Matt

I found Aaron later that night lounging in front of the living room TV, a beer in one hand and the remote in the other. His shoulders slumped forward, his head was bowed down like an old man's and he stared at the screen but didn't move. I could sense that something was off before he even said anything.

"Hey." I put my shoes next to the door and turned to look at him. He pretended not to hear me, taking a swig from his beer instead. "Is everything okay?"

"Everything is swell," he said finally, without looking at me. I huffed out a sigh and joined Aaron on the couch, making sure his feet weren't occupying my space first.

"Wanna talk about it?" I asked, pretending to be as sympathetic as possible because he refused to make eye contact with me.

"Not yet." Aaron flashed me a glance then went back to staring at the TV again, shaking his head. "I need Jake and Ren here, too."

"Ooooh," I mocked. "So it's super serious."

"To me, sure."

"Let me guess." I cracked open my beer and took a drink while Aaron responded in kind- ignoring me completely. "You're finally coming out of the closet?"

"Yeah," Aaron said. "What's it to you?"

"Easy dude," I punched him playfully on the shoulder, still feeling high from my fuck with Renee earlier that afternoon. "I'm just playing with you."

"Sorry," he sat up abruptly and put his beer on the coffee table so we could have this conversation face to face. "I've just got a lot on my mind."

"Like what?" I asked, feeling a twinge of annoyance at Aaron's dismissive response. "Maybe I can help."

Aaron scoffed at this, leaving me mildly offended. He let out a sigh, his shoulders slumping as he turned to face me. "It's not something you can help with, Matt. It's just... complicated."

I leaned back onto the couch, crossing my arms. "Well, now you've got me all curious and worried. Spill it, man."

Aaron hesitated, his gaze fixed on the blank TV screen. "It's about my job."

My eyebrows shot up. "What happened?"

He took a deep breath as if gathering his thoughts. "My agent got me a job offer that pays well and seems right up my alley."

"Well, that's awesome news, isn't it?"

"It's in Chicago."

I frowned. "Chicago, Illinois?"

"Yeah, man."

"Holy shit."

"Yeah." Aaron rose from the couch and began pacing around the room. "I don't know what to do," he said, his voice strained with emotion. "I mean, I'd be giving up everything here in Seattle, all of my connections...the life that I've built for myself." He stopped in front of me, shaking his head as if still unable to believe it. "If I take this job, everything changes."

He looked at me expectantly, as if hoping that I could provide him with some sort of answer or guidance. All I could do was shake my head in confusion; this news was completely unexpected after a day like today.

"Look," I said finally. "Why don't we talk to Jake and Renee about it? Get their input too?" Aaron nodded but remained silent, so I continued speaking. "Does Ren know anything about this?"

"A bit," he admitted. "And she supports me. But—"

"But what?"

"I'd need to get you and Jake on board."

"On board?" I repeated. "You mean… you'd want us to move? To Chicago? With you?"

Aaron stared at me as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Well, yeah."

I laughed, which must not have been the response he was expecting, because his startled expression turned into a scowl.

"Do you expect me to just leave Renee behind?" he demanded, his voice hot with tension. "I won't do it, Matt. I don't give as much of a fuck about you and Jake, okay? But I can't leave Renee."

"So, where does that put you?"

He sighed, shoulders slumping as he looked away from me, shaking his head. "I don't know."

"Aaron—"

"I know," he said, cutting me off. "I know. You're a hotshot firefighter and Jake is great at his job. Even Renee is great where she's at. I just—I don't know if I can pass up this opportunity, you know?"

"I get it." I sat back on the couch and finished off my beer in two swigs. "But, Aaron—I don't think you'll convince Jake to go."

"Maybe," he said, his eyes on my face. "But what about you?"

"What about me?" I asked, afraid to keep this conversation going.

"Would you consider it? If you're on board, maybe Jake would consider it, too."

I sighed, tearing my gaze away from my best friend to study the empty bottle of beer in my hand. "I don't know, Aaron. I—I have a really good job here. And we have our house. Things are going pretty well, aren't they?"

"Yeah," he murmured. "They are."

"Do you really want to fuck that up?"

"Fuck it up for who, Matt?" he demanded, venom in his voice. "For you?"

"And for Renee."

"She could find another job."

"And Jake."

"So could he." Aaron began to pace, his fists clenched at his sides. "So could you, for that matter."

"And so could you." I furrowed my brow, narrowing my eyes at Aaron. "You're asking us to give up what you're not willing to."

"What? A better opportunity?"

"Our opportunities are here," I pointed out. "For everyone but you, Aaron."

Silence settled over us, a tense silence that set my jaw on edge. For a long moment, Aaron didn't look at me. When he finally did, I could see the fire in his eyes.

"You know what, Matt?" he said, turning towards the stairs. "You're right. You're always right, aren't you? Somehow, and I'll never know how—it will always be about you and Jake. Forever."

I watched as Aaron stormed up the stairs, the sound of his footsteps echoing through the empty house. I didn't try to stop him, knowing that anything I would say would only make things worse. Instead, I sat there on the couch, feeling the weight of his words settle on my shoulders. Was it always about me and Jake? I thought back on our years of friendship, on all the times Aaron had been there for us. Had we taken him for granted? Had we never really considered how he felt?

I sighed heavily, feeling overwhelmed with guilt and regret. Maybe we had been selfish all along. Maybe it was time for us to step up and support Aaron in the way that he had always supported us. But what about my job, my home, my life here in Seattle?

What about Renee? What about us?

All of us.