He Was a Friend

/14/ He noticed, too. /

Eric threw away his socks lazily in his luggage. He was packing for their flight to Japan around 7pm that day.

He leaned on the couch as he try to collect his thoughts on what happened that morning.

I was really, unmistakably... furious, was I? He grimaced, while placing his toothbrush set in a small bag.

Why indeed?

Louise has been her friend for decades now. And he had girlfriends before, but it never lasted long. They all had the same reason, saying he never took the first step – be it on dates, calls, plans, or whatever. All of them seemed so well-coordinated breaking up with him with a common line – "You never cared."

He frowned and planted his face on his hands as he tried to focus more on his self-check thoughts.

As for her, she never had a boyfriend before, though she had some casual flings which didn't really move forward after one or two dates.

He knows about it all too well because he was serving as her punching bag with a "Best Friend Ever" head band during those times.

It's not that she lacks appeal or anything like that. She is good-natured, family-oriented, intelligent, and if he has to really point out a negative, he'd say she was really just too individualistic for her own good. She's probably too intimidating for average guys.

Looks? He tapped his chin. Fine, she's... quite pretty – all bias aside.

She also had her regular tantrums.

But that actually makes her cute— he coughed after noticing the direction his thoughts were going.

So what's this, do I actually like her that way? he coughed harder now, this time, due to shock.

He stopped packing and massaged his temple restlessly.

Why now? He thought hard.

He didn't have this issue, for 25 years.

That's more than two decades, you clueless piece of s***.

Trying to connect the dots, he was probably triggered now feeling an actual threat in Art's form. He did realize last weekend that the guy had a thing for her, and that he is also very close to Louise just like he is.

And he's moving now, he mumbled, gritting his teeth.

He remembered a lot of times during their university days, when he also lost his cool somehow in a similar way, and it was always because Louise returned home late due to some org-related hang-out and Art always "happened-to-be" in the same place.

He thought his anger back then was just because he was being protective towards her as a brother.

But this morning was undeniably a wake-up call.

He never felt such extreme possesiveness until now – to a degree that he wants to bring her home to properly "guard" her. And when he says home, it meant his.

He snarled and threw away his shoes in frustration.

I can't believe it took me forever to notice. What the hell have I been doing for decades? And they say I'M smart...?

A loud and exasperated "AAAARGGGGHHH" was heard all over the house — making an alarmed Mrs. Olive Choi dial her husband's number in her phone.