Let me tell you a story.

I was with this chick, right. Like, I mean, we had been seeing one another. We were friends for awhile before that and eventually got involved.

The thing was, she never had a girlfriend and really wanted one. But the other thing was I wanted her, so I say, “yeah, well, get a girlfriend and be with me too.” And I meant it. I thought it would be cool.

So we’re seeing each other for awhile and eventually the girlfriend thing comes back up. This other chick had asked her out knowing my friend and I had some kind of thing going but weren’t, like, you know, exclusive or whatever.

So they start seeing each other-—my friend and the other chick–-and shit starts getting weird between me and my friend. Suddenly, she’s all awkward around me in public (my friend is) and she’s making a big display of this other thing. She starts slipping away.

Needless to say, things aren't looking too good. Until one day, that is, when me, my sons and our dog catch her (my friend) out at this community event. We all have some fun together and enjoy the afternoon. I ask her to come over that night and she does.

We have sex and talk. We discuss a situation where my friend and I keep going and she also dates this new chick. I was into it. Finally, everybody getting what they want, ya know. Except, well, not.

See, the other chick didn’t like the sound of that. All the sharing and whatnot. Of there being a dick-—or even another vagina-—involved in her (the chick’s) new relationship. So the plan basically went nowhere and we all carried on as if nothing had happened, which I found a bit odd.

Another week or two goes by and my friend and I are at the library. I express something I discovered about myself from our time together–-like some attachment shit-—and it freaks her out. She kind of shuts down. We part ways and then later that night she calls me and says she wants us to go back to being just friends. She wants to be new chick’s girlfriend.

At this point, I’m fucking pissed. I’m also not ready to be a has-been, and so I ask my friend to stay with me for another five days. We had this trip planned together and I really wanted to go. She texts me “okay” and sends a heart emoji and five days later we go.

So here I am on this trip with my friend and she’s got this new girlfriend. Things are a little off at first but I play it cool and eventually she loosens up. We walk around all day, go to a show at a club I like that evening and then have a nice dinner together before heading back to the hotel where we cuddle and sleep together and do all that the next morning, too. Blood all over the white sheets.

That next morning, we head home by train and it’s hitting her: we’re done. Done with a capital D. The last stretch of the journey. We’re on it and once we get back it’s over. The train arrives at the station, I drive her home, we hug in the parking lot and she walks away.

Right around then is when things get sad. Over the next two weeks she’s texting me all upset and regretful and shit, but I’m too busy listening to Iron and Wine on repeat and crying all day to do too much responding. Eventually, though, I agree to see her. She comes over and tells me her and the chick broke up. We get back together.

A few months go by and things are pretty cool and it’s Halloween weekend. We go to a local Ren Faire dressed as these two characters from a TV show she likes. It turns out it was her ex-girlfriend (the one that probably doesn’t like me too much) who introduced her to the show. I find that out later that evening standing in line at the club when I turn around and there she is--the ex-girlfriend--standing right behind me.

We were wearing the same costume. It was a real scene.

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