It's Not The Same Without Salt

"Isn't he such a hard worker?"
"..."
"Pepper?-
"You know, I have no idea why you're like, interested in Oj." She says in a harsh tone.
"What do you mean Pepper? He's like, the perfect guy!"
"Well, I just don't understand! You don't like anything that he likes at all! He's never looked at you like he's ever liked you either."
"Of course Oj likes me Pepper! Everyone likes me!"
"Yeah, but not in that way. Sometimes, I think he's like, totally not into you at all."
"Well, he took me out yesterday! That's proof enough that he likes me!"
"Did you shop together at all?" She crosses her legs on the couch, I can feel her gaze on me and it's starting to make me nervous.
"Well, no, but that's only because YOU kept interrupting us! Why do you always have to like, barge into things like that Pepper? You've been doing it from the very beginning of our relationship!"
"I wasn't barging in, you were the one pushing me away!"
Why you-
"Salt! Pepper! Quit it right now!"
"Soap?" We both exclaim.
"Surely there can be a solution to all of this bickering, you're just too caught up in yourselves to see it! Try to imagine being in the other persons shoes and think about what they are feeling! Take it from me, cleaning controlled my life because I let it and it blinded me from seeing how it was affecting everyone else! Now scrub up your act and go talk about this privately! I want to watch the Daily Dishes."
"Is that like, a cooking show?" Pepper asks.
"No, it's a dish-washing show, you should binge the episodes with me sometime! Maybe right no-
"Um, sorry Soap but we don't really have time to watch TV right now Hahahaha...." Pepper takes my hand in hers and sprints to my room down the hall.
Maybe it's the adrenaline from running so fast to my room kicking in but I think these are what the butterflies that romance novels and movies talk about. I kind of miss her hand in mine when we reach the door.
She looks at me funny.
"What?"
"Um... The room key?"
Oh yeah, I forgot she can't force herself into rooms anymore.
"Right." It takes a certain trick to get the door open, You put the key in, turn the handle left right left, and then push as hard as you can. It really is a hassle.
After I get the door open we sit down on my bed and it's silent for a while until Pepper speaks up.
"I'll try to see things from your point of view if you at least try to see them from mine."
"Um... Okay" I tell her.
She thinks for a minute about a question she could ask me when she finally perks up and starts to speak.
"Give me one thing you like about Oj Salty Salt."
"Well that's easy given I'm his girlfriend!" I pause for a bit. What do I like about Oj? Oh right, his physique!
"Well he's just so hot Pepper! The way his orange juice moves around in his glass... I could watch it all day!"
"So you just like to look at him?"
"Like, yeah, basically."
"Literally nothing else?"
"No, he's like, suuuuper boring and never wants to do anything with me!"
"Then why do you even like, date him?"
"I don't know Pepper! To feel validated and better than everyone else? I mean think about it! When you have a good, nice, hardworking man in your life objects treat you differently. I mean, just yesterday Trophy was going to steal the beach chair from me but I simply flexed that was Oj's girlfriend and he backed away! I don't want that privelege to be taken away from me Pepper! Plus, I like spending time with him in a friend way so it shouldn't matter if I don't see him in a romantic way right? I mean, I used to like him romantically when I knew that I would never be able to be with him, but now that I am it's not really what I want, you know? I thought I could change him into someone I wanted but I can't. I feel like I owe him something for being such a terrible girlfriend to him."
I put my head in my hands.
"Yeah, I think I understand what you mean by that Salty Salt." She scoots closer to me on the bed. "You don't want to stop dating him because you feel like it's the right thing to do after liking him all of these years, and even though you don't really want to be with him anymore, you want others to treat you with some respect since you're Oj's girlfriend."
"Yes, exactly Pepper!"
"Oj shouldn't be the one to validate you though Salty Salt, you're always valid just by being you!"
"Well, you're right I AM amazing! What about you though? I'd like to hear why you keep following me around."
I cross my legs, this better be good.
"It's just... ever since you two have been dating I've felt like a third wheel to you. You hang out all the time with him instead of me!" She sighs. "I just wanted to change you for so long! I was wishing that one day you would suddenly just drop Oj, thinking that could force my hand when I really couldn't. Now that I know you don't really like him though it's comforting in a way, cause I've always wanted to be your number one."
"Awwwwweee Pepper! Of course your my number one! You're my BCFF! (best condiment friend forever!)"
She looks at me like I just told her that I just got ran over by a bus.
"Hey, what's with the look Pepper?"
"Nothing Salty Salt, as long as you're happy, I'm happy."
"Oh okay then!"
I pull her into a hug
"Thank you so much Pepper! I'm glad we had this little talk!"
"Like, same!"
"..."
"Um... Are you going to let go anytime soon Salty Salt?"
"No" I smile and hug her even harder.