"Nandos, Nandos, Nandos, Nandos. Nandos with the squad!", JJ chants, waving his phone around, making a snapchat story.
They all sit round at the biggest table they had in Nandos as there is the grand total of ten people. Ethan had decided last minute that he wanted to stay home, stating he didn't feel well but Rosie had seen straight through him. An upside to her studying Psychology. She knew that something had happened, whether it's levels of sincerity were high or low, it seemed to have a large impact on Ethan. His voice shaking as he informed Rosie of his absence from the group dinner. Nerves emanating from the few words he managed to choke out. A clear sign of lying. Rosie would talk to him about it soon.
---
After everyone ordered, the table filled with idle chatter amongst themselves. Simon sat watching his friends talk and have fun while he drowned in puddle upon puddle of guilt. Like his salty tears choking him.
"I don't understand why you're so fucking stubborn about this!" He shouted, pointing his finger at his innocent victim. No, he wasn't innocent, he was just as guilty as Simon but that didn't mean he deserved it.
"I'm just not ready! Why can't you understand that? You've heard what they say, yet you expect me to jump at the chance of telling them!" He screamed back, salty tears brimming in his eyes. He stared into Simon's eyes, seeing brief guilt spread through them but it disappeared as quickly as it appeared.
"This isn't just about you! I've been ready for six months! I've had to wait for you and I can't wait any longer, it's eating me inside!" Simon shouts, trailing at the end, no tears spill from his eyes though they do from Ethan's. Simon swore that Ethan could have flooded the whole room.
"Oh, so you'd out me when I'm not ready, you selfish git! You know what, FUCK YOU! Get out of my house." Simon hesitated to turn around, blinking to try and wake himself up, as if this was all just a bad dream, "NOW!"
He scurried quickly, a tidal wave rushing down his face as soon as he steps into the cold brisk outside.
As Simon remembers the argument from mere hours ago, tears form in his eyes and threaten to spill but he quickly blinks them away. The more he thinks about it, the more he resents Ethan, for not taking his own feelings into consideration. This makes him want Ethan to feel the same way he feels.
"We should go to a club after this." He announces, his voice shivering from the sudden cold in his heart.
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Around three beers and twelve shots later, we join Simon as he has a girl grind against him. His head is fuzzy, like a static TV, but it feels good. He struggles to remember why he came here just that he really enjoyed the feeling of this blonde against him as he runs his hands over her waist, holding her closer.
"What do you think is wrong with him?" Josh asks JJ as they stand, with cups of God knows what in their hands, at the opposite side of the club. JJ had noticed Simon was acting off at Nandos and had decided to lay off the drink a bit, in favour of keeping his eye on one of his best friends.
"I don't know, man. This isn't like him. He hasn't even attempted to pull for months." He remembered the multiple times JJ had tried to set Simon up with random girls they met but it was never successful. When JJ looks back at them, they are walking towards them. The girl's eyes are droopy from alcohol and they both have idiotic smiles on their faces, like the drink has tricked them into thinking they had just fallen in love at first sight. Josh saw that between them and it made him feel slightly sick.
He was sickened at how alcohol was like a creepy manipulative man that made one thing look like another. It turned love to lust and it was horrible.
"We're gonna get an uber home, you coming?" Simon slurs, words flowing freely with no restrictions.
JJ shakes his head, opting to stay a bit later but Josh follows them out. Though he asks the driver to take him to Freya's address to avoid Simon and Little miss big tits, he still has to endure a car ride. In which they kiss and touch and all in all are very inappropriate.
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* ring* *ring*
Simon awakes to his phone ringing, he feels a bare body against his back and, though not religious, he prayed to God that it wasn't some random person.
Turning over he breathed a sigh of relief as he was met with Ethan's face. Suddenly, memories of the night before flooded his mind.
2:34am
Simon and the girl, whose name he couldn't remember, were making out on the path outside the house when a sudden jolt ran through Simon's spine. He doesn't remember much from then, only a boat load of guilt.
3:12am
The next thing he remembers is running down street after street, looking for something. For what, he didn't know.
3:14am
That was until his body came to an automatic stop outside Ethan's house. All the lights were off except for a dim glow coming from Ethan's window.
3:21am
Simon knocked on the door, breathing heavily, half from the running, half from nerves. Every footstep that got closer meant his heart beat faster. The steps stopped but the door didn't open.
3:23am
When the door finally opened, Simon was met by a half asleep Ethan, whose arms he fell into straight away.
Ethan's warm arms around him made all his anxieties go away as he murmured, "I'm so sorry, I really am. I can wait for you. I'd wait for you forever. I'm sorry, so so sorry."
As Ethan came out of his slumber and realised what was happening, he smiled, resting his cheek against Simon's head. He didn't care that he reeked of alcohol or that he probably did loads of stupid stuff out of anger, he only cared that he was sorry.
"I know. Come on get inside."
Ethan stirred from in front of Simon and the first thing he said was, "How bad is your hangover?"
Simon groans, as if the headache and stomach churning had just hit him and as if on queue, he scurries to the bathroom.
Minutes later, Ethan hears loud retching and curses Simon for his parents inevitable awakening to the sound of his boyfriend throwing up. But still, he can't help but smile.
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So, yeah, EMON! I really enjoyed writing this chapter so I hope you guys like it :-) :-)
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stumbling into line (sidemen ff)
Fanfiction'Would you give up your happiness for her?' 'No, she is my happiness' --- 'One add one equals one. Me add him equals one. Everything equals one. But how you get there is always different.' --- 'Love is a one time thing, but it's so unknown to hum...
