As promised. ;)

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An hour later after Peter, Karl, and Jen finished their Thanksgiving dinner in New Jersey, Jen and Karl were talking and laughing outside the bay view.

All of a sudden, the smile on Jen's face disappeared. She looked at her feet and smiled. “I'm starting to like Peter,” she said.

Karl froze. He didn't see that one coming. But Jen was his friend, and Peter was his best friend. He was happy enough to know that him and Jen felt like they knew other since they were born – even though it had just been almost two months since they actually met. So Karl didn't feel jealous. He accepted it – even though, it did hurt him a little.

He gave Jen a warm smile and said, “That's good news.”

Jen stared at Karl for a while and delicately laughed. “What's with the expression? Surely, you understand that I like him as a friend. In fact, I like the both of you. You've been very kind to me. Thank you.”

Karl widened his eyes in understanding.

“Oh . . . I thought . . .” he trailed off.

“Yes, I know. You thought I'm falling for Peter. It's quite obvious by the way you reacted a while ago.”

Before Karl could reply, Peter came.

“I see you're warming up,” said Peter as walked holding a tray of drinks. He laid it on the table. “Both of you had been very close together. That's good news to me.”

Jen stood up. “Excuse me. I'm tired. I'm going to get some sleep. Good night.”

“'Night,” said Peter.

Karl just smiled.

“So,” said Peter, after Jen went inside. “What do you think? Did she say anything about me?” he asked curiously.

“Yeah,” said Karl. He took a drink, then, he looked at Peter. “She said she's beginning to like you –”

Peter smiled really wide. ”Really? That's good news!” he laughed.

“– as a friend,” finished Karl.

“Oh,” said Peter, his smile quickly vanished.

Karl immediately felt guilty. “But hey! Friendship is the first step to love, right?” he said, forcing out a smile.

Peter turned cheerful again after a moment. “Yeah, you're right.”

In the morning, they decided to go horseback riding. They went to a racing field. Jen went first, leaving Karl and Peter behind. Karl thought that this was the perfect time to tell Peter how he felt for Jen. He could have told Peter last night but Peter was full of hope. So Karl decided to let Peter know today.

“Hey, Pete. Uh – Can I tell you something really important? But before that, promise me that you'll understand me,” said Karl nervously, without looking at Peter.

Peter chuckled. “Of course you can. But I can't promise that I'll understand you because it depends if what you'll tell me will upset me or not.”

“Oh,” said Karl sadly.

Peter laughed. “I'm just fooling around. Of course I'll understand you. You're my best friend. Whether I like it or not, that will never change. Besides, what's the use of being the best of friends if you can't understand each other, right?”

“Exactly.”

“So, what is it?”

“I . . . I . . .” Karl took a deep breath and lets it out. “I –“

But before he could have the chance of completing his sentence, they heard a scream from a distance. Somehow, both of them inwardly knew that it was Jen.

The horse that Jen was riding went wild and lost control. Karl and Peter quickly patted their horses and chased after Jen. But the horse she was riding was so fast. Karl was so worried that he sped up his horse, leaving Peter behind.

Peter glanced at his best friend and saw how worried he was. From that look alone, he finally got the point.

Karl had caught up with Jen at last.

“Take my hand and jump!” yelled Kar,l as he stretched out his right hand to Jen.

Jen grabbed hold his hand. Now it was time for her to jump. She was scared, glancing briefly at the blurred ground. She hesitated on jumping.

“I – I can't jump!” shouted Jen, tears was starting to fall from her eyes.

“You can! Trust me!”

Jen closed her eyes shut and jumped to Karl. He safely caught her. He slowed his horse into a halt and they climbed off the horse.

“Are you okay?” asked Karl worriedly, when they were standing on the ground.

Jen, her eyes streaming with tears, jumped to Karl and hugged him. Karl felt her trembling. And he didn't want to let her go until she back to normal again.

“Thank you,” murmured Jen.

“You're more than welcome,” whispered Karl.

Peter came. He smoothly slid down his horse and hurried to Jen.

“Are you all right?” Peter asked Jen. His face was filled with utter concern.

Jen pulled back from Karl and faced Peter. “Yes. Can we go back now, please? I'd rather relax to calm myself than to stand here and remember the fear I felt.”

And so, they went back in silence. Jen went straight to the guest room so she could rest. She turned on her iPod and started listening to her favorite bands. She was relaxed in no time.

Downstairs, Peter was quiet. He hadn't yet spoken a word to Karl since they went back from the incident. Eventually, Peter decided to break the silence.

“Why did you save her?” he asked, daring not to look at Karl.

“It was the right thing to do,” said Karl quietly.

“You know that this was a great opportunity for me to save her! Why didn't you let me? Why?!” demanded Peter angrily.

Karl knew that he could have let Peter save Jen, but as soon as he heard that Jen was in trouble, his body listened to his heart – not his mind.

With no warning at all, Peter took a strike at Karl. Karl blinked at Peter, caught off guard. He stared incredulously at the glaring Peter.

“What the –?” He stopped talking the moment he tasted blood in his mouth.

Without thinking, he fought back. They had a brawl in the Living Room. They fought each other with all their might. They didn't want to stop until one of them falls to the ground. They just couldn't stop each other from hitting one another.

After the fight, both of them were lying on the floor, panting, and bleeding. No one broke their bone – thank goodness.

“So, you like her, too,” said Peter, after a few minutes of laying on the ground and staring at the ceiling. It wasn't a question.

Karl bit her lip and squeezed her eyes shut.

“Dude, I was about to tell you.”

“Just – answer it – Karl,” panted Peter. He wasn't always the one with the patience.

“Yeah, I do. I can't tell you because you like her, too. I thought it would just pass by, but . . . I'm wrong.”

“But I'm your best friend. I can't believe this!” hissed Peter. “My best friend, my rival, too?” He raised an eyebrow.

“Didn't it occur to you that I tried not to like her?” asked Karl. “Because of you. I don't want to think that a day will come that we'll fight for the same girl.”

“Well, too late,” muttered Peter. “But why didn't you just tell me the truth?”

“I don't want to ruin our friendship for just some girl. But that's what makes it hard. Jen is different. She's . . . the one,” added Karl quietly. He didn't want to admit it. It was too cheesy for him. But he just couldn't deny that it was the truth.

Peter smiled a little. “Didn't I tell you that the most important thing in friendship is to understand each other?”

“What are you trying to say?” asked Karl, confused.

Peter was still smiling when he said, “Take a good care of her.” And with that, he stood up and went to the bathroom to wash off the blood.

Karl stared after him. “Peter . . .” he murmured. “Thanks,” he said, smiling.

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Isn't Karl sweet?! :) But I also like Peter, though. Hehe.

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