Monday, March 23, 2009

All About Aaron

This is the story of how I fell for Aaron…

I met Aaron through rugby and at first kind of thought he was a tool: albeit a good looking blue-eyed blond-haired tool, but a tool nevertheless. I met him around the same time I met Kyle. We definitely didn’t hit it off right away. He seemed like a shallow arrogant sort of bastard to me, so I didn’t really engage him at all.

But during the next year (junior year), we started to become friends. We played rugby together (he was a center and I was a fullback), so we had that as our common ground. I started to realized that though Aaron may be a little shallow he also posses some other good (aka attractive) qualities. He is witty, cute, playful, and loyal, all these qualities I highly value.

Although I started to see him as a good friend and valuable person I still wasn’t into him in a romantic way. He had just gotten out of a relationship with a girl and I wanted to respect his straightness. In fact I wouldn’t have fallen for him if it wasn’t for…well… how fucking gay he acted.

After him and his gf broke ties he started hanging out with me a lot more. He’d call me up at weird times and just wanna go on a walk, play some stupid video game, or just hang. I know those are all things straight guys do, but usually straight guys don’t do that exclusively with one person. He would even ditch his friends to chill alone with me. I felt like he was coming on to me. Sometimes he wouldn’t call; he’d just show up at my room unexpectedly. Once I remember I was napping and he just showed up at my room, I woke up when he got there and he was just standing in the doorway. That’s when I think I knew that I had fallen for him.

He was a lot of things that I wanted in a bf: caring, honest, loyal, simple, fun, athletic, humorous, sexy ect. But I swore to myself I wouldn’t fall for him because I ‘knew’ that he was straight. I didn’t want to repeat the same bullshit that went down with Luke. But the way he acted made me reconsider his straightness. I started to fall for him. His persistence broke down the walls to my heart.

I still am convinced that he may be partly bisexual, but just not open about it. I swear I’ve seen him checking guys out. When I have my shirt off I’ll catch him starring at my abs. He’ll ask me if he looks ripped or if he’s got good abs too. He can be cuddly (although I think he tries to hide it). He gets close to me sometimes, or will even hold my hand as a ‘joke’. Is that what straight guys do? If so it’s fucking confusing. I just couldn’t handle that kind of ‘straight’ affection without falling for him.

I would have come out to him if it weren’t for his homophobic comments. I mean he’d use the word gay as insult much like everyone I know does, but he also said some direct things about homosexuality which made me think he thinks it’s unnatural or weird. I only wish he could see how gay he can act…maybe he’s repressing something? I don’t know.

By the time spring came around I was in love with him, but couldn’t tell him, cause I think he’d be creeped out by me (and possibly by himself too). Having to hide my love for him started to cause me pain. I longed to hold him at night, to kiss him, and to be his man, but I couldn’t. I wished more than ever that I could come out (and perhaps that he could too).

Despite my inner turmoil I thoroughly enjoyed being with Aaron. We had a lot of good times together, and did all kinds of stupid juvenile like shit together. The world was whole when I was around him and I didn’t want to loose him.

That’s when he started falling for a girl… just my luck. The more he fell for this girl the less he hung out with me. He’d call her instead of calling me, and would hang with her instead. I felt as though I’d been used as a sort of surrogate girlfriend until Aaron could find a real one…one that he’d feel comfortable kissing and making out with. But this new GF didn’t stop our friendship.

He still interacted with me (and still does), which was even harder for me. I hated watching him hold his gf—I was so jealous of her. But he’d still do the same old things to lead me on and even treat me like a sort of boyfriend at times. Once when I was a little down he said, ‘you’ll always be the boy for me,’—partly kidding, but partly serious. In some ways he had the best of both worlds: a gf to make out with and me to still be his man crush.

My love for him reached its height at the end of junior year. He was having some hard times at home and wanted to stay away from his fam. I think he also wanted to be nearer to his gf (who lives by me). He didn’t have any where to stay, so I offered my house to him… perhaps a bad idea for me.

He ended up staying there for two and a half weeks. I had a bunk bed in my room so we both slept there. It’s not like I planned for him to stay at my house or for him to be sleeping in my room, it just kind of happened that way.

We ended up working a temporary dry wall job together. We both had some experience, so we were hired by a contractor for a job. Needless to say we spent shitloads of time together: working, driving, eating, sleeping, ect. The only time we seemed to spend around other people was when we’d go over to his girlfriend’s, who lives on a lake, to do fun shit…you know like drink, boat, swim jet ski, sail (yeah she’s f***ing loaded).

All in all it was a really fun time. I kind of got comfortable around him and just let myself feel whatever I felt around him. Of course I didn’t come out to him, but I didn’t exactly stop myself from falling for him either (bad spot to be in). Our time together was good, and I still like to think that we make good companions: I’m a little wiser and he’s shallow, but I bring out surprising depth in him: he’s more playful and I can be too serious, so he helps me have a fun time… I could go on, but I won’t. Anyways I fell more and more for him everyday.

Eventually he had to go back home to deal with some shit, and he lives about 18 hrs away, so I wouldn’t see him the rest of the summer. I was sad he was leaving but knew he had to. The night before he left we were just sitting there talking. We talked about how much he was gonna miss his gf and all his friends here and then I said I’d miss him too.

After talking for a while out of nowhere he asks me, “So Jordo, can I come in bed with you?” I think I pissed myself right then. I was like, “I guess if you want to.” Then he said in a joking sort of way, “gross.” Not in a mean way, just like in the way straight guys joke about being gay. We laughed it off and then he eventually fell asleep.

But I couldn’t sleep for several hours that night. I went downstairs and played guitar for a while, sang some love songs and cried a bit (sappy, I know…). I was mourning the fact that he’d be out of my life for the summer, but even more so I was mourning my unexpressed love. I don’t think he will ever know how much he meant to me. I wish so much that he had come down to my bed so that I could have held him and given him the physical attention I longed to. I wished so much that he would be a little less homophobic, or a little more gay… but things just didn’t turn out my way. I had fallen in love only to loose the one I cared for.

The next morning he left for the summer. At first we talked a fair amount over the internet, but then things died down…long distance anything just sucks

When I saw him again it was at a party at the beginning of the school year. I got there late so he was wasted. He seemed pretty excited to see me… in fact he almost kissed me until his gf dissuaded him (damn gf!). I just think its cause he was drunk.

But things weren’t really the same again. He and his gf had gotten closer cause she visited him for a while. I was pushed further out of the center of his life. We’re still friends and still hang out a fair bit (so you’ll hear more about him in this blog), and I still have a small crush on him but it just isn’t the same. Now I know things could never happen with us. He’s straight, perhaps bi, but has chosen his gf. I’m happy that he knows what he wants now, I just wish that I’d fall in love with someone who could love me back…

So yeah that’s my latest romance. I still haven’t had my love returned and I still haven’t been kissed, super lame I know… Maybe someday.

Jordan

7 comments:

naturgesetz said...

Wow!

I've had several straight friends that I've been in love with, but they've never come on to me like that. It was hard enough keeping my feelings to myself. I can't imagine how much more difficult it would have been if they had been like Aaron. But I was happy to have their friendship. If you can enjoy Aaron's friendship for what it's worth and accept that it will not be more, it might be a good thing to hold on to. Good friends are worth having.

Anonymous said...

Damn...

You poor bastard, thats a rough experience.

I know around my straight buddies I acted gay sometimes (guess why,) but I knew I could hide it in a joking manner, so you could have been that actual outlet for him...

Trust dude, he loved you back, just not the way he was comfortable in... I'm sure not all of my friends are straight, and I've acted the same way aaron did, perhaps I was the tease? Maybe I had a gay friend that "loved" me and I was too secure to react... I'll never know.

Keep your head up tho, I always say that there is someone out there for everyone, so hopefully you'll have another love come into your life...

LOL, i'm still waiting tho...

Anonymous said...

No, it's not lame. Things happen when they do man, and this guy doesn't seem to be nearly the right one. Whatever his hangups are, he's got them. And you don't want to be entangled with that. Not romantically.

I'm glad you feel comfortable opening up here, Jordan. We're all excited to see what happens in your life, and I'm sure we all have high hopes for you (whether or not Aaron is involved).

Jordan said...

Natur--
yeah i do value him as a friend still, but it's hard because i can't exactly be open with him. But i think i'll always care for him.

and Randy, you're right he does love me and is bad at expressing it. he's bad at expressing his feelings in general... which is too bad because i think he's got a lot of pent up feelings. I guess i'll never really know how he felt towards me.

and yeah he isn't the right one. Mainly cause he's got a gf and actually likes her. don't worry i'm not entangled romantically in him, at least anymore.

and thanks for the encouragment James, i hope that in time your high hopes for me are realized.

Anonymous said...

Hey Jordo

Sorry I'm a bit late.

It's really rough when you love someone and they don't love you back. It's potentially even worse when you think they love you back but things are holding them back.

There are some positives of course - the more you know about who you fall in love with, the more you know where and how to look for them and what qualities you're looking for. Also, of course, you had and still have a good friendship with him, as much as it has hurt you.

And who knows - maybe some day he will come back to you and tell you held him up in a tough time in his life when he was depressed and anxious about his sexuality, as well as all the other shit that was going on. And you just being there and being cool with him whatever helped him through. You never really know the effect you've had on people.

All that doesn't help to mend a broken heart, but you're doing all the right stuff, talking about it with us. As Randy said, there will be someone, somewhere (*waves* over here! over here! ;)) for you, and someone who hopefully doesn't have the same hang-ups.

Kia kaha my friend
~kiwi

Anonymous said...

Hey man,
I just wanted to comment that I can relate to a couple of experiences you've talked about. I also started to realize I was gay after I found myself falling for a close friend. I knew in the back of my head that I felt more for him than he did me, but I didn't quite put the pieces together until after I had been hurt over and over again. Pretty damn rough.
But even worse was my version of Aaron, mostly because I broke down and told him what the hell was going on (we were living together in an apartment last summer). I was also pretty sure/hopeful that he was at least bi, but he ended up freaking out and the friendship pretty much collapsed. It made for a very crappy rest of the summer.

And so, yeah, close friendships with straightish guys can sure be a bitch. Not sure if I'll ever quite figure that one out.

I'm also graduating from college this semester. Cheers to moving on to the real world and finding that caring, honest, loyal, etc. guy that's gay...and totally comfortable with it.

Deadwing said...

The way you described your feelings for Aaron sounds exactly how i feel for Eric. Although i have never heard Eric utter a single homophobic comment, and he does seem to be really sensitive, caring and open minded, i am scared he would be "creeped out" by me if i came out to him. I am terrified that he will learn just how much he means to me. Some of the things he says and does lead me to think he might be bi, but he does have a girlfriend.

As you said, i wish i could fall in love with someone who is capable of returning my love. I haven't had my love returned or been kissed either. I'm starting to wonder if i ever will. You have my sympathies, my friend. I'm sure there is someone out there for both of us. It's just a matter of finding him.