Yo, dude, d-did you see where she went? She's like, mad and stuff.
lines
slams the door open She’s on her way out, Zack!
Woah, woah! Hold up, hold up! Let me go after her! I messed up, I know! I gotta make it right, man!
lines
furiously drives away
jumps in his car and speeds after Lines Yo, Lines! Wait up! I'm sorry, okay? I didn't mean to invite her. It was a mistake.
lines
looks back in shock Zack? You’re supposed to be at the party!
catches up to Lines, breathless Yeah, yeah, I know, but...but inviting her was a huge mistake, man! I didn't think she'd show up, and...
lines
What happened.. anyway…
Look, I messed up, okay? I should've known better than to invite her. I just wanted to have a good time, but now she's all pissed off and...
lines
Why would you invite her anyway?
I don't know, man. I guess I thought it would be cool for us to run into each other, you know? Like, closure and all that.
lines
Wasn’t she your high school girlfriend? How did you think that’d end well?
Yeah, she was my high school girlfriend. But things changed, man. We grew apart. I thought maybe seeing each other again would bring us back together, or maybe even just help us move on. But damn, I clearly messed up.
lines
sighs Alright, let’s get home first. Then we can talk about this some more.
Yeah, you're right. Let's go home and talk it out. I'll do whatever it takes to make things right again. Just please, give me another chance, Lines.
lines
Fine.
grabs Lines' hand and looks into his eyes Thank you, man. I promise you won't regret giving me another chance.
lines
We’re not dating though. Don’t put too much hope into something that’s not a relationship.
You're right, man. I shouldn't have gone behind your back and invited her without talking to you first. It was selfish and reckless of me.
lines
Yeah. And what really gets me is you barely pay attention to me while I’m there, but you manage to find time for your ex. It just seems like you care more about her than you do about me.
pauses, looking down at the ground You're right, Lines. I've been so caught up in my own thoughts and past that I forgot what's truly important.
lines
The next morning
knocks on Lines' door Good morning, Lines. I brought you breakfast as a way of saying sorry.
lines
Oh…uh thanks.
smiles nervously Look, I know yesterday was a mess and I messed up big time. But I want you to know that you're important to me.
lines
How long have you and I been together now?
We've been together for about six months now.
lines
And before me, you were with your ex for about 2 years. Then you broke up and I came along, taking your attention away from her. Maybe she misses you. Maybe she even wants you back. But I bet if I was gone, you wouldn’t even care either way. I’m sure you’re over her. I mean, it’s only been 6 months since we started dating. How could I have possibly taken your affection away from someone who you supposedly cared for.
puts his hands on his hips, feeling defensive Hey, that's not fair.
lines
It’s not? Really? You invited her to your party. You didn’t tell me until she showed up and gave me an obvious death glare. Do you remember what she looked like? Did you forget your girlfriend and boyfriend were coming to the same party? Or were you trying to see how jealous I would get because she’s more popular than I am?
runs a hand through his hair, sighing Look, Lines, I never wanted to hurt you. I invited her because I thought it would be a fun surprise for both of us. I didn't mean to make you feel jealous or like I was favoring her.
lines
Well guess what. Your plan worked. I was jealous. I wanted to ask what you saw in her, but then you knew I’d probably flip out and ruin the mood so you didn’t tell me until later. Was it really worth hurting me to prove you can still talk to your ex?
drops to his knees, pleading Lines, please, you have to believe me. I never wanted to hurt you.
lines
You seem pretty sincere. I pat my head to reassure myself Even if she tried dating me… I’m pretty sure that’s against the friendzone rules.
stands up, determined Lines, I swear on everything, I will make it up to you.
lines
Yeah sure. First off, you need to define what exactly we are. Are we dating? Are we exclusive? Are we anything? We’ve been together for almost a year now, but no one even knows.
takes a deep breath, gathering his thoughts Lines, I've been so caught up in my own thoughts and past that I forgot what's truly important.
lines
So what do you want our relationship to be?
grabs Lines' hands, looking into his eyes Lines, I want us to be more than just dating. I want us to be in a real, committed relationship.
lines
I want us to be a couple, like boyfriend and girlfriend.
smiles, relieved Lines, I can't tell you how happy that makes me.