It Was Only Ever Erin

Chapter 13 - Elmo

*2 Weeks Later*

Elliot’s P.O.V

I’d had my little side-line job for just over 3 weeks. Every Monday we’d meet at the warehouse to drop off any merch we hadn’t sold and whatever money we’d made, take our cut and get given new stock to take out.

It was really thanks to Aiden that I’d got the job. We started hanging out not long after my Dad died and he had made it his mission to help me bury all that s**t under a mountain of partying, drinking and anything else it took to block it all out. I’d known how much I was disappointing Erin, Mom was too out of it to notice, but quite frankly, I hadn’t cared – I just wanted to forget.

As my 16th birthday approached however, after years of blowing off steam it felt like I had finally run out of it; the time had come to either die or do something. I didn’t fancy dying quite yet so I decided to do something and Aiden provided the answer. Namely, working with him and his brother as a low-level dealer, supplying for kids at school and at parties. It had been going well. The money was great and more than anything it gave me the sense of purpose and direction I’d been missing in my life for the last, well, nearly 4 years.

Even though I knew Dad wouldn’t have approved of my methods, I liked to think he’d be proud that I was trying to provide for Mom and building something for myself. And Erin, despite being a huge pain in the ass most of the time, was the only person left in the world who really gave a s**t about me, no matter how much I’d f****d up. Seeing her face light up and having her tell me how proud she was when I told her I’d got a job was the first time I’d felt genuinely happy in forever.

Today was little out of the norm though, as the higher-ups in the ring had asked me to do a one-off job for them. The top dog’s son got shot recently and still wouldn’t be able to drive for a couple of weeks, so I needed to give him a ride to a deal going down in the city – nothing exciting. I knocked on the door of his loft and as it opened, a guy I knew to be called Ollie stood in front of me. He had a similar build to me (meaning very tall and skinny), blue/grey eyes and straight black hair that hung low over his eyes.

“Yeah?” he said bluntly, looking at me with angry curiosity – Ollie always looked angry.

“Elmo! What brings you to this neck of the woods?” yelled Dean, Aiden’s brother, as he stood up behind Ollie, smiling at me. Aiden had started calling me Elmo not long after we met and it just kinda stuck, to the point where everyone except family knew me as Elmo and that’s how I started introducing myself.

“Ah, I’m here to drive Jason into the city?”

“Really? You don’t sound too sure about it,” Ollie jibed with a dead pan expression.

“Ollie, stop being an ass, come on in Elmo, he’ll be down in a sec,” said Dean, flopping back down onto the couch. I stepped in and stood awkwardly by the door and kept quiet as Ollie swung it shut and turned to go and sit back down in one of the armchairs, resuming the conversation they’d been having before my arrival.

“Everything set for the party later?”

“Yeah, although I’ve never experienced hostess’ pressure like this before, it feels like the f*****g Queen of England’s coming.” Said Dean as he slid further down into the couch and put his feet up on the coffee table.

“What are you talking about?”

“You mean you haven’t heard?” gasped Dean, sounding like one of The Real Housewives about to dish out some hot goss. “Jason’s bringing his girlfriend”

“What?!” Ollie’s head snapped in Dean’s direction looking completely taken aback.

“I know right. You saw her that night, what’s she like now? She still a nerd?”

“She’s mouthier,” Ollie said as he rolled his eyes and settled back into the chair.

“She hotter?” Although his face still looked impassive, something stilled in Ollie for a second.

“It’s easier to see the appeal on closer inspection… and with fewer layers of clothing in the way.”

“Oh God, don’t tell me you wanna f**k her now too?!”

“I don’t fancy Jason digging me an early grave.”

“So that’s a yes. Well, I’m becoming more and more intrigued by the second; do you think I’ll be next to fall for her charms?” smirked Dean.

“Well seeing as you have an uncontrollable urge to f**k anything that moves, I wouldn’t be surprised.”

“True, what about you, Elmo? You got a guy?” This question hit me like a punch in the gut. Not only had I been completely unprepared for any questions to be thrown my way… but he’d said ‘guy’.

“I… what?” I stammered.

“You got a boyfriend?” How the f**k did he know?! For a minute it felt like I’d forgotten how to breath – my heart beating with no discernible sense of rhythm at all. Then I noticed that he and Ollie were just looking at me with simple curiosity; no humour, revulsion or any sign that they were aware of what a big deal this question was for me to try and answer.

“…I don’t-… how did you know that… I-”

“Aiden mentioned it a while back,” Dean shrugged.

“I never told Aiden.” All this time I’d just been stood there, frozen, wide eyed and completely thrown off guard.

“Huh, guess he just figured it out then. So?”

“…So what?”

“Boyfriend?”

“No.”

“Okay, God that was like pulling teeth!”

What the hell had just happened? I’d never told anyone that I was gay and now I find out that actually my best friend, his brother and one of my bosses had actually known all along? And clearly they couldn’t care less – this wasn’t earth shattering or ground breaking in any way for them and yet I felt like I was gonna pass out at any second.

“What was?” Jason asked as he came jogging down the stairs.

“Asking Elmo if he had a boyfriend.”

“You’re into guys now Deano? Huh, I always hoped I’d be your first port of call if the time came. Gotta say, I’m hurt”

“You’re spoken for!”

“Never stopped you in the past- did he just call you Elmo?” Jason cut himself off, turning suddenly to talk to me.

“Uh, yeah it’s a nickname.”

“Huh, and here I hoped that your parents were just huge fans of Sesame Street,” he huffed and I breathed out a small laugh – that sounded like something Erin would say.

“Are you seriously bringing Erin tonight?” Ollie asked looking at Jason, a slight crease in his forehead. The coincidence that Jason’s girlfriend had the same name as my sister flashed in my head for only a couple of seconds before it faded away into nothingness. Jason eyed Ollie warningly.

“Yeah, why do you sound pissed about that?” Ollie just shrugged.

“Not pissed, just didn’t think it would be her scene.”

“Well, she keeps saying she wants to know more about me and my life and for some completely unknown reason, she feels that that includes spending time with and getting to know, you assholes. I told her it was a horrible idea but she felt it was necessary.”

“And we of course are more than happy to get to know Erin on a much, much deeper lever,” Dean drawled, a smouldering look in his eyes and a wolfish grin playing on his lips.

“Like I said, horrible idea. Let’s go Sesame Street,” Jason said, snatching up his keys and storming out of the front door.

***************

Jason’s P.O.V

I sat on Erin’s bed, watching her get ready for the party tonight and feeling highly apprehensive. There was a part of me that still saw her as fragile, innocent and naïve. Yeah, I enjoyed partying and drinking with loud music and my brash friends with their crass sense of humour, yet even though I wouldn’t be partaking, I also knew there’d be drugs and girls and quite frankly, I didn’t want Erin near any of it. For the first time I was feeling a little embarrassed and ashamed of my lifestyle.

More than anything I guess I was scared that she’d see all those things and how much I enjoyed it and it would shatter any illusion she had about me being a good guy. She’d see me for what I am and leave.

“Are you sure you wanna go tonight?” She sternly looked at my reflection in the mirror, applying a small about of makeup to her face whilst standing, bent over the dresser she used as a vanity.

“Jase, for the millionth time, yes, I want to go tonight. You can’t seriously expect us to be together and for me to never spend time in your world, with your friends doing stuff that you enjoy – how would that be fair on you?”

“I just… I’m just worried you don’t know what you’re getting yourself into.”

“This isn’t my first ever party Jase – I’m not a naïve little nerd anymore.” No, but she did seem to be a freakin’ mind reader.

“Yeah but, I just know how you feel about the kind of stuff that happens at-”

“No, you don’t,” she said turning around to face me with her hands on her hips. “Sweetie, I don’t give a s**t about the kinds of things that people do at these parties. Unless it turns out to be some kind of… I dunno… orgy or fight club.” I couldn’t help but laugh when she said this. “The only time I’ll have a problem with something is if you go putting yourself in harm’s way. And anyway, you’ve always been straight with me Jase, you’ve already told me you don’t do drugs and you’re not sleeping around so unless I look up from my drink to find you snorting coke out of some girl’s cleavage, I will be fine.”

I laughed again and shook my head and she stepped up between my legs and took my face in her hands. She looked insanely gorgeous. Her hair had been ironed and teased into large loose curls, her eyes gently smoky and her lips a slightly darker shade of red from normal. Her dark, elegant features highlighted expertly. She was wearing a black halter neck jumpsuit that wasn’t too showy, but complimented her figure perfectly and just begged for me to grab her little waist in my hands – which I did.

“Now, can we please go?” she asked, her tone daring me to challenge her further. I sighed and took the corner of my bottom lip in between my teeth.

“…Let’s go.”