The Older We Get

Chapter 66

                "So you've brought me to a park." Chandler states the obvious after I shut the door and rest against my hood watching the sun just start to set, school over and done with and my mind still a pan of scrambled eggs. "Gonna tell me why?"

"Just thought it was appropriate. We used to hang here all the time right?" I slowly answer.

"Yeah." He sits beside me.

And here we are. Both silent, both not looking at each other, both with our hands in our pockets in an abandoned parking lot overlooking a whole public playing ground that Chandler and I used to frequent when we were just kids and nothing more than best friends.

There's snow on the grass, warm air coming out of our mouths every few seconds, a strong chill in the air but not enough to dismiss us inside, and the sky losing all manner of blue to be replaced with soft light pinks and oranges that'll fade all too quickly.

My red car behind us, Chandler silent since we left school after I spent minutes asking him to join me.

Yup. This is sure strange.

"Will you please say something already? I can't take this much longer." His smooth tone escapes pretty youthful sounding which primarily makes me jump cuz that was sudden. Sh1t!

"I was actually waiting for you to say something."

"I already did at lunch."

"To them, not me. And that was hours ago!"

"That was my way of telling you I forgive you and that I love you and I'm sorry."

"Sorry?"

"Yes. Now you have to forgive me."

"Forgive you? I don't know why?"

"One, because you had to see me with Katelyn up there and everyone fvcking cheering for us to kiss. If it'd been me walking in and any other guy was up there with you while people chanted for some make out session, even if they wanted you to hold hands, I'd be hateful towards it. Not to you, but just seeing it."

"I'm actually impressed they threw you a party. How'd that happen?" I lightly laugh at the idea of him having a lunch sort of 'do' at school with people he barely converses with.

All those people, witnessing everything. I've been blushing all day because of that.

"Katelyn probably found out somehow. Then she enlisted everybody."

"There's nothing to forgive. More or less, I think you already took care of that." Recalling it now, I was pretty stunned to just randomly walk into the lunch room and see Chandler being told to kiss a girl I used to be jealous of who made me insecure about myself.

Funnily enough, I wasn't upset or sad though.

I knew Chandler would do something in a way. I didn't expect him to drag me up and kiss me in front of all those people, ahem, but there was a huge chunk of words he spoke that I hope I'll never forget for as long as I live.

"And 2?" I lean a bit to stare. His expression changed. "Chandler?"

"It's sort of also a confession." My boyfriend becomes a little docile and basically sad, like a shadow of his heartbreak from yesterday, this time much tamer and more willing to stay on the subject of what's turning his eyes glossy, which he's trying to hide until he can look at me properly. "I was a sh1tty boyfriend yesterday. Totally selfish and only thinking of me."