A Lesson Never Learned [?]

Three days had passed since I saw the three men again. In fact, Oliver didn't really let me leave the house, considering my 'attacker' was still out there. I knew if I wanted to actually be able to leave my house again, I'd have to tell someone the truth. Eric and I were still not on talking terms-well, I refused to talk to him. He pissed me off to the extreme, but he was still there to look after me and take care of me when things got bad. I felt my mouth go dry when I realized that I actually had to talk to him if I wanted to go out again, not to mention, he was my best friend. When Tom died, he and I grew closer together as Oli and I grew farther apart. 

Oliver was in today, he and his right hand, Lee, were talking business, as usual. The others were out and about, selling drugs, reeking havoc, and giving people a hard time. The only people that were actually in the house doing something productive were Lee, Oliver, Matt Kean, Josh Franceschi, Eric, and Beau. Beau was in a discussion about a movie that me, Josh, and Eric were all watching together, with anyone who really bothered to listen. I was avoiding the fact that Eric's hands were twitching slightly out of anxiety. I knew he was worried about something, but I tried to make it seem like I didn't care. I cared. 

Of course, I cared. Eric was more of a brother to me than Oliver, and that was a little sad to me, knowing that Oliver's my blood. 

Sighing, I stood up and nodded to Eric, rubbing my neck. "You wanna come get water with me?" Eric nodded like a child and I smirked as he scrambled to his feet to follow me. I rolled my eyes and walked away from the loud action movie as Beau and Josh argued about the plot. 

I walked into the kitchen and grabbed a glass and filled it with water. Eric eyed me carefully, his mouth slightly crooked as he looked more and more worried. Finally, I let out a sigh, breaking the silence. 

"You know I can't stay mad at you, you Ginger Fuck-Face." I told him, crossing my arms over my chest and sticking my tongue out the side of my mouth. Eric grinned back at me, apologetic. 

"I'm sorry I did that. It was shitty, and that's not what friends do." Eric said, his shoulders relaxing. I shrugged. 

"It's okay. You were only looking out for me. Thank you…I guess." 

Eric's smile widened. "You're welcome…I guess." 

We stood there, just looking at each other until he leaned over and gave me a tight hug. "I don't want to ever lose you again-" 

"We were still living together." I scoffed, patting his back. Eric rolled his eyes and pulled away, winking. 

"I know. But it was like you were gone." 

I felt insane guilt from causing him this much worry and stress. Eric always knew how to make me feel bad. I sighed and tilted my head a little to the left. "Well, Elliott convinced me that you needed me." Eric scoffed. 

"Psh, I don't need you…" Eric smirked. "I just…want you." 

"No, no." I said, wagging my finger in front of me. Oli always told me that Eric liked me, but I always thought he was just giving me shit. Eric blushed, making a face at me. I giggled and turned away, rubbing my neck. Finally, I looked at him, my mouth curving into a slight frown. "Eric…" 

"Yes?" He asked, cautiously. I bit my lip and looked at my friend. He looked tired and restless. His eyes were brightened with the fact that he and I were on talking terms again, but other than that, he seemed pretty upset. 

"Eric, I think…I need to tell you something." I shifted uncomfortably. God, I really didn't want to tell him it was a lie, but what else could I do? Should I tell him that I lied? Or should I keep it the same? Oliver said he couldn't kill anyone because of Dad's death, but he could always-