“I fucking know that, thanks.”
“Hey.” Ben raised both hands in front of him. “Calm the fuck down. I’m just saying, it sucks that you wanted more and he didn’t, but there’s not a lot you can do.” He reached out and laid a hand on Patrick’s knee. “I know you’ve liked him for a while, but you were only together two weeks. Is it worth getting this upset over?”
“I know, I know.” And Patrick did. He got how it must look from the outside. “But I liked him.”
“Yeah, okay.” Ben gave Patrick’s leg a squeeze. “So do you want me to hit him or what?” He grinned as he said it, and Patrick’s lips twitched in response.
“No, fuck off. I know you wouldn’t anyway.” Patrick ducked out of the way as Ben went to mess with his hair again.
“No, probably not.” He stood and stretched, groaning as his back clicked. “But I might have a word with him anyway.”
Ugh, no.The last thing Patrick wanted was for Ben to get involved. Will would no doubt think Patrick put him up to it, and then things would be even more awkward between them. “I’ll be fine, really, so just leave it, yeah?”
Ben studied him for a couple of seconds, and Patrick did his best to project sincerity. “Okay. I’m knackered, so I’m gonna go to bed for a few hours.”
“You up for lunch later? I’m not working today.”
“Sounds good.” Ben stifled another yawn, and Patrick shooed him off to bed with a wave of his hand before deciding to do the same. He had fuck-all else to do.
Patrick had meant what he’d told Ben, even if it was just to get him off his back. He’d be fine once he got Will out of his system. It was the getting to that point that sucked.
WILL SPENTthe first two days in his new house cleaning. It wasn’t his favourite thing to do by a long way, but it served two purposes. First, he couldn’t settle until he knew that everywhere was clean, and second, it took his mind off other things.
Those other things mainly being Patrick and the unsettling feeling that Will was somehow making a huge mistake by not even trying to make a go of things. He refused to dwell on it, though, and channelled all his energy into vacuuming, dusting, and scrubbing.
Well, to be fair, his mum had done the majority of the scrubbing, taking pity on him when he’d pulled a face at the pair of marigolds she’d thrust at him. By Wednesday morning his house was ready for the rest of his things, and Will had just finished his breakfast when Ben arrived on his doorstep.
They’d spoken via text since Ben got back, but neither of them had mentioned Patrick, and Will was expecting Ben to have something to say to him. It still came as a bit of a shock when Ben came inside and opened with “So, you and my brother. What the fuck happened there, then?”
Will winced but met Ben’s gaze. “You really want details?”
Ben frowned and shook his head. “That’s not what I meant and you know it.” He sighed and moved past Will to head into the kitchen, looking around as he went. “Nice place.”
“Thanks.” Will joined him, leaning against the counter. “It all sort of got out of hand, and I guess I dealt with it poorly.”
“You think?” Ben snorted and glanced down at his feet for a second. “I don’t want to get in the middle of this, but he’s my little brother, Will, and he looks like shit.”
“Fuck.” Will felt guilty all over again, just like when Patrick had left him in the café.
“And honestly you don’t look much better. Are you okay?”
No. Will had felt off since Sunday, despite having his new house to focus on. “Yeah, I’m fine.”
Ben raised an eyebrow.
Ugh sometimes Will hated how well they knew each other. “I’ve been better, okay?”
Ben sighed as he leaned next to Will and elbowed him in the side. “He likes you, you know?”
“Yeah, I know.”
“He’s under the impression you like him too.” Ben waited, clearly expecting Will to either confirm or deny, but what was the point in that? It didn’t change anything, and Will wanted out of this whole conversation. “Is it really because he’s a student?”
Ben might be his best friend and Patrick’s brother, but Will didn’t want to talk about this anymore. “Of course it’s because he’s a student,” he snapped, making Ben flinch next to him. “If we carried on with this and it worked out, what happens when he goes back? You know how it went with Darren. He fucked around at least once when he was working away, and—”
“Fuck you. Patrick is nothing like Darren.”
“I know that. Let me bloody finish.”
