November 26th. Sunday, 5:48 PM.

"Can I tell you guys something?"

"What?"

"I have a problem, and I can't find a solution".

Lucas, David and Benjamin were at a cafe. They were together as they agreed to help each other with some homework and an assignment. Their other three friends had other things to do, so they skipped this meet-up session.

"Is it a serious problem?" David asked, putting his pen down.

"It's not seeeeerious, but it's been on my mind a lot".

"So it's bothering you?" Benjamin asked, sitting up.

"Yeah", Lucas replied. "I don't mind telling you two because I feel like you two will understand. The other three wouldn't get it".

"Okay?" David was confused about what was happening.

"Don't laugh. I'm not joking. I've been thinking about this problem a lot", Lucas told them, gathering the courage to let it out.

Benjamin quickly smiled and looked down to prepare himself. David bit his tongue to prepare himself.

"I like two girls, and I don't know who to pick".

"Tch", Benjamin leaned back in his seat, disappointed.

"Tch", David picked his pen back up, disappointed.

The problem wasn't funny or serious. To the two of them, this was a regular problem for Lucas. It wasn't even a problem, it's just stupid.

"Guys, guys. It's not a joke. This situation is really bothering me", Lucas said, trying to pick their attention back up.

"It sounds like a normal everyday problem for you", David replied, returning to writing in his textbook.

"This time is different", Lucas desperately said, leaning forward.

"You used to say that all the time in the voice call when we were playing games", Benjamin said, looking at his assignment on his tablet.

"Those times, it was my fault. I was young. I wasn't mature", Lucas replied, lifting his hands.

"You legit had the same problem like a year ago. I remember the exact party chat we were in. Me and Ray were having a 1v1 snipers only, and I couldn't concentrate because the rest of you were talking about your problem", Benjamin said. "I lost that 1v1 because of you. I'll never forget that". That still hurts him to this day.

"One year is a long time. I've changed, even you can see that", Lucas replied, trying to bring them back.

"Clearly, you haven't. You're having the same problem", David said, not looking at him.

Lucas rolled his eyes and sulked. "I thought you two would understand. Malakai would take the piss, William would be an idiot about it, and Ray would be clueless. You two are my only hope for romantic advice". Lucas rested his head on the table, upset thinking he had blown it.

David looked at Lucas moping. He sighed and put his pen down again. "Go on. Explain your problem".

"You said you don't wanna hear it. Why are you asking now?" Lucas asked, still with his head down on the table.

David stared straight-faced at him. "Do you want me to listen or not?"

Lucas lifted his head a little and saw David's straight face. He then looked to Benjamin, who was leant back in his seat.

"I'm listening. The problems bothering you, so I'm all ears", Benjamin said, slightly unconvincingly.

"I don't like how both of you are forcing yourselves. You're not going to listen properly", Lucas said, seeing their unwilling body language.

David went to pick up his pen, and Benjamin pulled out his phone.

"Okay, okay, fine, I'll tell you", Lucas quickly said, lifting his head fully before David and Benjamin decided not to listen to him. "Thank you for hearing me out. I appreciate it".

David and Benjamin took a comfortable position in their seats, waiting for the start of the counselling session.

"Erm, this problem's been bugging me for a few weeks. There's these two girls. One is called Jessica, and she is in 1-D, and the other is called Elizabeth, and she is in 1-A. I like them both, and I don't know who to choose to go out with", Lucas said, explaining his problem.

David and Benjamin looked at him with a blank face.

"You need to give us more than that", Benjamin said.

"But that's all there is to it", Lucas replied, wanting a solution.

"How can we help then?" Benjamin asked, unsure of what Lucas wanted.

"Give me advice. I don't know what to do", Lucas replied, unsure of what Benjamin wanted.

"Ben's right, you need to give us more info", David said.

Lucas was caught on his words. He didn't know what to say next. What else could he say?

Benjamin could see he was struggling. "Which girl do you like more?" he asked.

"I like them both", Lucas replied.

"Surely you like one more than the other", David said. "Who pops into your head first?"

"Both of them".

"Son of a", Benjamin sighed. He couldn't be bothered. He sat forward in his seat. "Before you choose of one them. Do they like you?"

"Yes. It's clear they like me. I don't initiate most of our conversations or invitations to hang out", Lucas replied.

"Do these girls know you are hanging out with the other?" David asked.

"No. Well, I don't think so", Lucas replied, scratching his head and raising an eyebrow.

David and Benjamin looked at each other. In truth, neither of them had any good advice or solution. They didn't know what to tell him. What solution would be suitable?

"I don't wanna be a dick, but they probably just like your looks", Benjamin bluntly said.

"I don't wanna be douce, but it's obvious", Lucas replied, acknowledging what he said.

"Why are you wasting your time if you know they're using you?" Benjamin asked.

"At first, I had no interest in dating either of them, but after getting to know both of them. I can't help it. Besides, looks are what make relationships start. If someone likes how someone else looks, they would want to get to know them", Lucas replied.

"Not all the time", David said.

"Most of the time", Lucas pettily replied.

The conversation was going nowhere, leading Lucas to devise his own solution.

"Maybe I should date both of them".

"Like two-timing?" Benjamin asked.

"No, like a polyamorous relationship".

Benjamin and David looked at each other, both thinking that Lucas might be too far gone.

"It's not only up to you. They have to agree as well", David said.

"I could ask them", Lucas shamelessly replied.

"LU! Be serious", Benjamin sternly told him.

Lucas slumped back in his chair and looked up at the ceiling after being told off.

David looked at him like he was hopeless. "What we're planning to do?"

Lucas took a few seconds to reply. "I was thinking I could continue hanging out with them, but they keep asking to hang out more and more. It's getting harder to handle".

"You're already two-timing?" Benjamin said in disbelief.

"I'm not. I haven't slept with either of them", Lucas replied, looking at Benjamin to defend himself.

"That's... actually surprising", Benjamin said with a shocked look in his eyes.

"I told you, this time is different. I care about them both", Lucas convincingly replied, looking at them.

David sat up from his leant back position. "I'm not an expert on love, but the only solution I can think of is to get to know them more and see who you're more compatible with".

"Then what?"

"What do you mean then what? After getting to know them better, you should like one more than the other. Then you go out with that girl", David replied.

"What will happen to the other girl?" Lucas slowly asked.

David rolled his eyes.

"Tsk, Lu stop being an idiot. The girl you don't pick will continue with her life", Benjamin replied, slightly annoyed at how Lucas was acting. "Her life doesn't revolve around you, she'll find someone else", he told him the hard truth.

Lucas covered his face with his hands. "Ahhh!" he said in frustration. "Why am I feeling like this?"

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

"Bro, it's because you like them", Benjamin said. "Grow a strong attachment to one of them, and your feelings for the other one will die down".

"I don't see that happening", Lucas replied, shaking his head and not believing it.

"Lu, you can't have everything you want in life, but you can feel like you have everything you want with the right person", David told him.

Lucas didn't want to hear a life-changing quote right now. He just wanted a solution he would like. Lucas rested his head on the table again, covered his face and mumbled,

"Why do I have to choose?".

9:41 PM

"I forgot to tell you something".

"What?"

"I think Maria likes you".

"Cough, cough, cough", Lorenzo choked on his food. "Cough. What did you say?"

"I think Maria likes you", Ryan repeated.

"Maria Rodriguez in 1-C?" Lorenzo asked.

"Yeah", Ryan confirmed.

Lorenzo finished chewing his food properly. "What are you talking about? Who told you that? Did she say it herself?" he quickly questioned.

"She didn't directly say she liked you, but she was asking about you", Ryan replied, taking a seat opposite Lorenzo. "She was my partner for the last challenge".

"That doesn't mean she likes me", Lorenzo said, disappointedly shaking his head.

"She was interested enough to ask questions about you".

That caught his attention. Lorenzo was slightly worried. No one had ever asked about him. "What did she ask?"

Ryan had to jog back his memory. "She asked how you were as a person. She said she tried talking to you when she was on your team, but you kept ignoring her".

After Lorenzo heard that, it felt like his heart dropped. He felt let down as if he had missed an opportunity. He remembered the times Maria tried to start a conversation with him, and he'd reply rudely. "Did she really want to talk to me?" he thought.

"I… didn't feel like talking that day", he said, looking down at his plate.

"You don't feel like talking any day", Ryan replied, looking at him with a slight smile, seeing hints of regret in his eyes.

"What else did she ask?" Lorenzo asked, wanting to know every detail.

Ryan scratched his head, trying to remember. "She asked me how we became friends".

It was like a wave hit Lorenzo. "You told her how I used to be!" Lorenzo anxiously said, quickly raising his head to look at him.

"Y-yeah. I had to. It's an important part of how we met", Ryan replied, surprised by his reaction. This was the first time he had seen Lorenzo act like that.

Lorenzo's shoulders slumped, and he hung his head. Ryan saw an upset Lorenzo in front of him. He'd never seen Lorenzo this upset. Lorenzo and upset barely go in the same sentence, so seeing this was rare.

"Lorenzo, you don't have to worry. She didn't judge you. If anything, I think that made her more interested in you", Ryan worriedly said, trying to cheer him up. He didn't know how to act. Seeing Lorenzo, who was always calm and composed, panic like this was something new.

Lorenzo took a few seconds to answer. "No, it's not your fault. I can't hide from my past. I just regret not talking to her that day", he weakly replied. "She was trying to be nice, and I shrugged her off".

"Calm down. I told her not to hold it against you. I said you're not the best with strangers", Ryan said. "She's still interested in you".

"How do you know that? She might be getting close to me to get closer to you", Lorenzo replied. His past experiences with girls came back to mind.

"I was right next to her. She didn't ask questions about me, she didn't ask for my number, she didn't try anything. She asked questions about YOU, Lorenzo", Ryan said, encouraging him. Trying to build his confidence.

Lorenzo looked at him, feeling conflicted. It was too good to be true. In truth, he didn't know how to feel. Should he believe it or not?

"Lorenzo, you need to stay calm", Ryan told him. "You attracted Maria by being yourself".

"But I was rude to her", Lorenzo replied.

"Yes, and that made her curious about you. Some girls like that. They like guys who push people away. It makes them want to come closer and see why they push people away", Ryan said. "You've done the first bit. You've caught her interest. Now you have to keep her interested".

Lorenzo had no knowledge about romance. What Ryan was telling him was new information to him. He didn't even mean to attract Maria, but Ryan told him he somehow did it. It didn't make sense to him.

"Be yourself. Don't get too excited, and don't be too nervous around her", Ryan said. "That's the best advice I can give you".

"What happens if myself isn't good enough?" Lorenzo asked, not believing in himself.

"It will be. I know how interesting you are. It's about time other people found out", Ryan encouraged him.

Lorenzo reflected on himself. This was the first time he properly looked at himself. He was a moody guy who was always on his phone. That's when it hit him.

"How am I interesting? All I do is scroll through my phone", Lorenzo said, slightly scared at his personality and characteristics.

"Yet, we always have something to talk about", Ryan replied.

"But it's always you that is carrying the conversation".

"Because you can't be bothered to talk about what you want to talk about".

Lorenzo was stuck on his words. He couldn't argue back because it was true.

"Lorenzo, when you're on your phone, you're doing a lot of things. It's not like you're playing the same game", Ryan said. "I've seen you read online books, watching stuff, playing games and puzzles. You've got a lot to talk about and keep her interested. I'm sure you know a lot of interesting things because you've read about them. The things you find interesting, she might find interesting too".

Lorenzo wasn't too convinced, and it showed on his face.

Ryan stood up from his seat. "You'll be fine. I'm sure you'll figure it out. You're underestimating yourself. If you tried harder, who knows what you could do?" he said. Ryan started walking away, "If the opportunity comes, give it your all. It will be more than enough".

Lorenzo sat there and took in the words that were said to him. It was weird. This was the first time he felt like this. He didn't know how to act. This was the first time a girl had asked about him. In the past, girls had approached Lorenzo, but they only did that to get closer to Ryan. He learnt that after a girl approached him and talked to him in high school a few days after becoming Ryan's friend. The first girl to ever approach him. The girl entertained Lorenzo for a few days and eventually asked for Ryan's number. Lorenzo gave her Ryan's number, not thinking much of it, but after he did that. The girl stopped talking to him. His first and last painful lesson. After that, Lorenzo didn't care. Any girl that was nice to him, he would shut them down. He didn't want to be used again.

But this time, a girl asked questions about him. A girl was curious about him. Not just any girl either, arguably the prettiest girl at the academy. Lorenzo almost didn't believe it. Was Ryan lying? He can't be. He has no reason to lie. Why would Ryan lie to him?

Lorenzo knew nothing about love or relationships. How was he going to get with Maria? A lot of emotions swirled up in Lorenzo. Happiness, anxiety, excitement, and other feelings he didn't know how to describe. It was the first time he'd felt like this. All this time, he was fine being alone. He had Ryan as a friend, and that was all he needed. But now the opportunity to be with someone has arisen. Someone he would never imagine to be with. Someone he wouldn't mind being with. Someone he'd liked to be with. He couldn't sit around and wait for it. He had to chase it, but he couldn't do that by the way he is now. He had to change.

Lorenzo wanted to change.