Where Bill Tells Brody He's Wrong.
There really was an outcome. So, yeah.
"Hello."
"--Hello." A curious pause. "What are you doing here?"
"Do you have company? You're awfully proprietary of that door."
"What? Oh! No, no--come in." He stepped back, and I slipped inside. I was trying very hard not to smile.
"I've come to visit."
"I see." He looked past me before closing the door. "You haven't any lugagge."
"I didn't think I'd need much."
"Short visit, then? Where're you staying?"
"Well, that all depends."
"Does it now." It never evolved to a question.
"It does, indeed."
"Bill," he began while walking back to the kitchen, "you're infuriating. Be out with it, would you? I've a busy night."
"Hot date?"
"No. We can't all be as lucky as you."
"Ouch. Jealous much? You did tell me to go out and date."
"I also told you to come back and see me."
"Well, here I am!" He turned and took a step forward. For a moment, I was certain he was going to hit me."
"Why are you here?"
"I've come to tell you that you're wrong."
"I'm wrong?" Lawyers do not like to hear this.
"You're wrong--or, well, you were wrong."
"Was I."
"Yup." It was still difficult to keep from smiling, so I simply gave in and offered a grin.
"Would you prefer that I hit you, or do you think you could manage to explain yourself in the next three minutes?"
"You are not my second best."
"I see."
"No, you don't. So let's do some role reversal. How-a-bout you sit down and let me finish, this time?"
"As you wish." He spread out his hands, appeared much less than amused, and sat at his kitchen table.
"I have come to tell you that I love you."
"Have you."
"Could I please finish before you start working up a lecture?"
"Bossy one tonight, aren't you?"
"Get used to it." He cocked a brow; I shrugged and waited for a sign to continue. "Anyway, you are not my second best, because I am not a man that can settle--and no matter what you say about being content with what you have and where you are and who you're with, I can't abide by that. I don't live that way. When I love someone, it must be fully or not at all." He waited. "I will always love Joe, and if he needed me tomorrow I would probably drop everything and be there for him. But I do not want a relationship with him anymore. I do not want to be with him. I am not in love with him like that. And it took me a long time to be able to say this--to be able to admit it. It took me a long time to realize that unconditional love is not compromised by what status you have in someone's life. I love him completely, and because of that he owns a part of my soul--the part I willingly gave to him--and I've no designs to take it back."
"This is supposed to be making me feel better?"
"Oh, would you just wait!" I sighed. "And you say I'm the impatient one."
"That's because you are."
"Not tonight."
"There are exceptions to every ru--"
"Would you shut it for a second and let me finish?" He nodded so I could proceed. "I am not in love with him--not in the way that says I want to be with him. I want him in my life, but I do not want to own him. I want him to find happiness, and I'll help him towards it if ever I can, but I do not want to be the one who brings it to him. I am not sure I ever did. I wanted to be a part of his life--I feel connections with him that I have never felt with anyone else, and if this were a different time and place and we were different people with different stories, I am certain we would've found a way to work. I think he is my soulmate, but in ways so much more profound than having a life partner or forcing an impossible relationship." He was listening, but I could tell he wasn't sure. "Brody, I am in love with you. I have been for quite a while. Passionately. But I would never cheat, and I would never be disloyal, and there was no way I could even think of being with you--of pursuing anything with you--while I still felt an obligation to him. And I felt a strong obligation to him."
"What are you trying to say, Bill?"
"I want to spend the rest of my life with you." He didn't move, so I continued. "I want to grow old with you. I want to be the man you come home to, and I want you in my bed when I fall asleep at night."
"Are you serious?"
"Completely." I shifted my weight and kept on watching. He looked at me for a very long time, stopped and started something he was trying to say, stood and paced the kitchen, and finally looked to me again. I waited him out.
"How do I know, for sure, something won't change that'll have you running back to be with him--or just have you running at all?"
"You don't. You won't. All you have is my word." He frowned. "But either way, he would not take me back, and I am tired of running in circles. We're different people. We don't belong together. He knows that, too, I'm sure."
"What he would or wouldn't do doesn't concern me."
"We're over, Brody. We really are. We are, finally, exactly what we can be to one another, with no pretense and no excuses--no long explanations or emotional outbursts or prolonged misery. He is my best friend, even if he is not my everyday friend--even if he doesn't realize it--and he is and will remain a priority in my life for that reason alone."
"And me?"
"You are my life." I swallowed. "I mean--I want you to be my life."
"Why didn't you pack a bag?"
"I wasn't sure you'd let me stay. Plus, I have to leave in the morning. Election Day!--and I have to be in Chicago on Thursday."
Finally--finally--he laughed. "Bill, you are such a goddamned eejit."
"Do you still love me?"
"Aye."
"Do you still want me?"
"Aye."
"Can I stay?"
The kiss said it all.
Pinch me. Be back in a week!
"Hello."
"--Hello." A curious pause. "What are you doing here?"
"Do you have company? You're awfully proprietary of that door."
"What? Oh! No, no--come in." He stepped back, and I slipped inside. I was trying very hard not to smile.
"I've come to visit."
"I see." He looked past me before closing the door. "You haven't any lugagge."
"I didn't think I'd need much."
"Short visit, then? Where're you staying?"
"Well, that all depends."
"Does it now." It never evolved to a question.
"It does, indeed."
"Bill," he began while walking back to the kitchen, "you're infuriating. Be out with it, would you? I've a busy night."
"Hot date?"
"No. We can't all be as lucky as you."
"Ouch. Jealous much? You did tell me to go out and date."
"I also told you to come back and see me."
"Well, here I am!" He turned and took a step forward. For a moment, I was certain he was going to hit me."
"Why are you here?"
"I've come to tell you that you're wrong."
"I'm wrong?" Lawyers do not like to hear this.
"You're wrong--or, well, you were wrong."
"Was I."
"Yup." It was still difficult to keep from smiling, so I simply gave in and offered a grin.
"Would you prefer that I hit you, or do you think you could manage to explain yourself in the next three minutes?"
"You are not my second best."
"I see."
"No, you don't. So let's do some role reversal. How-a-bout you sit down and let me finish, this time?"
"As you wish." He spread out his hands, appeared much less than amused, and sat at his kitchen table.
"I have come to tell you that I love you."
"Have you."
"Could I please finish before you start working up a lecture?"
"Bossy one tonight, aren't you?"
"Get used to it." He cocked a brow; I shrugged and waited for a sign to continue. "Anyway, you are not my second best, because I am not a man that can settle--and no matter what you say about being content with what you have and where you are and who you're with, I can't abide by that. I don't live that way. When I love someone, it must be fully or not at all." He waited. "I will always love Joe, and if he needed me tomorrow I would probably drop everything and be there for him. But I do not want a relationship with him anymore. I do not want to be with him. I am not in love with him like that. And it took me a long time to be able to say this--to be able to admit it. It took me a long time to realize that unconditional love is not compromised by what status you have in someone's life. I love him completely, and because of that he owns a part of my soul--the part I willingly gave to him--and I've no designs to take it back."
"This is supposed to be making me feel better?"
"Oh, would you just wait!" I sighed. "And you say I'm the impatient one."
"That's because you are."
"Not tonight."
"There are exceptions to every ru--"
"Would you shut it for a second and let me finish?" He nodded so I could proceed. "I am not in love with him--not in the way that says I want to be with him. I want him in my life, but I do not want to own him. I want him to find happiness, and I'll help him towards it if ever I can, but I do not want to be the one who brings it to him. I am not sure I ever did. I wanted to be a part of his life--I feel connections with him that I have never felt with anyone else, and if this were a different time and place and we were different people with different stories, I am certain we would've found a way to work. I think he is my soulmate, but in ways so much more profound than having a life partner or forcing an impossible relationship." He was listening, but I could tell he wasn't sure. "Brody, I am in love with you. I have been for quite a while. Passionately. But I would never cheat, and I would never be disloyal, and there was no way I could even think of being with you--of pursuing anything with you--while I still felt an obligation to him. And I felt a strong obligation to him."
"What are you trying to say, Bill?"
"I want to spend the rest of my life with you." He didn't move, so I continued. "I want to grow old with you. I want to be the man you come home to, and I want you in my bed when I fall asleep at night."
"Are you serious?"
"Completely." I shifted my weight and kept on watching. He looked at me for a very long time, stopped and started something he was trying to say, stood and paced the kitchen, and finally looked to me again. I waited him out.
"How do I know, for sure, something won't change that'll have you running back to be with him--or just have you running at all?"
"You don't. You won't. All you have is my word." He frowned. "But either way, he would not take me back, and I am tired of running in circles. We're different people. We don't belong together. He knows that, too, I'm sure."
"What he would or wouldn't do doesn't concern me."
"We're over, Brody. We really are. We are, finally, exactly what we can be to one another, with no pretense and no excuses--no long explanations or emotional outbursts or prolonged misery. He is my best friend, even if he is not my everyday friend--even if he doesn't realize it--and he is and will remain a priority in my life for that reason alone."
"And me?"
"You are my life." I swallowed. "I mean--I want you to be my life."
"Why didn't you pack a bag?"
"I wasn't sure you'd let me stay. Plus, I have to leave in the morning. Election Day!--and I have to be in Chicago on Thursday."
Finally--finally--he laughed. "Bill, you are such a goddamned eejit."
"Do you still love me?"
"Aye."
"Do you still want me?"
"Aye."
"Can I stay?"
The kiss said it all.
Pinch me. Be back in a week!