Is Benji coming onto him again? Is he threatening him? Surely he wouldn’t act like a creep when everyone was home.
I was not well versed in fighting, but I would do whatever it was that I had to do. I expected him to be standing close to Elias and for me to have to force my way between them. That was why I was shocked to find Easton standing between the two, his eyes shooting daggers at Benji.
He was angry with Benji?
Easton pushed against Benji’s chest and it made him stumble backward. “You didwhatto my brother?”
Eli stood behind his brother’s protective figure and his widened eyes showed that he was equally as surprised as I was. Emerson stood close to me as we watched the scene unfold.
“Easton, chill out.” Benji raised his hands in defense. “I didn’t do shit to Eli.”
“That’s not what he just said!” Easton yelled. “You date my sister and then start acting weird with my brother? Are you fucking insane?”
Macy was captivated by the altercation as she watched from the couch. The woman made no move to diffuse the situation that was bound to end terribly. No, she watched like this was a show that she paid for.
“Dude, do you think I’m gay for him or something? Why the hell would I like your twink-ass little brother?”
Eli’s fingernails dug into his palms as he watched uncomfortably. He was too stunned to speak up for himself, to share that Benji had been acting odd for a while. Did he flat out do something to Eli? No, but the uneasiness of it all was worth mentioning about his brother’s best friend.
“You tried to drug him at a party,” I blurted, causing everyone’s heads to turn.
Benji’s lip curled in anger. “No one was talking to you, Javier.”
Eli gasped. “You did what?”
Easton pushed hard against his best friend's chest and then got right in his face. “Tell me why I shouldn’t beat the hell out of you right here and now.”
Benji pushed back. “Get off me, man!”
But Easton did not back off. In fact, he got closer than he had been before. His face was so close to Benji’s that I knew he could smell Easton’s breath. The two angry men were in a stare off, both of them waiting for the other to do something.
“I was apologizing to Eli, and he got pissed,” Benji seethed. “I was never going to hurt him.”
“Why have you been so weird lately, Benjamin?” Easton used his full name like a mother scolded her child. “First you get with my sister—I let that slide because she loves you. Then you start being a shitty boyfriend to her. Now you act like a creep toward my brother?”
“Because I love you!” he shouted.
The room went dead silent that you could hear a pen drop. My jaw dropped practically to the floor, Macy’s eyes widened in entertainment, Eli stood idly in place behind his brother, and Easton’s anger changed into stun.
And Emerson? She was fighting off tears.
“I have loved you for so fucking long, Easton,” Benji confessed. “I got with Emerson because she was the closest thing to you, but she’s so goddamn whiny. It made me think Elias was the next best thing, but I felt like shit for scaring him the way I did.”
Benji being gay for Easton and jumping between his siblings to satisfy the attraction? That was not on my bingo card.
“What the fuck?” Emerson screeched. “Are you saying you’ve liked Easton this whole time? I was just some placeholder until he finally reciprocated feelings for you?”
Benji ignored Emerson’s distress. “I’ve been wanting you to notice me, and I was trying to do something to open your eyes.”
Easton’s face curled up in disgust, his nose scrunching and his eyes narrowing. He took a step back, his arm pushing against Eli to create more distance between him and Benji. The twins’ eyes met each other, and the hurt on Emerson’s face was enough to set her brother off.
“You’re disgusting," he growled. “I don’t like dick, but if I did it would not be the dick of the asshole who used my sister and was a creep toward my brother.”
Benji’s jaw clenched. All sense of regret inside of him vanished and was replaced with malice. He got right into his friend's face and smiled condescendingly. “That’s alright. Just know that when I felt all over your brother and fucked your sister, I was wishing it was you.”
That was all it took for Easton to swing his fist. He sent an uppercut right at Benji’s chin and it made harsh contact. His head jerked back at the impact, a loud grunt sounding from him at the sudden force.
Benji retailed by lunging at his friend and it sent them stumbling back toward Eli. Elias jumped backward to create more distance between himself and the fighting boys as they fought in front of him. The two thrashed at each other like wild animals fighting for food, Easton fueled by anger and Benji by resentment.
