Bed Sheets II

9. Loyalty

This was the seventh time Eric had read the chapters of the new comic Draven had produced. Ellic was one of the main characters, therefore his introduction was most of the first chapter. He was drawn as a bulky man with gold curls, exactly like Eric's, but his regard was simply malicious and mean. It was apparent that he was considered the primary villain in the chapters, and there were instances in the novel where Eric had to resist the urge to call Draven and explode in a series of curse words.

For instance, there was one part where Ellic got Lance belligerently drunk to take advantage of him, knowing he would say yes if intoxicated. Then, Lance vomited on Ellic's shoes—that was not how their story happened. It was filled with lies that were untrue, and it was the other way around, Eric had puked on Draven's shoes in real life.

He was furious, his lips curling as he violently turned the page, almost ripping a page from the book. He had been engulfed in reading that he failed to realize Kyle entered the room with a mug, and placed it on the living room table.

"Eric."

"Eric."

No response, and Kyle tapped him on the shoulder, frightening him for a moment before Eric exhaled a long breath.

"Sorry, I was just—"

"Reading Draven's comic book again. You've read that the whole day."

Eric shook his head, pausing for a moment before replying, "It's irritating."

"All he wants is a reaction. You don't have to give him that."

"You already gave him that. Twice now."

Kyle furrowed his brows, "What are you talking about?"

"I know you went to go see him this morning." When Kyle rolled his eyes, Eric closed the book and narrowed his eyes, "I told you not to. I can handle my own battles, I told you that."

"He's in love with you, and you're soft, so I wanted to make sure nothing happened."

"What did you say to him?"

"I just...told him to back off—"

"Well next time, don't, alright?" Eric scoffed, shaking his head and opening the book again, "You're way too jealous for someone I've been telling you that I don't care about."

"Do you not though?" Eric inhaled a sharp breath and Kyle leaned forward in his seat. "The first night, when you guys bumped into each other, I saw the whole thing."

"What did you see?"

Kyle tilted his head, carefully examining every angle of Eric's emotions that crossed his face as he said, "His was accidental; yours wasn't."

Eric chuckled, "What are you talking about—"

"You saw him rushing that direction, and he was getting nearer to you. You hadn't seen him in so long, and you needed a reason to encounter him." Kyle cleared his throat, his fingers clenching his sweats, "So you stepped backwards, and your drink spilled on him."

The silence that followed was tense, and Eric had sweat forming on the side of his face.

"That's not what happened."

"But then you were nervous; you hadn't really thought about what to say next which was why it was quite awkward. There's only one thing I've been wondering..." Kyle raised an eyebrow, "You insisted on buying him a new suit. Was it an excuse to see him again?"

"No, it wasn't."

"As much as you want to keep hiding it, Eric, I know you from in to out. I can read you transparently, and you can't hide anything from me." He stood to his feet, "Now, I know Draven still has feelings for you, it's clear. But if you have feelings for him, you have to tell me. Now."