Page 35 of Staying Selfless

“I don’t have another place to put them.”

“Do you want me to take them to my parents’ house off-campus? There’s plenty of storage space in the garage.”

“Really? Yeah, that’d be great.” I’d thought about asking if I could store them there, but I didn’t want to impose on Eli’s family home. Though, I’ll absolutely take him up on it if he’s offering.

“I’ll take them by when you go to class.”

“I don’t want you to go out of your way for it. Just whenever you go there next.”

“It’s not out of the way.” He averts his eyes from mine. “I’ve kind of been living there.”

“What?” I quickly ask, my voice going higher in tone than I intended it to. “Why?”

“I’ll explain later.” Eli quickly glances at Ali, who happens to be watching us. “When we’re alone.”

“Man,” Ali chimes in after taking a sip of her tea. “I’ve really missed the awkward third wheel moments.”

“Ali?” Marc asks from across the hall. “Ali!” he repeats again, this time louder in volume, looking for our friend.

“I’m in Logan’s room!”

“Hey.” He glances around the room. “Oh. Everyone is here.”

The three of us stand around looking at Marc and waiting for him to say something, seeing as he was so eagerly looking for Ali.

Marc stays stiffly silent until, eventually, Eli hands him the coffee he brought for him.

“Thanks, man.”

“What’s up?” Ali finally asks with confusion.

“Well, I uh...” Marc hesitates, looking around at the three of us. “Fuck it. You guys are going to find out anyway. Ali, I was wondering if you’d like to go to dinner tonight?”

My eyes widen with amusement before looking over to Eli, who is wearing the same shocked expression as me. He and I back away from our friends before I hide behind my boyfriend’s massive body, trying to pretend like I’m not here right now.

We’re both loving and hating this. We definitely shouldn’t be here, and even though I’m happy this is finally happening, I can’t watch. I want to give our friends some privacy, but Eli is thoroughly amused by seeing his brother squirm. My boyfriend keeps his eyes fixed on our friends, taking leisurely sips of his coffee while he watches.

I lean my forehead on Eli’s back and keep my free hand gripping his waist as I wait for Ali’s response.

“We always go to dinner on Mondays. All three of us at Double G,” Ali reminds him, clearly confused by Marc’s intention.

Eli lets out a not-so-subtle laugh as he watches their interaction from the sidelines.

“Eli!” I quietly scold with a playful swat of his ass. “Give them some privacy.”

“Fuck, no!” he booms. “With how many times they’ve cockblocked us? I’m sorry, but payback is a bitch.”

I peek around Eli’s frame to catch my best friend rolling his eyes at his brother.

“I was thinking somewhere else besides the bar on campus. And I was referring to just you and I,” Marc says. “Sorry, Logan.”

I don’t look at him but instead, give him a thumbs up in support, reaching my arm around Eli’s body. Even though I love our Monday nights at Double G, I love the idea of my two closest friends going on a date even more.

“Like a date?” Ali asks, her tone seeming shocked.

“No, not like a date. Just a date,” Marc says, causing me to squeal with excitement. I can’t help it. I tried to contain it, but I can’t.

Eli looks over his shoulder at me, giving me a soft grin at my sudden outburst.

---