34B. |raylijah

43

"Are we seriously going to play this game?" Ray frowned, watching as Elijah poked around at his food. He surprised him with a trip to a new restaurant in town, hoping that it would lighten the mood between the two.

"What game? The 'I'm suddenly a liar and a cheater' game?" Elijah shrugged, making sure his boyfriend caught the attitude and sarcasm in his tone. "I don't know, it sounds a little fun to me."

"No one said that," Ray snapped, his meal long forgotten. "I simply made a comment about the way you two look at each other."

"Yeah but you insinuated that we were more than friends. I'm pretty sure I'm smart enough to read between the damn lines."

"Well, when you're sitting in my shoes, it's kinda hard to look at it any other way." Rayan grumbled, his expression now hardening. He wasn't getting through to Elijah.

Elijah was silent.

"Exactly."

"I don't know what to say anymore, Ray. I don't know what I did to lose your trust but just whatever."

"You haven't done anything to make me lose trust in you. I'm just worried about this Mike guy; I don't think he has your best intentions at heart and I don't trust him." Rayan tried to explain. This was the most he'd try to reason with someone but he truly wanted Elijah to know that he wasn't just bitching—he didn't trust it.

"Can we just enjoy our food, please?"

~

"Can you believe it?" Elijah shook his head, now complaining to Tessa. He'd took a gamble and called the woman over—surprisingly, she was happy to come over with a bottle of wine and a few snacks.

"He just seems worried, Eli. That's all." Tes tried to reason. "Sounds like your boy's been hurt before and you may have to bring that up."

"Yeah but he shouldn't take that out on me-"

"Do you have feelings for Mike?" She interrupted his attempt at deflecting, narrowing her eyes in her brother's direction. "Why is it so hard to simply get him out of the picture? What has you holding on to him to the point where you're willing to drive a wedge between you and your actual boyfriend?"

"What?"

"It's a yes or no question, Eli. Don't play that I don't know shit either because you know—and I think you're just afraid to say it out loud."

"Sometimes I think I do," He finally admitted. He felt guilty saying those words aloud but it also felt good to finally own it. "He's good company, he's handsome and he's there. He understands me when Ray doesn't and sometimes it pushes me closer to Mike." It was true. He liked the fact that he didn't have to teach Michael how to understand him, it just came easy whereas Rayan had to study him at times. "It's harmless though. I'd never act on such a thing."

Tessa frowned. "You're gonna hurt him."

"How am I gonna hurt Mike?"

"Fuck Mike. You're gonna hurt Ray; you have to tell him these things instead of bottling it up and eventually acting on those 'harmless' feelings."

"You guys are acting like I'm fucking Mike or something." Elijah groaned, turning away from his sister. "I would never cheat."

"Never say never."