Page 31 of Don’t Be A Stranger

They survived a damn love triangle.

Surely River and I can survive this.

He doesn’t want to ruin our friendship? Good, I don’t want to either, but I think there’s a way we can have what we want. Because whatever is happening between us needs to be fixed and I’m determined to do just that.

No more ignoring this. We’re going to face this head on and then hope we can finally move past all of this.

***

“I need to talk to you.” I stand at the front counter in a close to empty Metric’s.

My arms are crossed and River looks up from the counter he’s cleaning. Even Mario, the evening manager, looks up from his spot at the register with a customer.

“Probably about time you take a break anyway,” Mario chuckles.

Seemingly knowing that I’m serious, River doesn’t waste time clocking out and guiding me toward the back parking lot where his car is parked. Besides Mario’s car, the parking lot is otherwise empty, giving me the confidence to continue with my mission here.

“Is everything okay?” River leans back against the passenger door of his car, arms crossed like mine and mimicking my furrowed eyebrows with amusement.

“No.” I don’t beat around the bush. “Everything is not okay.”

His face immediately falls. “What’s wrong?”

I take a deep breath and decide that I’m actually doing this. “You said that we should just stay friends, right? But aren’t you the least bit curious?”

God, I hate how desperate I sound.

That’s exactly what I am but I still hate that I sound this way.

“Curious about us,” I clarify.

River arches his eyebrow, his entire body freezing. Acting as if I just poured ice water over his head.

“Well, I mean…yeah.” He looks away. “I’ve thought about it but—”

I interrupt him. “Yeah, I get it. We’re best friends and we don’t want this to blow up in our faces. And you know what? Maybe it will, so let’s not even put dating on the table.”

River stares at me like a deer in headlights. He just blinks and I don’t push. I just let my words simmer.

“Okay, so…” River clears his throat. “I’m gonna need you to explain this to me like I’m a complete idiot.”

“What if we…” Oh god, why is this suddenly so awkward? What I’m about to suggest is something a lot of people our age do. Maybe not best friends but here I go, regardless. “What if we stopped thinking we needed to be all or nothing? Dating or friends. Why don’t we just strip emotions out of the equation and keep it physical? I mean, friends with benefits is a pretty common thing—”

River chokes on his own spit. “Yeah, but probably not friends who have known each other since they were kids.”

“Honestly, I think we’re the ones who are behind on that one.”

I try to joke to save myself the heartbreak of him turning me down. Again.

“So you just think that every set of friends have slept together?”

“Obviously not us,” I mumble, not meaning for him to hear it but also not caring if he does. My determination to save our friendship is now fully taking over.

“How would this benefit us at all?”

Okay, good. He’s asking questions instead of blowing me off. Progress.

“Because obviously there’s something that we’re both curious about,” I explain. “I mean, when was the last time we were able to have a conversation without being worried that either of us would accidently say something to make things awkward?”