Westlife Romance - Part 50
For a moment, Nicky could not think of anything to say. He was still trying to absorb Shane's revelation, wondering whether he heard right or not.
Shane looked at Nicky's reaction and he felt totally ashamed of himself. "How could I have been so stupid?" he asked himself.
"How long did you know about it?" Nicky finally managed to ask. He tried to keep his rising anger in control. He had to listen to Shane's side of the story first before reacting, he kept telling himself.
"Kian promised me that he would stop after I confronted him..." Shane answered without looking at Nicky. He felt so terrible, feeling that he had taken advantage of the trust that Nicky had placed in him.
Nicky watery eyes threatened to spill over, but he forced himself to remain strong. He had worked so hard to get back from the depths of despair and self-pity, he couldn't let himself fall back again. With that thought in mind, Nicky looked at Shane before hugging him.
This reaction was one that Shane did not expect. But when Nicky hugged him, Shane could no longer keep his emotions in check. He sobbed like a child, trembling as he sobbed. "I'm so sorry, Nicky. I'm so sorry..." he kept saying amidst his tears.
Nicky held Shane tight, reassuring the younger lad. "It's okay, Shane. It's all in the past already."
Despite Nicky's forgiving attitude, Shane was much harder on himself. He refused to let himself off so easily. Guilt tormented him and its grip on him was harder than ever. "No, Nicky...I betrayed you...I betrayed you, Nicky..."
Despite not saying it, Nicky was deeply hurt by Shane's actions. He did in fact feel betrayed. But at the same time, he could understand why Shane did what he did. He looked at Shane in the eye and smiled. "You were put in a bad position, Shane. You didn't really have much of a choice."
"I did, Nix...I just picked the wrong choice..."
"Kian is your best friend," Nicky reasoned.
"That doesn't excuse me from doing what I did..."
"No, it doesn't...but at least it explains why you did what you did," Nicky continued. "But like I said, it's all in the past...so please, don't let it torment you like this anymore."
Shane again saw Nicky in a new light. He had so much to learn from his friend. He still found it hard to believe how kind Nicky was being to him despite all that he had done. "Nicky...I'm so sorry for what I did..."
Nicky squeezed Shane's hand and smiled. "Friends again?"
Shane couldn't help but smile even though tears still trickled down his face. "Friends always..."
The two lads hugged again, happy to have resolved their differences. For the next few minutes, they sat in comfortable silence, each contemplating the events that have occurred.
"Nicky?" Shane finally asked.
"Yeah?"
"How do you do it?"
"Do what?"
"How could you be so forgiving?"
Nicky smiled at Shane. "Seriously, I was really hurt when you told me. But then I asked myself what I would have done if I was in your position, and I seriously could not say that I wouldn't have done what you did."
Shane smiled and admired his friend for his maturity and understanding. It was surely something that he had to learn.
"Shane, listen to me," Nicky continued. "The bond that you and Kian have is something very special. Don't let this incident destroy that."
It was then that Shane realized he had never told Nicky about his true feelings for Kian. He decided that it was now or never. "Nicky, there is something else that I have to tell you..."
"What is it?" Nicky answered with a smile. "It certainly can't be any worse than what you told me earlier!!" he joked.
"Well...that depends on how you look at it," Shane said softly.
Nicky could sense that Shane was serious and quickly wiped that smile off of his face. "What is it, Shane?"
"Well...how should I say this..." Shane hesitated. "What I want to say is that what I feel for Kian is beyond friendship..."
"What exactly are you saying?"
"What I am saying is that I think I have feelings for Kian..."
Nicky stared at Shane. "You WHAT???"
...to be continued....