I Choose You

Best Kept Secrets

"Oh shit," Cassie said as she put her hands up to her face. Ben sighed and ran his hands soothingly up and down her sides. "This is going to be a disaster." Ben shook his head and told her, "No, it's not. I'm going to go talk to him. I'll try to deny as much as I can, but after--."

"After you two were practically having sex on the dance floor, he knows," Martin snootily finished. Cassie and Ben looked at him with raised eyebrows. He shrugged and told them, "I'm just pissed you didn't let me and Adam know! After all, we have been friends since we were born!"

Ben securely wrapped his arms around Cassie with a small smile. "We wanted to keep it on the down low." His smile only got wider when Cassie put his arms around his neck and rested her head on his chest. Martin scoffed, "Yeah, you sure look like you're making an effort."

Adam let out a heavy sigh and said, "Alright, can we focus on the real problem--not that I'm not happy for you two because thank God--but Thomas is out there in a drunken rage, flipping--literally flipping--things over to find you!"

Ben rolled his eyes and muttered, "Typical of Tom to destroy the things in my life." He ran his hand over his face and took a deep breath. "Okay, I'll go find him." He looked to Cassie and gave her a sweet kiss. "Come back in one piece," she told him.

He chuckled and told her, "I'll try, baby. I'll be back in a minute." He kissed her cheek before walking past Martin and Adam and out of the kitchen. He walked through the sea of people and didn't have to go far to find Tom. He only had to follow the trail knocked over tables, vases, and empty beer cans.

"Tom," he angrily called after walking past his mother's favorite, but now broken, vase. Tom spun himself around to face Ben, but nearly fell over himself. "Oi," Ben continued, "you're paying for that vase, you know!"

Tom looked at him like he was confused, then down the broken vase. He looked back up to Ben and pointed a stern finger at him. "Stay away from her, goddamit!" He shouted. "She's mine, Ben! She's mine!" Ben let out a deep breath and said, "She's not property, Tom. She'll be with whoever she wants to be with. If it's me, great. If it's you...then as long as she's happy, I'm happy."

"And is she happy?" Tom snarled. "With you?" Ben swallowed a lump in his throat and shook his head. This was where his acting skills will have to come in handy. "I don't know what you're talking about," he told Tom. "We're friends. Best friends. Just like you and I are."

Tom started laughing. It was a fake laugh, but scary nonetheless. "If you were my best friend, or even just my friend, you would help me out with this, with her!" Ben growled and looked at all the people staring at them. He suddenly took Tom by the shirt and shoved him into another room before closing the door.

"You need to shut up, Tom!" Ben yelled. "Cassie and I are not together and you need to get that out of your head! You've been my best friend for fifteen years and I will be damned if it ends over a girl! Yes, I love Cassie and yes I would love for her to be with me, but our friendship, Tom? Come on, mate. It's us. You, me, James, Adam, Martin...we've got so many memories in this place. Let me add Cass into that, yes? She's apart of our group now, whether you like it or not."

Tom looked sober now. His face was calm, his breathing was normal, and his body looked a lot less tense. He let out a long sigh and set down his beer on a nearby table. "I do like it," he told him. "I love that she's in our group and hangs out. I mean, she's amazing!"

Ben nodded and said, "I know she is. Believe me, I know. I would love to have my chance with her one day, but not when it's going to hurt you." He felt like such an ass for lying to his friend like this, he really did. But then he thought about Tom and how he went behind Ben's back and got together with Cassie.