Time After Time

Thinking it Through

Scott couldn’t sit still, and his constant fidgeting was even irritating himself. He stood up and began pacing around the room, walking another ten or so laps of the living room. He’d already circled the room at least sixty previous times in the past twenty minutes. Finally slowing and eventually stopping, he rested his forehead against the nearest wall and let out a loud sigh. It couldn’t be true – well, at least not in a romantic context, right? The blonde lifted his head away slightly and ran his right hand through his hair. He was so confused. Why did that phrase mean so much to him? Bringing his hand over his face, he pinched the bridge of his nose and decided to text Kirstie.

Can you help? I’m confused.

Within moments, he had his reply – the short woman was asking if she should come over to his and Mitch’s apartment. Texting a simply reply of Yes, Scott headed into the kitchen and grabbed a can of Dr Pepper. Taking a swig, he tried to plan what he was going to say to Kirstie, but quickly realized that he didn’t have a clue. Nothing was making any sense, and Scott was almost certain he was missing an important detail. He just didn’t know what that detail was. Lost in his muddled thoughts, Scott was unaware of any time passing – he was simply snatched away from his mind by his friend’s incessant knocking. Pushing the dining chair backwards, he clambered to his feet and made his way to the door.

“Stop knocking, damn it, Kirst! I can hear you!” he sighed as he opened the door. The long haired woman flashed a smile to the baritone and stepped inside before plopping herself down onto the couch. Rolling his eyes, he promptly joined her on the couch.

“You don’t look confused,” Kirstie said with a grin.

“Someone’s in a good mood,” Scott chuckled, shaking his head. The long haired woman smiled, nodded a little and then spoke again, only this time with a more serious tone.

“What happened when Mitch got back last night?”

“We hugged, cried a little and he fell asleep on the couch, which was great. But, this morning... he was apologizing and... I don’t know. It’s probably nothing,” Scott said, frowning. Had he really heard Mitch say those three words? Or did he believe he heard them? Did he want to hear them? His brain was asking so many questions that the tall man had covered his face with his hands, his elbows resting on his knees. He felt his friend’s arm reach out to rub his back.

“It’s not ‘nothing’ if it’s bothering you,” Kirstie said, frowning.

“I thought I heard him say something, but now... I’m just being stupid, I’m sure,” the older man said, his voice muffled slightly by his large hands.

“Oh. Well, what did you think he said?” his friend sounded genuinely interested, which, for some reason that Scott couldn’t place, left him feeling slightly concerned.

“I swear that I’m just being dumb. I don’t even know why it means so much to me. He probably meant nothing by it, I just... I don’t know,” The baritone rambled.

“What did he say?”

“That he loved me.”

“And now where is he?”

“His room, I think. Why?”

“Great, well... I think you two need to have a chat. A long one,” Kirstie sighed.

“Does he love me?” Scott asked, finally moving his hands away from his face. He looked up at the long haired singer, who said nothing. “Fuck,” was all Scott could force himself to say.

“He’s been in love with you since we were in high school,” the short woman spoke softly.

“What do I do? Do I talk to him? Do I confront him?” Kirstie shook her head.

“Nope,” she began, popping the ‘p’, “You sit here and you think about what you’re going to do. Then you tell me, okay? But sleep on it, Scott.”

“I don’t know how I’m supposed to feel about this.”

“I know, honey, I know. But you’ll figure it out, I promise” she whispered to him. He felt tears burn in his eyes, his thoughts buzzing around like annoying wasps that just would not go away. Kirstie, sensing the blonde’s discomfort, reached for the television remote, “Let’s watch some crappy show, eh?” Wiping away his tears with the palms of his hands, Scott nodded and shuffled into a more comfortable position on the couch. At least this will take me away from my brain for a few hours, the baritone thought to himself as his friend asked him to pick something to watch. Eventually settling on a movie – a romantic comedy – the pair grabbed some snacks and settled down for a couple of hours of pure distraction. A little more dread filled the pit of Scott’s stomach with every second that passed – he really didn’t want to have to face any of this yet.