What can I do?

Scott listens to Katie, his eyes slowly drifting downward as he twirls his glass on the table. He slumps in his seat a little, though it’s obvious he’s doing his very best not to jump to conclusions or become upset.

Hearing Katie’s final statement, a half a smile, though vague, surfaces. “Yeah…I know you love me.”

He swallows hard and just lets silence rule for a couple minutes. He understood Katie’s words…but he wasn’t sure he understood how she felt. He felt as though he should shrug the whole thing off, while at the same time he felt jealous and played.

Finally Scott looks up, searching to find Katie’s eyes. “You know… you’ve really turned my world upside down. You’ve taught me so much about myself… you’ve brought out the best in me… you’ve shown me what it’s like to love.” He pauses, offering the same forced smile. “I love you so much…”

Emotions pool behind his eyes. “But I don’t know what to do. If…if you would have said that you were just caught up in the moment, or that there really weren’t any feelings behind that kiss, I think I could have accepted that and been fine. But… but now I know that you still love Jason.”

Scott shifts his weight a little, his discomfort obvious. “I…I don’t know what to say, Katie. I know you love me, and I know that’s real. But…what am I supposed to do now? I almost feel like I’m in a competition for your heart. I guess maybe I’d hoped I’d have the whole thing. Is that so wrong of me?”

His gaze drops again. “I know it was risky of me in the first place to have won you over, practically stealing you from Jason. I knew then, that there was a good chance you’d eventually leave me to go back to him. But I guess… I guess somewhere along the line, I gained confidence that you really would stick it out with me. Even after you left, then wanted to come back…Jason just didn’t seem to be a factor. And now…”

Scott sighs deeply, his hand slowly reaching across the table to stop Katie’s nervous napkin shredding. He takes her hand gently in his, just looking at it, running his thumb across her palm. “I don’t know if I can go on like this…knowing that you love Jason too. I understand it’s hard for you but… it’s not fair to us… to our relationship… if you have feelings for another man. Feelings that… that are obviously strong enough that you acted on them.”

His eyes move up again. “What can I do, Katie… what can I do to win the rest of your heart? Or will you always have a longing for another man who doesn’t even return your love?”


Carson stuffs his hands in his pockets and starts down the sidewalk. The park. It was dark, it was chilly, no one would be there…it would be a nice destination, and a good place to rest before walking back.

Heading down a couple blocks, he crisscrosses a couple streets, then heads around a corner. His ballcap shielding his eyes, and his head bent, he wasn’t paying much attention to where he was going, and as he turns the corner he almost runs right into someone else.

Startled, he stops short and backs up a step, snapping his head up, his eyes wide. Blinking, he tries to slow his racing heart. “Good, land, Jess! What on earth are you doing out here?”


Bret sacks out on his couch, listening to the droning television. So this was it… this was what is life was really about. It had come full circle once again… but would the outcome be different this time?

Rolling over so his back is toward the television, he leaves it on, but lets his eyes fall shut. His half-eaten supper was getting cold and dry on the coffee table, but he really didn’t care. He just wanted…. maybe he didn’t know what he wanted, but he felt like simply turning his back on the world. If he wasn’t going to go out and drown his sorrows, he might as well try to sleep them off.