The Who - Short Fiction

Behind Blue Eyes - 3/3

The high-pitched ring of the telephone on Pete's nightstand woke you both abruptly from your sleep, which had lasted well into the morning, surely due to the large volume of alcohol you'd imbibed the night before. With a heavy groan, Pete reached over you and snatched the receiver up, pulling the cord across your body and pressing the receiver to his ear. He fell back down on the bed, his head resting beside yours on the pillow.

"Hullo?" he yawned, squinting in the bright morning sunlight. You rolled towards him, allowing your eyes to roam over his bare chest. He'd turned you down the night before, which was probably for the best, but that didn't mean the confusing feelings you had for him had disappeared with his rejection. His dark hair was dishevelled in a sweet, boyish way, and you longed to reach out and run your fingers through it.

"Fuck, Pete," John's deep voice growled over the phone, "I'm losing my mind. Y/N's work bag is sitting on the table here, but she wasn't here when I woke up this morning." He sounded concerned, you thought; it annoyed you. What right did he have to be concerned, when he'd been the reason you weren't able to sleep in your own home?

"John..." Pete sighed, meeting your eyes. "Is there any reason she might have left her things at home but not stayed the night?" The man on the other end of the line was silent, answering Pete's question; he knew he'd made a mistake. Now, the question was, would he admit it to his best friend, or make up an excuse.

"Well, um," John mumbled, "Keith was over, he ended up sleeping here."

"That all?" Pete inquired, raising an eyebrow even though John couldn't see him. "Keith used the guest bed, didn't he? Moonie's stayed the night a million times, Y/N wouldn't have had an issue with that." He waited for John to elaborate, watching you carefully to see your reaction. He held the phone between the two of you so you could hear the conversation as well.

"We were a bit out of it," John admitted. "And we...well, I invited a friend over, and she ended up staying longer than I'd expected." You pressed your lips together, feeling warm tears pricking at the corners of your eyes; it was exactly as you'd thought, but the feeling of betrayal you'd felt last night at the mere possibility was a hundred times stronger now that you knew the truth.

"So do you think she came home and saw what had happened, then?" Pete asked. His voice remained neutral, as he didn't want to reveal that he knew the truth unless you gave him permission.

"She was supposed to be home late," John said, his voice breaking. "I let things go too far, for myself and for Keith, and if Y/N knows, she'll never forgive me, Pete. You've got to help me." Tears slipped down your cheeks, and you turned away from the man beside you, not wanting him to see you cry for the second time in 12 hours.

Pete sighed heavily, tipping his head back on the pillow so he was staring up at the ceiling. He tucked a hand beneath his head and stretched, giving his body time to adjust to being awake. What the hell was he supposed to say to that? You were right there beside him. As one of John's closest friends, he felt obligated to provide emotional support – but he loved you, and couldn't bear the idea of hurting you any worse than you had been already.

"Not sure what I can really do, mate," Pete told him, trying not to sound too sympathetic for your sake. "I think you should tell her the truth, and figure things out the old-fashioned way. Talk to her." You turned back to him, having wiped the tears from your face. The last thing you wanted was to talk this over with John; you were too angry for any kind of productive conversation.

"Give her the phone then, will you?" John requested. Surprised, Pete began to speak, to pretend you weren't there beside him, but John knew better. "Pete, there's nowhere else she would have gone. Just give her the phone, please. For me." Pete reached out and put a hand on your arm, his silent way of asking if this was something you were ready for. After a long pause, you nodded, and accepted the phone from him.