the anatomy of love [BxB] COMPLETED

43

Their first play off game, and they win. And Wes wants to see him. Tonight. He still hasn't called or texted confirming when tonight they will see each other, but Jackson feels just confident enough not to send a desperate text.

Caleb, on the other hand, is not so confident.

"But what if he forgets?" Caleb asks. They are both rapidly finishing their plates of pasta with butter, trying to fill the fierce starvation only a soccer play off game can produce.

"He is not the type to forget."

"Maybe he's ignoring you. Leaving you hanging."

"No, he does not ignore. Avoid is better," Jackson says.

"Or," Caleb says with a dramatic flair, ignoring―sorry, avoiding―Jackson's protests, "he's purposefully not reaching out to make you anxious all day so you will be even more excited when he does reach out."

"So, foreplay?" Jackson asks with a smirk.

"Yes," Caleb says, relenting, with a sigh and a groan, "but worse because he's using you. It's rude and disrespectful." He crosses his arms and Jackson bursts out laughing.

"You sound like Hunter."

"Thank you!" Caleb throws his hands up in the air like this was an event that he had long deserved and had finally happened. "By the way, do you still talk to Hunter?"

He asked it with such a casual flippancy, reaching to dish another spoonful of pasta on his plate, that Jackson had to pause and recover from how blindsided he felt.

"Not really," Jackson says carefully. "No."

"I miss flirting with him."

"If you mean Hunter shamelessly flirting with you in front of me until you blushed and stumbled away, then yes, I guess he did flirt with you," Jackson says, trying to hide his unease at the change of subject with a grin.

"So what happened?"

"Huh?"

Caleb raises an eyebrow. "With Hunter? Why aren't you guys talking?"

"No reason, really..." Jackson trails off, avoiding the sternness in Caleb's gaze that's locked on him like a really intense detective.

"Did you break up with him?"

"Caleb, I already told you we never dated. We were just hooking up, and then we weren't. End of story."

"But you guys were friends."

And there it is, isn't it? Jackson sighs and pushes a piece of pasta around his plate with his fork. Hunter was Jackson's friend, even close friend, and he had fucked that up.

"I wasn't a good friend. He moved on."

"Ah."

"Don't ah me."

"Hmph."

"Caleb," Jackson warns, but it lacks any conviction. His best friend knows him better than anyone, after all.

"Do you miss him?"

"Jeez, since when were you my therapist?"

"Jackson, I'm just trying to help."

"Right." Jackson sighs again and looks at Caleb and smiles softly at his earnesty and silliness and love. "Fine. I do miss him. I miss him a lot."

"Finally!" Caleb grins. "Was that so hard?"

Jackson rolls his eyes. "Don't push it."

"Okay, I won't. But don't you think it would be worth giving up any pride you're still holding onto and just apologize to him and be friends again?"