The Twenty Year Triangle

Chapter Twenty-Nine

I gulp as a pained look crosses my face. "He started it way back then?"

When he said we would never be anything to each other ever again?

"He always knew that he would want you in his life again someday. For the record, I pushed him a few times to reach out over the years. He was both stubborn and scared, mostly scared."

"You pushed him to call me?"

"Of course, I did. You were his best friend. My hope for him was for him to find himself and then talk to you when he was in a better place."

"I assumed you hated me just as much as Kris does. Even more so now after how I acted towards you."

"No, I don't, and neither does she," James argues.

"Yes, she does."

"She hates that Oliver was hurt in the end, but we both knew it would happen."

"Seriously," I raise an eyebrow. "You didn't even know me or Oliver that well back then."

He cringes at that, and so do I. Shit, I just got done saying sorry to this guy.

"I'm sorry... I shouldn't have said that," I say quickly.

"It's alright, you're not wrong. My choice to leave the state and be closer to my family after the divorce put a strain on Oliver and me when he was young. I tried hard to make it work with him despite it, but I should have lived closer. I regret that, but my son and I are good now, so I don't dwell on it."

"I don't have any place to judge you. I understand seeking your hometown after a divorce," I say as understanding washes over me. "Coming home was so comforting to me. The sameness of this town was what I needed. That's why I flipped about the changes."

"Aha," James nods at that. "I understand that. I've been through two divorces, and I get it. They suck."

"Yeah, they really do," I agree.

"For the record, I didn't mean it to be an insult saying we knew a breakup would happen. You were kids; that's how those things usually end up. The thing is, you and Oliver getting together was something Kris and I both always feared."

"But why?" I ask as my brows furrow with confusion.

"Kinsey, you and Oliver were instant friends as toddlers. We loved having you over or bringing Oliver to your place. We all and by that I mean all of us, your folks too, loved watching the two of you. From that very young age, he looked to you to guide him socially. You'd even speak for him and boss him around. We all laughed and thought it was cute," James says with a smile. "But, as you aged into children, Oliver spent more time at the farm, and the two of you became inseparable. I knew that would happen, but Kris started to worry. She didn't know if it was good for Oliver that he only had one friend. We didn't want him to become codependent on you."

"We depended on each other because everyone else bullied us. What else could we do?" I question.

He frowns at that, and a flash of regret passes over his face. It'd have helped Oliver to have his dad around to show him how to stick up for himself, and we both know that.

"I know, and that's why Kris encouraged me to try and get him into sports and stuff like that when I had him in the summers," James explains. "That only furthered our rift, though."

"He thought you didn't like him for who he was," I tell him.

"I know," James sighs sadly. "We did talk about all that eventually."

"I'm glad," I say quietly. "But I admit it hurts to know you and especially Kris were against us the whole time." 

"It wasn't that we were against you. Please don't think about it like that. What Kris and I worried about was Oliver never getting to know other kids and finding other friends, interests of his own, an identity essentially, outside of just you and him," James explains. "We worried about you two never knowing anyone or anything but each other, especially as you entered the dating age."