Fate Meets Destiny: Chapter Fifteen
Title: Fate Meets Destiny
Author: bbmgirlfan
Pairing: Ennis/Jack (AU/AU)
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: just playing with the boys, they don't belong to me
Summary: Jack and Ennis grew up together and even went to the same college before moving back home to take over each family's business. They became roommates but that's all they were! Or, is it?
Chapter Fifteen
Jack was asleep already when Ennis got home. He had spent the evening hanging out at Streamer's, a karaoke bar he and Jack had gone to a couple of times before. Jack loved to sing! Ennis just liked to sit and watch other people sing. It was kind of like watching American Idol (without people you like having to leave).
He also liked to order the hot wings and drink a beer or two.
After a few beers, Ennis talked himself into singing "Friends in Low Places" but then that was it for him. He went back to being an audience member.
A pretty, young waitress had flirted with him all night. And she'd pressed against him a little when he got up to leave. But other than rubbing her ass a little as he hugged her back and winking as he promised to come back soon, he'd pretty much left her alone. He felt flattered but just wasn't interested.
Work had been interesting these past few days, Ennis mused, as he stepped into the shower. Joey hadn't approached him again, other than to ask briefly how his date had gone. Ennis had said "not very well" but had declined to discuss it further and ever since then, Joey had been sort of watching him. Ennis had felt a little like he was under a microscope!
After his shower, Ennis crawled into bed but decided to watch a little TV before going to sleep. Hours later, he woke up just enough to grab the remote and turn it off.
The next morning, Ennis was just finishing a bowl of cereal when Jack yawned his way into the kitchen. He ruffled Ennis's hair as he walked by and Ennis smiled because he hadn't done that in a long time. They talked a little about what they had done the night before as Jack poured his own bowl and then joined him at the table.
Eventually, they got around to talking about their plans for the day. Jack said he planned to hang out for at least part of the afternoon with Katie at Sun, Moon & Stars and Ennis said he was going to go to the gym.
Later that afternoon, when Ennis got back, Jack still wasn't home and after a shower, Ennis grabbed a glass of iced tea & decided to hang out on the front porch. He and Jack had agreed to have a spaghetti movie night in unless either of them happened upon something better to do. But he still had some time to kill.
Perhaps a nap on the porch...
"Oh, hello dear! I hope I'm not interrupting your nap."
An hour later, through the fog of sleep, Ennis heard the annoying voice of their neighbor, Mrs. Bendelmen. Jack adored her, but to Ennis, she was a nosy old white-haired busybody who regularly came over to snoop during what she referred to as "coming over to check on you boys".
Ennis sat up and offered her half of the front porch swing. "I was just resting my eyes for a few minutes." It felt hotter and the sun seemed brighter since he'd fallen asleep but he guessed Jack still wasn't back.
"Would you like some iced tea, Mrs. Bendelmen?" he offered and got up to get some for them both. He also threw on a tank top and ran a comb through his hair.
After he returned, they had a few minutes of polite conversation. How have you been? Fine. And how are your parents? ... How's Jack doing? ... etc.
"I'm going to have to go see Jack this week for a treatment. I'm having trouble sleeping again."
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that, Mrs. Bendelmen! Didn't the lavender and chamomile blend help?"
"Well, it has been helping me fall asleep but I still wake up several times at night."
"Have you ever had one of Jack's treatments, Ennis?" she asked.
"Oh, yeah! One time when we were in college, I caught the flu right before finals week. Not only did Jack mix up a lot of stuff for me to take and to rub on, he made me take Epsom salts baths and then he would work on me for like an hour or two at a time, sometimes longer." Ennis told her.
"I would end up falling asleep and every time I woke up, I felt better." Ennis thought about how close he had felt to Jack during that time, how comforted, how safe. And loved. "He had told me to give him the weekend and he'd make me well, and it worked. I was still exhausted and still coughed a little, but basically, I was okay again."
"That's great, dear!" she replied. "You know, I always thought you boys would go off and make a life together. "
Ennis hastily put down his glass. "What?!!"
Mrs. Bendelmen laughed. "Well, you know, I've watched you two grow up. Mr. Bendelmen and I weren't able to have any kids of our own so we took a special interest in you two."
She smiled and seemed to be remembering them when they were younger. "You boys did everything together! I remember it all, from watching you both learn how to ride bicycles to when you went to your first prom to the party you had right before you went away to college." She clasped her hands together and exclaimed. "Do you remember the night of your first prom when I came over to take pictures of you both with your dates?" she asked. Ennis nodded.
"Even then, you were paying more attention to each other than you were to them!" she said.
We were? Ennis thought. As he looked back on that night, he remembered how excited they both were. Maybe being together had been the best part. Laughing with Jack and talking to him stood out more in his memory more than any moment he'd had with his date.
"I was always struck by the way you boys looked at each other!" she commented.
What??? Ennis thought, shocked. "Well, Mrs. Bendelmen, he and I have always been close, but we're just friends!" he said and even as he said it, he wondered if it was true.
"Well, it seems to be that usually, when a boy and a girl have been best friends all their lives, they grow up and get married and people say they were 'high school sweethearts' or 'childhood sweethearts'" was her reply. "I always thought that's what would happen to you two!"
"But Mrs. Bendelmen, we're both guys!" Ennis protested.
"So?" Mrs. Bendelmen rolled her eyes, patted his knee and said it had been nice talking to him but she was going to let him get back to his afternoon. As she walked down the steps, she stopped once to look back at him and laughed at the still-stunned expression on his face and told him she'd see them another time.
Ennis got up and gathered the glasses to take into the kitchen and then, decided to do some channel-surfing but could not stop thinking about what Mrs. Bendelmen had said.
She made it sound like we've been in love all this time and have just been too dumb to know it!
He tried to concentrate on the movie he'd decided to watch but was very distracted. Scenes from his life, moments with Jack kept appearing in his head, along with the words "childhood sweethearts" and "make a life together" and "in love?" and he felt dizzy with it all, completely overwhelmed. He saw the experiences they'd had but suddenly saw them differently.
He thought about the joy he'd always felt just being with Jack, how homework and studying were made easier if Jack was around. How telling Jack about his dates afterwards had been the best part of the experience --well, except for nights when he'd actually had an orgasm-- he supposed that took precedence!
He saw hugs and movie nights and late night pizza runs and double dating and hanging out and vacations and getting drunk together. Parking together, and looking over the back seat to wink at Jack. Giggling later as they compared experiences.
It felt like his head was going to explode!
Love? Is that even possible? Could I somehow have been in love and not known it?
TBC
Author: bbmgirlfan
Pairing: Ennis/Jack (AU/AU)
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: just playing with the boys, they don't belong to me
Summary: Jack and Ennis grew up together and even went to the same college before moving back home to take over each family's business. They became roommates but that's all they were! Or, is it?
Chapter Fifteen
Jack was asleep already when Ennis got home. He had spent the evening hanging out at Streamer's, a karaoke bar he and Jack had gone to a couple of times before. Jack loved to sing! Ennis just liked to sit and watch other people sing. It was kind of like watching American Idol (without people you like having to leave).
He also liked to order the hot wings and drink a beer or two.
After a few beers, Ennis talked himself into singing "Friends in Low Places" but then that was it for him. He went back to being an audience member.
A pretty, young waitress had flirted with him all night. And she'd pressed against him a little when he got up to leave. But other than rubbing her ass a little as he hugged her back and winking as he promised to come back soon, he'd pretty much left her alone. He felt flattered but just wasn't interested.
Work had been interesting these past few days, Ennis mused, as he stepped into the shower. Joey hadn't approached him again, other than to ask briefly how his date had gone. Ennis had said "not very well" but had declined to discuss it further and ever since then, Joey had been sort of watching him. Ennis had felt a little like he was under a microscope!
After his shower, Ennis crawled into bed but decided to watch a little TV before going to sleep. Hours later, he woke up just enough to grab the remote and turn it off.
The next morning, Ennis was just finishing a bowl of cereal when Jack yawned his way into the kitchen. He ruffled Ennis's hair as he walked by and Ennis smiled because he hadn't done that in a long time. They talked a little about what they had done the night before as Jack poured his own bowl and then joined him at the table.
Eventually, they got around to talking about their plans for the day. Jack said he planned to hang out for at least part of the afternoon with Katie at Sun, Moon & Stars and Ennis said he was going to go to the gym.
Later that afternoon, when Ennis got back, Jack still wasn't home and after a shower, Ennis grabbed a glass of iced tea & decided to hang out on the front porch. He and Jack had agreed to have a spaghetti movie night in unless either of them happened upon something better to do. But he still had some time to kill.
Perhaps a nap on the porch...
"Oh, hello dear! I hope I'm not interrupting your nap."
An hour later, through the fog of sleep, Ennis heard the annoying voice of their neighbor, Mrs. Bendelmen. Jack adored her, but to Ennis, she was a nosy old white-haired busybody who regularly came over to snoop during what she referred to as "coming over to check on you boys".
Ennis sat up and offered her half of the front porch swing. "I was just resting my eyes for a few minutes." It felt hotter and the sun seemed brighter since he'd fallen asleep but he guessed Jack still wasn't back.
"Would you like some iced tea, Mrs. Bendelmen?" he offered and got up to get some for them both. He also threw on a tank top and ran a comb through his hair.
After he returned, they had a few minutes of polite conversation. How have you been? Fine. And how are your parents? ... How's Jack doing? ... etc.
"I'm going to have to go see Jack this week for a treatment. I'm having trouble sleeping again."
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that, Mrs. Bendelmen! Didn't the lavender and chamomile blend help?"
"Well, it has been helping me fall asleep but I still wake up several times at night."
"Have you ever had one of Jack's treatments, Ennis?" she asked.
"Oh, yeah! One time when we were in college, I caught the flu right before finals week. Not only did Jack mix up a lot of stuff for me to take and to rub on, he made me take Epsom salts baths and then he would work on me for like an hour or two at a time, sometimes longer." Ennis told her.
"I would end up falling asleep and every time I woke up, I felt better." Ennis thought about how close he had felt to Jack during that time, how comforted, how safe. And loved. "He had told me to give him the weekend and he'd make me well, and it worked. I was still exhausted and still coughed a little, but basically, I was okay again."
"That's great, dear!" she replied. "You know, I always thought you boys would go off and make a life together. "
Ennis hastily put down his glass. "What?!!"
Mrs. Bendelmen laughed. "Well, you know, I've watched you two grow up. Mr. Bendelmen and I weren't able to have any kids of our own so we took a special interest in you two."
She smiled and seemed to be remembering them when they were younger. "You boys did everything together! I remember it all, from watching you both learn how to ride bicycles to when you went to your first prom to the party you had right before you went away to college." She clasped her hands together and exclaimed. "Do you remember the night of your first prom when I came over to take pictures of you both with your dates?" she asked. Ennis nodded.
"Even then, you were paying more attention to each other than you were to them!" she said.
We were? Ennis thought. As he looked back on that night, he remembered how excited they both were. Maybe being together had been the best part. Laughing with Jack and talking to him stood out more in his memory more than any moment he'd had with his date.
"I was always struck by the way you boys looked at each other!" she commented.
What??? Ennis thought, shocked. "Well, Mrs. Bendelmen, he and I have always been close, but we're just friends!" he said and even as he said it, he wondered if it was true.
"Well, it seems to be that usually, when a boy and a girl have been best friends all their lives, they grow up and get married and people say they were 'high school sweethearts' or 'childhood sweethearts'" was her reply. "I always thought that's what would happen to you two!"
"But Mrs. Bendelmen, we're both guys!" Ennis protested.
"So?" Mrs. Bendelmen rolled her eyes, patted his knee and said it had been nice talking to him but she was going to let him get back to his afternoon. As she walked down the steps, she stopped once to look back at him and laughed at the still-stunned expression on his face and told him she'd see them another time.
Ennis got up and gathered the glasses to take into the kitchen and then, decided to do some channel-surfing but could not stop thinking about what Mrs. Bendelmen had said.
She made it sound like we've been in love all this time and have just been too dumb to know it!
He tried to concentrate on the movie he'd decided to watch but was very distracted. Scenes from his life, moments with Jack kept appearing in his head, along with the words "childhood sweethearts" and "make a life together" and "in love?" and he felt dizzy with it all, completely overwhelmed. He saw the experiences they'd had but suddenly saw them differently.
He thought about the joy he'd always felt just being with Jack, how homework and studying were made easier if Jack was around. How telling Jack about his dates afterwards had been the best part of the experience --well, except for nights when he'd actually had an orgasm-- he supposed that took precedence!
He saw hugs and movie nights and late night pizza runs and double dating and hanging out and vacations and getting drunk together. Parking together, and looking over the back seat to wink at Jack. Giggling later as they compared experiences.
It felt like his head was going to explode!
Love? Is that even possible? Could I somehow have been in love and not known it?
TBC