Paused TV Screen

You know how some DVDs will return to the main menu when they finish playing? Or how some will just simply turn off after awhile? Did you know that there are also some that will just pause on the last frame, until the viewer does something? I didn't. But apparently, at the very least, that is what videos burned from the surveillance room cameras at our local police station do.

When I turned to see what Melody was staring at, I saw our TV, with the video paused. On the screen was a black and white image of the interrogation room Officer Jones and I had spent some time in last night, straightening out the mess he found in that alley. He hadn't actually said no one was watching. He just led me to believe I didn't need to worry about the two way mirror. Hell...that very well might have been true. The camera could have just been running unattended.

"So...that's what he called you back to the car for isn't it? That's the secret?" As I asked my best friend this, I was reliving the conversation I'd had in the police station, trying to recall exactly what was asked, and more specifically, what I said.

"Jack...I'm..."

"Melody, you have absolutely nothing to apologize for. Well...maybe for putting me in a situation where I ate more than one of those hockey puck like doughnuts." Maybe a little humor will help defuse the situation.

"I'm willing to accept responsibility for the first one. The second one is all on you." There's the smile I know and love. The dread has left her face, but she's not totally at ease with the situation. "Jack did you mean what you said? What you told Jones about me?"

"That you're my best friend? Of course." I don't know where she's going with this, so hedging my bet seemed like a good idea.

As it turned out, playing it safe earned me nothing but a beleaguered groan. "No, not that. I know I'm your best friend. We've been best friends since we were freshmen in high school. It takes best friend level status for someone to live with either of us." Melody paused briefly to catch her breath. "I mean the part about how much it hurt you to see me going out with those other guys, how you have had a crush on me for years, how you...how you wanted to take me up on my offer in the alley? Even though I was a screaming, wet, hysterical mess?"

"Melody, yes. Look, I never told you any of that because, like I said last night, on camera apparently, I've been terrified that if we took that step, and it fell apart, our friendship would be changed, diminished. I never was sure how you felt on that front. So, I choose to play it safe. I didn't, COULDN'T, risk my best friend for something that might have been a one way street. To be honest, I think I only said to Jones because I didn't think that he would share it with you. I'm not entirely sure how to think about him right now."

I watched as a range of emotions played across her face, I had no idea how she was going to take all this. I just hoped that I hadn't fucked everything up.