Bed Sheets

11. Cry in Silence

"He said not yet at his press conference," Justin exclaimed, re-watching it for the fifteenth time. He was raging at Draven's press conference, congratulated Eric for becoming co-author on the newest project but it was a bit hinted that they had a relationship, which Justin did not like.

Eric had been sitting across from him, dressed accordingly to the casual restaurant they had decided to grave dinner. Justin had been talking about the press conference from the moment he picked up Eric in his car, to when they were seated at the diner, took a bit of a break and the continued again.

"He's not homosexual," Justin breathed, "that's a fact. Why is he acting as if it's a mystery?"

Eric shook his head, "Can we talk about something else? I love the way you look today."

Justin realized it made Eric uncomfortable, but soon, an odd thought crossed his mind and he raised his eyes, eyeing Eric suspiciously, "Don't tell me..."

Eric raised an eyebrow in confusion, "What?"

He put his utensils down, thought about it for a moment and shook his head, unable to believe his thoughts, assuming that could never happen. However, the certainty in Draven's tone must have meant something...

"You two have never done anything, right?"

Eric's face suddenly drained of colours, as he stared at an impatient Justin waiting for his answer. After the first few seconds of only silence replying to him, and the chattering of the diner, his face fell. After the first minute, watching Eric shuffle in his seat as his mouth attempted to find words to explain what had occurred, he could hear his heart pounding. Eric attempted to explain, but his voice as quiet as a murmur that Justin did not hear anything.

Justin shushed him, turned away from the table as the anger roamed through his body. He then asked clearly, "What have you done?"

"He kissed me—"

"When?"

Eric gulped; he needed to be honest, "The day before the press conference."

When Justin inhaled sharply, Eric knew he was not taking it well, and to be honest, Eric would not have been taking it well either if he was Justin. There was a silence, Justin's attempting to recompose himself before his anger caused him to say things that could never turn it around between them.

The positive details was that at least Eric told him the truth, and it was a mere kiss, nothing more. After a thought, he couldn't be so sure.

"Just a kiss, nothing more?"

Eric rapidly shook his head, "Nothing more."

He waited again for Justin's response. Justin gave it another thought for a moment, before sighing and letting go of all the anger that had built up within him.

He was being a hypocrite.

"I have something to tell you too." Eric's eyes widened for an instant, then he frowned, leaning forward in his seat. He had not expected this from Justin, who suddenly seemed nervous as he cleared his throat. He said, "When we first started dating, I had sex with Melissa."

Immediately, Eric's heart fell into turbulence, as if he was having a heart attack. Melissa had been his best friend for years, his roommate. They both moved to this city together in hopes to make names for themselves, and had gone through years of horrible obstacles together. She was there when Eric's mother passed, and he was there when she had not only her first, nor second, but third suicide attempt and was held in a hospital for a month.

He was not exactly angry at Justin, although it certainly was a break of trust that he kept for weeks. However, he immediately stood from his seat and said, "Can you bring me home?"

Eric was quiet the entire car ride.

"It wasn't her fault," Justin attempted to explain during the ride, which Eric let enter one ear and out the other immediately, "she said she liked me a long time ago, and I just wanted to realize if I truly could live with a guy for the rest of my life."

"I used her, and it wasn't her fault. She didn't know it would hurt you like the Eric, you can hate me but you have to forgive her."

They both descended the car when they reached his appartement, and Eric stormed inside with rage filling his blood vessels.

When Melissa popped her head from the living room with a friendly greeting, Eric could feel his stomach begin to twirl; he had trusted her with all bones in his being, and she had taken advantage of it without a second though.

She noticed his regard, and said, "Eric, what's wrong?"

Eric shook his head, knowing that he would lash out if he even attempted to speak to her at the moment. Instead, he stomped his feet to his bedroom, and slammed the door shut, locking it behind him.

He reached for his suitcase under his bed, and piled it with clothes, his work notebooks, briefcase, anything that he needed. There was no going back from this, and they had both hurt him terribly hard, and he needed some space.

After he was finished, he exited the room and Melissa watched him roll his suitcase towards the exit. She reached for his arm, "What's going on?"

"I'll send someone to grab the rest of my stuff during the week—"

"Talk to me, Eric. We're best friends, what did I do?"

"I thought so too," he turned around sharply with an incredulous smile on his face, his eyes swelling with tears, "I thought we were best friends."

Melissa frowned, the act of confusion suiting her well as she said, "I'm not sure what you're talking about."

"Justin snitched on you," Eric exclaimed, widening his arms.

Melissa's stare immediately fell, knowing what he meant. She shook her head, her own eyes swelling with tears as she said, "It was a mistake, I didn't mean to hurt you."

He laughed, shrugging his shoulders as he said, "Well I am hurt, I trusted you."

"You can still true me. Eric we can move past this, you don't need to move out"

"I do Melissa," he nodded his head, "I can't believe you would do something like that to me. How long have I been telling you that Justin is hot? That I met this cool dude, but I didn't think he was gay? That he helped me, and I owed him the work? How long have I been talking about him?"

Melissa turned away, biting her bottom lip guiltily, "Months I know but—"

"And you decided to ruin the only person that had been good to me so far, and that had been helping me deal with this whole Draven situation, while you hid in your room since you didn't want to see me gloomy," he scoffed.

When Melissa attempted to reach for him, he loved away from her. She exhaled a shaky breath, "Eric, please. I'm sorry."

"And I'm sorry too," he hissed, "for ever thinking that I meant anything to you."

"You're the closest person in my life, you're the most important person in my life—"

"Then maybe you should change the way your life is," he shrugged his shoulders, and opened the door. He began descended the steps, his vision blurry by the tears and he heard her shout, "Eric, please don't leave!"

By that time, he had reached the last step, and raced outside the building, pulling his suitcase further from the place as he could. He walked, crying, for what seemed like a century, that when he stopped, he had absolutely no idea where he is.  Instead of calling someone, he sat on the side of the street, folded his arms and let himself cry within the silence, no ears hearing him.

Until a car drove by, then it veered around, and then stopped in front of him.

Draven pushed open the passenger door, "You'll catch a cold if you stay out like this, get inside."