Felix and Warren (boyxboy)

Thirty-One

"I used to work in a shop, before I got the job at the bar, and both are difficult. However..." Felix trailed off.

"Cleo seems to like it, which is just weird," Warren said.

Felix's eyes lit up with amusement.

"That makes sense. All the customers love her. She's very good at making cocktails," Felix said.

"Yeah...and she flirts. With everyone."

A mischievous glint became apparent in Felix's gaze, then.

"Hey, all the best people are notorious flirts," Felix said.

Warren rolled his eyes but smiled right after.

"As long as it's just with me," he said quietly.

Another smirk became present on Felix's face.

"Are they even really your best friend if you can't flirt with them at every opportunity?" Felix asked.

"Well, in our case..." Warren started to say. "I'm serious when I say you're the best friend that I've ever had, Felix."

"And you're mine," Felix said.

For many reasons, those words caused the heart inside Warren's chest to pound slightly harder again.

"Is it because I'm so charming?" Felix said, as he flashed him a smile.

"You are," Warren blurted.

Humour danced in Felix's eyes again, which had become warmer.

"Most of the time, when I'm not being a dick. I'm still so sorry for what I said, before," Felix said. "I really like having you around. You make me feel like I can relax."

"Yeah. You do the same for me," Warren admitted.

Felix locked eyes with Warren and smiled a kind smile.

"I want to be a good best friend, or well, whatever this is," Felix said.

"And you are," Warren said, as he grabbed a hold of Felix's hand and squeezed it tightly again.

Felix wished that he would never let go, but to hold on forever would be impractical. Perhaps in his dreams...

"I've not been so sensitive towards you in the past, but I want you to know that I really do care," Felix said.

As he looked towards their entwined hands, he became quiet for a few moments.

"You keep a lot to yourself, but I want to know you. Really know you. I've never had the privilege of having a best friend before and-" Warren cut off when he realised he was rambling. "That probably makes me sound really lame, doesn't it?" he asked.

"No," Felix said.

"Thank you for lying," Warren said. "To spare my feelings."

"I'm not lying," Felix replied. His voice was as serious as the expression upon his face, so Warren chose to trust him.

"I guess I've always kept things to myself. I haven't wanted to open up before. I've been too worried that people could use whatever information they had about me against me," Felix admitted.

"Do you trust me?" Warren asked gently.

It didn't take long for Felix to respond with a nod of his head.

"Plus, it's not all good. I didn't want to hurt you. I still don't want to," Felix said.

Warren shook his head.

"You could never hurt me by being honest about how you are feeling. I want to be able to help," Warren said.

"I don't want you to feel like it's your responsibility," Felix admitted. "And I don't want to be an inconvenience."

"You could never be an inconvenience, Felix. That's the last thing you are," Warren replied.

Felix exhaled and as he did so, his shoulders relaxed a little.

"You're teaching me to be more open-minded," he said and then went on to explain when he was met with a look of curiosity from Warren. "You're teaching me that not everyone is against me."

"I'm here to listen," Warren said.

"I know," Felix smiled. "I've been dead against therapy and all of that for so long. I think it's time I opened myself up to the idea. I want to be there for you as my best version, and I think that starts with me working on myself."

Felix wasn't sure if he could follow through on what he was saying, now that he was really saying it. Nevertheless, he wanted to try his best.

"I think I care too much," Felix said.

"I know the feeling," Warren replied.

Warren had always cared about what others had thought about him. In all honesty, he had never managed to make friends easily. He didn't consider himself charming in the way he thought Felix was, despite his struggles. He was just a person. Warren didn't think anything particularly stood out about him, but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. In the end, he thought it was better to not be known at all, but kind, than known for the wrong reasons.

When Felix stepped forward to bring Warren into a tight embrace, Warren felt his eyes widen in surprise. He knew that he was usually the one to hug Felix, so this was different. This was new. Warren hugged Felix back and as he did so, his lips curled upwards again. As far as Felix was concerned, the smallest acts could make Warren happy.

"I don't care about what tomorrow brings, I'm thankful for this moment," Warren said, which caused Felix's heart to grow warmer again.

Sooner than Felix could say anything else, loud music emerged from down the hall.

"Cleo," Warren said, with irritation evident in his voice, before he walked down the hallway towards he room. "Can you turn it down?" he asked.

"That depends, do you have twenty pounds you can lend me?" she asked.

Warren raised an eyebrow at her.

"Aren't you making enough tips at the bar?" he questioned.

Cleo shrugged.

"Eh. Was worth a shot," she said. Then she turned down the volume on her speakers.

As Warren and Felix walked back to his room, Felix smirked.

"You've got to admire her strategy," he said.

"I really haven't," Warren replied. His expression told Felix that this was something that Cleo regularly pulled and that only served to make him even more amused.

"Speaking of sisters, I should probably head back," Felix said.