A/N: Okay. Finally got this chapter finished. Once again, I thank all my reviewer and anyone else who's been reading this. Hopefully I'll get the next chapter done soon. Enjoy.
"Relax. I told you it's fine. Don't get all worked up about it." I said holding the phone between my ear and shoulder so could sweep.
"Okay, but I asked Brianna if I could stay the night at your place, since I wouldn't be able to see you today, and she said I could. You don't mind do you?" I could almost see his puppy-dog eyes.
I could feel my heartbeat picking up and my palms get sweaty. "No, not at all." Maurice was back in the doorway. "I'll just have to clear it with my room-mate." I said as Maurice raised an eyebrow. I mouthed out Ralph and he nodded. "Hold on." I said in the phone then covered receiver. "Would it be cool with you if Ralph stayed the night?" I asked.
"It's fine with me." He said as Bill came in to investigate. "You want to stay the night too Billy?" Maurice asked and Bill frowned.
"Don't call me that, first of all. Second I can't. I work nights, remember?" He said stretching his arms towards the ceiling.
I had forgotten Bill worked the graveyard shift at a convenience store. I put the phone back to my ear. "He says it's alright."
"Great!" Ralph said excitedly. "I'll see you later tonight. Bye!" He said before hanging up.
I put my phone on the counter then turned to Maurice. "This house better be ready by the time he gets here." I warned. "I'll finish up with the kitchen and you get started on the bathroom." I ordered going back to sweeping.
"But Bill's here." He said sounding like a child. "It's rude to ignore him after I invited him over." Maurice said stuffing his hands in his pajama pockets.
"I'll clean the living room if you want!" Bill called from his seat.
I turned and smiled at Maurice who had now been slouching in the doorway. "Really Bill!? You couldn't just back me up here?" He yelled back in defeat, before going to the bathroom. It's times like this that make me wonder if my room-mate was really a nineteen year-old or a five year-old trapped in a nineteen year-old's body.
Bill took Maurice's pervious spot with a smirk on his face. "Is he like this every time you make him clean?" He chimed, getting a kick out of the whole situation.
I blew a stray strand of hair out of my eyes. "No, he's just upset that you're, in a way, taking my side. He feels betrayed." I muttered. "Are you really willing to clean the living room?" I asked hopefully.
He just shrugged. "It's not bad. All that really needs to be done is fixing the pillows and cleaning off the coffee table. I should be about to handle that." Bill laughed pushing off from the frame and going back to the living room.
"Thanks!" I called after him. Thirty minutes passed and we had been able to get the apartment clean. Bill had gone home to get in a quick nap before work, and Maurice was, once again, sprawled out on the couch. "Have you left the house at all today?" I finally asked after the fifth channel flip.
"I took out the trash." He answered switching stations for the sixth time. I glared at him. "Other than that, no. It's my lazy day and you had to go a ruin it with cleaning. I hope you're happy." He said begrudgingly.
I looked around the, now clean, living space. "Actually, I am. It's kind of nice living in a clean space. We should do this everyday." I teased.
Maurice flipped me off before he checked his phone. "I might be going out later by the way." I looked at him confused. "Don't worry, I'll just be stopping by Roger's to help him set up some dresser." He said putting him phone back in his pajama pants.
"Alright." I didn't bring up last night or my suspicion, since I knew he has black-mail against me and would not have been afraid to use it in front of Ralph. "Are you going dressed like that?" I asked leaning back in my recliner.
He looked down at his outfit and shrugged. "I'll change before I go, but since I'm still not sure there's no reason too." Maurice replied, throwing me the remote. "Ugh! There's nothing on!" He complained as I pulled up the guide. "There should be a law against putting all the shit shows on at the same time." He buried his face in a pillow and continued to wine.
"You need to chill out. Not everything on right now is shit." I looked through the guide pages, not finding anything worth watching. "Damn. You're right. There is nothing on."
"Thank you! For once you admit I'm right!" He fumbled with his phone again. "Can you say that again so I can make it my ringtone?" He joked putting his phone in my face.
"I'll give you five seconds to get that out of my face before I knock it out of your hands." I warned counting down with my fingers.
Maurice reluctantly put his phone on the table and went back to pouting. "When is Ralph getting here? It's boring with just you here." He said waving off my glare. "Don't get me wrong. I like you just fine Jack, but I see you every day and you and I run out of things to talk about." He explained.
"Why do I feel like you're braking up with me?" I asked resting my elbows on my knees.
It was then that Maurice got all dramatic. "Don't make this harder than it has to be." He was faking sobs and put his finger on my lips when I tried to talk. "It's not you, it's me. There's nothing that could have stop this. We've just grown apart is all." He was now whipping away fake tear and had grabbed a hold of my hand. "How could I have known I'd fall in love with another? I'm sorry." Maurice pulled away and composed himself. "And scene. How did I do Jack? Could I be an actor?" He asked, a huge grin on his face.
I rolled my eyes. "Don't quit your day job." I said mimicking a phrase I've heard my fair share of times. "Ralph should be calling in a bit for directions."
That seemed to perk his attention. "Wait. They're letting Ralph drive after what just happened to him?! What the Hell are they thinking!?" Maurice shouted.
"No! Andrew's driving him." I said mockingly. Maurice raised an eyebrow. "Wow. Somebody's a little too jealous of this Andrew guy." He stated, patronizing me. "You need more faith in yourself. Where is the confident, bull-headed, self-assure Merridew that I became room mates with?" He said giving me a pep-talk. "You don't get it. This is not like when you just start out a relationship and neither one of you knows much about each other. I know all this stuff about Ralph, and I have all these memories of our time together. Ralph doesn't remember any of it. To him it means nothing. I have to try to win him back without throwing all that information at him." My eyes were beginning to sting. Damn all these blasted feelings.
Maurice wrapped his arms around me. "Don't cry Jack." He said softly. "I know you can do it. You just might need some help and you know I'll do what ever I can to." He started rubbing my back as I sobbed into his shoulder.
After I had calmed down, I realized my phone was ringing some Green Day song. "Thanks Maurice." I said before answering my phone. "Hello."
"Jack, why haven't you been picking up? This is the third time I've called you." Ralph scolded on the other end.
"I'm sorry. Something came up." I replied looking to Maurice who just gave me a thumbs up.
"Is everything okay? Do you want me to come over some other time?" His voice had some worry in it. I could hear Andrew asking Ralph questions.
"No, everything is fine. Now you need directions right?" I asked trying to play like I hadn't been crying a moment before. Ralph seemed to buy it, or at least pretended to.
