Secondhand Embarrassment

twenty six: love and hate

noah || billy

☼~☼~☼~☼~☼

"we finally agreed to meet each other," noah tells billy casually on their way back from the the piano bar on the boulevard.

"i'd hate to break this to you but i've known you since the day you were born," billy teases him with a wicked grin plastered on his lips.

the door slams shut behind them, a cool gust of air summoning the night rushing through the lower level of the beach house they've rented with a couple other of their friends. "i was talking about lennon."

"well, why didn't you just say so?" bill rolls his eyes. "would've made things a lot easier."

"sometimes i don't know what to do with you, william."

"don't call me william. no one's called me that in years," billy says, letting inflections find themselves naturally in his voice. "so, where are you two meeting and when?"

"the bonfire tomorrow night."

"you better step up your game. there's only two days left of beach week. thats barely even enough time to get a proper tan let alone fall in love."

"nobody said anything about falling in love."

"but we're all thinking it."

noah shakes his hands, rubbing circles into his temples with his fingertips. "god, i really hate you sometimes."

"but do you know what comes after hate?"

"anger?"

a couple of seconds pass before billy says, "love."

noah gets up immediately from the couch and starts walking toward his room, making sure the only thing billy can see is his hair. "we're done talking about this."

"no baby, come back!" billy chases after noah, feet padding against the hardwood leaving a meager trail of sand grains in the hall. "don't leave me. i need you!"

"i take that back," noah turns around, "i hate you all the time."

"when you say that, do you really mean that you love me all the time?"

"goodnight, billy. i'm going to bed."

"come on, noah! i'll actually listen to you this time when you say something even though all you talk about nowadays is how much you like lennon but i-"

"some kind of brother you are, william."

"i told you not to call me that anymore!"

☼~☼~☼~☼~☼