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Post by Dare Blackwood-Hardt on May 1, 2011 14:01:09 GMT -5
Dare grimaced. "Not really," he said. "He'll go out with us if we're getting a group together, but that's like a couple times a year. He's been with someone since right after everything happened, but it's just... it's always there. It doesn't feel right even hugging him, and we used to do that before we even knew about each other. Then there's Michael..." And Michael had never liked Markise, though he'd grown to tolerate him.
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Post by Keith Evans on May 1, 2011 14:20:37 GMT -5
Keith wrinkled his nose. Maybe it was only so weird for Dare and his friend because it hadn't worked out. He had always thought that he and Matthew had everything figured out, that if there was going to be a problem it would have already happened. "That sucks," he said. "Think it would have been better if he'd just said something earlier?"
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Post by Dare Blackwood-Hardt on May 1, 2011 16:56:20 GMT -5
Dare shrugged, the usually casual motion made uncomfortable by the tension in his shoulders. "Maybe a long time ago," he said, trying to think. "I'd never really thought of him like that until he told me. Back when it happened, maybe I'd have given it a shot, but I don't know. As much fun as it was, I was never into him the way I was into Michael. But Markise always knew me better. I don't know." Markise had been able to read him, and they'd always been so close, but he and Michael had just clicked somehow.
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Post by Keith Evans on May 1, 2011 18:56:22 GMT -5
"I've never been interested in Matthew, not romantically, and he always said he was the same," Keith said. "I mean, we were great friends, when we sleep together it's good but it's not...I don't know. It's not the same as it is when I'm dating someone." He thought for a moment, then realized that he was going off topic and Dare probably didn't want to know the details. "Anyway, he's acting all jealous of me being friends with Rowan ever since I moved."
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Post by Dare Blackwood-Hardt on May 1, 2011 19:08:14 GMT -5
Dare shrugged again as he finally sat, taking a desk a couple down from Keith, where he could see out the window. "Markise never had a problem with my girlfriends," he said. "But when he got here and I told him I was with Michael, all hell broke loosse for a while." And it only made sense in retrospect. Michael had never really believed that Dare would stay with him, even after they were married, and it turned out that Markise had wanted more. "Hindsight is 20/20 though, right?"
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Post by Keith Evans on May 1, 2011 19:25:59 GMT -5
Keith nodded, "Yeah. I'm not even with Rowan, though. Hell, it wouldn't happen even if I did like him. Matthew's just being insecure and I want to just hit him or something. He even jumped at Rowan." He sighed heavily and rubbed his hands over his face. "He's never acted like this about a friend of mine, or even a boyfriend. I think it's just been too long this time."
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Post by Dare Blackwood-Hardt on May 1, 2011 19:32:39 GMT -5
Dare blinked slowly, the name Rowan turning over once or twice before it attached itself to the Charms professor. "Really?" he asked without thinking. "Rowan Trace? No offense, but he's always struck me as one of those professors who just disappears when the bell rings." He couldn't imagine the guy having friends or a life, he always seemed so self-contained and off-putting.
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Post by Keith Evans on May 1, 2011 20:07:09 GMT -5
"Totally understand," Keith said. "Somehow we got from talking about school politics to me getting invited to hang out with his friends on the weekends, though. I like talking to him." He had tried to introduce Rowan to his friends and that had just been a disaster, although he bet it would have been better if Matthew had been tolerable.
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Post by Dare Blackwood-Hardt on May 1, 2011 20:48:00 GMT -5
School politics didn't sound at all interesting, though to Dare's mind that meant something to do with how Hells and Chase were getting along. "And that's got your friend all jealous?" Dare tried to think, but aside from a good haircut, he really couldn't see why. "Yeah, there's got to be something up."
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Post by Keith Evans on May 1, 2011 21:00:41 GMT -5
"I know he's feeling well, I guess left out. I moved and now it seems like everyone else is moving on in one way or another, but he definitely doesn't want to. If he had his way, we would all still be in school with no responsibilities. And I think he's afraid I'll end up having Rowan be my best friend, which isn't going to be happening any time soon, as far as I can tell," Keith said. He didn't want to think that maybe Matthew wanted something else out of their relationship. He had no idea how he would deal with something like that.
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Post by Dare Blackwood-Hardt on May 1, 2011 21:09:46 GMT -5
Dare gave a slight shrug. "There's no telling unless he'll talk about it." It sounded like there hadn't been and wouldn't be any talk, though. "He's going to have a hell of a time if he can't deal with change." Since Dare had been fourteen, life had been one sh~storm after another, peppered with just enough calm spots to lull him into a false sense of security.
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Post by Keith Evans on May 1, 2011 23:14:56 GMT -5
"Yeah. I'm going to have to try to talk to him again sometime. I'm not doing anything with him until, well, I don't even know yet. Maybe that's it for the benefits." Maybe Keith would never go back to it, maybe by the time they had it worked out he would be dating someone. He was certainly ready to date again. "I just don't want to lose him as a friend." That was his biggest worry, after so many years.
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Post by Dare Blackwood-Hardt on May 1, 2011 23:48:23 GMT -5
Dare's lashes drooped over his eyes as he gave a light nod. "Just make time for him," he said, the only real advice he had. "I never chose Markise over Michael, not even for little things." He couldn't regret it, not for Michael, and not knowing how impossible it would have been trying to hold onto such a close friendship when they couldn't be close anymore, but part of him still wished he could have. He'd never been as withdrawn as he was now that he was with Michael, excepting the year and a half surrounding his mother's death.
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Post by Keith Evans on May 2, 2011 0:01:43 GMT -5
"Do you ever wish you had?" Keith asked. From what he had seen, Dare was in a good relationship, but was there really anyone that didn't have regrets? There were certainly things he regretted, things that hadn't turned out the way he had hoped and planned, and Matthew had been there for it all. He couldn't just forget the man.
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Post by Dare Blackwood-Hardt on May 2, 2011 0:16:43 GMT -5
Dare gave a humorless chuckle, and his head rose, turning to look sightlessly out the window rather than at Keith. "Yeah," he admitted. He licked his lips as he thought, then dropped his voice. "I wished it the most at the reception, when Markise told me..." I love you. Do you love me? I wanted you forever, and I shouldn't have gone back to him, and I shouldn't have let you go!
He shook his head. "If there's any chance to hold on, just try. I love Michael, he's the one, but..." He sighed. "I never even gave my best friend a chance."
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