training wheels. // evan 'buck' buckley

x. between the lines

buck took a step back, watching as i seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. he laughed quietly at my expression. "you realize you barely did any work, right?" he teased, a smirk tugging at the corners of his lips.

"shut up," i muttered, jabbing him with your elbow as i picked up my water bottle. i figured i could relax a little now that the work was done. buck would probably leave soon, and then i could hang out with Eddie like usual.

buck reached for his keys, ready to head out after a long day. he glanced at me as he made his way to the door. "you staying?" he asked casually, gesturing to the couch where i was about to sit.

i nodded, smiling slightly. "yep. see you later, buckley."

"yeah, see ya," he gave eddie a nod and a quick goodbye before heading out the door. as soon as he was gone, eddie turned to me, his suspicions clearly piqued by the way i had been acting around buck.

"what?" i asked, feigning innocence as i plopped down on the couch. i had no idea that eddie had picked up on my feelings for buck, feelings i thought i had hidden so well.

eddie sat down next to me, a small smirk playing on his lips as he turned to face me. he didn't waste any time getting to the point. "you're really into buck, aren't you?"

my expression immediately dropped, and i tried not to look panicked. "what? no. of course not."

but eddie wasn't buying it. he tilted his head, raising an eyebrow as he studied my reaction. "stop lying to me. you're into him."

i tried to defend myself, though it felt like a losing battle. "no i'm not," i insisted. "he's with taylor!"

eddie scoffed, shaking his head. "you realize that's not going to make your little crush on him go away, right? that's not how it works."

i slunk down into the couch, feeling exposed and embarrassed. eddie was just amused by my behavior, finding it endearing in a way that only made me feel worse. "shut up," i mumbled.

he chuckled, clearly enjoying my discomfort. "so, what? you're just going to suffer silently and keep your mouth shut because he's with taylor?"

i tried to give him my most serious look, but it didn't come out as stern as i'd hoped. "yes."

eddie shook his head, knowing that my attempt at seriousness wasn't fooling anyone, least of all him. he gave me a look of disbelief, his amusement never wavering. "you know he won't be with taylor forever, right?"

i rolled my eyes, finally letting out a small, exasperated sigh. "she's a jerk."

eddie let out another laugh, clearly amused by my comment. but there was a seriousness in his eyes now, a protective instinct that i had come to expect from him. "you deserve better than to sit around pining for someone who's taken," he said softly.

i knew he was right, but that didn't make it any easier. i had tried so hard to push my feelings aside, to focus on the friendship i had with buck and nothing more. but the truth was, it was getting harder and harder to ignore how i felt.

the two of us fell into a comfortable silence, the weight of the conversation hanging in the air. i appreciated eddie's concern, but i weren't ready to do anything about my feelings just yet. maybe someday, but not now.

for now, i were content to sit on the couch with eddie, knowing that at least i had someone who understood, someone who had my back no matter what. and that was enough - at least for the moment.

the next few days passed by in a blur, with me doing my best to avoid thinking about the conversation with eddie. i threw yourself into work, hanging out with friends. but no matter how busy i tried to make myself, i couldn't shake the lingering thoughts of buck.

it didn't help that i saw him nearly every day. whether it was at the firehouse, at eddie's place, or even just running into him around town, he was always there. and every time i saw him, those feelings i tried so hard to ignore would bubble up to the surface.

one afternoon, i found yourself at eddie's apartment again. christopher was at a friend's house for the day, so it was just the two of us. we were both lounging on the couch, watching some random movie that neither of us were particularly interested in. it was just background noise, really - an excuse to spend time together without having to talk about anything serious.

but as the credits started to roll, eddie turned to me, his expression thoughtful. "you know," he began, "if you ever want to talk about buck, i'm here."

i sighed, knowing that this conversation was inevitable. "there's nothing to talk about," i replied, though i knew eddie wouldn't let me off the hook that easily.

he gave me a skeptical look. "come on, you can't tell me you don't feel anything when you're around him."

i hesitated, my gaze drifting to the floor. "it's complicated," i finally admitted. "he's with taylor, and i don’t want to be the person who breaks up a relationship. i know how that feels."

eddie's expression softened, a mix of empathy and frustration crossing his face. "you’re not trying to break them up. tou’re just trying to deal with your own feelings. it’s not easy, but you don’t have to go through it alone."

i looked up, meeting his gaze. "i don’t know what to do, eddie. it feels like every time i try to push these feelings aside, they just come back stronger."

eddie nodded, understanding. "it’s normal to feel that way. but you should focus on what makes you happy. buck’s a great guy, but you can’t let him be the center of your world. especially when he’s with someone else."

the honesty in his words was both comforting and painful. i appreciated his support, but the thought of moving on from my feelings for buck was daunting.

"yeah, i know," i said softly. "i just need to figure out how to move forward."

eddie reached out and gave my shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "and you will. just take it one day at a time. and remember, you’re not alone in this. you’ve got friends who care about you."

i smiled weakly, feeling a bit more hopeful. "thanks, eddie. it means a lot to hear that."

he smiled back, and the two of us settled into a comfortable silence, the weight of the conversation lifting just a little.

later that evening, as i prepared to head out, eddie gave me one last piece of advice. "keep being yourself, and the right things will fall into place. you’re amazing, and anyone would be lucky to have you in their life."

i nodded, feeling a bit more reassured. "i’ll try. thanks for being here for me."

eddie watched me go with a mixture of concern and hope. he knew that dealing with unspoken feelings was never easy, but he trusted that i would find my way.

as i left eddie’s apartment, the night air felt a little less heavy. the conversation with eddie had given me a new perspective, and though the path forward was still uncertain, i felt a bit more prepared to face it. the feelings i had for buck might not disappear overnight, but with time and the support of friends like eddie, i knew i could find a way to navigate through them.

2037 words.