Everything Wrong is Right
"C'mon Chip, just one more drink," Jeff pleaded. "You're already hammered, let's just go." Chip had a couple of beers, but was much more sober than Jeff. He couldn't remember the last time he'd seen him so smashed. "I'm going to go get the keys from the bartender and drive us home, okay? Just stay here." Chip wandered off, and Jeff decided to walk outside. He stumbled out the door and fell into the wall, when something sharp stuck his thigh.
"Ow! The fuck?" He reached into his pocket and pulled out his set of keys. "Why hel-lo there…" Jeff fumbled around with them until he found the one that went to Chip's car. "Bingo." Somehow he managed to make it across the parking lot and to the vehicle. After missing the lock several times, he finally got the drivers door open and sat down inside, repeating the grueling process of getting the keys into the ignition.
The car roared to life, and the seemingly vacant area was now a playground to show off his driving skills. Jeff slammed on the gas and raced out of the parking space, making laps around the building, narrowly avoiding curbs and other obstacles. The fifth time around he began to slow down, because it occurred to him that there was someone outside yelling at him. As he approached, the mysterious man started walking forward, but Jeff had stopped looking at was now trying to reach his vibrating cell phone that had fallen between the seats. Then… thud.
Jeff's head immediately shot back up and he stared at the ground in front of him. Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit. He ran out of the car and kneeled down beside the front bumper. "Help! Someone call 911!" he shouted to the few people coming to see what all the commotion was. "Stay with me, please," Jeff begged. This couldn't be real, couldn't be possible. He'd just hit Chip Esten with his car.
Jeff was with Chip in the ambulance, now hooked up to an IV that would help get the alcohol out of his bloodstream quicker. Horrible didn't even begin to describe how he felt, and the fine on the ticket he received certainly added to that. Chip gained consciousness on the ride to the ER, groaning in pain and looking disoriented.
"Wha— ow…" he tried to say, and was promptly quieted by an EMT. "You're in an ambulance Mr. Esten; you were hit by your drunken friend in a car. You have multiple broken bones, but luckily nothing any more serious than that." Somehow, hearing that wasn't really reassuring to either of them. Jeff couldn't meet Chip's eyes because this was just another time where he'd let his closest friend down. But he clasped the hand that wasn't already in a splint, in hopes that Chip would eventually understand how much he truly cared about him.
Everything hurts. Chip peeled open his sleep encrusted eyes and squinted around the room, trying to remember what happened. His eyes fell upon Jeff, half asleep in the chair by his bed. How long have I been out? And how long has he been here? A nurse then bustled into the room, surprised to see Chip looking back at her. "Oh! Well good morning Mr. Esten, we're glad to have you with us. Can I do something for you?" she chimed, causing Jeff to jerk awake. "Um… everything just sort of hurts." Speaking was a challenge, and he didn't want to deal with this overly cheery woman right now. "We can up your morphine, and it shouldn't be a problem. Anything else?" He shook his head no and she scurried away.
"Hey," Jeff crooned, a small grin lighting up his face. "You feelin' okay?" He couldn't help but hold Chip's hand once more, it was instinct. Chip thought for a moment and didn't know how to answer. "I think so... how long has it been?" Jeff bit his lower lip, a quality that he found to be absolutely adorable in any situation. "A little over a day. You had to get some reconstructive surgery and shit, but you're down to a cast on your left leg, the rest of you is held together by plates and screws now."
Chip let out a deep sigh, and he knew that he couldn't really blame Jeff for this. Or at least, he didn't want to. "Listen, I know you must hate me right now. Whatever I can do to make up for this, anything at all, I'll do it," Jeff insisted. "I'm gonna hold you to that," Chip dryly chuckled, earning another precious smile from his fretting friend. Neither noticed that their hands were still intertwined, or that the distance between them had gotten much shorter.
Without thinking, Jeff leaned in and planted a kiss on the top of Chip's head, as a result of feeling so guilty. However what happened afterwards was unexpected; their gazes met and they knew that they were thinking the same thing, which often happens. The younger man rested his hand on the back of Chip's neck and kissed him full on the lips, deep but tender. He didn't have an idea of where he was going with this, but that's when Chip started to take charge. It went against his nature, but Jeff found it to be kind of sexy. He took it one step further even, slipping his tongue into Jeff's mouth, playfully twirling around showing just the right amount of dominance.
"Is this okay?" Chip asked, pulling away ever so briefly. Jeff coyly smiled in response and laid a trail of kisses along his neck, nipping every now and then. He reached the collarbone and glanced back up, leaving a peck on his cheek before slipping back into his seat. No one spoke, they only mulled over what had just happened. Chip's wife took the kids on vacation while he was on tour, and he almost never let things get out of hand, especially with ideas that wondered if he and Jeff were closer than they had thought.
Jeff interrupted his internal musings. "I really do care about you Chip. As a brother, as a friend, as… whatever. Driving before was stupid, and you probably deserve a better friend." This caught him off guard, because Jeff was never known for saying anything relatively sentimental. "Couldn't have asked for anyone better," Chip answered truthfully.
"What happens from here?" Jeff started to look worried, thinking about what could happen in the future. "Hey, you'll owe me something, big time," Chip joked. "Well if it goes like this, there's a good chance there won't be an issue," Jeff answers without thinking. The line between what was kidding around and what was serious was getting extremely fuzzy… but neither of them cared. This would change their entire friendship, and it actually felt right.
"You know, if this somehow happens again, maybe it's okay," Chip boldly said. "Only, I'd appreciate not getting hit by a car." Jeff laughed and sneered. "But now I can tell people that when I was hanging with you, I hit that." He gave Chip a wink, and they both knew that whatever this was, this childish, intimate relationship was absolute bliss.