I Didn't Mean to Fall in Love (But I Did)

Gerard Finds Out

"Look who finally decided to come back!" Patrick says when he walks into the apartment about two hours after Frank returned.

"Pete told you I came back?"

"Yes," Patrick says, "What took so long?"

"Just some things," Frank says.

"Things like the fact that you're in love with your roommate, but you're also dating a possessive Canadian man?" Patrick summarizes. That's pretty much Frank's life at the moment though.

"Why does everyone think he's possessive?" Frank asks.

"Because Gerard was pretty distraught after what he said the other week, and I tend to believe Gerard over the guy I don't know at all."

"Well that's because someone made sure that you never got to really meet him," Frank says. He's going through a pile on the counter with all the mail he missed after the past few weeks. Surprisingly, he doesn't have that many correspondents, so it's not a very large stack of papers.

"That someone being you?" Patrick questions.

"Well I was implying that it was Gerard."

"But it was you as well. It was both of you," Patrick says, "but you probably forgave him because you're in love with him."

"Patrick, do we have to do this? Yes, okay? I'm in love with him! I'm in love with Gerard! What do you want from me? Do you want a written confession, and a receipt for the missing half of my soul that I gave to him or something? I love him, like a lot. I love Gerard. There! Happy?"

"Repeating it isn't going to make it any less true. I don't know who you think you're insulting there," Patrick says.

"I'm still mad at you, why am I talking to you?" Frank asks himself.

"Well because you left for ten days, and I have every right to be as mad at you as you are at me," Patrick says.

"God, I hate you," Frank rolls his eyes. "Well fine then. Truce?"

"I was never actually mad at you, Frank. I don't know why you didn't believe me, but whatever," Patrick says.

"Please, can we just not talk about it? I don't want to talk about him. I love Gerard, and honestly, it's hell knowing that he doesn't like me back. Talking about it more just makes me feel worse about myself. For now, can we leave it be? I only just got back. Maybe in a few days I'll be up for the existential crisis that loving Gerard will give me, but right now, I'm not in the mood for it."

"Sorry," Patrick says, holding his hands up in defense. "So what are you going to do about Gerard then?"

"The same thing I was doing before," Frank replies, "I'm going to pretend I don't have feelings for him, and hope that Aaron can help me get over him."

"How's it going on that front?"

"Not well," Frank says solemnly.

"It's really not going well for you. Maybe you should try, I don't know, talking to Gerard about your feelings?" Patrick says.

"I'm not suicidal, what are you talking about? Why on earth would you say that? Literally I would rather do anything but that, because at least this way, Gerard won't laugh in my face. Let's face it, Patrick. Gerard doesn't like me in that way, and he never will," Frank states.

"I wouldn't say never," Patrick shrugs.

"Well you may not think so, but I'm pretty sure that he's never going to love me. Why would he? Dude, I'm just this weirdo who lives in the room next to his. He's way out of my league, and he's too fucking stupid to even notice that I'm in love with him anyway. I'm just his best friend, and that's the closest I'm ever going to get to him," Frank says, making the saddest face Patrick's ever seen. He literally feels like going over to Frank and hugging him, but that would probably breach some boundaries given the fact that Frank thinks he teased him about Gerard.