Childhood friends (Fruk)

6

The next day, after the reunion, Arthur and I finally met each other. We decided to go to this cafe, and I immediately felt so happy to see him. He was wearing a long-sleeved turtle neck, slacks, and some loafers. "Francis, thank goodness we were able to meet! I was a little worried I would not have been able to come!" He laughed nervously. We sat by the window, and I couldn't stop smiling at him.

"What are you so happy about?" He asked.

"There are so many things to be happy about right now, and I'm sitting in front of my favorite person!"

"Favorite person? You are so dramatic!"

"Not even a little."

"Anyway! I know you said you got a divorce, but how is she? Are you thinking of dating? Have you met any nice men?" He asked. He began stirring his spoon inside his tea. "Ah, well, she is doing amazing! She is in Italy right now. Also, I haven't thought much about dating, it could be nice, but I don't know... I think I might be hung up on the past," I laughed nervously. He looked at me confused but seemed to shrug it off.

"What about your wife? Does she treat you well?" I asked. I was getting straight to the point. I wanted to know for sure what happened to him. I wanted to see if she was an abusive bitch. His face suddenly dropped, and he began to stir faster.

"About that...do you remember how when we were kids in middle school?"

"Hmm? That's random? Uh, I guess I do a little bit; why?"

"Well, there was this day I was crying in the restroom, do you remember?"

I thought about it for a second but could not remember too well. He cried a lot alone, and I did not blame him. His living situation back then was terrible. I don't remember many details, but many horrible things happened before then. Especially in high school, at that point, Alfred and Matthew were even involved.

"I'm sorry, but I can't say I remember a specific moment," I laughed nervously.

"Well, back then, you told me it was all about breaking the cycle, but I'm afraid I could not even do that," he answered. My face softened, and I looked at him seriously. That was it, right? I knew now what he meant.

Did he confirm the abuse just now?

"Arthur.."
"No! Let me finish."
"Oh-..."
"You told me that I could break the cycle if I wanted to. I could decide how to live my life once I was free, and I held onto that hope. However, I think I screwed up so bad that I could not even do that," he spoke.

"Arthur, are you saying what I think you are saying?"

"No... I'm not saying anything at all; I just- I just want to tell you not to think less of me for not being able to do it. I want you to know I tried my best to take your advice, but in the end, I was an idiot; I deserve a lot of things that have happened to me, but the one thing I won't accept happening is you thinking less of me for not doing what you told me those years ago," he said seriously.

We both looked at each other, and I reached for his hand. He let me hold it, and I smiled at him. "I would never think less of you, never! Do not worry about that," I spoke. He smiled at me and rested his cheek on his right palm. He used his thumb to wipe a tear.

"What do you want me to do?" I asked. If he asks me for help, I will do everything I can to ensure he is away from her. "Nothing, I just want you to be around me still, please," he spoke. I felt my smile drop, and I nodded at him. He wanted me to stay out of it.

"So, that means she was the one that gave you that?" I pointed to the spot behind his neck. He scrunched his head in as if trying to hide it. "I...listen, if she found out I was talking about this with you, she would be upset. Can you please promise me that you won't intervene?" He asked.

I looked at him, confused, and I breathed out. "Why are you asking me this?" I asked. Intervene? Was she going to hurt him in front of me or something? "She wants you and everyone to go out together tomorrow night, promise me... if she does something that is odd, promise you won't step in," he said. He looked at me seriously, and my heart shattered.

He knew me so well, just like what happened before. It was like he did not want a repeat of what happened in high school. "I promise, I won't do anything. All I want is for you to be happy, with the anyone you choose to be with," I explained. He sighed in relief and smiled at me.

Arthur squeezed my hand back, and I held onto him tightly. I started to rub my thumb against his hand and wanted to hold him. He had gone through so much in his life that he needed to escape.

"Just say the word, and I will always protect you; you know this," I reminded him. He laughed at me and nodded. "Well, I know you well, but the situation is not as bad as you think. She only really gets jealous and is a terrible drunk, other than that, she is not bad; I know deep down she is not," he tried to explain.

"You know, you should have moved in with me after college; lots of things could have been different," I laughed. "Oh please, you had a girl over every week; I think I would have hated hearing your moans in the other room," he laughed.

We started to talk as friends again. We talked about everything and anything. What we had been up to for the past few years. It brought back memories, and we even talked about stuff that happened back then.
"Imagine if I went to prom with Ernesta? I probably would have been with her," he laughed.

Ahh, prom!

The night I realized I was in love with him.

"Yeah, but you ended up going with Anya! Which might have been a better choice," I laughed. There was a part of me that wished I had told him that night. Even if he rejected me, maybe it would have been better if he knew I loved him very much. I was so young and stupid, that was nearly a decade ago, and it is one of my regrets.

I knew he was only into girls, but my younger self hoped he wasn't. Maybe if he wanted to experiment, I fantasized about him asking me.

I was such a stupid kid.