#honestly the number of past-made-clear revelations on this trip has been truly astounding

[reflectingiridescent]

I bring to you today this YA novel plot that is not in fact a plot but is in fact...my life. LOL.

So every time I come to town, I see the same three friends I've known since I was 4-5: two boys, one girl. The girl has long covid so can't hang much this time, but I've been hanging out with the two guys, one of which has just moved back from Virginia. I famously sat next to the other boy on the very first day of kindergarten at our very Catholic school, and we became friends and did a bunch of stuff together because we did a ton of volunteering at our church.

Our mothers had the same job and were single mothers at the same time for a good amount of our childhoods, so they would call each other up and talk about stuff. We were each other's default dates for school dances when we weren't dating other people.

So all of this culminates in us, despite wanting to date each other for years, being really scared of ruining friendships/opening the "door to sin" (LMAO) and only really deciding to do it the summer before college which obviously didn't last (I left the state and he didn't; and then after graduation I left the country and he didn't). But we'd see each other maybe 2-3 times a year (now more like once a year), and there had always been this kind of lack of closure hanging in the air.

(Also a lot of people we went to school with placed bets on us.)

But we never stopped being really good friends! So he was there when I came out as bi, and I was there when he came out as bi, except this time when I see him, he comes out as gay and almost immediately assures me after that I didn't do anything to make that take longer for him (he says the amount of internalized homophobia he was raised with would have made everything take longer for him anyway).

The point is that everyone was okay with everyone and that all of this led to this golden exchange.

Him: Don't take this the wrong way, but I'm kind of glad you left. Me: I'm glad I left too, or I would have tried to marry you. Him: Nah we definitely would have gotten married. Me: Oookay I didn't know you were that committed to the idea. Him: I was. Other Friend: So like do I need to leave for y'all to have this conversation or... Us: No. Other Friend: Good because it's fucking freezing outside and also y'all totally would have gotten married. Me: And then divorced. And then you would have had to pick sides. Him: Nope my parents would have heavily petitioned us to get it annulled. *various retching noises from around the table* Other Friend: So we're toasting? To dodging a bullet? Me: AND KEEPING THE GANG TOGETHER. Server: Y'all celebrating? Him: Uh yes, we're not getting married and all staying friends. Server: Well hell yeah, man! Live your best life!

I'm just so thankful I got to keep them as friends LOL.