Headphones

I slid off my bike seat and took the handlebars in my hands, guiding it towards the tree Alec sat under. His bike was already propped against it, and he had the picnic blanket out and a picnic basket, waiting to be opened. I parked the bike and took a seat next to him.

“Hey,” I said, laying down on my back. He lay down next to me, so we could stare at the clouds. “How long have you been waiting.”

“A half hour,” he said in his rough voice. “Enough time to set up.”

“You didn’t have to do this,” I said to my best friend. Alec was the one person I stayed friends with my whole life. We met at the playground when we were only five or six. He took the swing I was aiming for, but when he saw me pouting like a baby in the corner, he kindly gave it up. We met at that same park for all the continuing Saturdays, up until we were ten. Our mothers became fast friends, but Alec’s mother passed away a year ago.

“Yeah, I did.” Alec said, somewhat mysteriously. To change the subject, he said, “What in the world is that?”

“What?” I asked.

“That.” He pointed at a cloud slowly moving across us.

“It looks like a cross between a bunny and a rhino,” I laughed. “What do you see it as?”

“A sweeeeet ice cream cone!” I rolled my eyes, a smile masking my face. As kids Alec always exaggerated words. Instead of saying “awesome” he would say “awwwwwwweeeesome”. Most words were like that in his dictionary.

“I don’t know how you see an ice cream cone out of that,” I said. “It’s clearly a rabbit-rhino mix.”

“Whatever, Sylvie.” He said mockingly. He propped himself up on one elbow, and I did the same. “Now, I need to tell you something.”

“Fire away,” I said truthfully.

“I know we’ve been friends for a while,” he started. “And I know we both love each other, at least as friends, but…” At that moment Alec zapped away, and I found myself falling into a flashback. I remembered when Cal asked me out for the first time. His speech went something like Alec’s.

“Sylvie,” he began, running his fingers through his blonde mane of hair. I always loved running my fingers through it; you could get lost in the thickness and softness of Cal’s hair. “Sylvie, I’ve been waiting a while to ask you this, but will you go out with me?”

Our relationship skyrocketed in a month. First we did the normal-couple things, like go out on a date every once in a while. Then we became attached at the hip. I went to all his basketball games, and he came to all my volleyball ones. He would eat dinner at my house one day, and I would eat at his the next. I still saw Alec, but not as much as normal. Then tragedy struck; well, it was a tragedy to me. Cal broke up with me. No, he did not cheat on me. No, he didn’t want to go out with anyone else. He just wasn’t feeling things any more. Alec warned me about this; he said Cal would have his way with me, and then throw me under the bus. I never believed him. I mean, Alec was never truly in love, not like I was, anyway. So when Cal did exactly that, I vowed that love didn’t exist. If what Cal and I felt for each other wasn’t love, I would never know what was.

My mom always told me that I was too young to truly feel love, but when I met Cal, I swear I did.

I zoned back in the middle of Alec’s speech. He was saying, “So, I know we’re just friends, but if there is something more there…” he trailed off, looking uncomfortable. I looked him over. He had soft green eyes, longish brown hair, and a smile that would make any girl melt. I wondered why I never noticed his hotness before.

I shook that off. “I’m sorry?” I said, feeling rude.

“Would you consider something more between us?” Alec asked.

“You know how I feel about…things like that.” I said, shifting uncomfortably. “Someone already broke my heart, and it’s not mended yet.”

“Sylvie, you know I would never do something like that to you,” Alec said. “Look at me.”

And when I looked at him, I realized something. Alec had always been there for me, ever since that day in the park. He was there when I blew him off to hang out with Cal. He was there when I was crying on his shoulder over our breakup. He was there when I broke my knee years ago, and he was there when I needed to get out of my fighting household. I was there for him, too, especially when his mother died. Instead of rejecting him anymore, I did something I probably shouldn’t have done. When I saw my reflection in those green eyes of his; my chestnut, curly hair, and my own blue eyes, I leaned up and kissed him. I could tell he was shocked, since his body stiffened. He soon relaxed, and I pulled apart. We stared at each other.

“You,” I said. He stared back at me, waiting for me to finish. “You are the only exception.” He leaned down and kissed me, and all of my love nightmares faded away.