Time zones are a menace.
Because while I was in Japan living my six-PM-after-school life, my two best friends were just crawling out of bed in the US.
Simon at 9AM.
Victor at 9:30AM.
Me at 6PM.
Chaos… but balanced chaos.
We'd agreed this was the only window we could actually talk without one of us being half-asleep or half-dead.
"So what's up with you?" Simon asked, squinting into the camera like he was inspecting a rare species. "You look stressed."
"Well…" I rubbed my neck. "There's this guy that's been bugging me."
Victor didn't miss a beat. "Call the cops."
"No! No...not like that. He's actually very nice. He hasn't done anything wrong!" I waved my hands so aggressively my camera wobbled.
"So… he's not bugging you," Simon said slowly. "He's… being nice?"
"Maybe he wants to be your friend," Victor added.
I sighed. "It's just weird how he does it. Like...he pats my head like I'm a golden retriever. He smiles too much. He laughs at every tiny thing I do. And… he calls me" I paused, not sure if I should say it.
"Calls you what?" Victor leaned so close his forehead almost hit the camera.
"He… calls me cute…"
Silence.
Then Simon leaned back like he'd cracked the code to the universe.
"Oh. Yeah. He likes you."
"What?!" I yelped, and Victor echoed me in perfect sync.
"Charlie, he's hitting on you," Simon said, folding his arms.
"No he's not! He looks like a Hollywood actor. I'm pretty sure he's straight! And I'm straight!"
Simon and Victor both choked on air.
"What now?" I asked, offended.
"We're not saying you're not straight," Simon said slowly.
"We're just saying we don't know yet," Victor added, shrugging.
I stared at them like they'd just announced I was adopted.
"What do you mean you don't know?!"
"Well…" Simon held up a finger. "You've never dated anyone."
"And you've never been sexually attracted to a girl," Victor added.
"That is FALSE," I declared. "I had a huge crush on Kloe in high school."
"Okay," Simon said, "list three things you liked about her."
Easy.
"She was really kind. She drew a lot....like me. And her hair was super nice. Straight and long. I wish I had hair like that, honestly. Curly hair is too much work."
Victor laughed so hard he slipped off his chair.
"You liked her like a friend, dude. Not to date her."Time zones are a menace.
Because while I was in Japan living my six-PM-after-school life, my two best friends were just crawling out of bed in the US.
Simon at 9AM.
Victor at 9:30AM.
Me at 6PM.
Chaos… but balanced chaos.
We'd agreed this was the only window we could actually talk without one of us being half-asleep or half-dead.
"So what's up with you?" Simon asked, squinting into the camera like he was inspecting a rare species. "You look stressed."
"Well…" I rubbed my neck. "There's this guy that's been bugging me."
Victor didn't miss a beat. "Call the cops."
"No! No...not like that. He's actually very nice. He hasn't done anything wrong!" I waved my hands so aggressively my camera wobbled.
"So… he's not bugging you," Simon said slowly. "He's… being nice?"
"Maybe he wants to be your friend," Victor added.
I sighed. "It's just weird how he does it. Like...he pats my head like I'm a golden retriever. He smiles too much. He laughs at every tiny thing I do. And… he calls me" I paused, not sure if I should say it.
"Calls you what?" Victor leaned so close his forehead almost hit the camera.
"He… calls me cute…"
Silence.
Then Simon leaned back like he'd cracked the code to the universe.
"Oh. Yeah. He likes you."
"What?!" I yelped, and Victor echoed me in perfect sync.
"Charlie, he's hitting on you," Simon said, folding his arms.
"No he's not! He looks like a Hollywood actor. I'm pretty sure he's straight! And I'm straight!"
Simon and Victor both choked on air.
"What now?" I asked, offended.
"We're not saying you're not straight," Simon said slowly.
"We're just saying we don't know yet," Victor added, shrugging.
I stared at them like they'd just announced I was adopted.
"What do you mean you don't know?!"
"Well…" Simon held up a finger. "You've never dated anyone."
"And you've never been sexually attracted to a girl," Victor added.
"That is FALSE," I declared. "I had a huge crush on Kloe in high school."
"Okay," Simon said, "list three things you liked about her."
Easy.
"She was really kind. She drew a lot....like me. And her hair was super nice. Straight and long. I wish I had hair like that, honestly. Curly hair is too much work."
Victor laughed so hard he slipped off his chair.
"You liked her alright... like a friend, dude. Not to date her."
I groaned.
Simon leaned forward. "Do me a favor. Ask this Enkai guy for three things he likes about you."
"And if he gets uncomfortable, you'll know," Victor said.
"It's a weird question," I muttered.
"So? You're already weird," Simon said. "Lean into it."
"Fine," I grumbled. "I'll ask."
---
The next day, I sat on the small porch where Enkai usually picked me up from school.
At some point, without realizing it, I'd gotten used to him driving me.
Picking me up.
Bringing lunch.
Being… well… there.
He was late today...but he always showed up.
Always.
When his car finally stopped in front of me, he stepped out quickly.
"Charlie! Did you wait long?" he asked, taking my backpack like it weighed nothing.
"No, not really," I said, waiting for the usual head pat.
None came.
My heart dipped embarrassingly low.
"I'm sure you waited," he said with a small smile. "Sorry. Today was hectic. I could've sent my secretary, but… I wanted to come myself." He gestured toward the car. "Your lunch is inside. Eat while I drive,,it's getting dark."
But my brain was stuck on one thing.
No head pat.
He glanced at me. "You look uneasy. Did something happen?"
I swallowed. "Well… you didn't pat my head today. Did I do something wrong?"
His eyes widened like I'd just confessed I wanted to elope.
Then...
"Charlie…" he breathed, pulling me into a warm, firm hug that stole half my oxygen and all my thoughts.
He smelled like fresh bread, berries, and expensive cologne...basically like he owned three bakeries and a flower shop.
His hand moved gently through my curls, and I melted on the spot.
I didn't even fight it.
Didn't want to.
When he finally pulled back, he looked at me like I was something precious.
"I like the way you act cute without trying," he said, brushing my hair again.
My stomach flipped like a pancake.
I grabbed his hand before he could step away.
"Charlie?" he asked, surprised.
"I… want to ask something."
"Anything," he said immediately.
"What are… three things you like about me?"
He blinked. "Only three?"
My heart stuttered.
"Well…" he looked a little shy for once. "I love your eyes. They're beautiful."
He rubbed the back of his neck. "I love the way you say my name."
Then after a pause
"And I love your lips. They're… very"
He cleared his throat. "Nice."
I stood there, brain loading.
"…Is that good enough?" he asked.
"Yeah," I whispered. "I guess so."
---
Later that night, I told Simon and Victor what happened.
Victor looked ready to explode. "HE SAID HE LOVES YOUR LIPS?! BRO"
"Maybe it's normal?" I said weakly. "People can like other people's lips, right?"
"If they want to KISS them," Victor cried.
Simon facepalmed. "Charlie… he likes you for sure."
"I don't like him back! Not romantically," I insisted.
"You sure?" Simon asked.
"I mean…" I fidgeted. "I've gotten used to having him around. He's like part of my daily routine now. My mom loves him. He loves her cooking. He's… basically part of the house at this point. And the head pats… it's like his way of saying 'good job.'"more like a big brother?,
Victor gawked. "Dude. You see him like a big brother. He sees you like a boyfriend."
Simon sighed. "And if you don't feel the same, you need to tell him. Before this gets messy."
My stomach twisted. "He'll avoid me…"
"So you'd rather lead him on and break his heart later?" Victor asked.
I groaned. "Fine. I'll talk to him tomorrow."
Victor smirked. "Do you at least have a picture of him? Shirtless maybe?"
"VICTOR----WHAT---NO."
"What? You said he was built like a mountain!" he said, squinting innocently.
I mean the least you could do is show us a pic though,Simon added mischievously.
"Get. To. Class," I snapped and hung up.