He shut the door firmly behind him, leaning against it.
“You want another beer?”

Mike turned around, flashing him a warm smile and holding up his bottle.
“Still got one, man, thanks.”

Pacey nodded, moving to sit on the sofa next to his friend. Taking a deep breath, he attempted a smile.
“So, how you holding up?”

“In reference to what?” Mike looked down at his hands, wrapped in place around the bottle neck.

“In reference to Amanda.”

“Amanda…” Mike winced, letting the sound of his wife’s name fill his mouth, his mind, the room. He felt a bitterness against the back of his throat and grimaced, swallowing hard. “I think I’m holding up.”

“Yeah?” Eyes dark as he studied the man, Pacey took a long drink of his beer.

“Yeah.”

“You gonna call her?”

Eyes downwards, Mike raised an eyebrow.
“Maybe.”

“I thought you wanted to sort things out,” he countered, not looking away.

“I want to let things run their course, Pacey.” The older man lifted his head, giving him a knowing look. “That’s what needs to happen.”

Pacey took a deep breath.
“Now that you’re officially….separated…” He paused, tapping his fingers in a relentless motion against the side of the bottle. “Do you think you’ll be seeing other people?”

Mike’s mouth formed a knowing smirk as he raised an eyebrow.
“Does that mean, ‘do you think you’ll be seeing other people?’ or does it mean ‘do you think you’ll be f*cking my roommate?’”

Pacey’s eyes widened, and he reached out, gripping tightly to the edge of the couch, fingers splayed. Well, it was something to hold onto, something that would possibly, maybe, prevent him from punching Mike in the face.
He swallowed, hard, feeling a surge of energy and disbelief in his body.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You do. Blonde, about so high…” He lifted his hand in the air, raising it a short distance above his head. “Sleeping about five point five feet away.”

“Well, you’re elusive aren’t you?” Pacey struggled with the ache in his voice, as if it would break and disappear in any moment. “Mike, when I said you could crash here for a while…”

Mike looked down, a smile tinged with sadness across his face.
“You didn’t mean move in on your property. I get it, man.”

“Jen’s not my property.”

“No. I guess she’s not. But she’s not exactly a sister either, is she?”

Pacey’s fingers wrapped harder around the seat edge as he struggled to catch his breath.
“What the hell’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means that you’re hot for her. And I don’t blame you man, she’s gorgeous, and funny, and intelligent, and frankly if you weren’t undressing her with your eyes every time she entered a room I’d be waging a bet you played for the other team. But I’ve seen the looks, Pacey. I’ve seen you turn the other way when she gets to you that little bit too much and the last thing you want is for her to know, seen you rearrange your clothing. I bet you take cold showers too, right man?”

Pacey’s silence was an answer in itself, and Mike smiled in recognition.

“You want to f*ck her, you think I don’t know that?”

Pacey felt his pulse quicken and he gritted his teeth in anger and frustration.
“She’s my friend.”

“You think it’s not possible to lust after a friend?” Mike laughed hoarsely. “Give me a break, Witter, that’s how Amanda and I got together!”

“And look how that ended out.”

Mike’s eyes narrowed as he studied the younger man.
“You’re jealous, aren’t you? Already, not a thing’s happened, and you’re jealous.”

Pacey’s eyes flashed as he turned to Mike.
“I’m not jealous. I just don’t want her getting hurt. If you think I’m gonna sit back and watch, Mike, while you flirt, lead her on, and then don’t follow through, you’ve got another thing coming.”

Mike took a long swig of beer, his eyes closed for a minute as he threw his head back. Finished, he took a deep breath and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand before turning to Pacey.
“What makes you think I’m not going to follow through?”

Hauling himself off the couch, Pacey leapt to his feet, turning to stand before Mike and leaning forward so close their bodies were almost touching. Bracing himself with a hand on the couch above the other man’s shoulder, Pacey leaned even closer.
“Don’t touch her, Mike,” he hissed, his voice hoarse. “Don’t screw her around.”

“Not before you get the chance, right Pacey?”

Pulling back, Pacey came to standing position, eyes wide with disbelief.
“Remind me how we got to be friends?”

“I’ve known you since you were a kid, Pace, all smart mouth and no balls. Nothing’s changed, except this time, you let the girl go? She wont come running back from across the creek. You mess up, she’s gonna find someone else before you have time to notice the change.” He shook his head in wry humour. “You’ve got a girl in there who wants you, Pace, and all you can do is leave her to a pathetic hard-up who couldn’t even make his marriage work.”

For a moment, Pacey’s eyes softened. Giving his friend one last, hard look, he sighed, collapsing back on the couch at his side.
“If that’s really how you see yourself, do you think that’s what she needs?”

“No.” Mike shook his head slowly, then leaning back and resting it against the couch. “But maybe she doesn’t need anyone.”

“And she doesn’t need me.”

Mike laughed dryly.
“I haven’t known her that long, Pace, but in the short space of time I have, I’d say you’re the one thing she can’t live without.”

He shook his head, ignoring the statement. He couldn’t let himself think that way, let himself think he was any more to her than friend, flatmate, general annoyance. Taking a deep breath, he shut his eyes, rubbing his temples with tired hands.
“Then why…”

“Why am I flirting with her?”

Pacey winced. “That, yeah.”

Mike shrugged.
“I’d be lying if I said I’m not attracted to her Pace. She seems like fun, seems like she’d be…”

“Easy to nail?” Pacey opened his eyes, turning to face Mike. “Let me tell you something, Mike. She’s not easy. She’s not some sort of slut.” His eyes were dark, fierce, alive.

Mike was silent for a moment, eyes studying the younger man carefully.
“I didn’t say…”

“There’s a lot you don’t know about her, Mike. A lot of history.”

His eyes acknowledged the statement, the tiniest flicker of a nod gracing the remark.
“I won’t hurt her, Pace. Whatever happens, it’ll happen willingly. She’s a big girl, she can make up her own mind what to do and what not to do.” Looking sideways, he threw the younger man a knowing look. “Who to love, and who not to love.”

“Yeah.” Pacey sighed. “That’s kind of what I’m afraid of.”