Intermission - Self-reflection.

Thomas stayed there, sitting on the floor of the half-court at the park, replaying his stupid reaction in his mind over and over. It really was a stupid outburst, plain and simple. There was clearly something in Oliver’s mind, and it was Thomas who insisted he confide in him. And what did he do? Criticize him and reject him from the very first sentence he said without even hearing the rest.

He rubbed his itchy eyes again while cursing himself. He knew better than most how hard it was for Oliver to open up to someone. How could he react like that?

Oliver was his friend. A surprisingly close friend. Thomas never felt comfortable talking about the stuff he talked about with Oliver with anyone else. As much as he liked Kevin and Ben… It wasn’t the same. When he tried to bring up his issues with Lyla, his ex, to them… they laughed, not believing there were actually any issues with ‘such a perfect-looking couple’. Oliver wasn’t like that. He listened, and even if he didn’t believe he was encouraging, he was. Thomas truly felt better after talking to him the day after Lyla broke up with him. Oliver told him it was okay to cry, to feel the pain, to be angry and let it all out. Thomas didn’t feel he could let himself cry in front of anyone else.

Thomas felt he could talk to Oliver about anything, and he wouldn’t judge. He had never been proven wrong. Even if it was Thomas doing most of the talking, hanging out with him was fun. He was fun to tease, yet had a hidden snarky side. Thomas never thought he’d hit it off so well with someone SO outside his usual circle, but maybe that was the reason why.

That said… It was always jarring to remember that Oliver was the guy with three girlfriends. Five, now. He was so shy, so afraid of everyone… It almost didn’t make sense that all the girls at school were talking about him. And the man in question was likely oblivious to it all.

…

For the first month after his breakup with Lyla, lots of girls had been approaching Thomas, trying to get friendly or outright asking him out. He hadn’t felt ready for a relationship, so he politely turned them all down. Then, for the past two months, girls kept approaching him, only this time they weren’t asking about him, they were asking about Oliver.

“So… You’re friends with the cute waiter from the coffee shop?” some would ask.

“Hey, Thomas, can you introduce me to Oliver?” asked the bolder ones.

Just earlier, Debora asked both.

Noelle had fallen for him, too, and apparently so had Alice, a girl known for claiming she didn’t have time for relationships.

It was nothing but irrational jealousy. Oliver could have anything he wanted, and Thomas had squandered opportunities while they were there and was now frustrated because of it.

It was an uncomfortable thought to remember that Oliver, the shy, quiet guy he knew, was likely having foursomes on the daily. So… When Thomas heard him say he had asked out two more girls… something snapped. The idea he always had had been confirmed. Oliver really could have whoever he wanted. He could even have… his boss, Maria.

Thomas fiercely shook his head. Stupid thought, stupid thought. Oliver wasn’t interested in her, and hell, Thomas himself… wasn’t… serious about her. He found her attractive, funny, interesting… And yes, her being older pushed a few more of his buttons, but he wasn’t seriously thinking that he’d ever have anything with a woman older than him.

…

Oliver could if he wanted to, though.

Thomas groaned in frustration. It was as much at Oliver as it was at himself. The guy was living the dream of every man on the planet. It was impossible not to feel jealous… and even threatened. He KNEW Oliver wasn’t like that. He was head-over-heels for his girlfriends, and respected them too much to do anything they hadn’t agreed to. Of course there had to be more to the story. Oliver didn’t simply ask Noelle and Alice out on a whim, and Thomas knew it without him needing to tell him. But his own insecurities caused him to have a knee jerk reaction.

He needed to apologize, but… Would Oliver even want to see him? Should he go to his house now or give him time? Maybe it was a good idea for Thomas himself to cool down a bit.

He didn’t know what the right answer was, so he decided to wait, betting on time to let him gather his thoughts.

That next day, early in the morning before school began, the first person he came across wasn’t Oliver, but his sister. Isabelle led Thomas up to the staircase to the rooftop, where they could talk with some measure of privacy.

“I want to hear your version,” Isabelle said, scowling with arms crossed. “Tell me what happened yesterday between you and Oliver.”

Thomas swallowed and grimaced. “What did he say?”

“He painted you in too good a light for how upset he was, which is why I have to believe there’s more to it.” Isabelle shook her head. “He said you had a point.”

Thomas groaned and clicked his tongue. “Of course he did! Ugh! I didn’t mean anything I said! I was just mad because… because I’m an insecure idiot, that’s all!”

“He takes your opinion seriously, you know?”

“He shouldn’t. I don’t even know what I’m doing with my own life. Who am I to tell him how to live his?”

“His best friend.”

Thomas flinched and clenched his hands in his pockets.

“Oliver has never had a guy friend to confide in. Your opinion is important to him.” Isabelle smiled. “I know that what he’s doing is… outside of what society would consider proper, but I doubt most people do socially acceptable things with half the care and thought Oliver puts into this.”

“You don’t find it strange, then?”

Isabelle laughed. “Oh, I totally do.” She then shrugged. “But they’re all happy about it. If so, what’s there to complain about? It’s not like Oliver pointed a gun at my friends and told them to go out with him. They like him enough to bet on this relationship, and none of these girls are stupid enough to do something this drastic without giving it proper thought.”

Thomas sighed heavily. “See, I know that. I really do. I just… said stupid things because, well… I was kinda jealous.”

Thomas half-expected Isabelle to laugh at him for that. Instead, the black-haired girl nodded.

“I can understand that.” She grimaced. “It’s… easy to do stupid things for stupid reasons. The more I think about it, the more I start to believe Oliver saved himself a million problems by just being quiet.”

“He went too far in that direction, though.”

“True. He’s finding a nice middle ground now.” Isabelle smiled. “You know, even I feel jealous. Jealous of him AND the girls.”

“How so?” Thomas asked.

Isabelle squeezed her wrist, fidgeting. “I’ve had terrible luck with guys, so seeing how happy these girls are, even while sharing a boyfriend is… I don’t know, it makes me feel kinda stupid for not paying enough attention to who I decided to date. And then Oliver…” Isabelle pursed her lips and stopped herself. “No, that’s enough. My point is: go talk to him later. He might be the guy with five girlfriends, but that doesn’t mean he wants to leave behind his best friend.”

Thomas nodded. “That was the plan.”

That said, Isabelle’s words left Thomas feeling a little bashful.

…

Best friend, huh?

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