Can You Keep a Secret

The lights above me flicked on. I squinted to try to see why. Eric was walking through the living room to get to the kitchen. He looked exhausted. He wasn't sleeping either.

He got out the jug of milk, poured a glass, and replaced the jug. He then dug out the cookies from the pantry. I smiled to myself. That had always been his one weakness: cookies and milk.

I pushed myself up off of the couch. "I think I might have to join you," I said sleepily.

Eric jumper, dropping a cookie into his milk. "Fuck," he mumbled around the cookie that was already in his mouth. I laughed at the disappointed look on his face. I grabbed a spoon and handed it to him.

Eric dug his cookie out of his milk and ate the mush. "I'm surprised you're awake," he commented. "It's two."

I shrugged. "I couldn't get comfortable in my room so I moved to the couch. It doesn't feel right," I told him.

He nodded his head in agreement. "I was going to sleep on the couch after my snack, too," he told me.

I laughed before stealing a cookie. "Go ahead. I couldn't sleep there, either."

He sighed as he dipped another cookie in milk. "I was hoping cookies would help, but I don't think they are," he announced sadly.

I smiled. "I don't know what you're talking about. My cookie was fabulous," I told him.

He laughed. "Maybe I ate the wrong one, then."

I shrugged. "Some of my cookies are still in those containers on the counter," I told him.

His eyes went wide. "Seriously?" he demanded. He quickly pulled the containers over and opened them. Inside were my cookies and brownies still.

He flicked the slice of bread away before pulling out a stack of chocolate chip cookies. "Hell yes. This will be great," he decided.

I took one of the brownies and waited to hear his decision. "These things are the best things ever. Bravo," he told me, grabbing another cookie.

I grinned to myself at the compliment. We ate in silence for a few minutes.

"I missed you guys..." I mumbled, picking up a cookie.

"We missed you, too," he replied between stuffing cookies into his mouth.

I flicked a few crumbls around the counter. "About the other day..." I began.

Eric stiffened up. I quickly downed the class of milk in front of him before going to the sink. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything. I know you don't feel that way," he quickly said. His voice was cold. 

My heart sunk. I could tell he wasn't happy. It was the first time I had ever seen him look hurt. He was trying to keep his guard up. He washed his cup thoroughly before tucking it away in the dish washer.

I waited for him to turn around. I was still trying to figure out what to reply with. "I feel like we still need to talk about it," I mumbled finally.

When Eric turned around to look at me, I lost anything I was going to say.

"We'll just put us behind us. It's no big deal," he pushed.

"It's just... Eric, it's so... You're my brother's best friend. I grew up around you. How did this even happen? This isn't supposed to happen. It..." I stopped when I saw the look on his face. His eyes were on the ground. He looked like his dog had just been torn to shreds by a car. "I just didn't see anything like this happening. I'm sorry," I whispered. 

He shrugged. "You can't help who you end up liking," he told me, looking me in the eye again. 

I wanted to slap myself. "I'm not making things easier, am I?" I asked. 

He laughed and walked around the island. "No. That's you, though. That's one of the many famous Ricky traits," he told me. 

I watched him leaned against the chair next to me. "Want a hug before we put all of this behind us?" I mumbled. 

He gave me a half smile. "I could use a hug," he told me. 

I gave him am apologetic smile before wrapping my arms around his waist. I inhaled his cologne. He always smelled so good, no matter what. 

Eric pulled away from me and took a seat. "It feels weird being here," he commented, looking around his house. 

I nodded my head. "It feels like the privacy of a home has been destroyed. Like they trampled over everything," I agreed. 

He let out a long sigh. "Guess we get to go shopping for missing stuff tomorrow."

I laughed. "I work. You can go shopping by yourself. It was all your stuff, anyways."

He scoffed. "This is half your house, too. You should get some say in it," he countered. 

I rolled my eyes. "Eric, let's face it. I make up for rent by doing laundry, cleaning, and typically cooking. I don't get a say in anything. I'm here at your mercy."

Eric signed dramatically. "Women... So difficult."

I copied his sigh as I got up to clean off the counter. "Men... So naive."

He snorted and quickly sat up when I moved to close the brownie container. "I haven't had any of those yet. I'm not done," he whined. 

I rolled my eyes at him. He was still making up for all the times his mother made him stop eating so many cookies when he was younger. If he wasn't an athlete, he would probably be obese.