training wheels. // evan 'buck' buckley

xxv. seeking advice

buck sat in maddie’s living room, fidgeting slightly with a beer in his hand. the room was quiet. maddie sat across from buck, watching him with the kind of sibling intuition that let her know something was on his mind even before he opened his mouth.

“you’ve been quiet all night,” she finally said, breaking the silence. “what’s going on?”

buck shifted, running a hand through his hair and staring down at his drink. “there’s... there’s something i’ve been meaning to talk to you about.”

maddie raised an eyebrow, leaning forward slightly. “okay... what’s up? is it work? something with the 118?”

he shook his head. “no, no. it’s not work. it’s more... personal.”

maddie’s eyes softened, and she offered a reassuring smile. “you can talk to me about anything, buck. you know that.”

buck exhaled, nerves suddenly creeping up on him. “so... there’s this girl. i’ve been seeing her for a bit, and... i really, really like her.”

maddie’s expression immediately brightened. “you’re seeing someone? buck, that’s great! why haven’t you said anything before?”

“i don’t know,” he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. “it’s just... complicated.”

“complicated how?” maddie asked, her brows furrowing in concern.

buck hesitated for a moment before continuing. “it’s someone i’m close to. someone i’ve been friends with for a long time. and now... things are changing, and i don’t know how to handle it.”

maddie’s face softened with understanding. “ah... i see. it’s always tough when a friendship turns into something more. but, buck, if you like her - really like her - it’s worth taking the risk, right?”

“i do,” buck said, his voice quieter now. “i really do. it’s just... i'm worried about what’ll happen if it doesn’t work out. i don’t want to lose her as a friend, and i don’t want things to get weird with the people we’re close to.”

maddie gave him a sympathetic smile. “that’s totally understandable. but, buck, if you’re both on the same page and you’re honest with each other, that can make a huge difference. you’re both adults. you’ll figure it out.”

buck nodded, but his uncertainty still lingered. “i hope so. i just... i don’t want to mess this up. i’ve messed up so many things before, maddie.”

maddie reached over, squeezing his hand. “hey. don’t beat yourself up. you’ve grown so much, and you deserve to be happy. and if this girl makes you happy, then you owe it to yourself to see where it goes.”

he smiled softly, grateful for her words. “thanks. that means a lot.”

maddie smiled back. “anytime. and when you’re ready to share more about her, you know i’ll be here to listen.”

buck chuckled, feeling a little more at ease. “yeah, i’ll let you know.”

they both knew who the girl was. but for now, buck kept that part to himself, letting the conversation rest in the safe space between siblings.

later that night, i found myself driving to eddie’s apartment. i hadn’t planned on it, but after everything that had happened with buck, i needed to talk to someone. eddie had already put the pieces together - he wasn’t stupid - and it felt like the safest option. he wasn’t the type to force me to say anything i wasn’t ready to, and i trusted him with everything.

when i knocked on his door, it was eddie who answered, but the sound of christopher’s laughter in the background made me smile. “hey,” eddie greeted, stepping aside to let me in. “wasn’t expecting you tonight.”