Because, Brett... [BxB]

Chapter 7: Subtlety Is Key

It's dinner time when Alice calls me downstairs. Saturday is usually my day to cook but being the delightful younger brother I am, I had insisted on takeout tonight because I was 'simply too drained' to cook. In other words, since my unsuccessful lunchtime meeting with R, I couldn't get Seth out of my head. I knew he had looked familiar but I just couldn't quite drag the memory up from the depths of my brain. It seems so obvious now though. He was the man who had stood in front of me in the queue. He'd bought me the cake. The barista at the time had said he was an admirer and all evidence now points to him being right.

I stumble down the stairs in a hurry just in time to see Alice hand the money off to the pizza guy and kick the door closed behind her with a grin on her face and two boxes in hand.

"So. . . movie and pizza?" She singsongs and as she passes me shoves one of the boxes into my chest.

"Sounds like a plan."

You know how it is with a movie night though. From the second we sit our fat asses down on the sofa and start scrolling through Netflix, I know we'll be long dead before we decide what to watch.

"Just choose something already. Anything." Alice groans.

I hurry to scroll through a few more before I finally stop, "Legally Blonde?"

She nods. Pressing play, I sit back with my food and allow Reese Witherspoon to take us on a journey. She makes the whole 'law' thing seem a lot more fun than Alice does. Whereas Alice drones on and on about contracts and how her client had no grounds to make a claim, Elle entices us all with stories of polka-dot-panties and bend-and-snaps. It completely romanticises the world of work. And life in general.

I love it.

Ding

My pizza is instantly forgotten as I place the box on the coffee table and get drawn back into my phone. It's Seth again. We've been texting all afternoon. People always say you're supposed to wait, it's always something different. Wait a few minutes after receiving a text. Wait a few days to call after a date or getting someone's number.

Seth was the first to reach out though, and it's all just spiralled from there. What's the point of waiting to reply when I want to talk to him?

20:34
Funny ;)
Anywho, wanted to ask. You thought I was a guy called R earlier?

And suddenly I want to talk to him a whole lot less. The one question I knew would come eventually because how could he not ask.

Who's R?

The answer to that seems so flayed and messy. There are clues around every corner and I come across the dregs of his existence non-stop. Nothing can seem to pull the threads together though. The times I spend idly contemplating Raphael are the times I feel most vulnerable.

I don't even know where I would start to explain this to someone like Seth. Someone I have an interest in.

Scaring him off is the last thing I want.

20:38
Blind date.

I let out a heavy sigh and drop my phone into my lap. Snatching a slice of pizza from the box I'd set aside, Alice glances at me curiously from the corner of her eye.

"Something got your panties in a twist?" She asks between mouthfuls.

A shake of the head redirects her attention back to the TV and another ding has me picking my phone back up.

20:40
I thought you weren't looking

20:41
I told Elijah that I wasn't looking

I don't know whether to be
relieved or jealous

Jealous?

20:42
;) I think I'm relieved

Throughout the rest of the movie, I'm distracted. Every time I try to put my phone down, a second later I receive another message and I just can't bring myself to ignore it. Alice huffs and puffs a lot, not voicing her displeasure but at the same time she's definitely not subtle about it.

By the time the evening is over, we've arranged a date. Dinner, Wednesday night since I don't work then. Next to me, Alice spews something about going to bed early and suddenly I'm left completely alone to clean up the mess. Crumbs coat the cushion where Alice sat - she's always been a messy eater. I brush them into an empty pizza box before stacking them together and heading into the kitchen to stuff them in the bin.

An early night might be just what I need, I decide. Shadowing Alice, I too make my way upstairs, bare feet padding quietly, and all but collapse into my bed at the thought of fluffy blankets and plump pillows.