Roommates With Benefits [BL]

•⋅⊰∙∘☾✶☽∘∙⊱⋅•✾•⋅⊰∙∘☾✶☽∘∙⊱⋅•

Joey’s face fell dramatically, and I almost felt bad for him.

"What?!"

Maya wore an innocent smile, one hand still resting on her belly.

"Oliver is the godfather."

"Oh come on! Why?!"

"Because he’s the most responsible one here."

I raised an eyebrow at her. "Since when?"

"Since you became less of an idiot."

"That’s...a pretty low bar."

Joey pointed at me, looking like a man who’d just been publicly demoted. "I can be responsible!"

Maya raised an eyebrow. "You forgot your own wedding ring this morning."

"That was one time!"

"And you left your passport in the fridge last week."

Joey slowly lowered his finger. "That was unrelated."

"How was that unrelated?"

"I was tired."

I laughed so hard I had to look away, caught between genuine amusement and an embarrassing secondhand cringe.

Maya smiled at me, but there was an affectionate glint in her eyes that I didn’t completely grasp at the moment.

"If something ever happens to me and my girlfriend," she said, gently touching her stomach, "I’d trust Oliver completely to take good care of her."

The laughter faded a bit and I looked at her. "Maya, nothing’s going to happen to both of you, don’t say that."

For a brief moment, everything felt easy again...just the three of us, back to how it used to be.

Then someone called out Maya’s name and she turned.

A guy was walking toward us.

He had red hair, warm brown eyes, and an easygoing smile that made him immediately approachable.

Maya lit up.

"Oh, there you are." She turned to us. "Oliver, Joey... this is Connor O’Brien. We work together."

Connor extended his hand, smiling down at me. "Nice to meet you, Oliver."

I shook it. "You too."

"Maya talks a lot about you."

I looked at her. "She does?"

Connor smiled, his demeanor open and slightly amused. "She shares a lot of stories about you guys."

"Mostly lies I suppose." Joey snorted.

"Mostly embarrassing ones," Maya corrected.

Connor laughed, the sound light and genuine, before I knew it, we were chatting naturally.

He worked with Maya in celebrity management, dealing mostly with actors and public figures, and had a surprisingly intriguing stash of stories about people whose names I recognized right away.

I tossed a few questions his way, and he answered easily, never making the conversation feel forced.

He was friendly and polite.

And then I started to notice something else, he was looking only at me as we spoke. But not excessively and not in a way that made me feel uncomfortable.

Just enough for me to catch on.

And then I realized something even more suspicious. Maya and Joey were gone.

I scanned the crowd.

They had vanished with such coordinated efficiency that it felt like it had been planned out.

"Oh, no."

Connor chuckled. "What’s up?"

"My friends."

"What about them?"

"They’ve left me!"

He smiled. "I don’t think they abandoned you."

I narrowed my eyes. "That’s precisely what someone in on a damn conspiracy would say."

He laughed again but hesitated before speaking, rubbing the back of his neck like he was both awkward and deliberate at the same time.

"Actually, there’s something I wanted to ask you."

I waited. "I’ve seen your picture before."

My eyebrows shot up.

"My picture?"

"On Maya’s phone."

I slowly closed my eyes...of course.

Of course she had done this, Connor went on, oblivious to the fact that I was silently preparing for Maya’s funeral. And being the father to her daughter while naming her Olivia.

"I thought you look really good."

I opened my eyes again. "R...right."

"So I pretty much begged Maya to introduce us," He grinned. "And I was... hoping we could grab some drinks sometime."

For a moment, I was at a loss for words and I eventually managed a polite smile. "I’ll think about it."

It was the safest answer I could muster, then I lifted my glass of apple juice. "Actually, I’m going to get another drink. Want one?"

Connor nodded. "Sure."

I smiled. "Awesome."

And before I could accidentally agree to a date set up by my pregnant friend at someone else’s wedding, I made my escape.

I found Maya by the bar, looking far too satisfied with herself as she accepted a fresh glass of sparkling water from a passing server.

I marched straight over. "Hey."

She turned. "Yes?"

I leveled my gaze at her.

"Did you just try to set me up with that guy?"

Her face immediately gave her away. "Me? I don’t know the fuck what you’re talking about."

"Maya."

She sighed, the sound long and resigned. "Okay. Maybe a little."

"Maybe?"

"Fine. Yes."

I couldn’t believe it I let out a tired groan, "Oh come on, what the fuck, Maya?!"

"What? He thought you were handsome."

"That’s not the point. Is it?"

She laughed, then her expression softened, her free hand resting once more on her belly. "Oliver, I’m not trying to mess with your life."

"Feels like you kind of are."

"I just want you to find happiness."

I looked away. "Maya...not now please"

"But It’s been years, Oliver."

Her voice was quieter now and I understood exactly what she meant.

"You’ve been on your own for a long time," she continued. "And every time someone asks if you’re dating anyone, you just make a joke and change the subject."

"Because people are stupid and fucking nosy."

"But we’re your friends and we just want the best for you."

"That doesn’t give you guys the right to play matchmaker."

She smiled. "No, it doesn’t."

This time, there was no argument in her voice...just honesty.

"I’m sorry," she said. "I guess I should’ve asked you first."

I met her gaze, she rubbed her belly gently, looking thoughtful. "But Connor’s a good dude. I wouldn’t have suggested it if I thought he’d treat you badly."

"I don’t doubt that."

"And you don’t have to go out with him." She said, "You don’t even have to talk to him again."

"That’s tempting."

She grinned. "But at least think about letting someone new into your life."

I stayed silent and her smile waned a little..Then she looked at me with a gaze that made my stomach twist.

"You keep saying you’ve moved on from him."

I swallowed. "I have."

"Oliver." There was something achingly gentle in the way she said my name. "You’re still holding onto Damien."

I looked away again as the music wrapped around us with the eople were laughing nearby. Someone called for Joey, glasses clinked and the band kicked off another song.

But suddenly, everything felt distant.

Maya didn’t push, she just stood next to me.

"You don’t have to admit it," she said softly. "But you know deep down it’s true."

I stared at the floor, I hated how well she could read me.

"You’ve waited for him for years, because you’re so damn loyal." she continued. "Maybe you don’t call it waiting anymore. Maybe you convince yourself you’ve moved on, that you’re too busy now, that your life is good."

My fingers tightened around the glass I was holding.

"But part of you is still searching for him." Maya continued.

I stayed quiet because she was right and that was the hardest part.

"You can’t keep doing this to yourself," Maya whispered. "You’ve got to let him go, Oliver. You can’t keep waiting for someone who isn’t here."

I locked eyes with her as my chest tightened, she looked genuinely sad.

"I care about you," she said. "That’s why I’m saying this. I don’t want you to miss out on something real because you’re still clinging to something from the past."

I glanced past her and across the ballroom, Joey and Natasha were swaying together.

He leaned down to whisper something in her ear, and she laughed, resting her head against his shoulder.

Then I took a slow sip from the drink I hadn’t even wanted.

The wedding continued around us, vibrant, loud, and filled with guests celebrating the start of a new life.

I stood in the midst of it all, clutching my glass tightly while Maya’s words echoed deep within me.

Let him go.