𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋 𝐂𝐔𝐑𝐒𝐄 ✯ 𝐒𝐀𝐋𝐓𝐁𝐔𝐑𝐍 𝐅𝐀𝐍𝐅𝐈𝐂

𝟢𝟦．𝖬𝖤 𝖠𝖭𝖣 𝖬𝖸 𝖧𝖴𝖲𝖡𝖠𝖭𝖣

𝖢𝖧𝖠𝖯𝖳𝖤𝖱 𝖥𝖮𝖴𝖱
❝  𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗂 𝖺𝗆 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗂𝖽𝗂𝗈𝗍 𝗐𝗂𝗍𝗁 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗉𝖺𝗂𝗇𝗍𝖾𝖽 𝖿𝖺𝖼𝖾， 𝗂𝗇 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖼𝗈𝗋𝗇𝖾𝗋， 𝗍𝖺𝗄𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗎𝗉 𝗌𝗉𝖺𝖼𝖾． 𝖻𝗎𝗍 𝗐𝗁𝖾𝗇 𝗁𝖾 𝗐𝖺𝗅𝗄𝗌 𝗂𝗇， 𝗂 𝖺𝗆 𝗅𝗈𝗏𝖾𝖽， 𝗂 𝖺𝗆 𝗅𝗈𝗏𝖾𝖽.  ❞

MY LEG BOUNCED UP AND DOWN, as my eyes remained trained on the door to the pub. I brought my fingers up to my mouth, biting my nails furiously.

"Stop," Farleigh commanded, placing one of his hands on my thigh as the other ripped my hand away from my mouth. "You're going to be okay, it's going to be okay."

I shook my head furiously, my voice becoming quiet as I spoke, "He said it was a mistake. What if it's ruined everything? He hasn't talked to me yet, we got back yesterday. I haven't even got a 'hello' message."

Farleigh threw an arm over my shoulders, embracing me in a tight-side hug as he tried to reassure me. "He kissed you," he started, his voice quiet, to ensure no one sat at our table could hear. "He is worried about this — he said it was a mistake because he was worried that you wouldn't have wanted it to happen and he didn't want to lose you. He's really, really worried; he told me. You have to talk to him."

I shook my head again, refusing quickly. I didn't want to bring it up. I wanted to ignore it. He thought it was a mistake, and if he was worried that I'd want to distance myself from him because he initiated it, I'll ignore it had happened. I won't bring it up, and if he does — well, I don't know what I'll do really. "I'm not losing our friendship."

"I don't know what happens to you whenever he's brought up," Farleigh sighed, losing our close proximity as he slumped against the back of his chair. "You're so confident — and, as you should be, you are incredible — but then someone brings him and your whole friendship situation, whatever the fuck, up and you're a blushing, nervous mess. But you're not that way when you're around him, you're normal. I don't understand."

"Despite my being in love with him, we are incredible friends. You know this. I've been friends with him since birth, basically," I spoke, still keeping my voice quiet. "I can't not be normal around him. Well, I might not be now."

"He's here," Farleigh announced, his eyes trained on the door that Felix must've just walked through.

I fought the urge to snap my head to the door to look at him. I looked away from Farleigh and at the table in front of me as I picked up my pint, when I finally let myself look up, Felix was three steps away from me.

He offered me a small, awkward smile — I fucking hated it — I didn't want things to be awkward. I wanted him to smile at me the way he did hours before he made the mistake of kissing me.

He nodded toward the seat beside me, asking if he could sit beside me. When I nodded in response, granting him permission, his smile became slightly less forced. And the second he sat down, most of the awkwardness was gone — on his part at least. He was quick to start telling a story of a boy he'd met yesterday, when he had to nab his bike because his had somehow earned a flat tire.

"It was literally the first day back, you tosser. How the fuck's your bike got a flat tire, already?" I snorted from beside him, shaking my head in amusement.

He turned his head to look at me, a wide grin on his face — no awkwardness within his smile, it was a genuine one; that pleased me. He shrugged his shoulders quickly, the smile on his face refusing to leave.