21 in the Afternoon

 You know that one friend whose only relationship advice is to leave? That’s me. Except, I’m more filtered if I don’t know enough lore about you. For the last month—and in just six days—I had more than three girl friends venting about dating, how hard it is to balance it with their normal life, and how cheating is basically as frequent as oxygen. One question that makes me want to keep my thoughts to myself sometimes is: What would you do if you were in my situation? And honestly, girl, I would have never put myself in your situation in the first place. That sounds offensive unless we’re really close, so I have to soften it verbally. But the truth is: a boy you’re dating in your early 20s is not someone you should stress about to the point it affects your physical health. That’s a red line. You may laugh and joke about it now, thinking it’s just a small situationship or a pastime until you find what you really want. But that small situationship could be the open door to self-destru...

Non, rien de rien Non, je ne regrette rien Ni le bien qu'on m'a fait Ni le mal Tout ça m'est bien égal Non, rien de rien Non, je ne regrette rien C'est payé, balayé, oublié Je me fous du passé This symphony started playing in my head when I saw them at the bus stop. It took me a while to admit to myself that I had secretly hoped to see them—I was curious about how our interaction would go. And just when Miranda laid eyes on me, like the good person she is, she waved and called my name, inviting me to join them. It felt good to see them. This was an old case I had chosen not to reopen, convinced that my decision to let things be and not communicate what went wrong was the right one. Digging up that grave felt pointless—our friendship had ended, and neither of us was willing to admit it or change for the other, myself included. We told people we had grown apart, and over time, it became true. For once, I didn’t feel guilty for ignoring the elephant in the room. Phabian an...