John splutters at the unexpected question. "Sorry, what?"
Kasey grins at him. "You heard me, fool." She stares at him for a second longer until her mouth falls open. "John, no. Don't tell me you haven't realised."
He stares back and rolls his eyes. "Kase, you're delusional."
"Right." She elongates the word as she pats him on the back. "John, I've seen the way you act around him. You're a completely different person when he's around. You're so much cheerier, happier, brighter. I've seen you two together at parties before we got together and with the way you looked at him, I'm surprised I didn't figure it out earlier myself."
"Kase, that's just-" He's cut short as she clamps a hand over his mouth and threateningly waves her index finger in front of his face.
"No, you listen here, you beautiful idiot. You cannot tell me you don't feel anything for him. I would kill to have someone look at me the way you look at Jaren. You're always watching him, whether you mean to or not. Your eyes soften and you just smile this blissful smile-"
"That doesn't mean anything!"
Kasey jumps up off the sofa. "Like hell it doesn't! For God's sake John, when you were drunk you went to his house instead of coming to find me. You travelled all the way to him when I was in the same building as you." She lets out a hysterical laugh. "I'm not mad, I promise. You can't help how you feel. Nowadays it's practically impossible to find a bond like the one you have with Jaren, so treasure it.
"I know you both must be missing each other. Don't think I haven't noticed you distancing yourself from him and your feelings. Go home, think about this because I promise by tomorrow morning you'll realise I'm right. Go to him, please. I love you and I realise that it's as my brother. So as your sister I'm telling you to please go and do what makes you happy. Please." Her eyes are filled with tears and John reaches for her. She doesn't protest and instead tucks her head into his chest, her chestnut hair falling over her face. John leans his head on hers and sighs.
"I love you too, Kase."
They sit like that for a while, John's deep breaths almost concealing Kasey's fading sobs. When she falls silent, John calls her name gently and is met with no response. He lifts the veil of hair obstructing her features and sees she has fallen asleep, tears streaking her face. John's chest tightens.
He never meant to hurt her. She's the most wonderful girl he's ever met and whoever she ends up with had better treat her right because she deserves nothing but love. He rolls her carefully back onto the couch, resting her head on the arm of the couch, and goes to fetch a blanket. He drapes it over her and leans down, placing a kiss on her forehead.
"Bye Kasey," he whispers to her sleeping body. He takes her spare car key and hops into the vehicle, sure she won't mind. It's a good twenty-minute drive home so he puts on gentle music to ease his mind.
He has no doubt that their relationship is over. He's glad it's not on bad terms and he knows he won't let her go, as a friend. She's too amazing to lose. He feels a weight drop in his chest but at the same time, he feels freer. Like he can go and fulfil his truth now.
But does his truth really contain Jaren, as Kasey seems to believe? He thinks back to what she'd said. She wasn't entirely wrong because he'd noticed the same sorts of things. When he's with Jaren, he feels like he won't be judged, like he can be himself. Like he's where he's meant to be.
Damn it. Kasey's right. He stops at a red traffic light and smacks his forehead against the steering wheel. God, he's a dumbass. How has he not realised this before? Jaren is the best thing that's ever happened to him. When his feelings for his friend surfaced, he doesn't know. He guesses they've always been there, hidden. He marvels at his own oblivion.
He gets home when it's late. It's almost 2 a.m. when he rolls into bed. He doesn't sleep until even later, in which time he thinks of the joy he feels when he's with Jaren, how much he loves his laugh and how much he loves him.
It's so freeing to finally admit his feelings for his friend. He loves him. As his eyes drift closed, he vows to tell Jaren how he feels. Tomorrow.
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'You' has 1K reads. Like wtf. Thank you thank you thank you, you beautiful people. If you're reading this, I love you.
Thank you for 1K reads and for reading <3
~LC
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You || Krii7y
Short StoryJaren and John are as close as two people can be. That is, until John gets a girlfriend and starts to distance himself from Jaren, who realises he doesn't just miss his friend, but the way he treated him, the way he made him feel. He finds the threa...
