Praying Under Pressure

5 - Party City

"Sarah wants me to meet her parents, El, what the fuck do I do? We haven't even been dating for more than six months."

Elliot rolled his eyes despite his eyebrows being furrowed in light confusion. Six months was a fucking miracle for Ryan. He had a nice habit of choosing cooky girls or he would mess up by focusing too much on hockey. Now that he didn't play Elliot didn't see the problem. Sarah was a nice girl, took care of the idiot. Elliot approved.

"I think that's a good sign. Six months is a decent span of time, right? And you like her a lot, right?"

Elliot turned on his turn signal, tapping his finger on the steering wheel in time with the ticking. The streets weren't busy, being about seven o'clock at night. He had just gotten off his shift at a daycare program. All the kids are picked up by six but they closers stayed an hour later to clean up and prep for the next day. Right now Elliot's covered in sticky juice and bruises. 

It was worth it. Elliot loved kids. Coming from a family of four kids, Elliot being the oldest, he helped around the family as much as he could when his father wasn't fitting him into the perfect male figure. His mother worked as a kindergarten teacher so Elliot got to mesh into all of the things that involved kids. The bad and the good. It's why he moved across country to get a Masters in social work. To help those who shouldn't need help.

"Yes! Yes...I don't know. I'm not a parent's type of guy. They'll hate me and then Sarah will hate me and then I'll lose one of the best relationships I've been in," Ryan sighed loudly on the other side of the line, clearly stressed at his predicament. 

Elliot bit back a snicker. Ryan was the last person he imagined freaking out about parents, "Okay then you tell her you're nervous and don't think you have the balls to meet her parents."

"Fuck you, Elliot! Fucking fuck you!"

Elliot actually let the laugh out this time as he began a hunt for a parking spot at the apartment. There were cars everywhere, more than normal at night. 

Shit. The party.

"I don't even know why I'm asking you. You only brought girls home to please your dad even when you didn't give a flying fuck about them-"

"Hey, hey, hey," Elliot frowned. Both at the party and at Ryan going off on him. He cared. A bit, "I cared. I didn't even want to hurt them or anything..."

"Uh-huh," Every wave of Ryan over the phone was sarcastic and taunting, "That's why you didn't tell them you aren't for all their bits and pieces?"

Okay, gross. Ryan didn't know what Elliot thought or had to do. Sure, yeah, so he didn't like what they sported in all departments. But most of the time it was denial so it wasn't like he went out to hurt a bunch of girls. He was trying, really trying, to make them happy. At the expense of his, but what did that matter?

"That's gross, Ryan. Sorry, I was battling massive toxic masculinity. I was a bit emotional at the time, thank you," He nearly 'ah-ha' -ed when he finally fit into a parking spot not the far away too. A total score. It eased the conversation with a bit of smug satisfaction. 

"You're always emotional."

"Shouldn't this be about you right now? Not my pathetic range of emotions and sexuality?" He grabbed his phone from the center console of his car after he grabbed all his other things from the passenger seat. He climbed out, swinging the half-empty backpack on one shoulder before he locked his car and waited for the sound of the lock.

"Right! My relationship crisis! What do I do? What did we decide?" Elliot scoffed, his feet and his voice the only noise in the neighborhood as he walked under the parking sky to too many people when he just wanted to burrow in his bed.