I couldn't believe it when I found myself agreeing to marry my best friend that night.
**a ForthBeam short story**
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"You want to go get brunch this morning?" Beam asked.
I entered the kitchen and found him pouring coffee into my "here's a cup of calm the fuck down" mug. As I saw him standing there, leaning against the counter with his rumpled T-shirt and messy hair, my irritation started to escalate.
The anger felt completely irrational, and it was messing with my mind. I didn't want him around, but when I came home from the store last night and discovered his note, I was equally furious. I felt like a stubborn child who couldn't decide what they wanted.
Having Beam in my kitchen, feeling comfortable and at home, made my heart constrict. However, with everything that had occurred, having both of us in the house made the space feel cramped and suffocating.
When I woke up yesterday morning, I realized I couldn't bear the thought of spending the entire day with him, so I made a quick escape to work, pretending I needed to catch up on tasks. While it was true that I had work to do, deep down I knew I wasn't fooling anyone, not even myself, by claiming I left the house early on a Saturday just to pick up my acetylene torch.
I was acting like a jerk and I was fully aware of it. When Beam messaged me to confirm our plans for the movie, the idea of going out with him felt overwhelming. I felt terrible for canceling on him, but I just couldn't bring myself to go. Every fiber of my being was telling me to escape, and staying late at work until I knew he'd be asleep was the best I could do.
The kiss still had me on edge. Despite trying to resolve the situation, everything still felt unclear. It was as if my mind knew who Beam was, but my body didn't, causing me to swing between being irresistibly drawn to him and feeling intensely annoyed. Perhaps it was because I never had a moment alone. His constant presence was playing tricks on my mind.
"Forth?"
I was snapped out of my daze when Beam called my name. I glanced up at him.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
"Yeah." It seemed like my tone was short, and Beam clearly picked up on it. I didn't intend for it to come across that way, but unfortunately, there was no way to undo it now.
"Okay."
"Sure, we can totally have brunch if you're up for it, or we can skip it if you're feeling tired from your date last night."
I have no idea why I said that, but he looked at me as if I had just insulted him.
"What?" I asked, sensing the growing tension in the room. Familiar with Beam, I recognized that expression. He was becoming increasingly irritated.
"What the fuck is wrong with you?" he demanded, setting his cup down and crossing his arms.
"Nothing."
"That's nonsense. You're acting really strange. When did you start keeping your problems with me to yourself?"
I could feel the tension in my shoulders. "I never said I had a problem with you."
