Sheets | ✓

FIFTY

A/N: What you've all been waiting for - there's some smutty smut smut in this chapter~

"Oh my god that's so cute!" Rachel gushed, tears in her eyes as Leo and Benny looked at her, cringing. Me, on the other hand, tried to look anywhere but at the girl who was basically drooling over my censored story about how Nico and I met and how our relationship progressed. "This is so much better than the books I read. Seriously, the girls in my book club would die if I told them about how cute you guys are!" 

"I'm sorry, what?" Benny asked, giving Rachel an odd look. 

"My book club!" Rachel repeated slowly, as if we were deaf. When we kept looking at her blankly, she let out a huff, pushing her glasses up before looking at me, cheeks rosy and eyes glittering. "We all, um, support your relationship. We find it really cute! Especially Ingrid, do you know Ingrid?" Rachel glanced at all of us, basically rocking back and forth with excitement. The three of us shook our heads, Rachel waving away our confusion.

"Well, she write gay stories online, you know? She would probably pass out if she actually knew how adorable you and Nico are. I mean, Nico cooking for you? And... And the whole 'project-partners-to-lovers' trope? Oh my God I'm about to cry!" Rachel couldn't seem to contain herself anymore, a terrifying squeal erupting from her body as she leapt over, hugging me tightly. "I'm so happy for you, Wes!"

"Uh, I think you started crying a while ago, Rachel," Leo said, rolling his eyes. 

"Um, thanks, Rachel? I think?" I said, giving Benny a questioning look, my friend just shrugging uselessly. "I didn't realise that, um, people were supportive of my relationship, though. After what happened last week..."

The moment I brought up what happened last week, the easy-going mood had been sufficiently dampened, Rachel pulling back from our hug with a sad look. 

"That's something else I'm sorry about..." Rachel said, sniffling a bit. "You know, lots of my friends thought you guys were really cute, but we were too scared to say something in front of Daniel and Alyssa and all of them..."

"Ugh, same over here," Leo said, before shaking his head. "Well, almost the same. Most of guys on my footy team also support you, just minus the, you know, gay fan fiction or whatever. They don't have a problem with you guys being gay, it's just that they're friends with Daniel, so they found it hard to speak out against him... It's a shitty excuse though, I know."

"No, it's... I understand," I said, smiling glumly. I understand all too well. It's hard to say things when you know people might get hurt, or disagree with you. Not all people like confrontation, in fact, most people try to avoid it at all costs. Sometimes that's good, since it keeps the peace, but at other times... Other times it's wrong. Cowardly. Unjust. All of these things.

But it's hard. Bloody hell, is it hard.

"Oooookay, now everyone looks fucking sad, so I'm sad. Let's talk about happy things, yeah?" Benny said, clapping his hands together as if the sharp noise would slap the glum expressions off our faces. Rachel smiled a little, Leo shaking his head as he chuckled. Used to Benny's behaviour, I just rolled my eyes, leaning back on my small throne of kickboards.

"So, happy thoughts," Leo said, scratching his head as he tried to think of something 'happy' to talk about. Seeming to draw a blank, he nudged Rachel with his knee, the girl's brow furrowing before smoothing out with newfound excitement.

"Formal!" Rachel exclaimed, looking at Benny and I expectantly. "Are you guys going?"

"Oh God, I completely forgot about it," I said, eyes wide.