affection

twelve

friday, later

"him, now you?" elliot glares at his phone. "i was right, the letter i wrote, i was right."

he spots cooper moving from the kitchen to the lounge area, elliot squeezes through people dancing to get to him. he looks happy to see him. he pulls cooper into the next room, a quieter room.

"did you know he was cheating?"

cooper frowns, "what?"

"you did, didn't you? is that why you were so secretive and weird and the bowling alley?"

"li, it's not like that at all. you should really hear from kai himself, he's been having some issues with his family. i can't say any more."

elliot shakes his head, "you're covering for him."

he goes back to his phone after cooper disappears to find kai, texting his mom to pick him up. she comes quickly, telling him he's lucky as she was just at the gas station. he vents to her about his cheating boyfriend, she gives advice.

"she had his arm around him, they were talking and looked so close it- it's not fair. i don't know what i did wrong, mom. he's been so distant this entire time and it's because he's been hanging out with a girl?"

his mom gives him a weak smile. "how do you know this wasn't a one time thing?"

"because i asked bee if they know who she was. apparently her name's layla and she walks home with him when he tells me he's too busy to come over. she's in his english class and they looked so..."

elliot gets a message as he's finishing his sentence.

'kai's looking for u, he's like panicking and says he needs to explain smth.'

'he says it's urgent, please call him.'

he stares at the two messages from his brother, contemplating replying. he sighs, his mother looks hopeful. of course she would. he types out a response, and hates how he sounds.

'tell him to leave me alone.'

'he said no, pick up the phone.'

and as expected, jake's contact blows up as he calls elliot. reluctantly, he answers, but only because kai might do something stupid if he doesn't.

"li? lio, oh god, listen. that girl i was with? she's-"

he sounds fine, so he hangs up. jake will stop him from being an idiot. jake texts back, but it's not him, it's kai.

'don't make me walk to ur house rn. i'll walk it, coop's wasted.'

elliot ignores this, still somewhat drunk and thinks about his boyfriend. he can't help the tears forming on his waterline, nor can he stop them from falling. he wants to shout at him, he wants to call him a jerk and be done with it all. his mind wanders over a dangerous area, thinking, comparing, his father.

he replays the scene in his head, kai smiling while some girl smiles back, her arm draped around him. he didn't push it off, sure he'll probably say they're just friends but that's a little too friendly. he even takes her to his house? from his point of view, this is all too much. can he lie his way out of this? make excuses to justify the closeness between him and some random girl elliot didn't realise was even in his classes?

elliot squeezes his pillow, shuts his eyes tight, and sobs quietly. he half smiles at the thought of him walking all the way to his house, but it's the type of stupid thing he'd do. but he didn't want to see kai anymore, even he shows up at his house. he types a message to him on his phone, he squints at the brightness of his phone.

'jerk.'

and this is coming from one of the kindest people on the planet, elliot who'd never want to hurt anyone. kai had taught him himself that you should stand up to people, in reference to bullies and his own father, but it still applies. this is his best form of getting back at him, even just a little.

will he ever learn to love right? imagine seeing the person you trust most, the closest person to you, the best person to you, with somebody else. somebody who isn't you.

the one you could share almost anything with without judgement, the one who picks you up when you're upset. the one who seems to understand you like nobody else. the person you've spent almost a whole year, right by their side. has all of this time been for nothing? a year spent on someone willing to throw it away for another person?

elliot isn't sure he can take anymore. from his father, to his own boyfriend.

...
wc: 790
please vote!
real short chapter bc lio is sad