Willful Parties by Liz Ellyn

The quiet in the sedan nagged at Dylan’s insides. Departing from the security of law school and his lovers rattled him. Over the years, his parents had proved to be devoid of emotional support.
Moving from Chicago to San Francisco meant putting a 2,000-mile divide between the three of them filled with barren plains and insurmountable mountains. With too many obligations, flying back and forth wasn’t an option.
He tried to diffuse the bubble of nerves brewing inside him. “You guys should follow me to California. The weather is way better than here. No snow. No humidity. Hardly any rain.” He knew Seth and Kat’s family commitments were as important to them, and they couldn’t leave. They too, faced the next steps in life all on their own.
“That would be nice. And we could continue as friends with benefits.” Kat tossed in her positivity from the back seat of the car.
“Exactly! That movie was all wrong. Who says friends with benefits can only last a few months? We lasted nearly three years.”
Seth remained quiet.
Dylan revealed one of his many vulnerabilities. “I’m truly going to miss studying with you guys this summer. I hope the Cali bar doesn’t kick my ass.”
“You made law review, we didn’t. You don’t need either of our help,” said Kat.
“I might not need help making outlines, but I am going to miss you guys. Having two people I can trust.” Dylan’s voice trailed off, not finishing his thought.
“We will always be here for you.”
Seth didn’t corroborate Kat’s offer.
Not only did Dylan fear venturing out on his own, but he also worried about being left out. “Well, you two can still study together and fuck like rabbits.” He failed to mask his envy with his flippant comment.
“We have opposite schedules, so we won’t be able to study together.” Seth rubbed at his neck with one hand while he continued to drive.
Where was Seth’s sense of humor?
“Kat, you could try wearing a strap-on.”
Seth’s head snapped toward Dylan. “Don’t be a dick, Dylan!” Seth focused again on the road as his knuckles glowed white against the black steering wheel.
“Sorry.” Dylan cringed. He overstepped and felt sick to his stomach for mocking Seth’s bisexuality. He slouched in the passenger seat and closed his eyes.
“You still don’t get it. Being bisexual doesn’t mean twice the fun. It’s double the disapproval.”
“It was a shitty thing to say. I’m really sorry.” Dylan berated himself for sticking his foot in his mouth.
As the peacemaker, Kat, tried her best to smooth things over. “I don’t want you to leave on a bitter note. We all have a lot of stress heading our way with commitments to our families and studying our asses off. Let’s all be grateful for how lucky we were to find each other.” After Kat lost her mom, she internalized the notion of celebrating memories of loved ones rather than crying over their loss.
“You’re right.” Dylan chastised himself for acting like an impertinent teenager. What was wrong with him? They stayed silent for the rest of the drive.