Friendship's Overrated

Chapter Seven: Summer

"Fine," Todd sighed so deeply that he felt as if he was exhaling a piece of his being. Maybe he was. That piece of him floating and being sucked out the open windows as they drove.

"Wait what?" Betto's eyes were so wide it looked as if his eyes would fall out of his head. He glanced at Todd several quick times, not taking his eyes off the road for too long at once, which Todd was grateful for. "Are you fucking with me right now?"

"No." Todd wished he was just fucking with him. "You can ask Ophelia out. I won't get mad. Just treat her right."

"Fucking hell, man!" Betto shouted, a wide grin splitting his face. "You're actually saying yes right now. Did you hit your head or something? Have you been drinking?"

"Don't push me," Todd rolled his eyes, but his lips twitched into a smile. "I could change my mind."

"I don't know what changed your mind to begin with," Betto shook his head in disbelief, but the grin stayed attached to his features. Todd had to admit he was a bit harsh on Betto. He knew Betto was a nice guy, and that he genuinely liked Ophelia. But Todd couldn't look at Ophelia without seeing the little girl from when they were kids. A sweetheart with big brown eyes and awkwardly long limbs, always eager to follow him around. "I thought you would up and kill me if I ever asked her out."

"If you hurt her I will," Todd offered and Betto scoffed.

"As if that girl would let me hurt her," Betto said. "She takes after her brothers alright. Won't take shit from anyone."

Todd fell quiet at the mention of Ophelia's brothers. He wasn't sure he was ready to deal with Levon yet. He felt as if there was drama brewing and he was in no way ready to deal with it, especially after the kiss they shared during his last visit. The kiss that had pretty much wrecked him internally.

Todd had avoided Levon so much after that kiss that Ophelia had pulled him aside to know when they had fought because it must have been 'pretty bad'. But Todd could only blush and grumble like a fucking idiot. Because Levon had to be so fucking perfect; looking so damn attractive, smelling so great, and standing too close; always with that fucking smile on his face.

It had been a little over two months ago and Todd had had next to no contact with Levon since then. He had been mentally prepping himself for the summer break, but it seemed to be all for nothing as they drove closer and closer to their home town. He felt as if his protective layers were being peeled away with each mile. By the time they reached the Kipling residence, Todd was sure he would be completely open and raw.

"You okay?" Betto glanced over at him, brows furrowing. "You're looking really flushed."

"Just hot," Todd waved him off and Betto accepted that before he shyly started brainstorming ways he might ask Ophelia out. Listening to Betto's assurances that the first date was the most important, Todd was sure that it was the right decision to take himself out of the way of their relationship. Betto deserved to be happy.

They stopped at Todd's house and unloaded the ridiculously overfilled back of the car to get Todd's dorm things into his room for the summer. There were no cars in the stone driveway, and Todd unlocked the door, already knowing that his mother wasn't home and probably hasn't been and wouldn't be for another couple weeks at least. He was pretty sure that was a good thing.

When that was done Betto dropped Todd off at the Kipling residence. Betto was quick to leave after that, probably because the two boys had spent the last five hours stuck in a car together. They were close but even that could be a bit much all at once.

Todd walked up to the house, feeling rather like he was baring his soul, and walked in. It smelled like home. Todd dropped his bag on the porch bench and wandered in. It smelled like pasta and he could hear voices in the dining room.