Re: [Boating: Hugh and Atticus]
Listened. "Ouch." Sounded hard, realizing you had feelings for someone after they'd developed feelings for someone else. "Ever tell her?" Wasn't sure telling someone about feelings after they'd already moved on was the right thing to do. Might change if it was him in the situation, but felt like the honorable thing to do might be to let the woman live her life. But knew all about regrets. Understood he could be wrong about this, and it wasn't as if he had any experience to go on.
Considered, trapping his own coffee container between the side of his sneaker and the side of the boat. Glanced down at it once, then proceeded to stop worrying. Was his way. "Haven't known any open marriages. Knew some couples that went to key parties, but they didn't swing outside of those parties. Never went to one myself, but think those are about improving sex via jealousy, not about truly being open." Was an uneducated opinion. Hadn't really spent much time thinking about open relationships until recently. Was a new subject. "Think it's easy to lie to ourselves, especially when we want to believe something badly. Nothing to beat yourself up about."
Knew not beating yourself up was easier said than done, though. "What do I think works?" Chuckled. "Fuck if I know. Have avoided dating for my entire life." Hadn't minded, either, until recently. Until here. "Kept busy with advanced degrees, good conversation, academics, and teaching. Counseled teenagers, ran after-school groups. Weren't enough hours in the day." These days, there were too many hours in the day.