In the days following their coffee meeting, Ray thought about Leah more than he wanted to admit. The idea of being friends seemed both appealing and terrifying. Could he just switch off the feelings he had for her? Could they start over as something new?
They exchanged texts here and there, nothing too deep or emotional, just casual conversations about their lives. But every time his phone buzzed with a message from her, Ray felt that familiar flutter in his chest—the one that told him he wasn't over her, not entirely. It was frustrating, trying to separate his feelings from their new "friendship." He wanted to be close to her, to keep her in his life, but it was becoming harder to ignore the way his heart still leaped at the sound of her voice. Every interaction felt like a test like he was walking a tightrope between the past and the present, trying not to fall.
Tyler noticed the change in Ray almost immediately. They had been spending more time together since the breakup, and Ray had been open about his struggles with moving on. But now, with Leah back in the picture, Tyler couldn't help but voice his concerns.
"Dude, are you seriously considering this?" Tyler asked one evening as they sat in Ray's apartment, beers in hand. "I mean, you've made a lot of progress. Are you ready to open that door again?" "You're playing with fire, man," Tyler said as they sat in Ray's apartment. "I get that you want to stay friends, but this isn't going to end well."
Ray sighed, leaning back on the couch while running a hand through his hair. "I know, but I can't just cut her out of my life completely. I don't want to lose her. "Part of me wants to stay in her life, but another part of me knows that it's going to be hard. I'm not sure if I can handle just being friends."
Tyler nodded, taking a sip of his beer. "I get that," Tyler replied, his tone sympathetic. "But you're going to hurt yourself if you're not careful. You can't just turn off your feelings because you've decided to be friends. "It's a slippery slope, man. You could end up right back where you started."
Ray knew Tyler was right. The truth was, he didn't know how to be friends with Leah without falling back into old patterns. Every time they talked, every time they met up, it felt like he was holding his breath, waiting for something to go wrong. They met for coffee a few more times and had lunch once or twice. Each time, Ray told himself that he was strong enough to handle it, that he could keep his feelings in check. But deep down, he knew that he was lying to himself.
The lines between love and friendship were blurry, especially when there were unresolved feelings involved and Ray wasn't sure where they stood. All he knew was that he wasn't ready to lose Leah again—not yet and completely cutting Leah out of his life felt wrong, too.
"I think I just need to be careful," Ray said after a long pause. "Maybe we can take it slow, and see how it goes."
Tyler gave him a skeptical look. "Just make sure you're protecting yourself. You've been through enough already."