Unauthorized Love

"I don't want to love her, I dont like what it means for me." "What do you think it means?" "It means I have something— someone to lose again, I can't handle that anymore. Not this time. Never. Again." "She loves you. You know that, right?" "W-what?" "She has been broken every day of her life, but she is willing to put it all behind her for a chance with you. Why can't you?" That seemed to stop him in his tracks. He looked away, deep in thought. How could someone ever love him like that? The way he dreamed of loving someone. "She... she would do that...?" "Correction. She is doing that." He stood silent. Frozen in place. Unable to commandeer the cards given to him. "She cares for you. So suck up that s**t that you went through and try." "I ... I can't. ... I don't know how..." "f**k this shit." He pulled his phone put and started to call someone. "What are you doing," "Getting you a date." "W-what? No! Don't—" He was cut off by a woman answering, his best friend held up one hand, motioning his friend to stop talking as he talked with the woman. Lowering the volume to where he couldn't hear. "Yeah, I'm calling because Blaine's too much of a p***y to call you up and ask you himself. He wants to go on a date with you. Date and time. Go... ... Uh huh. Yeah, you got it. No, they close at 8... That's perfect. They close at 2 A.M. and he loves steaks. Mhm. Yeah. I'll tell him. We will pick you up. Send me your address please. Uh huh. You got it. Bye." He lowered his right hand that was stopping Blaine from talking and lowered his left that was holding his phone. She hung up first. "She says you're eating at this dinner place in her hometown and to dress down." "Ah. She always wanted to go back." "You know the place?" "She talked about it a lot when we were kids." "She must love it, then." "She did." "What happened?" "She got hurt." "By who?" "Her family. You know this." "Oh, that story." "That one."