. How dare that asshole tell Ben that he cheated on him?

{}{}{}

When Joe arrives at Rami's house, he sees the boy just stepping outside.
Rami doesn't see Joe yet because he is standing with his back to the ginger to lock the front door.
Joe rushes over to the boy and taps him on the shoulder.
"Oh hey Joe what are y-"
The ginger doesn't give Rami a chance to finish his sentence. He pushes the boy violently against the wall. "WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?!" Joe yells.
Rami is so shocked by the sudden movements and raised voice of his friend, that he doesn't know what to say.
"Why the hell would you tell Ben that I kissed someone else for God's sake?" Joe asks when his friend doesn't say anything. He pushes the boy a little closer against the wall as tears come to his eyes.
Rami pushes his friend away so he can breathe properly again. "What do you mean?" He asks confused as he regained his breath.
Still filled with rage, Joe grabs Ben's phone to show Rami the messages from this morning. "You told him I made out with someone else! How could you do that?!" He says with a soft sob.
Rami frowns once he has read the messages. "Joe, I didn't send these messages. I promise." The boy says.
Joe rolls his eyes and crosses his arms while blinking away his tears. "Oh so you're saying that the messages you send with your phone aren't coming from you?" He says sarcastically.
Rami nods. "Yes! Because I lost my phone like three days ago." He says.
Then Joe sees Rami's eyes widen slightly. "What is it?" The ginger asks.

Without saying anything, Rami grabs his keys and opens the front door in a hurry. He takes Joe's arm and yanks him along.
"Rami, I don't understand?" Joe asks annoyed.
Rami sighs. "I have an evil twin brother, remember?" The black-haired boy says to Joe as they walk upstairs. "A few days ago I pulled a stupid prank on Sami and he swore he'd get revenge. I wouldn't be surprised if he stole my phone to text one of my friends." Rami explains.
He pulls Joe along to Sami's room and opens one of the drawers from his brother's desk. And as expected, there he sees his phone. "That fucking asshole." Rami mutters. He turns around to Joe.
He is about to say something when he notices how pale the ginger looks. "You okay?" He asks a bit concerned.
Joe wants to answer the question, but he feels too nauseous to speak. So he just shakes his head.
His vision gets a little blurry, and he starts to feel a little dizzy. This can't be from just one glass of alcohol, can it? After a few deep breaths, the nauseous feeling disappears a little.
"I- I think it's just all the tension. Ben and I have never fought before." Joe mumbles with the best smile he can put on.
Still, the concerned look in Rami's eyes is still there. "You should go to him. I can imagine he feels devastated." He says to Joe as they walk downstairs again.

Once the two are back outside, Rami locks the front door again. When he turns around, he sees that Joe is leaning against the wall to stay on his feet. "You're sure you're okay? Maybe I should walk with you." He says.
But Joe shakes his head. "No, I'll be fine. I just have to make it up to him." Joe says. Without waiting for Rami to say anything to that, he walks away, towards home.

******