"I love you, Adrienne..." "I love you too, Mike"
he finally understands. everything.
A month later… Mike’s POV
I was sick and tired of being insulted by Billie Joe. It was like being punched every time. Plus, he never left Adie alone when I was in his same room, not one single moment. I was so upset about this. I wanted my best friend back. I had to talk to him.
“Hey Billie!” I shouted, as I saw him walking down the street, as usual on Sunday morning. He turned around and when he saw me he gave me the middle finger and kept walking faster.
I ran and stopped in front of him.
He looked at me straight in the eyes and I saw anger rising again behind the green.
“Man, fuck it, ya really think I knew how she really felt?” I asked.
“No,” he answered, calm at first “but you knew how I really felt! That’s the worst part, you knew, you did it anyway, and you didn’t tell me!” he ended up yelling in the middle of the street. A few people turned around to look at us. I didn’t care.
“I didn’t tell you ‘cause I realized, after that, that it was a huge mistake, the biggest I’d ever done, and I didn’t notice you loved her THAT much. I didn’t wanna hurt you, that’s all!!”
Our voices were rising.
“Yes, but you LOVED her!! And you DIDN’T TELL ME!”
“I fucking KNOW, what should I do now?!? You can’t turn back time!!!”
“YOU DIDN’T TELL ME!”
“IT WAS FUCKING 13 YEARS AGO!!!”
“I DON’T FUCKING CARE!”
And then, silence. We were going deaf from the silence growing between us. Then he asked, keeping a forced calm tone:
“Mike, I want you to be serious, I want the truth from you.”
I looked at him. I knew what question he was about to ask, and I didn’t like it. I had no other way but lying again, if I wanted my best friend back.
“Do you still love my wife?”
There it was, the moment I hoped it wouldn’t have come.
I looked for the strongest part of my mind and put them together, to keep my voice calm and trying to actually look calm, while my heart and brain were fighting each other.
“No,” I finally managed to say “No, Billie Joe, I don’t… I don’t love Adrienne anymore.” Whoa, that was hard to say.
He seemed relieved. Anger disappeared from his eyes and the fight between my heart and brain stopped the moment Billie Joe threw himself into my arms, crying.
“I’m sorry Mike, I’m sorry for not trusting you enough. I’m sorry for everything.”
I hugged back whispering “It’s ok, BJ, it’s ok.” And we stepped in Billie’s house.
“Want a cup of coffee?”
“Sure I do.”
While drinking coffee Bill talked.
“I’m sorry, Mike, I should have thought about this before. I forced Adie to tell me the truth, and that’s the worst thing a husband could do to his wife.”
“Finally some sense in your words.” Someone hissed behind me.
I knew who it was, because I saw Billie going pale and then blushed. Anger, embarrassment, I couldn’t really tell. “Adie…” he mouthed.
“Maybe it’s best if I leave you two alone, and sort out things.” I said, heading to the front door.
“No,” Bill said “I want you to stay”
“Bill, trust me, better if he goes.” A fourth person said from behind the door. I opened it just to find Tre who was about to knock. I bursted out laughing, soon followed by Adie and Billie Joe.
Half an hour later…
“So, you came to Billie’s house just to tell me they finally opened this new Starbucks?” I said, taking a sip from my coffee.
“Yup” he answered with a big smile across his face.
“Don’t you ever change, Tre?”
“Nope,”
I laughed.
We paid for our coffee and drove home. As soon as we stepped in, the phone rang.
“Tre, can you take it, I’m gonna have a shower.”
“Kk.”
In the bathroom, taking my shirt off and looking at my reflection in the mirror, I saw the mark that Tre left me between my neck and my shoulder, when he got drunk the night before, Saturday…
FLASH BACK
“Come on, Mike, I’m not drrruunk… hic…”
“No, Tre, come on, I’m taking you home.”
“Ok Mikey Mike, take hic me home with you… hic”
Later at home…
“Now, you stay here ok?” I said, hoping he would have listened to me, so I could have had a shower. But of course he didn’t, and followed me in the bathroom.
I turned around, and before I could close the door, he stepped in and hugged me.
“Don’t leave me Mike, I wanna be with you…”
“Tre, you’re scaring me, you’re drunk, stop it!” I said, as he softly kissed my neck.
“Shhh, Mike” he whispered, softly sucking my neck “come on, relax…” he said, moving his hand from my shoulder, down my chest “This is gonna be fun...” Why did his voice sound more sober? Yet he was drunk, you could see it clearly!
I was kind of scared. Tre was acting gay with me. I know it might not mean anything, since he was drunk, but what he was doing was making me feel so weird.
Though I knew our friendship was very close but… this!
He lifted my shirt up, slowly, and he leaned in for a kiss. I mean, a kiss! I couldn’t move, but my head was spinning. When I saw him so near, whispering “I love you…” I came to my senses.
I stopped him and pushed him away, and out of the bathroom. I closed the door behind him and rested my head against it.
“I love Adrienne,” I thought, “Adrienne. Not Tre…. Do I?”
END OF FLASH BACK
Hot wated always made me feel better. But this time I was so confused, I couldn’t figure out my love life. I loved Adrienne… but Tre? Every time I was with him I knew he was my best friend, that’s all. Yet, since that day when Bill hit me and Tre accidentally said “I love you” I realized there was something different between us. But I couldn’t… I can’t be gay!! I was sure about that.
I dressed and went to the living room, where Tre was sitting on the couch, staring at the floor, with empty eyes and a sad look on his face. However, when he saw me, he tried to hide it.
“Hey, wossup?” I asked kindly, sitting next to him.
“Oh, nothing, don’t worry.” He forced a smile.
“Bullshit.” I said.
He looked at me.
“Who was at the phone before?” I tried changing the subject.
“Oh, that… they called to say the house is finished. I can re-move in whenever I want.” He finished his sentence without looking at me.
“Well, isn’t that great?” I smiled.
“No, it’s not!” he said loudly. Then it hit me. He was trying not to cry. But I saw a tear falling onto his cheek, before he turned away, and ran out of the door, in the dark Sunday evening.
I soon followed him to the door.
“Hey, Tre, wait!”
Too late. He was gone. No matter how I tried to call him, he turned the cell phone off.
“What the fuck is the problem with him?” I asked to my self, while going back inside.
I suddenly stop. “Fuck. I know why. Oh shit.” I kept thinking, till I fell asleep.
I was sick and tired of being insulted by Billie Joe. It was like being punched every time. Plus, he never left Adie alone when I was in his same room, not one single moment. I was so upset about this. I wanted my best friend back. I had to talk to him.
“Hey Billie!” I shouted, as I saw him walking down the street, as usual on Sunday morning. He turned around and when he saw me he gave me the middle finger and kept walking faster.
I ran and stopped in front of him.
He looked at me straight in the eyes and I saw anger rising again behind the green.
“Man, fuck it, ya really think I knew how she really felt?” I asked.
“No,” he answered, calm at first “but you knew how I really felt! That’s the worst part, you knew, you did it anyway, and you didn’t tell me!” he ended up yelling in the middle of the street. A few people turned around to look at us. I didn’t care.
“I didn’t tell you ‘cause I realized, after that, that it was a huge mistake, the biggest I’d ever done, and I didn’t notice you loved her THAT much. I didn’t wanna hurt you, that’s all!!”
Our voices were rising.
“Yes, but you LOVED her!! And you DIDN’T TELL ME!”
“I fucking KNOW, what should I do now?!? You can’t turn back time!!!”
“YOU DIDN’T TELL ME!”
“IT WAS FUCKING 13 YEARS AGO!!!”
“I DON’T FUCKING CARE!”
And then, silence. We were going deaf from the silence growing between us. Then he asked, keeping a forced calm tone:
“Mike, I want you to be serious, I want the truth from you.”
I looked at him. I knew what question he was about to ask, and I didn’t like it. I had no other way but lying again, if I wanted my best friend back.
“Do you still love my wife?”
There it was, the moment I hoped it wouldn’t have come.
I looked for the strongest part of my mind and put them together, to keep my voice calm and trying to actually look calm, while my heart and brain were fighting each other.
“No,” I finally managed to say “No, Billie Joe, I don’t… I don’t love Adrienne anymore.” Whoa, that was hard to say.
He seemed relieved. Anger disappeared from his eyes and the fight between my heart and brain stopped the moment Billie Joe threw himself into my arms, crying.
“I’m sorry Mike, I’m sorry for not trusting you enough. I’m sorry for everything.”
I hugged back whispering “It’s ok, BJ, it’s ok.” And we stepped in Billie’s house.
“Want a cup of coffee?”
“Sure I do.”
While drinking coffee Bill talked.
“I’m sorry, Mike, I should have thought about this before. I forced Adie to tell me the truth, and that’s the worst thing a husband could do to his wife.”
“Finally some sense in your words.” Someone hissed behind me.
I knew who it was, because I saw Billie going pale and then blushed. Anger, embarrassment, I couldn’t really tell. “Adie…” he mouthed.
“Maybe it’s best if I leave you two alone, and sort out things.” I said, heading to the front door.
“No,” Bill said “I want you to stay”
“Bill, trust me, better if he goes.” A fourth person said from behind the door. I opened it just to find Tre who was about to knock. I bursted out laughing, soon followed by Adie and Billie Joe.
Half an hour later…
“So, you came to Billie’s house just to tell me they finally opened this new Starbucks?” I said, taking a sip from my coffee.
“Yup” he answered with a big smile across his face.
“Don’t you ever change, Tre?”
“Nope,”
I laughed.
We paid for our coffee and drove home. As soon as we stepped in, the phone rang.
“Tre, can you take it, I’m gonna have a shower.”
“Kk.”
In the bathroom, taking my shirt off and looking at my reflection in the mirror, I saw the mark that Tre left me between my neck and my shoulder, when he got drunk the night before, Saturday…
FLASH BACK
“Come on, Mike, I’m not drrruunk… hic…”
“No, Tre, come on, I’m taking you home.”
“Ok Mikey Mike, take hic me home with you… hic”
Later at home…
“Now, you stay here ok?” I said, hoping he would have listened to me, so I could have had a shower. But of course he didn’t, and followed me in the bathroom.
I turned around, and before I could close the door, he stepped in and hugged me.
“Don’t leave me Mike, I wanna be with you…”
“Tre, you’re scaring me, you’re drunk, stop it!” I said, as he softly kissed my neck.
“Shhh, Mike” he whispered, softly sucking my neck “come on, relax…” he said, moving his hand from my shoulder, down my chest “This is gonna be fun...” Why did his voice sound more sober? Yet he was drunk, you could see it clearly!
I was kind of scared. Tre was acting gay with me. I know it might not mean anything, since he was drunk, but what he was doing was making me feel so weird.
Though I knew our friendship was very close but… this!
He lifted my shirt up, slowly, and he leaned in for a kiss. I mean, a kiss! I couldn’t move, but my head was spinning. When I saw him so near, whispering “I love you…” I came to my senses.
I stopped him and pushed him away, and out of the bathroom. I closed the door behind him and rested my head against it.
“I love Adrienne,” I thought, “Adrienne. Not Tre…. Do I?”
END OF FLASH BACK
Hot wated always made me feel better. But this time I was so confused, I couldn’t figure out my love life. I loved Adrienne… but Tre? Every time I was with him I knew he was my best friend, that’s all. Yet, since that day when Bill hit me and Tre accidentally said “I love you” I realized there was something different between us. But I couldn’t… I can’t be gay!! I was sure about that.
I dressed and went to the living room, where Tre was sitting on the couch, staring at the floor, with empty eyes and a sad look on his face. However, when he saw me, he tried to hide it.
“Hey, wossup?” I asked kindly, sitting next to him.
“Oh, nothing, don’t worry.” He forced a smile.
“Bullshit.” I said.
He looked at me.
“Who was at the phone before?” I tried changing the subject.
“Oh, that… they called to say the house is finished. I can re-move in whenever I want.” He finished his sentence without looking at me.
“Well, isn’t that great?” I smiled.
“No, it’s not!” he said loudly. Then it hit me. He was trying not to cry. But I saw a tear falling onto his cheek, before he turned away, and ran out of the door, in the dark Sunday evening.
I soon followed him to the door.
“Hey, Tre, wait!”
Too late. He was gone. No matter how I tried to call him, he turned the cell phone off.
“What the fuck is the problem with him?” I asked to my self, while going back inside.
I suddenly stop. “Fuck. I know why. Oh shit.” I kept thinking, till I fell asleep.