Strings Attached

Chapter Nineteen

He sobbed silently and turned to see my eyes. He stared at me firmly, and I could see how his beautiful eyes filled with more and more tears.

"I'm really sorry... I was weak, Chris."

I sighed sadly. "Hey," I said, cupping his cheek with my hand. "It's okay. We can be just friends if you want to."

He turned to see me and bit his bottom lip. "Are you sure? I... I'd understand if you didn't want to talk to me or hated me for having kissed you... I acted like a jerk."

I smiled. "Hey, if you didn't kiss me, I would've ended up kissing you anyway, so it's fine."

Teddy smiled sadly and kissed my cheek gently. "You are simply perfect. Thanks for understanding, Chris."

"That's what friends are for," I said, faking a smile.

The words themselves stung like a thousand blades being thrown at my heart. I did not really want to be just friends with Teddy, but I knew what he needed the most right now was a friend, so I decided that I would be one, at least until he was ready to commit.

In the meantime, being Teddy's friend was better than being not being anything at all.

That made me understand that sometimes, we would do anything just to be close to the ones we care about.

***

Weeks passed by, and one Friday I asked Louise to sleep over at my house.

Teddy asked Mom if it was fine if he invited Henry over, and Mom said it was okay. Most moms would not be happy if their daughter and two teenage boys were under the same roof at night, but Mom did not really seem to mind. She trusted us.

Louise and I stayed in the living room. I decided we would sleep there because Brianna's room was not big enough for the three of us.

Henry and Teddy went to my room and stayed there for a while, probably wanting to have some time for themselves. That was a relief because Louise and I wanted to talk about girls' stuff.

"So, has he kissed you again?" she asked.

Weeks ago, I had told her about Teddy's kissing me, and she had been very excited.

"No," I said. "He said we could only be friends, but that's fine by me."

"Are you sure?" she asked, raising one of her eyebrows.

I sighed. "No, but if what he needs is a friend, then I will be one."

"I don't want you to end up hurt," said Louise.

"Don't worry. I won't," I assured her.

She sighed. "I really hope so, Chris," she said. "You are my best friend, and I'd hate to see him breaking your heart."

"He won't," I said. "He's not that type of guy."

She smiled sadly. "You really like him, don't you?"

"Yeah," I said, turning to see the ground. "I do."

"Then why did you accept to be his friend? You should've told him that you were not willing to just be his friend! He was the one who kissed you. He can't just play with your feelings like that," she said, frowning.

"I'm pretty sure it wasn't his intention," I said. "He has bigger problems to worry about. I don't want to complicate his life."

She sighed. "So you are just going to allow him to complicate yours, aren't you?"

I shook my head. "You don't get it. My life is paradise compared to his. He's been through a lot, and I don't want to force him to be in a relationship if he is not ready to. I care about him. I really do. That's why I'll give him time."