CHAPTER XIV: THE PLOT THICKENS...PERHAPS? BUT WHICH ONE?

"You didn't know Ryan," I asked Rob later in bed.
"Ecworth? No, why?"
"Well the twins seem to have been very close to him, and Frankie Michaelsen too, not to mention Robert's sons."

"We haven't always been as close as we are now, and don't forget the age difference. They didn't know OUR friends either, nor we theirs. It's also a fairly large school considering the size of the town. (These small-city schools always take in all the kids from the surrounding areas...in this case a lot of the county, so there are a lot of kids). Hard to know them all, sweetie."

"Good point."
"I thought so,"
and he leaned in and kissed my cheek."
"I like that,"
"Yeh?"
"Yeh," and that was that.

I know we are the original odd couple but hey...
I don't know why we don't just get on with it. It is so obvious we love each other as the twins keep reminding me...and yes.

I don't know.
AS USUAL, CLUELESS.
"WITHOUT A CLUE," I thought to myself, as in the 1929 classic song "WITHOUT A SONG," from the Broadway show 'Great Day'".

I just hope I live long enough for SOMETHING to happen. You know, like before Puberty would have been nice...but before Ahlzeimers would be nice too.
But we keep being so afraid to 'push it' I guess and I don't know why. Maybe I should try to find out one of these days. (shivers).

Ok, I know this probably sounds silly but I think buried way down deep in both of us is the overarching fear that for one of us to come out and proclaim our love to the other would be to risk losing what we have. God, is that really possible? But that very possibility is maybe the single biggest reason both of us are afraid to risk it. WE HAVE BEEN TOGETHER AND VIRTUALLY INSEPARABLE SINCE BIRTH, GOOOD GAAAAWD, but then...I guess neither of us is a prime candidate for the RISK TAKERS OLYMPICS. Nope. Nary a daredevil nor a plunger/bungee whooooper around here. But then on the other hand there are the twins, Mean and Ornery, or Push and Shove, or Whine and Whimper. Pampers and Depends...speaking of which, in both instances...
Dylan, Jr aka Whine or Frick or...nm

Earlier in the evening, Rob was doing some reports thing in our home office and I was sitting reading in the Library.

"Dyl?" (from him...standing in the doorway).
"Yep, Jr?" (from me).
"When you two gonna get with the program. I mean it is getting painful to watch. Really is."
"What is?

Yeh, sure.
Ok, so I tried the 'WHO ME' approach knowing full well I would never get away with it. Never do, but worth a shot?

"Don't play that crap with me. I know you two way too well," he snorted.
"So exlain yourself," I countered...hoping he wouldn't and knowing he would.
"You and our Brother," he smirked,
"What about us?"
"That is MY question my dear goofus."
"Nothing.We are best buds, that's all."
"Yeh, and I am a beefsteak tomato on rye with pickles."
Ok, this time I snorted.

"C'MON doofus. You know frigging good and well you two love the fuck out of each other. ALWAYS HAVE, ALWAYS...and you always will too."

I sat...and in truth didn't have a clue what to say.  Of course he was and is right and we both know it, but it is one thing to know something and another thing to do something about it.

Dylan the lesser came over and sat PLOP in my lap. Now that was an unexpected move. LOL.

"Dylan my big dweeb, you two gotta stop with the bullshit and get down to business. MY BROTHER LOVES THE FUCK OUT OF YOU, DYLAN. HE DOES, and you love him..and he needs you...and you need him too. You will never be any good apart. He is your destiny and you are his. Period. The only life the two of you should ever live is together. It's your destiny."

"Ok, I guess if you put it like that..." I thought to myself. God.
I started to...uh, ummmm...nooooo...

I just sat there with him on my lap and our faces so close together I could count his nose hairs, and then I started to mist up. OH FUCK NO!
"It's alright Dyl, Geezus. It is all right. Just tell him. Say it. He wants to hear it. He does."
"I dunno,"and my leaking got worse. No sound, just water running down my cheeks which Dylan was dabbing at with his kleenex.

"It is NOT that simple, Dyl."
"YES IT IS, Goofus."

I moved him off my lap, rather abruptly I might add... and got up and headed to the kitchen.
"Let's make some pizzas."
"OK, but I am not giving up you know."
"Uh, how do I know that," I thought.
and so the tug-of-war with our two hearts and lives commenced.
Stay tuned. This could get interesting.

I almost frenetically got all kinds of busy with the food prep, and of course in no way was that to avoid the obvious. OH HELL NO. Ok, maybe a teench. 

For his part, Dylan let me sputter and avoid and lose myself in pizza and fries stuff, making salads, and all that. I wasn't fooling myself or him, but...at least we would get vittles out of it.

In about 20 minutes, the buzzers went off on the ovens and everything else was done, and I sent Dylan to get Rob and Drew while I took everything to the table.

"Looks good honey," Rob smiled at me, kissing me on the cheek as he did...and everything Dylan had said hit me like a brick.
"Thanks," enjoy...and I headed out to avoid making a fool of myself...with Drew following me as I soon discovered.

"Dyl?"
"Yeh?"
"Dylan told me he was gonna talk to you. You ok?"
Silence filled our bedroom like a large bag of feathers and I honestly didn't know about now...and said so.
I looked at him.
"Not sure to be honest."
"He is right you know."
"Maybe, but..."
"Tell you what, just think about it. Maybe you will see that you are only losing time that you shouldn't be losing," and with that he kissed my cheek and left.

Left me to think, and maybe that isn't such a good idea.

What I didn't know is Rob was getting the same treatment, with the same results pretty much. LOL.

"Rob? Dear brother of ours?"
"Yeh," and Drew plopped himself down on Rob's lap and just sat there staring.
"What?"
"Just wondering."
"About what?"
"About what the fuck is the matter with you?"
"What you mean?"
"I mean, I thought Dylan was bad...our brother I mean, but no. you take the cake."
"I don't get it."
"Got that right, you are about as obtuse as it gets."
"You been rifling the dictionary again? Obtuse?"
"Don't try changing the subject. Won't work. Now, what are you fucking waiting for, Goofus?"
"About what?"
"Dylan, asshole. Dylan. God you are such a 'tard.
Rob, that dude LOVES you lamebrain, loves you like a mofo, and you love him too...even more I think. SO, why doncha get ON with it."

According to the twin in residence, Rob then just sat there, and sat and sat, and then he too began to softly tear up. 
"Dude.."
"I don't know for sure how he...feels?" Drew told his twin he stammered and stuttered.
"What? You can NOT be serious."
Sniffle sniffle..."Yeah, I am."
"Well, HEAR THIS DOOFUS. DYLAN LOVES THE FUCK OUT OF YOU. ALWAYS HAS, ALWAYS WILL...HE will live out eternity loving your sorry UNdeserving ass. Trust me."

I guess the conversation pretty much went on like that for a couple minutes and then Drew left his big brother to mull and ponder and think.

The romantic plot thickens and although neither Rob nor I knew about the twin's conversation with the other, they had set wheels in motion that would prove pretty hard to stop or derail...but then they had been rolling downhill for a very very long time.

But, maybe it is just that some people can be in love without, uh, um, 'doing it.' And, yes, birds fly upside down and rain falls up, and...yeah. Sure they do. Ok, so far we seem to be doing just that, and kinda back of the mind....um, uh...

CONTINUE TO CHAPTER XV: