Doing alright // Hardzello

Chapter 6

Ben had spent the last few days considering different ways of asking Joe out. Some were even crazier than others. Gwil had been teasing him with it ever since. Ben already regretted the fact that he even told Gwil. That evening Ben is gathering all his confidence when there is a knock on the door. Ben sighs loudly, knowing it's probably Gwil standing on the other side of the door. When he opens the door, he realises that he was wrong. It is Joe who is standing in front of him. Tears are streaming down his face.
"Joe? Come in," Ben says while stepping aside to let Joe in. Joe takes a few steps forward until he is in Ben's room. Ben quickly shuts the door behind them. He wraps his arms around Joe's back. Joe places his chin on Ben's shoulder.

Ben doesn't say anything until Joe pulls away.
"Are you okay?" Ben asks. Joe shakes his head. With the back of his hand, he brushes away the tears from his face.
"He- he passed," Joe mumbles. Ben brings up his hand to his mouth.
"I am so sorry to hear. My condolences," Ben says before stepping forward again. He gives Joe a brief hug. After that, he sits down on his bed. He pats for Joe to sit down next to him. Which Joe immediately does.
"I just can't wrap my head around the fact that he isn't there anymore," Joe says. He stares at the wall opposite him. Ben rubs his hand over Joe's back to give him some sort of support.
"He was my hero. I have looked up to him since the day I was born. It was so challenging to see him decline. At one point he just wasn't the same person anymore. He couldn't do the things he loved. He couldn't dance anymore. I know how much pain that caused. We were there for him and that is what mattered to him a lot. He is – was – such a family man. Nobody dared to miss any of the family traditions because everyone knew how much they meant to my dad. I am going to miss those things. I am going to miss him so unbelievably much," Joe says. He has to stop talking a few times because tears keep making their way down his cheeks.
"He sounds like a great man," Ben says. Joe nods.
"He was. The greatest man. You should have known him. I think you two would get along really well," Joe says. Ben shoots him a sad smile. Ben pulls Joe into his chest when another wave of tears wash over Joe.

Ben jumps when the door opens.
"Ben, why didn't you text me? What was Joe's response?" Gwil asks while still standing on the other side of the door. He had opened the door a crack, in case Ben didn't want him to come in. Joe's eyebrows furrow while he looks at the door, wondering what he has to respond to.
"Gwilym, not now," Ben says.
"Can I come in?" Gwil asks. Ben looks at Joe to see what he has to say. When Joe gives a small nod, Ben says that Gwil can come in. When Gwil opens the door he is surprised to find Joe sitting there as well. He looks concerned at the look on Joe's face.
"What is going on?" Gwil carefully asks.
"My dad- he- he-" Joe knows he can't just say the words out loud. That makes everything feel very real all of a sudden. However, Gwil understood what he was trying to say. So, he just opens his arms wide for Joe. The latter gets up to receive the hug. Gwil holds him close.
"I am so sorry," Gwil whispers into Joe's ear.

Gwil stays a little longer and then leaves to get them all some food, claiming that Joe needed to eat something. Ben pulled Joe close again. Joe tries his best to keep his tears in. He can't hide the few tears that do make their way down his face. 
"What was Gwil talking about?" Joe asks. Ben lets out a questioned hum.
"What my response was or something? He seemed pretty excited about it," Joe says. Ben closes his eyes.
"Nothing. Just ignore him," Ben says. Joe manages to roll his eyes.
"Come on, Ben. Tell me," Joe says. Ben shakes his head.
"It is not important," Ben says.
"Ben," Joe says. Ben sighs loudly.
"Fine, I was going to ask you out today," Ben says. He buries his face in his hands.
"Like a date?" Joe asks. His eyes have widened a fair bit. Ben sighs again.
"Yeah, I guess so," Ben mumbles. He scratches the back of his head. 
"Well, ask me," Joe says. Ben shakes his head.
"Don't mess with me," Ben says. Joe rolls his eyes.
"Just ask me," Joe says.
"Joe, will you go on a date with me?" Ben asks. He almost wants to put his hands over his ears.
"I would love to," Joe says. Ben furrows his eyebrows while he looks at Joe.
"Are you serious?" Ben asks. Joe nods with a small smile on his face.
"That's great. I didn't expect you to say yes," Ben admits.
"Well, I did," Joe says. Ben smiles.

Their moment is interrupted by Gwil walking in. He has two bags of food with him. Clearly oblivious to what just happened. 
"Here, this one is for you guys," Gwil says while placing a bag on the desk in the corner of the room.
"Do you want me to stay here?" Gwil asks while looking at Joe. Out of the corner of his eyes, he sees Ben shake his head ever the slightest.
"Doesn't really matter I guess," Joe says.
"Well, it's your call," Gwil says. Joe shrugs.
"If you want to, you can do something else. I am not staying here that long either. I have to pack my stuff. I'm flying to New York tonight," Joe says. Ben looks over at Joe. He hadn't expected less, but he just hadn't thought about the fact that it meant not seeing Joe for a few weeks.
"I can help you pack if you want to? Maybe a little distraction helps?" Ben asks. Joe nods slowly.
"I would like that," Joe admits.
"Let's eat first, okay?" Ben asks. Joe walks over to the desk before sitting on the chair standing in front of it. Neither of them had noticed that Gwil quietly left.

While eating, Ben let Joe talk about his dad. He hopes that if he talks about it now, it might help him to deal with the situation a little better. Joe shed a few more tears but managed to stay calm. After that, Ben helped Joe pack his suitcase. Well, Ben didn't really do anything. He just sat on Joe's bed and talked to him about anything else than family. Joe appreciated it a lot. He knew that the flight home would be a long one. He downloaded some movies on his laptop. Hopefully to distract him a little. Although, he could already guess that he would be mostly thinking about his dad during the flight.

At the end of the evening, Ben steps forward to give Joe another hug.
"Take care of yourself, okay?" Ben asks. Joe nods against his shoulder.
"If you ever need to get something off your chest, just call me, alright?" Ben continues. Joe nods again.
"Thanks, Ben. Also, thanks for being there for me today. I really appreciate it," Joe says. He pulls away to be able to look Ben in the eye.
"Of course," Ben says.
"I'm sorry I ruined you asking me on a date," Joe says. Ben chuckles.
"Don't worry about that. I am glad you said yes. And it doesn't have to be right away. The date can wait until you feel ready to go on one," Ben says.
"That is sweet," Joe admits. He looks at his watch before grabbing his suitcase from the corner.
"I have to go," Joe says. Ben walks over to the door, followed by Joe.
"Good luck, stay strong," Ben says. Joe thanked him another time before walking over to the elevator. Maybe the fact that Ben asked him on a date will keep him distracted a little.

********

Hey guys,

I know this was a really sad chapter. Don't worry, the next chapter will be more fun to read!

Take good care of yourself and others. Stay safe, stay healthy. 

Goodbye,

Xx Itsametaphorjoe