a/n- wassup? it be tobn here with a brand new chapter of this wonderful story :D
last chapter was pretty fluffy, huh? and a bit of a plot-twist (not really) with the revealing that emily has made the move before ethan! i mean, she seemed like she was going to (like did you read that orchestra number?) so now ethan has to bounce right back. he'll probably be okay...*smiles nervously*
shoutouts to...
bennyweirlover17- yeah, ethan was kind of the therapist/life-advice-giver in that chapter, even if he wasn't taking his own advice :P but yeah, go ethan for the friendship points! very glad that his love problems aren't interfering with his friendship, huh? ;) anyway, i hope you enjoy this chapter just as much as you did the last chapter :D
mbav fan66- good point — his seer powers aren't really helping him, huh? :P and fun fact: up until today, the name of the friend was 'sabrina' until you totally changed my mind because the name 'betty' gives a great prompt for a joke, so thanks! anyway, have a good...read? i dunno, thanks for the review!
anyway, thank you for all the kind reviews! have fun reading today's chapter ^-^
dscaimleir: if you can raed tihs, tehn you solhud kown taht i dno't own my baybsiettr's a vmaipre. i do own the polt and eilmy, aolng wtih any oethr oc's taht you mhgit see :D
ENJOY!
Day 8: "His first date created the story of how he was banned from the bowling arena."
X~*~X
Ethan tugged his collar nervously, watching the time on his watch tick away. He looked up at the empty street and sighed — yeah, he was early, but usually Benny was too.
He pulled out his phone and was about to open a game to mindlessly play to pass time, when he heard footsteps walking towards him. He looked up, and immediately faked a smile.
"Hello, Emily," he said through gritted teeth.
She looked very nice, which was something Ethan hated to admit. She wore a knee-length pink-collared dress with skin-toned leggings, with matching pale pink ballet shoes. She carried a white bag in her hand with a small pink heart as its seal.
"Ethan, so good to see you!" she said sweetly, wrapping him into a big hug. Surprised, Ethan hesitantly hugged her back.
"Good to see you too," he mumbled as they pulled back. Emily leaned on the window display of the restaurant, looking up at the night sky.
"Beautiful night, isn't it?" she said dreamily. She faced Ethan and added, "Are you the guy Benny chose for Betty?"
"Um, yeah, I guess," Ethan replied, digging his hands into his jean pockets.
Emily laughed, and it sounded like bells ringing. "Typical Benny, huh? He is such a nice friend, isn't he? You are extremely lucky to have him."
Ethan fought off a blush. "Yeah, I am. He is really...something."
"He is," she agreed readily. "I'm super lucky I met him. I guess I should thank you as well — it must be tough seeing your best friend with someone other than...your best friend!"
Her cheery giggle is merely wind past his ears.
Benny came five minutes after he said he would, but made up for it by dressing up decently. Ethan could tell he really tried — the green tie was a bit of a show-off — but, like always, he looked nice.
However, his date did not.
"I'm so sorry that Betty couldn't make it," Emily said to a stone-faced Ethan. "I totally forgot that she was going to a funeral for her step-sister's rabbit."
"Yeah, man, that sucks," Benny agreed readily. "She sounds like a cute girl."
"She was pretty hot," his brain thought dreamily.
Ethan then looked up at Benny and Emily's confused faces, and his eyes widened when he realized that are you fucking serious, did I really say that out loud?
His brain started going into override — Benny knew about Betty because he was Betty. Would he make the connection? Would that be the end of Benny and Emily's relationship and possibly his life when Emily — or Benny— kills him.
"P-Pardon?" Benny stammered. Emily remained quiet and Ethan tugged at his collar.
'Say something you idiot,' his brain screamed. 'You have been quiet for literally two minutes.'
"Ethan?" Emily said, clearing her throat. Ethan blinked, and slid his menu across the table in a blur of panic.
"I-I meant the chicken wings," he stuttered. "Yeah, the chicken wings. Heard the spice was...r-really hot."
Benny and Emily exchanged looks, and Benny nodded slowly.
"O-kay," he said slowly. "Anyway, you're free to leave when you want to."
"I need some right-hand man support here, you know?" is the only thing that echoed in his mind. Ethan shook his head with a small smile.
"I'll stay as long as you two are comfortable with me third-wheeling," he chuckled half-heartedly, and Emily grinned wider than Ethan thought was humanly possible.
"Not at all!" she chirped. "You more than welcome to stay with us!"
"Thanks," Ethan murmured, digging his nose in the menu once more.
After they placed their orders — Ethan was having two slices of pizza, while, of course, Benny bought spaghetti and wings for Emily to share with him — they sat in an awkward silence for a while.
Ethan's phone suddenly vibrated in his pocket and he discreetly pulled it out to read the new text.
To: Ethan
From: Benny
08/02/17; 7:21 PM
can you please start talking or something? what should i do? should i start talking?
Ethan smiled softly; leave it to Benny to one-handedly text Ethan in order to save the date.
"So Emily," he said casually, "Benny you said you were from a town called...Eros? Is that somewhere in Rome?"
Emily giggled behind her drink. "Not exactly. More like...Greece. I have Roman and Greek roots; Eros is a word in Ancient Greek, but it has the same definition in Latin as well. Personally, I prefer my Roman roots."
"Oh, that's cool!" Benny blurted out. Emily looked at him smugly, and he blushed, adding, "Or, I mean, that's a nice name for a town."
"It was beautiful there," she mused aloud.
"Not as beautiful as you," Benny said with a wink, and Emily laughed, leaning in for a small kiss on the cheek. Ethan watched Benny's cheeks flush red, and he discreetly flashed him a thumbs up.
"You're quite the player, aren't you?" she whispered against Benny's ear. He blinked, stuttering through a response. Ethan shifted uncomfortably in his seat, but was luckily saved by the waiter giving them their meal.
As Ethan munched quietly on his pizza, he watched Emily and Benny play around with the spaghetti in attempts at recreating The Lady and the Tramp together. He tried his best not to stare, but when the piece of spaghetti broke, he felt his heart squeeze at the two of them laughing.
"So what brought you to Whitechapel?" Ethan casually asked once they were quiet again. Emily shrugged, twirling spaghetti around her fork.
"I was bored," she said nonchalantly.
"Bored?" Ethan echoed curiously. "Of what, if I can ask?"
"Just bored," Emily repeated, but this time with a smug smile. "My mom loved where she was, but I didn't, so I just...I guess I just snuck out."
"Wait, your parents — or at least your mom — don't know you're in Whitechapel?" Ethan asked, and Benny seemed to be interested as well. Emily smiled eerily.
"In a way, she kind of does. Either way, she's bound to find me eventually — just thought I can have a bit of fun down here first," she said, before shaking her head, her red hair bobbing over her shoulders. Her eyes widened, and she added, "Speaking of my hometown...I wanted to give you this."
She pulled something out of her handbag and dangled it in front of Benny, whose eyes widened.
"Who is that for?" he asked, strangely nervous. Emily grinned.
"You, silly!" she chirped. "It's a necklace from Eros. I'm supposed to give it to someone I really love, and I figured...I love you, so it'd be appropriate."
Benny was too awestruck to even notice the necklace, so Ethan took some things in: it was a gold necklace with a small arrow on it, the tip of the arrow being a heart.
Emily helped Benny put the necklace on and he stiffened at the touch, before relaxing into her grasp. Ethan shifted in his chair uncomfortably.
"It's beautiful," he gushed. "Thank you."
"Anytime," Emily said with a smile. She leaned forward and asked, "But enough about me — how did you two meet?"
Benny grinned. "We met when we were kids — probably five or six?"
"Yeah, we go far back," Ethan agreed. "I helped him move some boxes in for his grandma when they were just moving in."
"He helped me through a lot, actually," Benny added, which sparked both Emily and Ethan's attention. "My parents died a year before I moved here, and he made everything a lot more better. I wasn't always the cheery jokester that people thought I was but Ethan knew that — I was going through a rough time and Ethan...he was always there for me. "
Ethan blinked — that was something he never heard before.
"Well that's sweet!" Emily cooed, though there was something different about her voice.
'Jealousy!' his brain deviously prompted. Ethan nodded, ignoring the voice.
"Yeah, he's never told me that before," Ethan muttered quietly, and Benny just smiled.
"I'm surprised you two aren't...aren't a thing!" she said loudly, and Benny and Ethan exchanged surprised looks. "I mean, you two must've known each other for so long, and I thought Benny was gay the first time I saw him because of how bad he was with ladies!"
"Hey, being bisexual is a totally different thing," Benny admitted, and this time, Emily and Ethan both exchanged glances.
'Bisexual?!' his brain screamed. 'How are these things just coming up now?'
"Well, bisexual or not, you are still my lovey-dovey, aren't you?" Emily cooed, and nuzzled into Benny's shoulder. His smile grew back again, and he winked at Ethan.
Suddenly, everything was too tight for him. His brain was going into override, and he felt his vision become blurred with tears.
He pretended to check his watch, faking a yawn and rubbing the tears out of his eyes.
"Um, it's getting pretty late," Ethan said, his voice a bit raspy. "I should probably start, um, heading home. Thank you so much for dinner."
He pulled out a few bills from his pocket, but Benny grabbed his wrist. They met eyes, and Benny flashed his trademark smile.
"I got it, E," he said reassuringly. "Thanks so much for coming — it meant the world to me."
"Anytime," he whispered, and then he escaped the diner in a rush, letting the tears fall with every step he took away from the oh-so happy couple.
a/n- well that was pretty dramatic, huh? bet ya weren't expecting that, huh?
hopefully all will be resolved tomorrow, huh? drop a review if you liked it if you like, and i will see you tomorrow with a brand new chapter :D
kuendelea kushika juu ya (swahili :D)
