Elementary [n.h. au]

six | queues and q's

It wasn't exactly 'business as usual' for a man to be occupying the empty side of Rolly's bed for a weekend, but Javier Robles wasn't just any man, and these were, of course, special circumstances.

"Isn't Claire going to come shank me for monopolizing all of your time?" Rolly asked, as she reached across the mattress to steal a few chili-cheese fries from Robles's plate. "I mean, the two of you just got back together—"

"Marshall, it's been like, two days; I don't even know if that's what we are. 'Back together,' I mean." Meeting her eyes, Robles frowned, a crease forming between his brows. "We haven't really talked about it."

Rolly shoveled the fries into her mouth, half-chewing them before reaching for another few. "Because I've been monopolizing your time."

"Because my friend needed me." He slapped her hand as it neared his plate. "Slow down; you're gonna fucking choke."

Rolly shrugged, tilting her chin up as she made a dramatic display of devouring the fries clenched between her messy fingers, and Robles laughed, the sound like jingle bells to Rolly's ears. It was nice to have him there. Most of the time, she loved living alone, but it had been nice to have company, given the circumstances.

She sort of hated herself for needing it, though.

It seemed silly, to feel...what was it that she felt? Disappointed? Heartbroken? Could one feel heartbroken about a guy she never even dated? Maybe it was more a blend of the former— disappointment—and confusion, because when she factored her encounters with Liam into the mix, it was altogether too big of a mess for her to dwell in on her own.

So that first night—or rather, early morning—Rolly had brewed a pot of coffee as Robles had bossily requested she do, and then she'd spilled everything about the crush on Niall she'd been harboring since they'd met back in October, and revisited the almost-whatever with Liam.

And then she'd cried about it, and felt like an idiot, and Robles had pulled her up by the arm and ushered her into bed and stayed with her. And then he'd just hung around into the afternoon, a silent agreement between them—that he would stay as long as she liked, no questions asked.

A quick trip to his place for a few changes of clothes and a stop at the grocery store for some well-needed junk food, and then they'd holed themselves up with their provisions and a lengthy Netflix queue of holiday films in Rolly's apartment, strangers to the outside world for a couple of days.

"When are you heading home for Christmas?" Robles asked, swatting Rolly's hand again when she went in for the last cluster of fries remaining on his plate. "And do I need to make you some more fries since you've pretty much stolen all of mine?"

Rolly laughed as she snatched back her hand to lick her fingers clean, then gave him a big grin—a full-cheese, genuine one. It felt good to smile like that. She was thankful beyond belief for him. "I haven't decided yet; I'm gonna talk to Darren first," she replied, "and yes, please."

Robles reached out a hand, and Rolly slid her empty plate into his grasp, enjoying the way he rolled his eyes at her before stacking his plate on top of hers and pushing himself up from the mattress.

"You're a garbage disposal on legs," he muttered, turning away to make his way out of her bedroom towards her kitchen.

She laughed again, moving to her feet to follow him. "Damn right, I am!"

By the time Rolly reached the kitchen, Robles was standing in front of the stove with his back to her, reaching for the dial to preheat the oven. For a brief moment, she did something she hadn't done a whole lot since she'd harbored a five-second crush on him when they first met: she ogled him.