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Brian opened his front door to go out for a jog a couple days later and was very surprised to see Nick standing there waiting for him.

“Nick, what are you doing here?”

“Mind if I come running with you? I didn’t feel like going to the gym this morning and thought maybe you could use some company.” Nick said brightly. Brian gave him a funny look but closed the door and they went on their run.


Nick had been put up to spending some time with Brian by Amanda, who was trying to feel out the situation with him and Lisa. She was wondering why he was suddenly acting distant and thought maybe Nick could get it out of him because they were so close.

“You’ve never wanted to come running with me before, Nick. Is something wrong? Is it that girl harassing you again, because I thought we took care of her.”

Nick had tried telling Amanda that going to work out with Brian would make him suspicious. He was a detective and would soon figure out what he was up to anyway. He had to laugh because he was 100% right.

“No, everything is fine….but while we are on the subject, is everything okay with you?”

Brian stopped to have a drink of water, wiping some sweat off of his forehead.

“Everything is great.”

“How are things with you and Lisa?” Nick asked as they rounded the corner at the end of the street and turned onto the next one.

“It’s going really well, Nick. Lisa and I are happy. Did she say something?”

They continued down Oceanview Drive towards Nick’s house, feeling the hot sun beating down on them but also getting the breeze from the ocean behind the row of houses. Nick loved living down here, he loved the smell of the salt water and sound of the waves crashing when he lay in bed at night. It was soothing.

“No, but it seems like you two don’t spend a lot of time together like you used to so I just wondered what changed. When Amanda was given those concert tickets it seemed like you didn’t really want to go.” Nick pointed out. Brian did not say anything right away but his ears turned pink meaning he was hoping nobody caught on to any of what was going on.

The truth of it was, Brian really did like Lisa but he wasn’t completely head over heels in love and it worried him. He felt he was going to disappoint her by not saying he loved her or going out of his way to do that, and so he distanced himself through working. He could tell Lisa was getting hurt and he hated that he was hurting her. He felt that he did not deserve someone so special because she was truly special to him. He cared for her deeply, and could see himself settling down with her and starting a family like Nick had.

“It’s kind of complicated, Nick.”

“You’re my best friend, Bri. I know when something is bothering you just as much as you do when I’m being stubborn and won't tell you what is wrong with me. That’s what friends are for. So is it something you can fix?” Nick said, stopping in front of his house. They both stopped running and sat down on the front porch on the swing.

“I do care about Lisa a lot, Nick. We always have fun together and I really like her….but there’s something holding me back and I feel like I’m going to disappoint her. I want to marry her but I don’t know if I am doing the right thing because I feel like she is more in love with me than I am with her and it’s not enough. I guess after I told Amanda I loved her and she rejected me, I just feel like if I rush things I will get my heart broken and I do not want to feel that ever again.” Brian explained, sighing as he sat down.

Nick totally understood what he was talking about because he too had dealt with that after Amanda chose Lance over him back in high school. He felt bad for taking Amanda away from Brian.

“I’m sorry, man. I didn’t know you felt that way about Amanda.”

“It’s okay, Nick. It’s not your fault...you two were meant for each other and I just got in the way. I’m not mad about it. I’m over it and I am really happy I met Lisa. I was even more excited when she moved here and we could really have a date that wasn’t on video chat.” Brian said with a small smile. Nick smiled back at him. He had never really heard him talk about how he felt about Lisa and it made him happy to see that Brian was happy. Brian had told him many times when they were younger that he wanted a family. Nick was not sure what he wanted until he had slept with Amanda after prom. When they’d had sex he knew he was going to end up with her.

“So do you want to marry her?” Nick asked as he came out of the house carrying two bottles of water for the two of them. Brian opened his right away and took a long drink before sighing contentedly and thinking about the question.

“I guess.”

“Well, do you….or don’t you? There’s no guessing when it comes to getting married. Trust me. I’ve done it three times.”

“That is only because one wanted to get you before Amanda, and the other was a gold digger.” Brian teased.

“Lisa isn’t going to wait forever, dude. She’s a nice girl. Someone’s gonna come and snatch her up.”

Brian nodded, agreeing with NIck because Lisa was a gorgeous woman and had a good head on her shoulders. He did not want to lose her but he was not sure if he was ready for that big step yet. They’d been together almost a year, but he knew life was short. He would have to come up with something big.

“Nick, would you mind helping me with something? I want to do something special for Lisa but I don’t know what to do. When I come up with it, I’ll tell you.”

“Sure, anything you need let me know. I just want you to be happy.” Nick smiled, patting Brian on the back. They sat out on the deck talking for a long time and Brian was starting to get excited. This was the start of a new chapter of his life and he could not wait to have someone to share this with.

Lisa was definitely worth it.