He's Not My Type

5

Two hours and two-and-a-half episodes of Gogglebox later, Elijah is too engrossed by the Welsh couple's reaction to Britain's Got Talent that he misses whatever prompts Christian to remark: "Should get out of the house, mate."
"Me?" Richard asks.

"Who else? Our Elijah here is already out of his house." Elijah giggles and adjusts his head against Christian's shoulder. Christian has his arm around his back and, as they've watched, Elijah has settled into his side.

With Elijah being the larger of the two of them, they really shouldn't fit together so well this way. And yet somehow they seem to. They fit together really well.

And, also, Christian's Stone Roses t-shirt is snug enough to hug his lightly toned abs, and there's this spot on his side between the dip of his waist and his hip where Elijah thinks his hand would fit perfectly.

Richard's tired voice cuts through Elijah's thoughts. "Christian, you know why I—"

"We could get you laid," Christian continues blithely. "Take you out to Triangle, find you a nice lad—"

"No."

"It's been months, mate."

"Well, I'm sorry to disappoint if I'm not bringing a new boy back here every weekend," Richard snaps. "I'm not like you."

Christian aims a swift kick across the sofa. Richard yelps and grabs for his calf.
"Fucking wanker." Christian mutters. But he doesn't seem too offended. Just rolls his eyes at Elijah as if it's a joke that he's in on, too.

Elijah isn't in on it, though. He's sure he would be utterly humiliated if one of his flatmates had said that to a date he'd brought home. He'd be scrambling to deny it right now.

But Christian has just gone back to watching the telly.

Well, it wouldn't have been true if someone said that about Elijah.

That must be the difference.

It takes him just another moment to realise what Christian's casual reaction means — that he'd expected Elijah to already know that he's just one more boy in a long line of them.

Maybe this isn't even dating for Christian.

Elijah reminds himself that it's a relief. He was meant to tell him they couldn't see each other again, anyways. This just makes it easier.

"So, you didn't tell him," Pieter says slowly.
Elijah tucks his hands into the pockets of his peacoat as they cross the road onto campus. "I forgot."

Pieter gives him a sceptical look. But it's not even a lie, exactly. Elijah had stayed through part of another episode, but with Richard's words churning through his head and Christian's fingers twisting through his curls, Elijah couldn't think anymore. So, instead, he'd just made up an excuse and left.

"We don't really have anything in common," Elijah says finally. "You know he's not my type."

"Then you have to stop leading him on," Pieter insists.

"I know." Though Elijah's feeling a bit led on himself, even if that doesn't make any sense. He's the one who's not interested in Christian that way.

"You'll tell him you want to be just mates, then?"

Elijah grits his teeth together. "I just said I would."

"Soon?" Pieter says. "Before you end up accidentally going on another date?"

Elijah's on his way to the library to meet with his small group, but he knows Christian has a shift in Vinyl Tap this afternoon.

"I'll tell him today," he says.