Something In Between: Sequel to On The Edge of Tomorrow

Chapter 27

"Really?" I said as I kicked his side.

"Hey, keep your grubby feet off me!"

"Grubby feet? You love my grubby feet!" I kicked him again as I spoke, but he grabbed me by the ankle and yanked me towards him. He easily pinned me to the couch and tickled me.

"No," I yelled. "Billy, no means no, and I said no!" I managed.

Before Billy could even respond, Tim was banging on the door. "Keep it down, you two!" He yelled through the door.

Billy opened the door for him and then plopped back down on the couch.

"If I didn't know better, I'd say this sounded more like foreplay than a breakup party," Tim accused.

"Ew, no," I spat. "He just called my feet grubby."

"I did, and I stand by it. And you called me devilishly handsome," Billy added.

"I did not. You called you devilishly handsome," I reminded.

"That's ridiculous. Why would I call myself devilishly handsome?" Billy challenged.

"I don't know. You were just heaping praise on yourself. Who knows why you do half the weird shit you do," I groaned.

"Weird shit? Wow, Lil. That hurts, and after I gave up my day to help you in your time of need." He shook his head in disgust at me.

"Are you two done?" Tim added, in awe of our banter.

"Oh, I doubt it. Just when we think we're done, we find ourselves thrown back together," Billy surmised.

"You love it. You'd be so bored if I wasn't around to shake up your life," I smugly stated.

"Really? Bored? Bored, is what you think my life would be without you?" Billy countered.

"Yeah, I do," I doubled up on my assertion.

"Yeah, you're probably right," Billy agreed.

"Thank you." I smiled in satisfaction.

"Please tell me this isn't what being around Tess and me is like," Tim moaned.

"No, if Tess is around, then it's delightful," I confirmed.

"Yeah, man, it's only annoying being around you," Billy agreed.

"Real nice," Tim shot. "For the record, delightful Tess is feeling a little dismissed."

"What?" I shot up to a sitting position from my slump.

"Well, she considered you her best girlfriend and thought in your time of need you would turn to her, but instead, you turned to Mr. Devilishly Handsome," Tim explained.

"You can just call me Mr. Handsome for short," Billy noted.

"Is now really the time for that?" I chided Billy.

"Sorry, it's a blessing and a curse," Billy shirked off the scolding.

"Is she really upset?" I asked, as my entire being filled with guilt.

"Yeah, I think she just really wanted to be there for you," Tim noted.

"Is she here? Should I go apologize or blubber or something?" I was descending into a total panic.

­I loved Tess and considered her my closest girlfriend, but in my heart, I knew that no other friend would rival my connection with Billy. He just knew how to make things better for me. Even at this moment, he knew that in the aftermath of a breakup, the only way to get through it was through laughter.

"Hey." Billy set a calming hand on my knee. "You're the one dealing with this. Put you first for once. Tim can deal with Tess, and I know she'll understand."

As usual, Billy was right, and his words pulled me from my plunge.

"Yeah, she'll be fine. I gave her my credit card and told her she could buy all the records she wanted. So, scoot over because you've got both your besties to guide you through this trying time," Tim directed.

I shifted closer to Billy as Tim heavily sat down on the other side of me. I rested my head on his shoulder, and he wrapped an arm around my shoulder.

"You okay, Lilipop?" He whispered.

"I'm getting there. Billy let me order two pizzas," I noted.

"Two, I'd have shot for three or four. The dude's a famous rock star. He can afford it," Tim teased.

"Thanks, man. Glad to know my wallet measures my worth," Billy complained.

"You should be glad. It's getting to be a fat-ass wallet," Tim added.

"I'm more than money!" Billy argued.

"I know, I know. You're devilishly handsome," Tim teased.

"It just doesn't sound right coming from you, man," Billy whined.

"Boys, can we please remember that we're here to focus on me," I reminded.

"As usual," Billy and Tim said in unison.

"Okay, what else did I miss?" Tim continued.

"Oh, the way to describe Lil from now on is 'adorably whiney,'" Billy explained.

"Approved," Tim agreed.

"Seriously?" I jutted out my lip in a pout to Tim.

"Oh, look how cute that is." Tim smiled as he tapped my lip with his finger. "One could classify it as adorably whiney."

"See, I told you," Billy triumphantly said.

"How did I end up with you two as my best friends?" I questioned.

"Just lucky, I guess," Billy said as he started flicking through the movie options again.