my two friends that love me | quackity/dream love triangle fanfiction

CHAPTER TWENTY [HATE]

I grab my key out of my bag and glance down the hall. Someone is leaning against the wall near my door.

A familiar pair of eyes glance up and I smile. "What are you doing here?"

Alex returns the smile, but he seems a little tighter and tense.

"Everything okay?" I ask as I get to my door, unlocking it.

"Yeah." He rubs his left hand up his opposite arm. "I just wanted to talk to you about something."

I furrow my brows as I open the door and walk in. "What's up?"

I place my keys on the little table by the door and turn to him. He carefully closes the door, clearing his throat.

"I hate being friends with you," he says slowly.

I cross my arms awkwardly, laughing.. "Geez, that was harsh."

"I mean, I hate being just friends with you, Jac. It kills me." He sighs. "And I'm going to go into some explanation about why I feel this way, but I don't want to waste your time. That being said, if there is no way in the whole world that you could reciprocate feelings for me, then tell me to go. I'll leave, and we'll forget this happened. Don't give me hope if there's no chance, though."

I gasp a little, and my heart feels lighter. He reciprocated feelings. Feelings can only be reciprocated from me if he feels something too. That would mean Alex has feelings for me.

"Go on." My voice is raspy. I want him to continue. I want to hear all his inner thoughts and feelings.

"You don't give me fireworks or make me nervous," he begins with an odd start. "You make me feel like home. You make me feel safest. It's like coming home from a long day of being stressed and finally being able to relax. That's what it's like to be with you." He scratches the back of his head. "Maybe that's why it took me so long to figure it out, too. Maybe if I had realized that, I wouldn't have gotten married. Maybe the reason I had to get married was to realize this about you. Remember when I couldn't figure out why I didn't want to get married on my honeymoon, but all I wanted to do is go home?"

I nod once. That's what he said to me the night he showed up at my door. I remember coming home from a drive with Clay and seeing him. If that night didn't happen, so many things would be different.

"I think I wanted you. You feel like home." He runs his hands over his forehead once to get the hair out of his eyes. "I don't know how to even describe it, but I can see a future when I see you. I can see us being really cliche old people on a front porch of our really old house. I can see us arguing over if we think the weather forecast is wrong or not, but it won't matter because we're together. Nothing else in the world will matter because in the end, it's you and me."

I stay quiet, letting it all sink in. He said all the words I've wanted to hear for the past year and a half. Everything I've thought. In the end, it's me and him.

"And I know you have whatever you have going on with Clay," Alex continues. "I know that's there, and I know it's supposedly nothing. It's just- It's just that I saw the way he looked at you, and I wanted to get a chance, too. I didn't want to wake up five years from now regretting that I never told you how I feel. I wanted to make sure that I did everything in my power."

He's quiet now as I process all the information.

Alex. Has. Feelings. For. Me.

That's all I can think of. My mind flashes to Clay just a bit, but it instantly washes away. Because it's Alex. Alex has been everything I've wanted for the longest time. Why would I even consider Clay if it has always been Alex?

"I have waited for you to say that for nearly a year and a half, Alex." A wave of relief floods over me.

Alex laughs and pulls me into a hug. He smells like fresh laundry and a hint of cologne. Although we've hugged before, this feels a little foreign. I've gotten so used to Clay engulfing me with the smell of his strong cologne. The way his hands instantly wrap around my waist.

Guilt rises in me a bit. I could ignore that feeling. Alex and I just need to get into the hang of things, so I shouldn't even worry. The only thing is that Alex might care. He sounded like he was trying to say his confession before Clay did. He wanted to make sure it wasn't too late.

"I do need to be honest," I say as I pull away slightly, "Clay told me.. Clay said that he.. He wants to try a real relationship."

"And what did you say?" Alex raises his brows.

"I said I needed time to think." I wipe hair out of my face. "But I don't know if I need time after tonight."

Alex sighs, thinking something through. "Let's do this," he says, "Let's go on a date and see how it goes. From there, we can decide if this really will work out."

"I like that idea."

He smiles. "Then it's a date?"

I nod. "It's a date."

AUTHOR'S NOTE

alright team check in!! team quackity or team dream?