Heartbreak Story - Byler

XXVII - Should've Been There From the Start

Triggers: Mentions of a previous suicide attempt.

Will's POV:

The party was scattered around the Wheelers' basement like dropped marbles on a lazy Sunday afternoon, the day after Mike and I had made our little deal. Eleven and Dustin were sitting by the back wall giggling and whispering with each other about god knows what, Mike and Lucas were sitting at our D&D table arguing over how they wanted to play our next campaign and my sister - having returned from her mini-holiday with Lucas an hour previously - was lounging at my feet as I braided her hair whilst on Mike's couch.

"So..." Max whispered and I could hear the smirk I was sure was plastered on her face in her accusing tone, "When I first got here, Jonathan told me you've both spent the past two nights here. Him with Nance and you with Mike. Do you care to explain, dear brother?"

I was grateful that none of the party were paying attention to us as I could feel my cheeks begin to burn. "Oh, friends stay over at their friends' houses all the time. It's no big deal." I responded, attempting to make my voice sound airy and disinterested but I knew I'd failed when Max pulled her hair from my clasp and climbed up and sat next to me cross-legged on the couch, her body facing mine.

"Don't give me that." She snapped, a devilish smile glittering on her freckled face. "You can't lie to me, Will, I can see right through you. Tell me everything."

"Nothing happened, you know, physically if that's what you're asking about." I told her, desperately trying to keep my voice low. "I mean, we almost kissed but then we didn't. Jonathan walked in and put an end to that."

"Holy shit, really?" Max squealed, earning glances from Dustin and El but not from the two boys still in a heated argument.

"Keep your voice down, Maxie!" I pleaded with the far too excited girl waiting expectantly before me.

"Oh god, sorry. Seriously, I swear, when we get home, I'm going to kick that big brother of ours' ass."

"He didn't know what he was doing, I don't blame him."

"Well I do," Max huffed, looking irritated before a bright look of interest washed over her face. "Wait, you said nothing happened physically, right? Does that mean something has happened, like, emotionally?"

Burying my face in my hands as the blush returned drastically to my cheeks, I heard Max quietly call, "I knew it!" in obvious triumph.

"We're not dating, Maxie." I informed my sister, "Not yet, at least. I told him that I do want to be with him and, as long as he's willing to wait for me to be ready, then we will be together one day I'm just not exactly sure when that would be. It could be soon, it could be years from now, I don't know. All I know is that we love each other and we want to be together eventually. Please don't tell anyone other than maybe Jonathan. I want to wait until we're actually together before we tell anyone that, well, we're getting together."

The red-haired girl dove on me and tackled me down on the couch, throwing her arms around me and shrieking about how happy she was for me and, despite myself and the glances we received from Dustin and Eleven, I couldn't help myself from laughing.

"Jesus, could you guys please keep it down? We're trying to talk over here!" Dustin moaned, clearly pissed off that Max and I had interrupted his and the curly-haired girl sat with him's conversation. As I looked towards him, still pinned down by my sister, I noticed how close Eleven was sitting to him and how her right arm was gracefully draped across his leg and I grinned, sure Mike and I had been correct in our assumptions about them.

"Leave 'em alone." Mike chastised, "They're only having fun. Anyway, I'm gonna go up and refill the snacks and hopefully this idiot will have sorted out his mind and realised that my plan is far better than his by the time I come back." The boy I knew I would spend my life with muttered in a reproachful voice whilst gesturing in Lucas' direction who rolled his eyes in return.