Infection- Skits

Confession

Although Zizzy’s advice made me feel better, I still couldn’t shake the feeling of the possibility that I would mess things up between us. For nearly half an hour, I paced back and forth in the living room of my apartment before a series of knocks were heard on the door; Doggy and I created our own little knocking pattern so we knew when one showed up at the others’ place.  I jumped from the noise and glanced at the clock in the kitchen: 6:23. Fuck.

I hurried over and swung the door open, forcing a smile to hide how terrified I was. “Hey.” Stiffly, I stepped to the side and waited for him to come inside before closing the door behind us. “How was work?” He sighed and unclipped the microphone from his collar. “Not good?” He yawned and unclipped his belt before setting it on the table.

“Not necessarily, just a bunch of shit happened. First, Lark’s stunt, then Ridge being a complete ass because he was the one to report it, and… ” He sighed again and tipped his head to stare at the ceiling. I silently slid my arms around his torso and rested my head against his chest, almost immediately feeling a hand around my waist. “What time were you thinking for dinner? Do we wanna head out soon or just chill for a bit?”

I shrugged. “That’s up to you. Do you need some down time first? After what happened at work?” He paused for a moment before nodding. With a gentle smile, I added, “I figured. How does 8 sound?” Another nod was his answer. “Okay, I should have a couple pairs of sweats and some shirts in the back of my closet for you, let me know if they aren’t there.” I gestured to my room at the end of the hall before he hurried in and closed the door.

The second he was out of the room, my hands started to shake. I can’t tell him, I thought. I tried pushing the thought to the back of my mind and began pacing again. I’ll ruin everything. I’m gonna lose him. How could he feel the same about me?

“Jade?” I yelped and held a hand over my chest; it felt like my heart just did a backflip. Doggy stood against the wall with his head tilted to the side. “What’s going on? Why were you pacing?” FUCK.

“You’ve seemed a little off all day… is there anything I can do to help?” He hurried over, setting one hand on my shoulder and the other underneath my elbow.

My eyes darted back and forth between his. He looked absolutely terrified. Tell him. I dropped my head to stare at my feet before feeling him gently squeeze my shoulder to stop me from breaking the gaze.

“Please, Jade. You’re freaking me out. Did something happen? Is something wrong? Did…” He paused. “Did I do something wrong?”

“No!” I shouted, a little louder than anticipated. “No… I’m sorry. Everything’s fine.” TELL HIM. “Well, kind of…” I sighed and looked off to the side.

“What do you mean? You know you can talk to me.” The look in his eyes said it all. You can trust me. Please, just tell me the truth. The inner voices finally convinced me. I took a few steps back and grabbed my upper arms.

“Okay, look. I have something I need to tell you, but I need you to promise me something first.” He tilted his head in confusion. “I need you to promise that what I’m about to say won’t affect our friendship in any way.”

“Jade, you’re freaking me out. Please, what’s-”

“Promise me, Doggy.” He froze. I didn’t call him by his full name very often, so now he knew I was serious. “Please.” I swallowed the growing lump in my throat and took a deep breath.

Finally, he nodded. “Okay. I promise.” I sat down and patted the spot next to me. He slowly sat down and set a hand on my shoulder.

Without another thought, I blurted out, “I think I’m in love with you.”
   

Doggy went completely silent. I messed up, I thought. I’ve ruined everything. We both sat in dead silence before I cleared my throat. “D? Say something, please.” I held my upper arms tightly and stared at the ground. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have said that, I-”

“Woah, Jade. Hey…” He gently squeezed my shoulder and smiled tiredly. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to worry you. It just… took a bit to process.” I hid my face with my bangs and turned away. “I mean, I never thought you’d feel the same way.”

I froze, lifting my head. Slowly, I turned around and looked up at him. “What…?” He shrugged and smiled again. “Do you really…”

With a gentle nod, he held out his hand for me to take. “I really do. I have for a while, actually.” He stared at the ground as his smile faded. “Believe me when I say I’ve wanted to tell you for a long time, but I just couldn’t bring myself to. Jade, I love you so much. Our friendship. I couldn’t risk losing that. Losing you.” He took a deep breath and scratched his neck. “And by what you said before, neither did you.”

A shriveled breath left my lips. I stared at the ground and fidgeted with my hoodie strings before pulling him into a hug, to which he immediately responded. I felt his arms around my shoulders and his palm against the back of my head, holding me close to his chest. He rubbed small circles on my back, quietly whispering, “It’s okay.” “I love you.” “Shhh.”

Finally, after what felt like an eternity of silence, I pulled away and continued fidgeting. “So what happens now?” Doggy tilted his head. “All this is kind of new to me.” He quietly chuckled.

“It’s new for both of us.” He swept a strand of hair out of my face. “But, that’s up to you. We can try dating if you’re up for it, and if not, then we won’t. That simple.” After thinking for a second, I nodded.

“I think I’d like that.” An excited smile spread across his face before he held out his hand again. I placed mine against his palm before he pulled me up from the couch and spun me in a circle. The unexpected action made me burst out laughing before he gently set me back down. I felt him place his hand against my cheek, and I immediately nuzzled it.

“Feeling better now?” he asked. With a nod, I glanced at the clock in the kitchen. He noticed before doing the same. “Oh, we should probably get going. The restaurant closes at 9.” He rubbed my shoulders before we both hurried to slip on our shoes. I grabbed my keys before he held out his hand again. “So… is this considered our first date now?”

I stifled a laugh before it turned into a quiet giggle. “I guess it is.” He smiled when I took his hand and closed my apartment door behind us.

BEHOLD SHE LIVES
Hello. It's me. I am alive.
Sorta. School has been destroying me.
ANYWAYSSS thank you so much for reading, I hope you're all doing well
--GreenBean