Jirachi's Twin

Memory Twenty-Five: Two Choices

The two nodded to each other cordially, then finally waved goodbye.

"Haa..." he sighed deeply, Marnie's words repeating through his head like an ominous premonition.

I don't want to lose Gloria, but if I had acted selfishly on the train, I think it would've only postponed my heartbreak, he decided miserably, But if that's the case... did I really not have a chance? I haven't technically lost yet, either, but...

He wasn't sure. The only thing he knew was he was afraid to lose to Hop. He turned swiftly on his heel, slipping his hands into the pockets of his trench coat as he started to make his way home. A breeze blew by, and he suddenly sniffed—a cold teardrop skewing his vision. He flicked it away hastily, blaming it on the cold, but within moments found it replaced by yet another one. The entire way back, he fought with himself—increasingly unsure if they were really from the cold, or from the slowly rising sting in pit of his gut.

When the door was in sight, he thrust it open immediately and locked it behind him. A warmth overwhelmed his senses, reviving the red tip of his numb nose and his shivering shoulders.

But the longer he stood silently in his entryway, the longer he realized his tears were not from the cold. The low pulsing in his gut had spread to his esophagus, making him swallow repeatedly in vain attempts to barricade his pain from his leaking eyes. The sadness made itself clear, weakening his knees and slumping his shoulders, drifting his eyelids closed to send a cold gloss across his entire vision.

Then, finally defeated, his eyes squeezed shut and he slid down the polished wood of the door, hitting his tailbone on the cold wooden blanks beneath him. He placed the back of his left hand onto his forehead wearily, and lolled back his head so it rested against the door.

So it wasn't the cold then.

The realization of this parted his lips, and sent out a gut-wrenched gasp of air—the first sound he made before tears finally began to roll down the curves of his frozen cheeks. His heartbeat hammered in pain.

I see how it is, he accepted, letting his head sink in-between his knees; arms cradled around himself like a lost child, Heartbreak sucks.

*     *     *

When Gloria had finally made it back to her hotel, the sun had disappeared under the horizon. Her room was dark, but she wasn't interested in going to bed yet.

"It would be wise if you scheduled a date with Hop within the next few days."

Gloria took in a deep breath and dialed Hop's number. Though it was late, it didn't take long for him to pick up the phone. By the sound of it, he was still on the train to Postwick.

"Hey Gloria!" Hop responded cheerfully, "What's up?"

She smiled, the sound of his voice soothing her nerves, "Not much. I was just wondering..." she hesitated, trying to figure out how to form what she was going to say, "Can we—g-go out sometime this week?"

There was a pause, likely for Hop to process what she said, "Wow! U-um that's forward," he replied, laughing embarrassedly, "I mean—you're not worried it's too soon?"

"I think I need to make my choice," she responded honestly, "I'm worried about leading you two on. After all... the longer I wait, the more it'll hurt in the end."

"Oh... I see," Hop replied understandingly, "Well... let's decide on a time then."

"How about the day after tomorrow? We can go dine out or do something fancy. After all, the last one was rather casual, right?"

"Ah! That's right..." he laughed nervously, "Guess I'll have to find me a nice outfit then."

Gloria grinned, "Me too. Let's go to the Captain's Table in Hulbury. That place is pretty nice, wouldn't you say?"

Hop agreed heartily, "Sure! I like the sound of that!"

Relieved to come to a decision, Gloria ended the conversation cheerfully, and hung up a few minutes later.

Tired, she leaned back, flopping onto her mattress. Her eyes floated up to the ceiling, tracing the patterns she found in the clay-splatter aesthetic.

Bede or Hop... she wondered, Which one?

She sat up, thinking seriously about it for a moment.

Hop is kind and funny. He's like having a good friend around wherever I go. We've had our disagreements before, but ever since we've come back together like this, he's been so... gentle. she paused, Well—after the he had his fight with Bede, that is.

Her mind floated to Bede's face again, And then there's that dummy. We used to hate each other. We'd bicker and fight like there was no tomorrow—but then he changed. He's a little selfish sometimes, but he can be really endearing and thoughtful when he wants to be. That and his hair is so... fluffy.

Gloria grinned at the idea of fondling his hair. When she realized she was subconsciously squishing a pillow with her hands, she threw it across the room in surprise. Then she slapped her cheeks twice.

You're going on a date with Hop! Start thinking about him more seriously!

Hop's words came to her: "I love you." and after his, Bede's: "I love you too."

Her face went red again.

Not fair! How could you both say that to me with such sweet faces—in the same day, no less!? You two make things so difficult! Ugh!

She continued to toss and turn on her mattress for the next hour as her mind recalled all the best moments she'd shared between Bede and Hop. Eventually, she fell asleep—both of their endearing gazes staring into her mind as she did so.

If only I hadn't met one of you... then this would be so much easier.

*If you're at all curious about Marnie's point of view dealing with her unrequited feelings, read Jirachi's Twin Bonus Stories, "VALENTINE'S DAY SPECIAL | Just a Little Longer". It's sad, but worth it I think.