sour notes

"Well, I hope you, had a wonderful Thanksgiving." Dorian glared at Eli. He doubted if Eli knew how mocking he was. Dorian wanted to explode. It wasn't every day an ex's new boyfriend was over for Thanksgiving and the days that followed.

At least Ruben tried his best to keep everything from falling apart. Dorian knew his parents thought it was weird that Deiter was here. They still weren't sure who he was, other than being some foreigner who liked to talk about guns and big game and hunting.

"It was fine." Eli batted his lashes as if Dorian was suppose to forgive there at the coffee shop where Dorian was cleaning up.

"Just don't ever ask me to do this again." Dorian fumed.

"I didn't think you'd mind." Eli was a bit baffled as he ordered a hot chocolate.

"Well, why couldn't he have just gone home, with you?" Dorian tilted his head staring at Eli, waiting for answers, but why should he get any? After all, Eli hadn't exactly talked to him since their break up.

"I dunno." Eli shrugged as if that were his answer to everything. He pressed his lips tight as if there was something else he needed to stay. "Look, we need a place to stay. We don't have one yet. Could..could we stay..with..you?"

"Are you serious?" Dorian winced hard. He could only hope Ruben would say NO.

"Why is it? I have to be the bad guy?" Ruben's eyes were so serious. Yes, he'd let Eli stay for dinner. After all, Deiter was comfortable in the guestroom.

"Because." Dorian voice almost echoed in their bedroom as he was tossing the extra pillows off the bed that Dorian needed to make the bed pretty. Eli and Deiter were just down the hall.

"They have no place to go." Ruben sighed as if he were carrying the weight of the world. It was fridgid outside. "Eli clearly has no idea ..what he's doing." Ruben shook his head. He always thought Eli was a little slow thinking, even if he might be a genius at something, but he didn't know what.

Ruben  nursed his bottom lip in thought.

"They need help." He threw his hands up. How could he explain it. It was like the blind leading the blind. "Who knows..maybe they aren't even having sex." But as soon as he said it, he could see it didn't help Dorian's fury.

"I want them out. I want our place back!" He whisper shouted as his teeth gnashed.

Ruben only smiled.

"Calm down. It won't be forever." Ruben rested his hands on Dorian's thin shoulders. "We'll help them for a week or two. But my brother is coming for Christmas..and..and they have to be out before then."

"Is that true?" Dorian was puzzled.

"Yes, he called this morning." Now Ruben felt bad. "I'm sorry." He squinted. "I meant to tell you. Its.. you know..our guest and all." He'd spent a good chunk of the morning with Deiter who followed him around campus. It seemed Eli didn't have time for Deiter. "Look, maybe this thing with Eli and Deiter will fall apart, and he'll just go back to Germany."

It was hard to say if it was a real relationship between those two, and yet Ruben couldn't quite think of the two being that goofy with anyone else.

"Maybe..maybe Eli's sister can take them." Ruben didn't want to make Dorian feel that he wasn't on his side, and yet he seriously wondered if Eli and Deiter could even make it on their own.