FICTION FORUM
FaeAtHeart
Do you have any siblings?
NotYourAverageJoe19
Yes.
FaeAtHeart
Do they ever get in your business and try to ruin your life?
NotYourAverageJoe19
Not as much as they used to. They’re older and have lives of their own. I’m just the fun uncle to their kids.
I’m guessing you don’t have the same type of relationship with your sibling?
FaeAtHeart
No, I don’t. My brother is a gold medalist at inserting himself in my life.
It’s not just him. He’s enlisted his friends too.
NotYourAverageJoe19
I’m sure they all mean well.
FaeAtHeart
Maybe.
Can I ask you something?
NotYourAverageJoe19
You can ask me anything.
FaeAtHeart
I don’t know what’s happening between you and me. Maybe nothing. Maybe it’s something. I don’t want to hurt you by what I’m about to say.
NotYourAverageJoe19
It’s okay. I’m tougher than you think. You’d be surprised what I’ve been through emotionally over the last few years.
FaeAtHeart
I had a date tonight.
NotYourAverageJoe19
Ouch. You went on a date without me?
FaeAtHeart
It was terrible. I would have preferred to go on a date with you. But you aren’t here. Or are you?
NotYourAverageJoe19
I could be. I might be closer than you think.
FaeAtHeart
Don’t tease me.
NotYourAverageJoe19
Tell me about your date. What does that have to do with your brother?
FaeAtHeart
Do you really want to know?
NotYourAverageJoe19
Yes. Just don’t get mad if I get jealous over this guy being able to take you out and I can’t.
FaeAtHeart
I’ll keep that in mind.
Are you comfortable?
NotYourAverageJoe19
Yeah. I’m good.
FaeAtHeart
I’m probably going to embarrass myself by telling you this but you need to know the whole story to understand why the date was doomed from the start.
When I was a teenager I really liked this boy. He was one of my closest friends at one point.
Then he became friends with my brother and it felt like a lot of what we had went away. The two of them became inseparable.
They were best friends.
NotYourAverageJoe19
You weren’t friends with the other boy anymore?
FaeAtHeart
I was but it was never the same. Sometimes it felt like I was kept around by default because of his new friendship with my brother instead of the friendship I thought we had. Anyway, I was invited to his birthday party.
NotYourAverageJoe19
I bet he liked you too. He was probably too shy to admit it. Or maybe he was afraid.
FaeAtHeart
You don’t have to make me feel better. It was obvious he didn’t.
NotYourAverageJoe19
How?
FaeAtHeart
The only way to describe it is that he was cold to me. We were friends first. Really good friends.
As our personal interest evolved, so did his interest in me. It was clear something had shifted between us. He didn’t hide his feelings about me very well.
NotYourAverageJoe19
When I was a teenager I didn’t know how to express my feelings. Maybe that was his problem too. He liked you but didn’t know how to tell you.
He might have been in a tough spot since he was also your brother’s friend.
FaeAtHeart
We aren’t defending him. He was my friend first. He knew I struggled making friends and he proved to be like everyone else.
Using me to get what they wanted.
It wasn’t until I met my roommate in college when I felt like I finally had someone on my side again.
NotYourAverageJoe19
I’m sorry.
FaeAtHeart
You have nothing to be sorry about.
Anyway, at his birthday party I wanted to impress him but instead I made a fool out of myself. The same thing happened tonight.
NotYourAverageJoe19
You wanted to impress your date?
FaeAtHeart
No. I wanted to impress him. My crush from when I was a kid. He showed up. I wanted…
I wanted him to see that I’m doing fine without him.
NotYourAverageJoe19
Are you doing fine without him?
FaeAtHeart
Most days.