Okay guys! So super hi and sorry for the past 438275489327584923789 years. This story was okay until BAM writer's block.

Tsk tsk tsk. Please forgive me and enjoy this chapter!

Thanks!


Chapter 7: There is a Difference Between Fragility and Indifference, Or Maybe Not

"A man's vanity is more fragile that you might think. It's easy for us to mistake shyness for coldness, and silence for indifference."
―Lisa Kleypas, Devil in Winter


The room settled into a state of silence, not even Jo making a move to take a swig of Svedka or squeal or laugh bluntly in the two teenagers' faces that they actually did kiss. The room could be compared to that of an introverted psychiatric patient's room.

Logan gulped the room out of its trance before they would have to suffer the awkward shuffling and absentminded colloquies that gradually would come into existence in a few measly seconds. No one would notice Carlos' abscond to the other room, and the Latino was grateful for that.

Sighing, Logan shuffled up behind Jo's recliner and reached down to subconsciously rub her shoulders, eyes narrowed in wonder at his friends' sudden behaviors. He had never noticed or seen Kendall or James acting in this odd, infatuating way towards each other behind theoretical bars, but subdued for the outside. Usually they were blunt, simple, and competitive with each other, not secretive; 'course, they had never fucking made out before, or at least not to Logan's degree of knowledge.

Kendall's blond bangs shifted to frame his sterling pea green eyes as he tilted his head even more to deeply examine the side of James' face, yet he tried his absolute best not to, well, leap on the brunet. There was something in his heart that remained all that time for James because James was just the kind of fragile guy that never left your memories, yet he was silent all of a sudden. Like something was clouding what they once had, what just happened, or what might come of that kiss.

Oh, James is just indifferent, that's all. He still needs me. Kendall could think and think all he wanted, though, but that still did not fully settle the uneasy feeling his gut gave him about the brunet's feelings.

It was obvious to Logan that Kendall had a naked interest for the side of James' head, or something more- Logan had a hunch- and it was scaring pretty much every living, breathing thing in the room- even Kendall himself-, with the obvious, non-breathing, petite elephant of the room: Jo. The poor girl's eye twitched involuntarily as she curled her toes into her socks absentmindedly, naked want unfurling behind her chocolate orbs.

Jo suddenly let out a caterwaul and leaned out of Logan's touch on her shoulders, wobbling to her still flexing feet to chant under her breath for James to turn around and fucking murder Kendall's lips with his own. Her lifeless hair actually seemed like it had sprung to life, because fuck, it was the first day and James and Kendall had already given in to one of her wishes.

But James just sat on the couch, his hazel pupils dilated and face pale as printer paper. There was still remnants of Kendall's sloppy, wet lips ravaging both the inside and outside of his mouth, the saliva-slicked peach fuzz above his lip beginning to dry in the minimal amount of air conditioning that coursed through the room.

Meanwhile, Kendall shifted his tongue around in his mouth, shamelessly taking in the musky, sweet taste that resided silently on his tongue still, eyes pleading into the side of James' head. The brunet only let out a shaky breath, yet that was all he could do with Kendall still in his mouth basically, and metaphorically up his ass.

James knew Kendall did not care about what just happened, and all he wanted was to leave, to get out. Now.

Blinking, Jo's sunny aura weakened and soon she was frowning indifferently, watching as James did not spin around to kiss Kendall again, watching as Kendall did not try to kiss the boy again. It was a broken atmosphere for three originally hopeful teenagers. "Well," the blonde scared the three boys in the still room, and even Carlos, who sipped at a glass of soda in the kitchen. "Shit." Her hands swatted at the air in irritation before slamming back down on her thighs.

Logan padded forward without a word to hand the leader her bottle of vodka, the rowan's chocolate eyes meeting Jo's gray eyes affectionately as she took the Svedka and downed a considerable amount before rolling around on the hardwood floor thoughtfully. The boy standing over her laughed shortly, and kneeled to check her sanity.

"Jo, I think-"

"Shhh, 'Bear," Jo smiled bitterly and one of her hands clenched Logan's hard bicep weakly as he tried to help herself up, but the rowan assisted with a chuckle. They were both standing up most of the way when Jo settled her vodka on the floor carefully in order to lean up and slam her lips to Logan's lips gratefully for the second time that day; the rowan once again felt his heart skip a beat, and a thousand repetitive thoughts flew at him.

What about Camille?

You're sick, Logan.

Not the crazy lady.

You just saw her fucking chug vodka because her ex-boyfriend, a.k.a. your best friend, didn't kiss your other best friend again.

What about Camille?

Logan hissed at himself, only smiling sheepishly, guiltily at the blonde girl in his arms before letting go of her quickly, leading Jo to her recliner half-heartedly. The rowan never looked back long enough to see her eyebrows furrow in a backlash of sadness. Stepping further away from Jo, Logan let his chocolate eyes relax to examine the room. Kendall, Carlos, and even James blinked slowly at him, unsure of what to think.

After watching Logan and Jo, James allowed his hazel orbs to fall back to watch his unmoving legs, trying not to mind that, sure, Jo was drunk, but the kiss was unashamedly real compared to the kiss between himself and Kendall, who probably only kissed him just to get out of there. Besides, they say that drunk confessions are sober thoughts, so the compassionate smile Jo gave Logan was surely real. The brunet sighed and let his eyes travel to stare at Kendall, who was still supposedly mesmerized by the apparent porno that just occurred right in front of them.

Boy was that blond endearing. James shook his head in anger, yet his eyebrows furrowed thoughtfully over the thought that maybe Kendall was still welcome in his heart.

But Kendall did not mean that kiss! The boy probably was not even aware of James now that he finally satisfied his ex-girlfriend. 'Now we can get out so I can go fuck Lucy again!' James mocked Kendall cleverly in his mind, a light smile lighting his lips as he could only envision the boy's nose imploding until it was several feet long, and his eyebrows so bushy that they covered his eyes. A prerecorded laughing track played tirelessly in the distance. Kendall's disproportional facial features were the funniest things conceivable.

He let out an audible giggle, not minding the looks from the others or Carlos' distant laugh that came from the kitchen. James was too capricious.

"What are you laughing at?" Jo snapped at James, riled up by both the fact that James refused to pay attention to Kendall and that Logan was too pussy to think about anyone other than Camille. The blonde narrowed her eyes suspiciously, the two dull orbs flickering between the brunet and the quiet blonde beside him; somehow she just could not believe that anyone could laugh in the midst of her self-pity.

Blinking, James was unsure if he could really answer that question. What was he laughing at? Sure, Kendall's incommensurate features were amusing, but would he really have the courage to laugh if he examined the situation a bit more?

The brunet, as well as most everyone else, was aware that he considered himself fragile and sensitive in the face of most things people said or did around him, so why could Kendall not spare him a painstaking lifetime of both of them knowing that the blond did not really mean what was portrayed in that kiss? Kendall had fucking ravaged his mouth with his tongue for at least ten years, and the blond expected James to just take that as a true friend thing. His hazel gaze slid sideways to glance at Kendall, whose emerald eyes stared back evenly, yet a smile adorned his lips.

James gave his friend a 'you think I'm an idiot, don't you?' look before turning away; he could not fucking believe the little asshole thought he would just forget it.

His eyes moved to watch Carlos stand at the bar, eyes relaxed, tired as he sipped at a Coca Cola; he watched as Logan, who stood even further away from Jo than before, stared guiltily at a seething blonde girl. He watched as that blonde girl took a harsh swig of vodka, her face contorting for a couple seconds before she paused and took another sip- an endless cycle. He also watched as Kendall dared to turn toward him, a reassuring smile beaming across his cheeks, the thought buzzing through his mind that woah, I can tempt fragile little James again.

And maybe he did as the brunet turned back and all but slammed their lips together, tongue forceful as he pried Kendall's lips apart. Maybe Kendall did tempt James as their tongues curled around each other and sucked harshly, both knowing of their intense need for air.

And maybe, just maybe, Kendall really did tempt little, fragile James as the brunet pulled back from his best friend's mouth to raise his fist and knock it against the blond's jaw as hard as he possible could before standing and waltzing unashamedly to the bathroom.


And there you go! I know it has been some fucking months since I have set due dates for things, and I am truly sorry.

Damn interruptions.

Anyway, please review my comeback and tell me what I did wrong and what I need to fix.

Thank you for reading!