Pretty and Popular

“They help me a lot,” he grinned, “I’m hoping that whenever you’re pissed off at me, you just remember how good looking I am and let me get away with it.” James wasn’t insecure in his appearance, not at all, though the same couldn’t be said about other aspects of him, his abilities and traits were always things he could question. Leaning forward to check whether the tea was still too hot, he recoiled with a sigh, glancing back at Alice. “This actually needs discussing though.. probably, it does need talking about, doesn’t it?” Frowning slightly, he shook away his confusion and draped his arm around her, pulling her into his embrace.

Running his free hand through his hair, James was unsure what to say in regards to the matter, so he simply nodded. “Yeah..” he muttered, his speech trailing off as he become felt himself recluse further into himself. “I didn’t know, I honestly had no clue and I don’t think he did either.” Chewing down on his lip, his gaze shifted to Alice, searching her for some form of judgement or disappointment. He couldn’t help but blame himself a bit, wonder if he’d ever given Frank the wrong idea with how comfortable he was with their friendship. Gently running his fingers along her side, his next few words tumbled from his lips without thought. “Do you think it’s my fault?”

“I won’t stay mad for long if your top comes up,” she admitted with a smirk which slowly fell as the conversation took a slightly meaningful and more serious turn. When she had first found out about Frank, Ally was shocked to say the least; she was lost for words for a moment and simply said what she thought her brother needed to hear. Eventually, it sunk in. “It needs talking about, yes,” she sighed, sinking into his side. “It’s a big thing, a huge thing… I never saw it coming but I guess it makes sense now what with how he behaved.”

Turning to watch the side of his face as he spoke, Alice had a soft frown creasing her forehead as James’ words sunk in and she tried her best to process it all. She shifted her tea into her other hand so that Ally could move to rest a hand on James’ chest as his fingers dusted her side. “It definitely wasn’t obvious, James. I mean, he’s as into girls as you are! But clearly… you turn just about anyone into jelly,” she mumbled, shaking her head. The thought of her brother being in love with her ‘boyfriend’ – even if James hadn’t officially been given the title yet – was odd to her. It made it feel a little bit awkward because she didn’t know if she should stop rubbing her relationship with James in Frank’s face. As much as she loved her brother, it made things 100% more difficult. “You’re fault?” she echoed, her brows perking up. “No! How could it be your fault? James, you hardly made a move on Frank or made it appear you wanted more from him… You were the same with me before, just with more physical contact. I don’t understand it but we need to help him somehow.”