Blessed With a Mess

I took a deep breath and knocked on James' door. "Olivia," he smiled as he opened the door.

"James."

James frowned and let me in. "What 'appened?"

"Nothing," I sighed, plopping on his couch.

"That's a lie and yeh know it."

"Ugh!" I whined, plopping face first into the couch. "I can't do this!"

"What? Do what?" James asked, sitting next to me. I felt his hand run comfortingly up and down my back.

"This. All of this."

James sighed and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me up into a sitting position. "Love, tell me what's wrong."

"Ben and you and this and feelings. Feelings suck! I hate feelings! Feelings are the worst thing ever!"

"Olivia!" James chuckled. "You can't hate how you feel. That's something you can't help. Now, what's wrong, really?"

"I like you," I sighed.

"Didn't realize that was such a problem," he chuckled.

"No, it's not. I like you, but I love Ben, as much as I don't want too."

"Oh," he mumbled.

I looked over and James' face nearly broke my heart. "Listen-"

"No, I get it. I jus' want yeh happeh, yeh know?"

"James-"

"No I-"

"James!" I shouted. He frowned and I let a sigh out. "Listen, you just have to understand what Ben and I had was special- is special, you know? This isn't something that can end right now. Feelings, no matter how much you want them too, never go away."

James nodded, running his hand through his hair. "Hold on," he said.

I looked at him quizzically as he left the room. His voice echoed from the kitchen. "Hey, yea- shut up. I know, I know, I know.... alright, I 'ave an idea. Yea... see you soon... cheers." James came back into the room with an unreadable look on his face.

"Who were you on the phone with?"

"Ben," he said simply.

"Why?"

"I'm willing to fight fo' yeh," he said.

I frowned. "James-"

"No, Olivia. Yeh don't understand. What yeh said befo' was right. Feelings don't go away. I'm willing to fight fo' yeh. I have feelings fo' yeh and they ain't goin' away so easily."

"Oi," Ben said, bursting through the door. "I fink yeh have my lass here."

I stood up, running my hand through my hair, a nervous habit I picked up from hanging out with James so much. "I'm not anyone's lass," I said.

Ben groaned. "Yeh mine!"

"No she ain't!" James shot back. "She's not anymore yeh's than she is mine at the moment. That's why we're all here."

"Are we realleh goin' to fight fo' her?" Ben said.

"Bettah," James smirked. "We're goin' to win her."

"What?" I finally asked, interupting. "Hi, hello. Don't you guys think I have any say in who I want to be with?"

"No," they both answered.

"Bullocks! I'm the only one with a say!"

Ben growled, turning towards me. "Fine, who do yeh want to be wiff. Me or James. Pick now."

"Uhm," I frowned, looking back and forth between the both of them.

"See?" Ben said. "Yeh don't even know. I actually don't fink this is too bad of an idea. We'll both take yeh on dates all this week and at the end of the week yeh get to decide."

James grinned, nodding. "We can alternate. It's Sunday so we can start tomorrow. I can get 'er Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Yeh can get her Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Sunday she picks."

Ben nodded in approval before looking over to me. "Agreed?"

I nodded slowly before sighing, "agreed," I mumbled. The better half of me was telling me this was going to be an awful idea. For once, I think I am going to be right.