Those Three Chapter 6

Stephanie was sitting on the sofa next to Ronnie. “Ronnie, do you understand why I am living back in this town after I was hurt?”

“You were able to move on?” Ronnie asks her.

“Besides that, I had a dream telling me to come back for you. That’s why I told you that I knew you would be coming to my apartment that day.”

“Don’t joke with me like that, Stephanie.” Ronnie said and rubbed one of his eyes. He wasn’t crying anymore.

“I am not joking with you. Sometimes I think I shouldn’t of ran away and begged my mom to move away to another town.”

“Oh?” Ronnie asks.

“Yeah, I feel like that if I didn’t, I could’ve spent more time with you.” Stephanie got up off the sofa and Ronnie laid down. “Did you wanted to nap?” Stephanie asks him as she noticed he looked tired.

“Is that alright?” Ronnie asks.

“Sure, that’s fine. I will make dinner. You want some?”

“I would like that.” Ronnie answered and then fell asleep. Stephanie smiles as she stared at him.

“He really is cute.” She thought to herself and was making dinner.

Lacy felt like she had to tell Robert about what had happened. She was nervous and didn’t want him to be angry with her. She ended up telling her mother about going to spend another night with Robert and left. She went straight to Robert’s apartment and knocked on the door. Robert opened the door.

“Lacy? What are you doing here? I thought you were hanging with Alana and didn’t have time to come over today?” Robert asks as if he was confused.

“We need to talk.” Lacy said. Robert lets her in and shuts the door.

“What do we need to talk about?” Robert asked her. “Is it about Ronnie?” Lacy looked down. He was right. It was about Ronnie. He noticed her face expression. “What about Ronnie?”

“He…Well… He is angry with me.  I think he’s still mad about me choosing you.”

“Tough luck. He really needs to get over it. He can’t get himself into a lot of trouble with drugs and I him killing himself over it? Pathetic! He hasn’t tried to in the past two years.” Robert responds and sat down on the sofa. Lacy walks over to him.

“I understand that. I care for Ronnie still and you know that but…”

“Lacy, if you really love me you will put me first before Ronnie.”

“I do put you first.” Lacy said and touched Robert’s face. He blushes a little at her. “You’re so important to me and I really been enjoying these past two years together. I love you, Robert. Since the moment I met you, I felt a connection. And I still do. But there’s something I need to tell you that’s why I am trying to discuss this with you.”

“You still have feelings for Ronnie?” Robert asks her.

“No. I don’t. I care for him but I am not in love with him. I am confused about my feelings towards him. Confused if I should be angry with him or just leave him be.”

“Why would you be angry with him? Angry if he has a girlfriend?”

“That’s not it. Angry for what he did! What he tried to do to me!” Lacy said. Robert stared at her. He could tell she looked upset. “Robert, I am really sorry. I didn’t want it! Honestly!”

“What did he do?! He didn’t force himself on you, did he?!” Robert looked angry now. He pulled Lacy toward him and sat her on his lap. She liked the feeling of Robert putting her close to him.

“No, he didn’t. Well… I don’t know! He came over to my home! I was just trying to watch TV after Alana left and he came over! I was surprised to see him and thought maybe he wanted to talk things out and just let this finally be over if he was really still hooked on being angry with me for choosing you. And…And he… he kissed me!” Lacy blurts out.

“He did what?!” Robert felt jealous and angry with his younger brother. “He shouldn’t try to kiss you when I am in relationship with you!”

“I know! I told him that and I pushed him away from me! I didn’t like the kiss! I only want you kissing me!” Lacy puts her arms around Robert. “Only you… I don’t want to be like that anymore!” Lacy sounded like she was going to cry.

“Do you want me to beat him up?” Robert asks her.

“N-No! If you ever talk to him just tell him no!”

“He takes off whenever I go home, unless I come unexpected one day.” Robert laughed a little. Lacy stared at Robert.

“I want to stay together with you. I want to move in here one day when I turn 18 if I am allowed.”

“Sure, Lacy. You can.” Robert responds.

“I love you.” Lacy said and kissed him. He kisses her lips back.

Stephanie finished making dinner and was putting it on plates. “I hope that Ronnie likes my cooking.” Stephanie blushed a little. “I hope the both of us become good friends.”  Ronnie woke up. He smelt the food.

“That actually smells good.” Ronnie thought to himself. Stephanie puts the plates on the small table. Ronnie sat up and then got off the sofa. He went over to the table and sat down. Stephanie opened the fridge.

“Need a drink?” She asks him. “What would you like?”

“I don’t know. Anything.” Ronnie answered.  Stephanie poured Ronnie a glass of milk and sits it on the table by him. She then poured herself one as well and sat it on the table. She puts the milk jug back and closes the fridge. She sat down across from Ronnie.

“I hope it tastes alright.” Stephanie said and started to eat. Ronnie began to eat and he actually liked the taste of the food. He kept eating. Stephanie stared at him as he ate. She was slowly taking bites of her food.

“Does your mom live in this town?”

“No. She stayed in the next town over. I decided to move here well… because of personal reasons I suppose. I got a job at an antique store. I like the shop actually. Truth to be told, my mother owned the shop. She had someone else working there while we moved but since I became an adult she handed the store to me. She wants to retire and just live life relaxed.” Stephanie tells Ronnie.

“Antique shop? I think Craig took us to one before when we were younger…” Ronnie thought to himself.

“It’s not far from here so that’s really good for me.” Stephanie smiles. Ronnie blushed a little at her.

“S-She’s kind of… NO! Lacy is the girl I like! But she likes Robert… I really need to give Lacy up like I want to…” Ronnie thought to himself. “I told myself to give her up…” Stephanie noticed the frown upon Ronnie’s face now.

“My food isn’t horrible is it? Are you okay?” She asks him.

“You’re food isn’t bad. It’s just… I remember two years ago I had an odd dream. I was wondering if it was trying to tell me to give up Lacy but…”

“It’s hard giving up someone you loved?” Stephanie asks. Ronnie nods slowly. “It’s alright. Can you tell me what the dream was about?”

“I dreamed I was with a girl. No woman maybe. She was beautiful and we were dating I guess.” Ronnie felt a little nervous telling Stephanie about the dream he had.

“Oh? That sounds like a nice dream. But despite that you had that dream, you still think of Lacy? Did you thought you would give her up but still felt so sad about it but you didn’t know what to do?”

“I feel like I don’t know what to do. I wish that Lacy will break up with Robert and date me but… That will be selfish and wrong for me to even say such things. Look at me… I am so angry with my brother. Angry with Lacy. And I used to be close to Robert. I was good friends with Lacy, well…  maybe a little more than just friends and God… I miss hanging out with her. I hate this really. But when I tried to hang together with them both it made me sad because Lacy was in love with him.”

“Ronnie, maybe you need to make up with them again. Like before you know? Even though it’s painful, have you thought about dating someone while you get to be close to Robert again? Also be friends with Lacy.” Stephanie suggested.

“I would but… I don’t want to fall in love again. I hate love! I can’t stand to let love tear me up again if I were to fall in love and just get my heart shred to pieces again.” Ronnie said. He looked down and slowly took another bite of his food. He wasn’t sure why he was just telling everything to Stephanie.

“Hey, this sounds crazy Ronnie, but how about you date me? We don’t have to be serious or anything, but you can date me and still be friends with your brother and Lacy. How does that sound?”

“I don’t know.” Ronnie wasn’t sure about Stephanie’s idea. “Things like that never worked out for Robert and stuff.”

“You’re not Robert.”

“But Robert is lucky. He hasn’t gotten fired; he gets his own place. He got Lacy.” Ronnie seemed to be upset.

“You’re not Robert. Sure, he hasn’t got fired but maybe he’s good at his job. If you date me, I don’t even care if you don’t work.”

“But wouldn’t it be weird to be friends with Lacy? Also I don’t Robert to get angry with me.” Ronnie said feeling awkward.

“Look, just apologize about everything that has happened and promise to him that you won’t take Lacy from him or touch her. You don’t actually plan on trying to separate them do you?” Stephanie asked. Ronnie touched the side of his face and then looks the other way.

“No…” Ronnie lies.

“Ronnie! Don’t try to break up something that’s good for the both of them! Lacy needs Robert and he needs her! Just like… you will have someone one day.” Stephanie says to Ronnie obviously seeing through his lie.  Ronnie takes his hand off his face.

“It was an idea I had recently but I don’t even know about following through with it. I even forced a kiss on Lacy and I feel like I know I done something wrong. I ended up… you know and I ran into you.”

“You were crying… You tried to kiss Lacy? Ronnie, you really shouldn’t do that. Especially since she’s with Robert now.” Stephanie finished her food and was putting her dishes in the sink. Ronnie also finished up and put his dishes away.

“Stephanie, do you think I am stupid or childish for the way I have been acting over two years? I feel like I haven’t been thinking properly and already got into trouble for stealing before.”  Stephanie stared at Ronnie.

“I don’t care about all the things that you done in the past, I am still here for you. I don’t mind if you need to come here to talk. But consider what I asked you about dating. It might help you with your feelings towards Lacy. You tried randomly sleeping with girls I bet and that didn’t help did it?” Ronnie blushed at what Stephanie said.

“H-How?!”

“I see things remember? You didn’t even try dating them. Just did them and left. Come on now, try to date me. Give me a chance to change your mind about Lacy.”

“But you liked Robert before! Not me!” Ronnie said. Stephanie giggles.

“You’re really silly!” She said with a smile. “Yes, I had a crush on Robert in the past but… Crushes fade like an old pair of jeans.” Ronnie wasn’t even sure what Stephanie meant. He wasn’t even sure if he wanted to date her or not. He hasn’t been in a relationship since what happened between him, Robert, and Lacy. He just would do what Stephanie said. He thought it would help ease his sadness and help change his feelings for Lacy. But that never seemed to work. Now Stephanie had an idea, and he wasn’t even sure if he wanted to go along with it or not.