Realize (PUBLISHED)

Realize (15)

As promised. ;)

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An hour later after Peter, Karl, and Jen finished their Thanksgiving dinner in New Jersey, Jen and Karl were talking and laughing outside the bay view.

All of a sudden, the smile on Jen's face disappeared. She looked at her feet and smiled. “I'm starting to like Peter,” she said.

Karl froze. He didn't see that one coming. But Jen was his friend, and Peter was his best friend. He was happy enough to know that him and Jen felt like they knew other since they were born – even though it had just been almost two months since they actually met. So Karl didn't feel jealous. He accepted it – even though, it did hurt him a little.

He gave Jen a warm smile and said, “That's good news.”

Jen stared at Karl for a while and delicately laughed. “What's with the expression? Surely, you understand that I like him as a friend. In fact, I like the both of you. You've been very kind to me. Thank you.”

Karl widened his eyes in understanding.

“Oh . . . I thought . . .” he trailed off.

“Yes, I know. You thought I'm falling for Peter. It's quite obvious by the way you reacted a while ago.”

Before Karl could reply, Peter came.

“I see you're warming up,” said Peter as walked holding a tray of drinks. He laid it on the table. “Both of you had been very close together. That's good news to me.”

Jen stood up. “Excuse me. I'm tired. I'm going to get some sleep. Good night.”

“'Night,” said Peter.

Karl just smiled.

“So,” said Peter, after Jen went inside. “What do you think? Did she say anything about me?” he asked curiously.

“Yeah,” said Karl. He took a drink, then, he looked at Peter. “She said she's beginning to like you –”

Peter smiled really wide. ”Really? That's good news!” he laughed.

“– as a friend,” finished Karl.

“Oh,” said Peter, his smile quickly vanished.

Karl immediately felt guilty. “But hey! Friendship is the first step to love, right?” he said, forcing out a smile.

Peter turned cheerful again after a moment. “Yeah, you're right.”

In the morning, they decided to go horseback riding. They went to a racing field. Jen went first, leaving Karl and Peter behind. Karl thought that this was the perfect time to tell Peter how he felt for Jen. He could have told Peter last night but Peter was full of hope. So Karl decided to let Peter know today.

“Hey, Pete. Uh – Can I tell you something really important? But before that, promise me that you'll understand me,” said Karl nervously, without looking at Peter.

Peter chuckled. “Of course you can. But I can't promise that I'll understand you because it depends if what you'll tell me will upset me or not.”

“Oh,” said Karl sadly.

Peter laughed. “I'm just fooling around. Of course I'll understand you. You're my best friend. Whether I like it or not, that will never change. Besides, what's the use of being the best of friends if you can't understand each other, right?”