Three's a crowd

28

I spent the entire weekend catching up on school work that I had missed. Riley hadn't been over much since he started football practice, and the coach wanted him all weekend for one on one training since we would be away next weekend. I understood the reason and I was finally excited for our trip, but I still missed him.

I texted him as I was finishing my work to tell him that I was done if he wanted to come over when he was done with practice, but I knew he wouldn't respond until practice was over, whenever that would be. Then I decided to get some advice from my mom. I still had the whole talk with Kyle to figure out.

I sat down with her on the couch. Dad was out fishing with Levi since Grace had some important college thing she was doing.

"Mom can I ask you something?"
"Of course, what is it?"
"How do you tell someone that you can't be more than friends with them?" I asked.
"I thought you and Riley were doing good?" She questioned.

Of course she would think I was talking about Riley I internally groaned, especially when I noticed the look in her eyes.

"Its not Riley." I defended "I have this friend that told me he was interested when he didn't think I was paying attention. He knows I'm with Riley, but I just don't know how to make it clear that we can only be friends without damaging our friendship." I explained as she took my hands in hers.

"Britt honey, sometimes the best action is no action. I know you feel like you have to explain it to him, but if he's a friend of yours then he already knows that your with Riley and don't feel the same. Sometimes guys have to get stuff off their chest just like we do, but that doesn't mean that you have to do anything about it."

"Wait.." I pinched my nose "so your advice is to do nothing?"

"Yes." She smiled. "This friend already knows you're not available and the only thing that bringing it up again, after he said something about his feelings,  will do is make things awkward for both of you."

"Thanks mom." I grinned not feeling any more resolved than I was before the conversation.

How could saying nothing help in any way? It didn't make sense. Surely ignoring the problem wouldn't solve it either. In fact ignoring it was bound to make things more awkward with everyone else too. Especially since I was always around both of them.

I was excited to see Riley when he finally got to the house. He was exhausted and even my parents could see how much a weekend of practice had taken out of him.

"Riley?" Dad said.
"Yes sir?"
"Why don't you just stay here tonight? I'll call your dad do you?" Dad offered.

Riley politely declined and I knew it was because his bed was more comfortable than mine. It's one of the reasons we mostly stayed at his.

After dinner we went up to my room and turned on a movie. About five minutes into it Riley was already asleep as I laid on his shoulder beside him.

I heard a light tapping on the door before mom poked her head in.
"I was just coming to check on you guys....oh" her eyes widened when she noticed Riley was dead to the world beside me, "I'll call Averleigh so she isn't waiting up."

I smiled before turning back to the movie. Then I snuggled in closer to him and cut off the lamp, pulling the blankets over us and closing my eyes until the obnoxious sound of my alarm rang at six.

I rolled over and cut it off before snuggling back into Riley as he groaned.

"Morning." I grinned as i nuzzled his chest.
"Morning? Damn I didn't mean to fall asleep, sorry!"