Doing alright // Hardzello

Chapter 24

The next morning, Rami walks into his guest room to wake up Ben.
"Good morning, breakfast is ready," Rami says as soon as Ben opens his eyes. Ben nods. It takes some time before Ben is downstairs, but he mumbles a greeting before sitting down at the table. He takes a deep breath while grabbing a slice of bread. After putting some cheese on it he stares at it for a few minutes before taking the first bite. Silently he had his breakfast.
"Does anyone want coffee or tea?" Lucy asks while getting up from her chair.
"A cup of coffee for me, please," Rami says. When Lucy looks at Ben, the latter nods.
"Coffee?" Ben nods again.

During the walk in the park, Ben walks with his hand in his pockets. He looks around a little but mostly keeps his eyes on the path. He kicks some small stones to the side. Lucy tries to include Ben in the conversation, but Ben doesn't say much. Whenever he could get away with it, he would simply nod or shake his head.

Currently, they are sitting in the bathroom. Lucy has laid out her entire set-up. Rami is shaving his face while Lucy carefully cuts Ben's hair. She tries not to cut too much off, but enough so Ben looks a little more put together. 
"Do you want more of the top?" Lucy asks while she holds a mirror in front of Ben. The latter looks a little before shaking his head.
"You usually have the sides quite short, don't you?" Ben nods. So, Lucy grabs the shaver and slowly starts to work. She looks proudly toward Rami when she is done.

"Do you want to keep your beard and get it trimmed or do you want it gone?" Lucy asks. 
"Gone." 
"Do you want to do it yourself or do you want Rami to do it for you?" Ben shrugs so Lucy hands Rami the electric razor. Rami turns it on before gently grabbing Ben's chin. As careful as he can he starts to shave Ben. He is so used to doing it to himself. He knows all the bumps and ridges of his own face. Now it feels like he needs to discover that all over again.
"Tug in your upper lip for me, please." Ben does as told and Rami quickly gets rid of Ben's moustache. Rami moves Ben's face by gently nudging Ben's chin in the right direction.
"That looks a lot better. Why don't you take a shower to get rid of all the hair?" Rami says as soon as he is done. Ben nods before standing up.
"Thank you," Ben says. In his eyes, Rami can see that he truly means it.

Day by day Ben started to do better. Rami could see that he was still struggling a lot, but he didn't stay in bed all day. Rami and Lucy tried to engage him in as many activities as possible. A few days ago they went out to eat together. Food was still an issue, but Ben had already gained back some of the weight he lost in the first couple of weeks. Rami even went to the gym with him to make sure he would go. Because he knows that the gym is the best place for Ben to clear his mind.

One night, Rami and Ben are sitting on the couch together. Lucy was out with some friends. Ben and Rami decided that neither of them felt like going out. So, they stayed inside.
"All of this should have never happened," Ben mumbles.
"What happened?" Rami whispers.
"Gwil pulled me in for a kiss. I was in shock and didn't know how to react at first. Then I tried to push him away but he had his hand on the back of my head and wouldn't let me. Then Joe walked in," Ben says. His voice was quiet and shaky. He never looked Rami in the eye. His fingers are fidgeting with the ropes of his sweatpants.
"That's all? Only one kiss?" Rami asks. Ben nods.
"He didn't really want to listen to my story. His ex cheated on him and I guess he immediately jumped to the worst possible scenario because of that," Ben says. He is fighting back his tears.

"I just hope he finds someone who will love him just as much as I did, but who will not cheat on him. He deserves that more than anything." Rami smiles sadly but doesn't say anything.
"I really loved him. I still do. I bought this a week before it all went down," Ben says. He reaches into the pocket of his sweatpants. When Rami sees the black velvet box, Rami knows at once what it is. Ben opens it. The ring inside is absolutely stunning. When Ben's eyes fall on it, he can't hold back his tears any longer. He closes the box and puts it down before burying his face in his hands.
"Sorry," He manages to choke out when Rami wraps his arms around Ben.
"Shh, it's alright. I'm so sorry you have to go through this, Ben. You really don't deserve this."
"Yes, I do. I should have pushed him away the first chance I got."
"Do you know why he did it?" Rami asks. Ben immediately shakes his head. 
"He came back a few days later to get his stuff. I let him in, but I also told him that I didn't want to talk. So, he grabbed everything that was his and left."

Later, Rami is sitting in his bedroom. He has dialled Joe's phone number. His foot taps on the floor while he waits for Joe to answer it.
"Hey," Rami says as soon as the line connects.
"Hey, what's up?" Joe asks.
"I talked to Ben today," Rami says. He quickly glances toward the door to make sure it is closed.
"Rami, we've been over this. I don't want to hear about this."
"I know. But Joe, please just talk to him. You two miscommunicating makes this so much worse." The phone call gets ended and Rami sighs loudly. Rami doesn't want to take sides. But he knows that this situation would be a lot better if the two just talked.

**********

Hey guys,

Do you hate me already?

Prepare for the next chapter, because there is a (small) plot twist coming. 

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

Goodbye,

Xx Itsametaphorjoe