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MidReal Story
Lila, who has been in love with the Davidson
Anonymous
Apr 7
Scenario:Lila, who has been in love with the Davidson brothers her whole life, moves back home and contemplates reconnecting with her childhood best friend Ethan, who is now a lawyer.
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I can’t remember a time when I didn’t love the Davidson brothers.
Ethan, my best friend, and James, the older brother, have always been my rock—even after James left to go to college on the other side of the country.
He was my first crush, and he’ll probably be my last.
He’s also the only boy I’ve ever kissed.
Well, if you can call a quick peck on the lips a kiss.
I don’t think he ever thought of me that way even though I was only fifteen and he was eighteen at the time.
But what if he did?
What if he’s not as overprotective as Ethan?
What if he likes me?
What if we could be together?
If Ethan hadn’t broken his promise, I probably wouldn’t have clung to the hope for so long.
But now that I know he was never going to marry me, I can finally move on.
Not that moving back to my small hometown after spending the last decade in a big city is a guarantee that I’ll run into James again.
Or that he’d want anything to do with me if I did.
“I love you so much I’m gonna marry you when you grow up,” Ethan promises as we’re sitting in the back of his dad’s truck on a hot summer night.
We’re ten years old, and I’ve just given him my favorite Hot Wheels car because he didn’t have one like it.
He said he needed it for his collection.
I don’t have one yet, so he tells me he’ll marry me instead as soon as I grow up.
Even though we’re still best friends today, Ethan has yet to make good on his promise.
And now that I know he never will, I can finally let go of the hope that has kept me from moving on all these years.
It’s not like I haven’t had boyfriends or kissed other guys before, but they were never more than a temporary distraction.
I’ve been in love with James for as long as I can remember—so much so that he’s ruined me for all other boys.
I’m going to be thirty next year.
It’s time I got over my first crush.
Even if it feels like I’m losing a part of myself by doing it.
I stare out the window at the small airport as the cab pulls up to the entrance.
It’s been a long time since I was last here.
Not since James left for college.
I remember how Ethan and I used to ride our bikes here when we were kids just so we could watch planes take off and land.
Even though it’s been ten years, everything looks exactly the same.
Except I’m different.
And not just because I’m a grown woman now.
I’m also heartbroken because my boyfriend just broke up with me.
The timing couldn’t be worse.
But I guess there’s never really a good time for someone you love to end things with you.
I needed a fresh start after living in the city for too long and wanted to be closer to my family after losing my grandfather.
Running into Ethan and James again wasn’t part of the plan.
But maybe it’s for the best.
I’m not sure they still live here or what they’re doing with their lives these days.
I know James is an engineer and Ethan works at this airport—that’s all Ethan ever talks about when we talk on the phone once every couple of weeks.
