Your Love's a F*cking Drag (But I Need it So Bad)

Chapter Eight

If Phil had a penny for every time he'd repressed a problem and hoped it would go away he'd be able to pay for half of his tuition. The blowjob he'd given Dan had only served to make him more confused, and this time he was the one taking drastic measures to avoid their room. Though he was the one ignoring the situation, that didn't mean he missed his roommate any less despite whatever 'friends with benefits' arrangement they'd created. After all, Dan had been one of Phil's first friends at university.

Once you got past the leather jackets and smoking Dan was kind of a pushover. He stayed up too late, had a weird obsession with these creatures he called 'sock goblins' that he insisted were responsible for why he never brought back all of their socks, and constantly bitched about Phil eating his cereal, leaving every cupboard open, and leaving his contact lenses on top of the sink. Phil never would've guessed that Dan's nagging would be one of the things that he'd miss the most, but so it goes.

It was a mark of how few friends he had that the only person he wanted to talk about Dan with (besides Dan himself) was Maria. She'd always had the most logical solutions to problems; her ability to unscramble his thoughts had been one of the things that had drawn him to her in the first place. And after all the years they'd known each other, she could calm him down and point out how illogical he was being in a way that made him believe her.

He would give almost anything to ask for her advice, but he couldn't think of a way that didn't involve being too obvious. Maybe he could pretend he was asking for advice on Dan's behalf? Or was that too obvious? Before he could talk himself out of it he was dialing her. His palm was sweaty against his phone, stomach caving in on itself with the pressure of an impending panic attack. Maria picked up on the second ring.

Her voice was as cheery as always, although there was an edge of confusion to her tone. "Hey Phil! Is everything okay?"

"Yeah. Why wouldn't it be?"

Maria sounded hesitant, her words carefully chosen. "It's just...you never call. At least not this time of the week."

Phil winced, shifting from foot to foot. "Everything's fine, don't worry. I just wanted to hear your voice."

He could sense Maria's smile, and somehow that made everything worse. "You're acting strange today. Are you sure you're okay?"

Phil nodded before remembering she couldn't see him. He cleared his throat. "Yeah, I guess it's...You know Dan, right?" Phil began slowly. "Well he's dating this girl named Cheryl, but she's been fucking this other boy named Avery behind his back. But it was more of a friends with benefits situation though, you know? A casual hand job when no one was looking. Anyway Dan found out about it, and he's not really sure what to do."

"Dump her ass obviously." Maria's voice was surprisingly fierce. "She was cheating on him whether she wants to admit it or not."

Phil swallowed. Suddenly all the excuses he and Dan threw around weren't sounding so logical. "I think the words she used were 'friends helping each other out.'"

Maria scoffed. "Please. If she can't even own up to the fact that she's cheating on him she doesn't deserve anything from him."

Phil was quiet. He wrapped his finger around his shoelace, pulling until his fingertip started to turn white. "I never thought you liked Dan that much," he said finally.

She sighed. "Honestly? He's been kind of a dick whenever I've talked to him. But I know he makes you happy and I'm sure he's a good person. Besides, no one deserves to be cheated on, especially if the other person won't acknowledge they've made a mistake."

"You're right," Phil said softly. Maria deserved someone better–someone who loved her with everything they had and could be honest that the situation with Dan had escalated far beyond a one time quickie. "Thank you, I'll make sure to pass on the message."