Ours Then....

Ours Then….

Day 3
Sid,
We became best friends in the blink of an eye. We knew each other’s pet peeves, schedules, past relationships, everything. You knew when I really wasn’t in the mood to talk after a bad race and I knew when you were pissed after a tough loss. We just…got each other. We still do.

At the time, a lot of my female friends had been busy trying to get your attention. You didn’t notice. What one friend called your infatuation with me, I called it brotherly. I guess I was a little oblivious. Did it get under your skin? Who am I kidding? You’re Sidney Patrick Crosby; of course it got under your skin.

I think the first time I realized it was the first week in November, when you kind of just came out and said it. You and I were on our daily run and you had been oddly quiet.

“Everything okay, Sid?” I asked huffing. We were running up a hill.

You nodded. “Peachy.”

“Don’t lie to me, Golden Boy,” I laughed poking your side. “What’s going on?”

“It doesn’t matter,” you shrugged as we began our descent.

“Of course it matters. You’re my best friend, I want to know what’s wrong,” I said simply. But it wasn’t a simple statement. I think that was the first time I had called you my best friend to your face. Prior to that, it had always just been implied.

“That’s what’s wrong,” you said coming to a stop at the bottom of the hill.

I didn’t like stopping in the middle of a run and you knew that.

I ran in place while I talked. “What? That I like to know what’s going on with you?”

“No,” you shook your head. Placing both hands on my biceps to get me to stop bouncing up and down, you continued. “I hate the friend zone.”

“What?” I had asked incredulously. “The friend zone?” Of course you were in the friend zone, you were my best friend.

“Yes, the friend zone. Rory… Rory Lux, I like you. A lot,” that was a simple statement too, but a loaded one all the same.

“You… you like me?” I asked with my eyes wide. “As more than a friend?” I was being so stupid, I just couldn’t help it. My best friend had a thing for me. What the hell?

You nodded. “I get it if you don’t. You haven’t exactly picked up on all my hints. But whatever.” You began walking away and I can’t believe I stood there for as long as I did.

“Sidney! Wait!” I called after you. You didn’t bother turning around, knowing I would race after. I did. “Sid, wait, please.”

You stopped. “What?”

“I like you too,” I breathed out. “I do. Honestly, I can’t say that I realized it until about 30 seconds ago. But I do.”

“So now friend zone?” you asked with a smirk dancing across your lips.

“No friend zone. And to prove that to you, I’m going to force you to make good on your promise to my mom,” I said.

“How is that proving to me that I’m not in the friend zone,” you furrowed your brow.

“You promised her you’d meet her. She offered to have you for Thanksgiving. You’re Canadian, you don’t celebrate it. I’m American, I do. You’re coming home with me for break. Your parents won’t have a problem with it, they love me,” I said simply. I had met your parents when they had come down for a hockey game of yours.

You nodded. “So what does that make us?”

“I’ve got no idea. I just don’t want to lose what we have,” I explained.

“Well, I’ve got an idea of what we are,” you told me. “You’re my girlfriend; I don’t care what you say about it. And we won’t lose what we have. Our friendship is way too strong.”

Your assurances made me feel better about the whole situation.

I agreed. “Ours is definitely pretty strong.”

You smiled and slung an arm around my shoulder as we walked back towards our dorms.

“You smell awful,” I grimaced.

You laughed. “You’re not a rose at the moment either, Rory.”

I laughed too. Our friendship was one in a million.

Day 3 Over and Out!

Yours,
Rory