Ménage à Trois Picspam Series Part III
PART I ❦ PART II
PREVIOUSLY
Ever so long ago there lived two best friends: an honest-to-goodness swoonworthy Prince Charming and a smart-mouthed manwhore of a dark knight who started off as a minor character but has since been promoted to romantic male lead. They were like the modern-day Achilles and Patroclus, Frodo and Sam, Danny and Kenicke, Maverick and Goose. They had each other's back, practically finished each other's sentences and drank each other's Kool-Aid. The almighty royal also had a beautiful girl that adored him - his sharp-witted headstrong leading lady. At first, she and the knight used their rapier wit to tear each other to shreds, but then she started to see a deeply wounded inner child behind his brazen bravado. In a cruel twist of fate, she was dropped like a hot potato by the boy of her dreams; and the promiscuous nihilist ended up falling hard for her, his best bud's first love. The two tried to hide their sexing relationship from the prince, but when he finally found out, a cock fight ensued which made the darling princess feeling woeful and conflicted.
The end of their friendship was hard for the already damaged knight. But it was too late to look back because he'd already fallen for the girl. Hard. Or as some would say - completely whipped and castrated of metaphorical balls. Anyway, he took his chances, and confessed his feelings to her. Unfortunately, having had her heart already stomped on once, his lady love replied with sarcasm. Not a horrible trait alone. Not so much when it's used to cover up her own deep insecurities about her self-worth. This, however, did not deter the progress of their romance. Then again, when you're young, hormones dictate your every waking thought.
Despite their undeniable chemistry, the timing was just not right. The two star-crossed lovers were too young, too broken, too selfish, too impulsive, too early for the network sweeps. His feelings of unworthiness and failure combined with her stubborn belief in his untapped potential led to their separation; he never felt good enough for her, and she always thought that he never tried. The happiness they had found with each other came and went; their love affair imploding just as fast as it started. All bystanders be damned.
The prince patiently (being a daydream believer) wooed the girl back, firmly believing that first love never dies (unless, of course, it is bludgeoned to death with an ashtray by an aging action star) and would forever burn as an eternal flame. And just like that, she found herself in the arms of the boy wonder yet again. Their happy reunion was a long time coming, and it began with a kiss as he apologized. There were visions of silhouettes in bedroom windows, hidden messages in fortune cookies, choreographed waltzes in a Cotillion and soulful serenades in a restaurant. *Cue obligatory background music*
When the former golden couple reunited, the scorned dark knight felt like his heart was a giant piñata (bashed over and over again by gleeful children attending a birthday party) when he realized that his shining armour was nothing but aluminum foil. After all, it was hard to watch the one you love love someone else, especially if that someone else is was your best friend. Regrettably, her second breakup was not bittersweet like her first heartache, it was cold, spiteful and snarktastic. Lo and behold, the wisecracking sidekick had now become a bitter ex to the princess's overly defensive self.
In a time of global financial crisis, climate change, poverty and reality TV, the relationship reboot allowed the prince and the princess to find happiness as they tried to recapture their former glory. Light fluttery kisses, romantic dinners, homecoming dances, prom titles and costumed parties filled their days once again. Everyone thought that she was finally living every girl's number one (or number 2, as most girl's number 1 would actually be to eat without getting fat) dream - to be with the perfect guy.
The two guys also tried to rekindle their epic bromance. During the day, they went fishing, played their video games, summered at the Hamptons, played pool together and participated in other male bonding activities. And their evenings held the promise of beer pong, potty humour and, more often than not, a noise ordinance infraction. Nevertheless, the girl wedged in between them represented the cardinal sin in the Bro Code. The cracks in their friendship were more visible than ever, and perhaps it was time to admit that the expiration date on their friendship was already past due.
Their time together was a little sappy at times, but harmless enough. After what they had been through in their young teenage lives (adultery, murder, felony, nefarious plots for world domination), they both need fluffy and uncomplicated. They both desperately wanted to cling to the innocence that each other reminded them of, and that maybe, just maybe, there were some truths behind those old fairy tales.
Is there a happy ending at the end of their horizon? Or is this just the beginning of the end (or the end of the beginning)?
PART IV