“Damn right you shouldn't, they're probably all looser than a pair of sweatpants without its drawstring.”
“Uh, yeah…” He unconsciously responded. Realising that Louise was also a former girlfriend of his brother, he backpedalled hard before she realised the subtle dig. “I mean, um, I guess it'd depend, you know, maybe there are a few others out there he cheated-”
She pulled the sweatpants forward and looked down into it. “I'm no exception, Tibaut. This old girl's more worn out than a dull knife.” She said with an almost unnervingly straight face.
Which was why Tibaut was doing his best to hold back his laughter. He did his best to hide his smile with his hand and tried to look at her straight on.
(“No, no she's being serious I shouldn't-”)
“Other girls are pink and tight while I'm just a sad and loose grey.”
He bit down on his lips and did his best to keep his face straight as she continued.
(“Stop it Miguel, she's obviously very-”)
“You could probably fit two up there, maybe three.”
He held his head down and turned around, in a desperate attempt to preserve her dignity. She leaned over his shoulder and whispered softly into his ears as he hunched over.
“Yeah, three fists sound about right.”
Miguel fell to the floor and couldn't contain himself anymore.
“HAHAHAHA, LOUISE, WAIT NO I DIDN'T-” He tried to explain himself but his laughter overshadowed the few words he managed to get out as he lay on his hands and knees trying to get up.
“Shut up limp dick, at least I get laid.” She threw out, awaiting his response.
“The fuck did I do? You were doing that on purpose.” He answered as he caught his breath.
He stood back up and took a few breaths in.
“Maybe I did or maybe a girl was just expressing her vulnerability to you. I should have known you were as scummy as your brother.”
Miguel quieted and looked at her more staunchly. (“Shit, did I?”)
Noticing the concern on his face she pushed his gut and ran a hand through his hair when he brought his face down.
“(Maybe I overdid it.) It's a rib man, relax. You're supposed to continue the banter, you know?”
But she was satisfied with the progress she had made in a few days with him. He'd avoid her like the plague for the first few days she was here, and now he was comfortable enough to laugh at her jokes.
(“Excusing all those fake bitches I used to fuck with back then, I'd probably say… he was my best friend, even excluding my whole thing with Micheal. Sigh I've missed this guy. I'm honestly glad I can finally see that version of him again. I've been dealing with far too many assholes for far too long, so maybe he'll be different. No, I know he's different.”) She thought as she put him in a headlock.
----------------------------------------
“Hey, limpdick?” She asked as she entered this room.
He sighed and turned to her.
“Is that my name now?” He asked.
“Until proof otherwise, yes.” She answered. “We're out of food.”
While Miguel was fully capable of making himself a meal, it was far easier and far more time-efficient to buy a bunch of ready-made meals you just had to put in the oven.
“Oh.” He pulled out his phone and pulled up a number.
“So aren't we heading to the supermarket?” She asked, walking closer.
“Nah, I can get it delivered.”
“For how much?”
“Like $6, I think?”
“Miguel, it's down the street, we can just go there.”
“Come on, what's wrong with convenience?” He asked as he looked ready to order stuff online.
“When was the last time you left this place huh? You're probably in here cooped up playing World of warcraft all day, touch some grass dude.”
“Firstly, I don't fuc- pla- (Nah, I can curse around her.) fuck with multiplayer games, I don't need that sort of toxicity in my life.”
“Really? Then what are you playing?”
“You know single-player games…”
She grabbed his phone and took a look through it.
“Hey! What are you doing!” He shouted as he tried to pry it from her hands.
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“!”
She looked into his messaging app and even she wasn't prepared for what she saw. She checked everything, even his discord and there wasn't a single message he had made to anyone within the past year.
She handed the phone back and kept quiet.
He took back the phone but the lack of reaction worried him. He looked through the opened apps but didn't see anything too horrendous.
(“Has he… Has he been like this since his parents died?”) She wondered as she looked at him. She knew it took a toll on him but most guys like him usually had some friends hiding on some obscure site somewhere.
“So, what'd you see?” He asked as he put extra effort in going into and deleting his browser history as he awaited her response. “Don't tell me some skimpy drawings have you acting like this.” He said as he looked through his gallery for any images he shouldn't have downloaded.
She shook her head. “N-no, it's just… I saw a pic of your parents and I was just reminded about them.” She asked, hoping to segue into his personal life.
“Oh, I guessed you must have talked to them a few times back then.”
“So are you good?” She awkwardly asked.
She wasn't too good with stuff like this but if she was going to stay here for the next few days, she might as well see if she could help out someone she used and still did consider a brother.
“Come on, that happened like five years ago, I'm pretty sure anyone could get over anything in that amount of time.” He answered as he breathed a sigh internally, thankful that was all she saw.
“So you still talk to your friends?” She asked.
He placed a finger on his chin and thought for a moment. “Well, the thing is… I'd say I'm pretty independent from the real world.”
She pulled his gaming chair a few feet and let it go close to his bed before she sat down.
“Independent? What, you hate society or something? Gonna send people pipe bombs in their mail?” She asked in a light tone.
“Please, I quite enjoy the modern conveniences of civilization. What I mean is, I have enough money so I don't really worry about the real world.”
She still looked a little lost.
“While I don't have to worry about the real world, my friends do. They all have jobs, or getting doctorates or even starting families. At this point in our lives, we don't really hate each other, but all I do when I live here is play games or worry about what the next biggest gaming release is going to be. While they're worrying about what they're gonna have to do to keep making money or provide for their families. The last time I asked any of them about anything interesting, their discussion just turned into them complaining about bills or how little time they have compared to me. Honestly, each time I talk to them, I wonder if I'm rubbing in the fact I don't have to worry about anything anymore…”
“O-oh.” She said, trying to grasp his agony. “That sounds rough. But don't worry about them, why should you care if they get miserable whenever they talk to you?”
“I mean, they're my friends. It kinda stings seeing them like that.”
(“Ah shit, I just made it worse. Fuck it time to bust out the big guns.”) She wasn't sure how she'd alleviate his concerns but if she could give him some momentary reprieve then maybe stepping on the conversational landmine wouldn't have been in vain.
She moved into him and gave him a snug hug while patting his back.
“(It's pretty cheap but dudes love this shit.) Miguel, what do you think about this whole thing? Do you still want to be their friend?”
He let himself sink into her arms and sighed. “Of course I do. But I think life has other plans. While they've matured through life’s hardships I've kinda just remained the same me I've been since I finished college. I feel like we're just too different.”
“(...)” She thought about her next words carefully. “Then reach out dude, why are you agonising over this by yourself? And hell, if those bastards decide it's time to part ways, you can always make more friends. You even have a friend right here.” She said as squeezed him tighter.
As she did so he couldn't help but feel disgusted with himself as he enjoyed the embrace of her hug.
(“She's just a friend… sigh I wish I could tell myself that. She's the only woman that's treated me like this forever. Maybe there's a… No Miguel, she's just a friend. Get that through your fucking skull and leave her be.)
“Thanks.” He said as she drank in this experience for all it was worth.
“...So how many women have you been hugged by? You've been taking some strong sniffs of a woman who hasn't worn perfume in a few days.” She quickly asked.
“Are you implying something?” He bitterly responded.
With the dour mood extinguished, she pinched his side and the man showed a certain finger to her.
“You know you could have just let go.”
“Where'd the fun be in…”
----------------------------------------
The pair sat on the couch, but this wasn't TV they were watching.
“FUCK!” Someone who wasn't Miguel shouted.
“Do you even play games, Louise?” Miguel asked as he watched her.
He wasn't cruel enough to pop in a fighting game against something who likely had touched a console since the early 2000s and luckily for him, one of his games had couch co-op.
Unfortunately, it was a platformer that was regarded as “pretty fucking hard” by most people who didn't play platformers much.
“Of course, I do, dumbass, I used to pop by your house and beat that sore bitch of a brother you have, whenever I could spare the time.”
“Oh really?” He said as he watched her fall down another hole.
She audibly gritted her teeth and looked ready to throw the controller onto the coffee table.
He quickly placed both his arms to stop the swing and barely managed to save the controller and the table.
“Chill out, that table's expensive.”
“I'm pretty sure a cheap one would have worked just as well!” She shouted as she set her feet on it.
“Don't blame me, my brother said it matched the place’s aesthetic well. Said I'm supposed to keep the place looking like it was owed by someone with a few mill in his bank account.”
“Of course that bastard suggested it, he's always so concerned about appearances, that's why he's always saying we should break up, months before I found out he was cheating.” She commented as she gave the table a few well-placed kicks, nearly stopping Miguel's heart. “We smoked together, drank together but apparently as soon people know you're smoking the fucker…”
“Help me out here Louise, you still have a bubble.”
She quickly picked up the controller back up and tried to redeem herself.
(“Hmm? She suddenly got really good at it.”) He thought as he watched her.
They cleared the level and she dropped the controller looking unamused.
“You locked in at the end there.” He said.
“Yeah, I guess so.” She said, sounding nowhere near as proud of herself as she should. “But a few mill. Miguel, be straight with me, what kinda money are you sitting on.”
(“Ah, that's what got her attention. Wait, could she be? Nah, what am I saying.”)