"Argh... Pick up, dammit!" I huffed to myself. I had called Benjamin six times, and he didn't answer.
"I told you he's busy humping his girl," Michael remarked. He sat next to me with a pencil in his hand and his nose planted in a notebook. I didn't know if he was drawing or writing lyrics. It might as well be both.
"Oh, shush. He's not like that."
"Oh, really?"
"Really. He's probably busy doing job interviews or helping his sister. She's going to Denver next week. You know the place where Benjamin was after what happened with Ryan?"
Michael looked up and nodded, and his smirk made me frown.
"What?" I asked, confused.
"Of course I know. I paid for it."
I gasped.
"You did?"
He didn't respond to that, and returned his attention to his notebook.
"Hello?" I suddenly heard.
"Benjamin? Finally! I've been trying to reach you..."
"I know, I know. I'm sorry. I've just been busy..."
He mumbled something, and after what Michael just said, I decided not to ask.
"I'm preparing to move out of my dad's house."
My eyes widened.
"You are? Where?"
"To LA."
"For real?" I exclaimed, ecstatic. Then I turned to Michael while I feverishly pointed at my phone.
"Benjamin's moving here! To LA!"
Again, the same smirk.
"I know," he said again, and I frowned for the second time. Exactly how much did they actually talk?
"When?" I asked Benjamin.
"In about three weeks or so. So I've been busy searching for a job, and I just got off the phone with the CEO of Walter and son. It's a company that's producing health care equipment. Everything from hygiene products to wheelchairs. And they're doing a lot of research on elderly..."
"But I thought you were going to be a teacher?" I asked, confused.
"I know. It's not exactly what I had in mind before I graduated, but everything is based on statistics and science, which was what I majored in. I just don't teach. I will have my own office and everything."
He sounded so eager that I got tears in my eyes.
"Oh, Benny. I'm so happy for you. But aren't there many applicants? Don't get me wrong, but this is LA. Not the suburbs of Sacramento."
"Of course there are. But I have an advantage. And do you know what kind? The CEO is my dad's cousin."
I squealed.
"That's awesome! Oh, my God. I can't believe it. You're moving here and... Wait, do you need help finding a place to live? I can help you search for apartments, and..."
Michael's smirk seemed stuck on his face.
"Thanks, but it's already taken care of," Benjamin said. "I'm having a handful of other interviews as well though, just in case. And so does my girlfriend, Ella."
"She's coming too?" I exclaimed happily. "Yay! I finally get to meet her."
"Yeah, and that's why I need to ask for a favor. Or, I was actually meaning to call your boyfriend and ask, but you kept blowing up my phone."
"You're asking Michael for a favor? I thought you guys hated each other?"
Before I knew it, Michael snatched my phone and quickly moved to the other side of the living room so I couldn't take it back. But I was too perplexed to even react.
"Hey, man. Stop hitting on my girl and I'll leave yours alone."
I heard Benjamin laugh at the other end.
"Do you guys have some kind of bromance going on that I should know about?" I asked and circled my finger in the air. I got no response.
"Yeah, yeah. Sure. Of course! Saturday? Great! I'll have a car come and pick you up at the airport."
"Benny and Ella are staying here next week," he mouthed eagerly. Then his attention was all on Benjamin, while he started walking down the hall.
"So, how's your Yamaha project going? Did you get the parts you ordered?"
"Psst! Michael! My phone!" I whisper-yelled. "Call him from your own phone."
But he just waved me off and kept walking.
"I know, right? Yeah, I did. It was great," he said, and I was left sitting on the couch by myself, feeling like the biggest question mark ever. Then, after staring down the hall for a minute or so, I sat back with a pout and stared at the TV screen while I crossed my arms over my chest.
"Yep. Definitely a bromance."
<><><>
A few days later, I was trotting restlessly around in the house and peeked through the windows every time I heard a noise from the outside. They were late.
"Why aren't they here yet?" I mumbled to myself.
"I just got off the phone with my driver. The traffic is jammed due to a traffic accident, but they'll be here soon."
He gave me a quick kiss and looked at the clock on the wall.
"I need to call my manager. I was supposed to go to a meeting, but I managed to talk myself out of it as long as I was available on the phone."
I smiled at him. He made such an effort to spend time with me, that my heart swelled. Still, I knew things would be different when he went on his next tour. Then I probably wouldn't see him unless I traveled together with him. But I didn't want to think about that now. I would rather enjoy the privilege of having him here as long as I could.
"I'll be in my office."
And with that I was left pacing around for another twenty minutes until the car finally parked outside.
"Benjamiiiiiiiiiin!" I screamed, and ran toward him and straight into his open arms.
"Oh, I've missed you so."
Benjamin chuckled.
"You're acting like we didn't text or talk on the phone every day."
Then he gave me one of his body smothering hugs and spoke into my hair.
"I've missed you too, Mousie."
I pushed him away, eager to meet his girlfriend.
"Where is she?" I asked. It felt as if my blood was bubbling and sizzling with energy, and I struggled to stand still.
"Calm down," he laughed. "She's on the phone with her mom, she'll be..."
But before he got to say anything more, I could see a figure climb out of the car behind him, and I gasped when I recognized who it was. She was a little lower than me, had a huge, curly mane and almost the exact same skin color as me. I didn't even have to see her face. I knew her.
"Oh, there she is," Benjamin said casually. "Mousie? I'd like you to meet my girlfriend, El..."
"Gabby..." I finished, taken so aback that I couldn't say anything more.
"Damn. What kind of place is this? It looks like an amusement park. Do people actually live heeeee..."
When she finally noticed me, she stared wide-eyed, and seemed just as startled as I was.
"Mimi? What are you doing here?"
Then there was an awkward silence that seemed to stretch for decades.
"Do you guys know each other?" Benjamin asked, and looked at each of us in utter confusion.
"Uhm..." we said almost simultaneously, and Gabby gave Benjamin a quick glance.
"This is Michael Jackson's ranch, isn't it?" she asked, obviously adding two and two together, and Benjamin looked guilty.
"Yes, it is. I'm sorry for not saying that, but Mia told me not to tell anyone about who she was dating, because then people will start asking questions and try to get to Michael through her. Or... First me, then her. I mean, not that I think that you'd do that, because you're different. You're totally different. In a good way, of course. I just meant people in general, because they tend to act all crazy because of who he is, and..."
"Shut up, Benny!" Gabby and I yelled in choir, and he stopped his ranting immediately.
"But you said your girlfriend lived in Denver?" I asked with a frown, and Benjamin cleared his throat.
"No, I said I met her in Denver. I never..."
"And you never told me your friend's name was Mia," Gabby shot in. "You always called her that Mousie... I'm sorry, but what kind of nickname is that? No offense, Mimi, but it sounds ridiculous."
"Heey," Benjamin protested. "It's cute. And it has a history."
He smiled at me, but the insecurity about the situation was clearly evident.
"And you, Benjamin... You kept calling her Ella, and..."
Gabby raised an eyebrow and waited for me to add everything up. Gabby's full name was Gabriella... Ella.
"Oh," I said dumbly, and Gabby nodded in amusement.
"Uhm... So..." Benjamin fumbled. Then he pointed at the house and clicked his tongue.
"I'll be inside, then."
Neither Gabby nor I reacted, so he made an awkward gesture and walked off. And when he met Michael at the door, he pushed him back inside.
"So... You're living with Michael now, huh?"
I was sucking so hard on my cheeks that it hurt. What on earth should I say to her? With everything that went down between us. Our history. Years of friendship. The betrayal.
"Yeah," I finally managed to press out. My voice didn't sound like me.
"Cool place. Neverland, wasn't it? I think I read that somewhere. And I kinda knew that you were dating, so..."
I was silent. What was there to say anyway?
"Look, I really didn't know about this, Mimi. I know you hate my guts, and I've already apologized so many times. I don't know what else to do."
She paused for a moment, and we just stared at each other. It was first then I realized just how much I'd missed her. I missed talking to her and her crazy sense of humor. I missed her straight-forwardness and her feisty snapbacks. But most of all, I missed my best friend. I had Benjamin, of course, but that wasn't the same. He wasn't Gabby. Gabby was... Unique.
"Do you want me to leave? I mean, I can find a hotel somewhere."
"No," I was quick to say. Now that she was here, I didn't want her to leave.
"Okay," she said silently. She looked close to tears.
"Look," we said simultaneously. Then we giggled a bit, remembering the good old days where we used to finish each other's sentences.
"Go ahead," we said, also in unison, and we giggled some more.
"You go first," she said eventually, and looked down at the gravel while she twirled a strand of hair around her finger. I took a deep sigh.
"Gabby... I was really hurt that day," I started, but she stopped me by nodding her head in agreement.
"I know, and I totally understand, Mimi. I honestly do. We should never have done what we did, or suggested that threesome in the first place. And you can hate me all you want, as long as you tolerate me enough to speak with me. But you gave Michael a second chance, right?"
I saw her pleading eyes, and my chest ached.
"Look, all I'm asking for is to please give me one too. I miss you like fuck," she begged, and I felt a tear roll down my cheek before I spoke up again.
"I'm scared, Gabs. You know I have trust issues on top of everything else, and I trusted you more than everyone else in the entire world. But after what happened... I don't know if I'll ever be able to fully forgive you."
Her shoulders slumped forward and she stared at the ground again. I could see her bottom lip quiver.
"I don't hate you. I never did," I said quietly, and Gabby nodded, but refused to look at me. She didn't have to. I knew her well enough to know that she was crying too.
So I did the only right thing. I walked up to her, wrapped my arms around her and gave her a hug. And that was it for the both of us. The dam of tears burst completely, and we sobbed into each other's necks and just hugged for a long time.
"I've missed you too, Gabs," I sniffled.
"Fuck," she sobbed. "I even missed you calling me that horrible nickname."
We giggled through our tears before we let go. Then I remembered something that made me even sadder; the reason she didn't come to our graduation ceremony.
"Porkchops died?"
"Yeah," she sighed and wiped her nose on her sleeve. "You know old Harvey's son? He was speeding down the road and passed our house, and Porkie didn't hear me when I shouted his name."
"I'm sorry to hear that."
"Thanks. I miss his drooling ass, even though that motherfucker ate my favorite bra, and the teddy bear you gave me when we were twelve."
I laughed. Only Gabby could describe her companion through thick and thin like that.
"But I'm thinking of getting a new pup, and Imma name him Sushi."
"You're gonna name him what?" I exclaimed, and laughed even more.
"Hey, it's better than 'Murder', which is what I originally planned. I don't think the neighbors would find it especially funny when I shout his name every night to make him come back inside."
"You can't call your dog Murder!" I huffed.
"Yeah, I realized that... Not Killer or Help, either."
I hit her arm.
"Christ... You're awful, Gabby."
"Yeah, I know," she cackled. "I have the most tasteless humor. But nobody understands it better than you, Mia. When I call people bitch, they tend to get mad for some reason."
I snorted.
"Sometimes I actually wonder if you're retarded or something."
"Yeah? I'm retarded. You're psycho. We're the perfect match."
We giggled a bit, but ended up sighing and looking at each other.
"I really missed you, Mimi. Like really, really missed you. Losing you was even worse than losing Porkchops, and you know how much I loved that little doggy."
I gave her a tiny smile. Maybe she was right? I did give Michael a second chance. Didn't she deserve one, too? We had eighteen years of friendship behind us, and we'd supported each other through thick and thin. This was definitely in the thinnest category, but hugging her right now told me that the string wasn't completely broken.
"Please?" she begged again, and fluttered her puppy dog eyes.
"We can go on a double date. You and Michael, and Benny and I."
"Yeah... No. I don't think that's a very good idea."
"Why not? You fucked my boyfriend, and I fucked yours."
"That wasn't funny, Gabby," I groaned and rolled my eyes.
"I will scowl at Benjamin for fucking you. Benjamin will scowl at you for fucking Michael. And you will scowl at Michael for fucking me. It'll be perfect! And then we'll end up having a food fight and get kicked out of the restaurant. It's gonna be a blast!"
"Still not funny," I grumbled and started walking towards the house with her hot on my heels.
"We can have a water balloon fight afterwards?"
I didn't get to reply, because the door opened before I even reached the handle, and Benjamin came storming out.
"YOU GUYS HAD A THREESOME?!"
Oh, no...
"Michael!" I yelled, and my snickering boyfriend appeared behind him.
"Somebody had to tell him," he shrugged.
"You kissed Ella?" Benjamin asked me, and I blushed so hard that my cheeks hurt. Then I cleared my throat and swallowed hard.
"I... Uhm... I kissed Gabby, yes," I admitted at last.
"Oh, man," he groaned, looking like he was in pain. "That's like the hottest thing ever. My two dream girls making out. Naked... Fuck," he ranted, and Michael scowled at him. But Benjamin didn't even acknowledge his presence anymore.
"Can you do it again?" he begged.
"No."
"Please? I promise to behave."
"Benjamin, stop," I growled and proceeded to walk inside. Gabby and Benjamin followed suit, but Michael remained standing, leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed. The situation clearly amused him.
"Please? Just a short one? You don't have to use your tongues. I mean, if you want to, of course. I won't complain either way."
"She doesn't want to, Benny," Gabby said.
"But you do, right?" he pushed, and both me and Gabby gave him a scowl that made him hold up his hands in defense. Then he whined.
"Argh, dammit! Now I'm gonna envision it non stop until you do."
Michael didn't stop snickering until I gave him a glare, too. But Benjamin kept begging.
"Please?"
"No!" Gabby and I yelled simultaneously. Then I started showing her around the house, with Benjamin trotting behind.
"But it hurts," he complained.
"What hurts?" I asked, confused. Gabby just rolled her eyes as a sign to ignore him, but he still didn't give up. Instead he pointed down at himself until even I realized that he had a massive boner going on.
"Anyway!" I said, moving on quickly. "This is the kitchen and the dining room is over there. The living room. And down the hall there's a toilet," I spoke, while I led the way and pointed out the directions. Michael soon joined in to elaborate on the different facilities, and Gabby listened with great interest. Only Benjamin seemed lost in his own world. A deep frown almost made him look angry, and his eyes told me that he was in deep distress. Then, just as we were about to walk up the stairs to the guest rooms, he suddenly groaned something and stormed off.
"What's the matter with him?" I asked, and Gabby laughed.
"He's just gonna get rid of his problem."
When I didn't catch on, she made an illustrating hand gesture, and Michael snickered wider than ever. That was, until I gave him a stare.
"What? We're just men," he said innocently. Then he cleared his throat to act more serious.
"You know it won't happen again," he said. And when I didn't answer and instead continued to show Gabby around, it looked like he didn't know what to do.
"Right, babe?"
I kept ignoring him.
"Hey, Dickhead! You better not be picturing my girl!" he yelled after Benjamin, before he followed us upstairs while he desperately tried to get my attention.
"Babe! I was joking. It was a... Babe? Babe!"