A Good Night Full Of Mistakes

Ch. 15

It's 10:59pm. Mitch's face is strangely expressionless.

Scott takes another step towards him. "Can I... do you want a hug?"

Mitch nods and Scott closes the distance between them in two long strides, welcoming the familiar body into his embrace. Neither say anything for what seems forever.

"I'm sorry," Mitch says softly into Scott's shoulder. "Y'know, for that little tantrum. That wasn't okay."

Scott gives him a squeeze. "S'alright. I don't blame you. We'll get everything taken care of. Do you want to talk?"

Mitch nods again and Scott somewhat reluctantly releases him, wiping his eyes. "Get your bag, get your wine," he says, walking over to the room phone and picking it up.

"Front desk, how can I help you?" comes the pleasant voice on the other end.

"Hi," Scott puts on his fake professional voice without needing to think about it. "I am so sorry but I accidentally dropped a glass in my bathroom and it shattered. There's broken glass everywhere. Is anyone available to help get it cleaned up?"

Scott watches Mitch watch him as he finishes with the front desk and it's maddening that he can't tell what his friend is thinking.

"C'mon. My room's three doors down. We'll hang out there while they get things situated here, okay?"

It's too short a walk for Scott to gather his thoughts, not that it matters much. He's got nothing to lose from the truth at this point. What's the worst that could happen?

"I was an ass because I was jealous," Scott says from where he'd flopped down on the bed, then corrects himself. "Am. Am jealous. Present tense."

Mitch had been hovering awkwardly, but at Scott's words he sits on the bed next to him. "Jealous? Of what??" He sounds bewildered.

"Because I had another shot with you, even if it was just for the one night, and I fucked it up by being too drunk to remember anything." Scott stares at the ceiling, not ready to see Mitch's reaction to the stark admission. "The guys on Tinder, the two-dates-and-they're-gone losers, whatever, they'd at least get to remember. I got drunk, risked the single most important thing in my life, and I don't even get spank bank material out of it."

Scott grins when Mitch sputters a laugh at his phrasing, then rolls on his side and props his head on his fist. Mitch mirrors him, scooting close. "I didn't know how to deal with it and I made everything worse. Fuck, I still don't know if I'm dealing with it the right way. I have no fucking idea what I'm doing except trying not to lose you. Not that lying is okay but, I mean, do you at least kind of understand why I wasn't exactly comfortable admitting this?"

"Maybe," Mitch replies after a brief silence. "This is... a lot to process." His expression is still largely unreadable but there's an arch to his brow, a languidness to his posture that tells Scott this conversation isn't going badly.

They study each other until Mitch breaks the silence. "I thought you said you were going to kiss me."

Sometimes, once in awhile, words are stupid and overrated.

This is one of those times.

And it's not their first kiss, of course, but Scott treasures it like it could be their last. He's all too aware of how easily things can fall apart.

A minute passes, maybe an hour.

"I forgive you, for the lying thing," Mitch says quietly, some amount of time after they part. "But don't fucking do it again."

"I won't," Scott promises, chin resting on the top of Mitch's head. Another silence. "Now what?"

"I don't want to be in a relationship," Mitch answers.

"Not unexpected," Scott can't help but laugh a little. "What do you want?"

"You. Us. This," he pauses. "Sometimes, though. At least for now."

This is quite possibly the best answer Scott could've hoped to hear. "Alright."

Words are still stupid and overrated, at least for now.

But Scott needs just a few more. "It's after midnight. Wanna stay?"

A breath. A breath. A quiet exhale, not quite a laugh. "Yeah."