Atlas

Eight

Grace

"Can you hand me that pillow? WHERE'S THE WATER I ASKED FOR?" I adjusted the pillow next to Dimia's leg and took a seat at the foot of her bed.

Reece glared at Dimia. "Here." He said, handing her a glass. "Jesus, what will happen to you when you're old and can't even walk to take a piss?"

"You're going to help me." She muttered.

Reece looked at her, then back at me. His eyes dropped to the ground. "I'm gonna go get food." He muttered.

"Does he seem weird to you?" Dimia asked when Reece left.

"You've been ordering him around like a butler." I laughed. "Of course he's going to be weird about it."

"Right." Dimia yawned. I pulled the covers over her. "Take a nap, love. You need it."

"Just... tell Reece to wake me up in an hour."

"Okay."

I got up and quietly shut the door.

Reece was in the kitchen, gulping down a can of beer.

I walked over to him. Dimia was right. In all the years that I had known him, Reece was always the calm one. So why was he being so nervous?

"She's going to be fine you know." I said, hopping up on the counter. He passed me a can of soda, which I happily took.

"Is she asleep?"

"She is."

Reece looked at the ground. Reece, once the star football player in our high-school, incredibly smart, incredibly talented.

"Did I ever tell you that I love you?" I swung my legs over the counter.

"Huh? Out of nowhere?"

"I do." I smiled at him.

"Okay, quit being weird."

"You first." I mumbled. "What's up with you? Seriously?"

Reece's shoulders lowered. "Grace... I.... what Dimi said back there, about being old and still being together..."

"You got cold feet?"

"Something like that." He crossed his arms. He was wearing a sleeveless shirt, so his muscles were on full display. That and the new haircut made him fresh meat to all the girls in his class. Unfortunately for them, Dimia had her eyes set on him first.

"Okay, Reece, start from the beginning. What's up with you?"

"I don't know, Grace." He was frustrated. "It was always you, me and Dimi. Remember the summer before senior year?"

"Yeah, Dimi told you she liked you."

"And I didn't like her back, but I couldn't risk losing her friendship. So I tried, and I eventually loved her in the way she wanted me to. Maybe even more than that."

"So what's the problem?"

"Relationships don't always last. And it's scary but I know that if I had to choose... I'd choose my future career over her. It kills me, because she deserves someone better. But I can't be that guy."

I looked at him for a long time. "I get it."

"You do?"

"Yeah." I said. "We're only humans. We prioritize, we fall out of love. It's okay."

Reece leaned forward and gave me a bear-hug. "What am I supposed to do?" he sighed.

"Take some time to think about it." I said. "Once Dimi's better, decide."