Oh man, I've been abandoning my stories in favor of The Gemma Doyle Trilogy lol I've decided to reread them, even though I already know how much I hate the way they end :( And I've been listening to "Just Breathe" by Pearl Jam, like, religiously... so yeah.... lol sorry I didn't update sooner.

I hope you enjoy this short chapter!

CHAPTER 14

Calming Soda

A bead of sweat formed on Roxas' temple. It was actually a little chilly today, but his nervousness was causing his skin to get clammy. The blond wiped quickly at the drop before sighing and closing his eyes. It was 4:00. That meant Namine would be home in roughly ten minutes, and today was the day Roxas planned to do it. She would be shocked, he was sure about that, but he really hoped she didn't get pissed.

Roxas knew she would connect the ordeal to Axel without him telling her, but it still made his throat dry. How could he come out and tell his long-term girlfriend that he'd cheated... with a guy?

The clock turned to 4:06 and the blond bit his bottom lip, shuffling in his spot at the counter. He loved Namine in a caring way, he really did, and that probably would have been enough to make him stay. But it was the guilt that was killing him. It had slowly nibbled at him bit by bit, until finally it ate him whole. He couldn't bear the thought of being unfaithful.

And the sad thing was... he still thought about Axel constantly.

4:11. There was the sound of a car door slamming shut, and Roxas pressed his eyes closed, slurping violently at the last bit of soda in his McDonald's cup in attempt to calm himself. Trying to regulate his breathing, he could hear his heart racing as the sound of feet scraping cement got closer and closer to the door.

"Roxas!" Namine shouted as the door swung open. There was a big smile on her face, and Roxas knew as soon as she saw his face it would disappear.

"Rox- oh, there you are!" She turned to the kitchen, spotting him through the door way. She only had to take a few steps before the smile dropped from her face, "What's wrong, Roxy?"

Roxy. It was nickname that only Axel had ever called him. It sounded strange, maybe even foreign, coming from her mouth.

"Namine..." Hot tears were threatening to fall and stain his cheeks, but Roxas swallowed and pressed his lips together for a moment, "I need to tell you something."

She cautiously set her purse on the counter, looking like she was about to be sick, "Yes?" Roxas momentarily thought about reconsidering, and telling her it was nothing, but his loyalty as a boyfriend made him stop.

"I had sex with another... person." The words came out choppy, mostly because Roxas had stumbled after the word 'another.'

"Another... person?" She repeated softly, her eyes instantly searching the floor. She was racking her brain as to what that could mean, "As in... not another girl?"

Roxas felt his cheeks flush in embarrassment before he finally squeaked out a, "Yeah." Namine's eyebrows creased and she almost turned to leave the room, "It was Axel, wasn't it? The redhead."

All he could manage was a brief nod, but Roxas' mind was reeling. He wanted to chastise himself for ruining a perfect relationship for a guy that didn't even care about him, but deep down he knew he hadn't loved Namine in a long time, and if Axel hadn't come around, he would have lied to her, and himself, forever.

"I," She started to tear up, "I need some time."

Roxas let his head drop and felt his eyes water. Namine quietly left the room, shutting the bedroom door with a soft 'click.'

"Seriously, Axel. You've done nothing but sit and mope this whole time!" Riku sighed, frustrated. The redhead was laying across the couch, watching the T.V. with a blank face. A little under a week after they had returned home, Axel moved out of his old apartment and instead moved in with Riku. Both boys enjoyed the company, but Riku now realized he was living with a zombie.

"Axel..." He tried again, moving in front of him. The redhead's gaze never lifted, and his friend understood that Axel wasn't even watching the T.V. screen. He was staring blankly at nothing.

With a worried breath, Riku left the room and stepped outside. The weather was beautiful outside, nothing like the humidity of Iowa. He almost forgot what it felt like to be able to step outside without instantly soaking his shirt with sweat.

His phone vibrated in his pocket, and Riku's face instantly brightened when the caller i.d. read 'Sora.'

"Hello?"

"Riku!" Sora's voice was a nice refreshment, "How's home?"

"Well..." Riku leaned against the wall, "Not bad, but Axel isn't doing so well."

"Oh man," He could hear the frown on the brunet's face, "what's up?"

"He's, like, going through with-drawl without Roxas around or something. It's wierd."

"Oh, I forgot to tell you!" Sora gasped, "Roxas told Namine... about Axel!"

"What? Did they break up?" Riku stood up to his full height in shock. This was definitely important news.

"No one knows. He told Dem that he was going to do it yesterday, and he hasn't left the house since. I think they're figuring things out, you know?"The brunet started speaking really fast and Riku had to remind him to slow down.

"I should tell Axel!" Riku nodded his head, agreeing with himself, "He should know about this." Sora spoke his approval as well, and after hanging up abruptly, Riku raced back inside.

"Axel!" He called, slamming the door open, "Axel! Look at me Axel!"

The redhead managed a brief glance and a small "hmm?" in response.

"Roxas told Namine about you! He's going to leave her." He nearly stumbled over the words in his hurry. Axel's face remained unchanged, but Riku swore he saw the smallest hint of excitement in his eyes.

"He's hundreds of miles away." The heartbroken boy mumbled.

"So?" The silver-haired boy shrugged, feeling adventurous for once, "Let's move to Iowa, like Zexion. We can go to school there too. I can be with Sora and you can be with Roxas." It was a big fantasy, but Riku couldn't stop the ecstatic words from leaving his mouth, "Everything would work out perfectly."

Axel closed his eyes in pain, "Roxas hates me... and Sora's promised to another person. Stop talking nonsense, Riku. It's not like you."

With a bit of deflation, Riku attempted again, weakly, "Sora would leave her for me, and Roxas would forgive you."

"Stop. You're giving me a headache." The redhead stood, heading back to his room with a pained expression. Riku watched him go, sinking on to the couch.

Zexion sighed, feeling content. It was near two in the morning and he stood from the bed to pace the room. He was unable to sleep, probably due to the McDonald's coffee he had drank about a half hour small, high window was just big enough to allow a bit of moonlight to shine through, and it was currently illuminating the side of Demyx's sleeping face.

"Mhmm." The blond rolled towards him, noticing the loss of warmth, "Come to bed Zexy."

Zexion smiled, striding back towards the bed and kneeling. Demyx's eyes remained shut, and without a second thought, Zexion pressed a small kiss to his forehead. He quickly got back to his feet and paced once more, but not before noticing a small smile had found its way to Dem's lips as well.

"I will in a bit, I promise."

-Jaspen