The local alternative newsletter runs an advice column, too. It’s known for its brutal honesty. Keith writes it.
#sheith
It’s signed: Loverboy
You’re not doing yourself any favors by thinking of her as ‘out of your league.’ She’s a person like anyone else, and the only way to know if she’s interested in you is to put in some respectful effort.
Keith laughs. “And here I thought I was special.”
“Maybe he just wanted some real advice,” says Pidge, and ducks as Keith swings his backpack at her.
Keith scoffs at the idea.
“I don’t know if you saw, but it looks like the same person wrote in to both of our columns. I can’t believe he was hedging his bets! But it gave me an idea, if you’re interested in collaborating.”
“What do you think?” Shiro says, once introductions are out of the way. “Every week, we pick one letter from our stacks that we both answer.”
That makes Keith perk up, his eyes radiant as they appear from under his forelock. “You read my column?”
Keith is blushing. It looks good on him. “But your advice is great. Don’t you believe what you’re saying?”
Keith shrugs. “I don’t know. Sometimes I wish I could be more nuanced, like you.”
Keith looks intrigued. “Is that allowed?”
“It’s just one question out of each column, and just for a month. No one will know.”
Shiro chuckles at the predicament and jots down an answer.
Keith whirls and glares at her. “You set me up. You didn’t tell me he was hot!”
“Being a lesbian doesn’t keep you from noticing when someone is physically perfect and exactly my type,” Keith replies.
Pidge shrugs, still looking smug.
“It’s not for my column,” says Keith, copying and pasting the text into an email. “It’s for Shiro’s.”
“You guys are sneaky,” Pidge laughs.
“You warned him. Let him clean his own damn car. If you’re feeling generous, buy him an air freshener as a peace offering.”
“What is that?” Keith says, pointing to the folder full of papers in Shiro’s hand.
“The letters we’re going to choose from.”
“People send you actual letters in the mail?!” Keith boggles.
Keith teases, “You’re such a grandpa!”
Keith opens his laptop and shows Shiro his web browser with dozens of tabs open, each one a separate email to his column.
“I didn’t know you could fit that many tabs on a screen,” Shiro says, holding back a laugh.
“Shut up!”
Keith forwards the email to Shiro. “Think you can handle this one?” he says, nudging Shiro’s shoulder with his knee.
“No problem!”
Even though she’s supportive, your friend might be having trouble with the change in your group’s dynamic.
‘I value your friendship but we’re all just trying to survive becoming new adults while also stewing alive in our own hormones.
Keith can’t stop chuckling as he submits his finished column. Shiro might be better at being Keith than Keith is.
Shiro: I have a paper due, so I won’t have time for another meet-up if it ends up running as long as last time. Can you swing by the MU to trade letters?
There’s a pause before the next message.
Shiro: I know this is the last column of the month, but this has been a lot of fun. Maybe we could keep doing it every now and then.
Keith: Nah, if we keep this up we’re gonna get caught eventually. Can’t have your readers figuring out that you’re secretly an edgelord.
Shiro: haha fair enough, see you soon
He grabs the finished letter off the printer down the hall just in time for Keith to poke his head into the study area.
“Oh,” Shiro says, holding out his own paper. “I did too.”
Keith looks uncomfortable as he presses his letter into Shiro’s hand.
Shiro takes it, but hands Keith his own. “Okay, I’ll answer this one if you answer mine.”
“Doesn’t that defeat the purpose?” says Keith with a weak smile.
“We made the rules,” says Shiro. “We can bend them.”
“With what?” says Shiro, forgetting what he’d been doing before he started thinking about Keith. “Oh! Yeah, I should be able to get it finished tonight, then I’ll send over my part for the column tomorrow.”
Too late now. Keith rounds the corner and Shiro gets back to work.
“Please help! I’ve spent the last few weeks working on a project with another student.
“You’re fooling yourself. He’s not into you.”
Keith sends it, and goes to sleep.
He checks his email as he pours himself some cereal.
There’s a message from Shiro, sent last night.
And Shiro’s answer: “You say you don’t think he feels the same way about you, but there’s not much in your letter to suggest what he might be feeling.
Oh. Keith slams the laptop closed. He’s made a terrible mistake.
He stuffs his things into his backpack and runs toward campus.
Shiro coughs into his hand, trying to hide the faint pink that rises to his cheeks. “Yeah, I wasn’t exactly trying to be subtle.”
Keith is an idiot.
But his mind is screaming the advice he wanted to give himself before.
Keith’s advice to himself: “Shut up and kiss him.”
It only takes Shiro a second to recover from the surprise, and kiss him back.
Shiro sounds like he also just ran two miles into campus. “I have to get to class.”
“Let me take you out tonight. Our first date?”
Keith is regaining his senses. Just enough to smirk as he says, “Don’t you mean our third?”
Shiro laughs. “Whatever you say, baby.”
~fin