Beyond Buddies

Beyond Buddies

Can Friends

Become Lovers…

by M. K. Allison

November 13, 2018

Tom & Barbara

Tom and Barbara had been close friends since high school, and Barbara had always had a secret crush on him.  However, she disguised her feelings as platonic and they went all the way thru college as best buddies.  He would tell her about other girls and she would pretend to listen, but deep down she kept her real feelings a secret.

When Tom got ready to marry, he confided all of his fears and anguish to her and as usual she listened and offered advice though her heart ached with envy.  When his marriage began to crumble two years later, he again leaned on her shoulder for support, but this time she couldn’t hide her feelings any longer. She decided to confess how her feelings had grown over the years into love, and how she felt maybe his marriage had dissolved because they were destined to be together.

Tom was shocked at first by her confession and his face registered his confusion.  She had been his confidante and his best friend for so many years that her words made no sense to him.  As he stared at her, he knew he loved her, but his love was a platonic love, that held no attraction with it.  No words would come forth as he sat stunned on the couch.  He had gone to her, as he always did with the burden of the moment.

At that moment, he felt not only perplexed and alone, but somehow betrayed.  He turned his eyes away from Barbara as her eyelids drooped in regret.  She had done what she had said she would never do.  Now, their friendship hung in the balance.

She stood and patted his shoulder lightly, as she pulled on her coat to leave.  She was embarrassed and disappointed that she had not gotten the response she hoped for.  He nodded a weak goodbye, as sorrow and loss engulfed his mind simultaneously.  He knew they could no longer be friends with the exposure of her feelings and the knowledge that he couldn’t return her love.  As she walked to her car, tears rolled down her cheeks, as she mourned the loss of her friend and her only love.

Gina & Tony

Gina and Tony’s friendship came about after they met on the tennis court one summer.  They both loved tennis and easily became fast friends.  During the four years they were friends, both of them had introduced each other to various friends, where some had clicked and some had not.

One of Gina’s friends, Angela, really liked Tony, and they dated on and off for awhile.  But Angela would often complain to Gina about how aloof Tony was, which was the direct opposite of the gregarious personality he usually displayed in a group setting. Gina would shrug it off and assume that maybe Tony wasn’t as attracted to Angela, as she was to him.

However, as Angela and Tony continued to date, and Angela continued to complain, Gina decided to gauge Tony’s real interest by asking him about Angela.  They were coming home from a party, and Tony was a little intoxicated.  He stopped the car and looked Gina dead in the eye.  She was stunned by his answer.  He confessed to her that he was only dating Angela because she reminded him of her, and that she was really what he wanted.  He went on to explain that he had not always felt that way, but that he had grown to love her as he got to know her.  As she sat and listened quietly, he told her how he loved her eyes, and her hair…and the way she talked to people.  The more he spoke, the closer he moved toward her in the car.  His voice broke with emotion.

He began to stare straight into her eyes, as she stared back.  Suddenly, out of the blue, Gina  began to feel an attraction to him that she had never felt before.  Before she knew it, he slowly kissed her, and she found herself responding to the kiss.  Suddenly, there was an intense passion between them, and they began to embrace each other feverishly.  When they finally pulled apart from each other, they both felt embarrassed.  Tony restarted the car and they rode home in silence.

That night, Gina couldn’t sleep, and neither could Tony.  At 4:00 a.m, Gina called Tony and told him that after much thought, she had come to realize that she loved him too.  Two months later, they secretly eloped to Mexico, and shocked everyone upon their return with the news that they had gotten married.