Joey was sitting in his English class, tapping his pencil, waiting for the teacher to stop droning on about gerunds. He was 21 years old, for crying out loud. He should be enjoying his life with his friends, not sitting in a boring class like this. "The teacher needs to just cut – it – out," thought Joey.

Finally, class was dismissed and Joey made his way to the lounge to meet with Danny. Danny was also 21 years old, but he was much more prepared for a college career. He was responsible, respectable, and very cleanly. His dorm was always impeccable. In fact, as Joey walked into the lounge, Danny was wiping off the coffee table with a wet rag.

"Hi, Joey," he said. "Somebody left coffee rings on this table. It was bothering me."

Joey rolled his eyes. "Same old Dan," he said. Even Danny's style differed from Joey's. While Danny wore pressed jeans and tucked-in flannel shirts, Joey wore worn jeans and graphic-tees. Needless to say, Danny earned the respect of the faculty much sooner than Joey, but he wasn't as popular with the other students.

Joey sat down beside Danny and ran his fingers through his hair. "So, what's new?"

Danny cleared his throat and shifted. "Well, actually, I asked Pam out on a date this evening. She's coming over for dinner tonight." Danny faced Joey expectantly, hoping for encouragement.

Joey swallowed and tried his best to congratulate his friend. "That's great, Danny. How do you think she feels about you?"

Danny's eyes lit up. "Oh, she seems to like me a lot. I think this could really be it, Joe." He then looked a bit more concerned as he said, "This doesn't bother you, Joey, does it? If it does, we don't have to see each other. Our friendship means the most to me."

Joey was unsure of how to express himself. He didn't want to keep his best friend from a woman he apparently loved, but it really did hurt him. He couldn't help but think back to their senior year of high school, three years earlier.

Joey, Danny, and Pam had all gone to high school together and were close-knit friends. In fact, Pam was Joey's first love. They had begun a relationship during their sophomore year and had remained a couple until their senior year when Pam broke it off to focus on her college work. Joey had been hurt and felt betrayed by the person he had intended to spend the rest of his life with, but he understood her decision and hadn't spoken with her very much during college. He'd known that Danny had been talking with her again, but he hadn't noticed that it was becoming more than a friendship. Now that he saw, he realized that his feelings for Pam hadn't changed at all.

But he couldn't deny Danny this with good conscience. "No – no, Dan. That was three years ago. It's not a big deal anymore."

"I was hoping you'd say that," said Danny with a grin. "I really do care about her." Danny caught the eye of another student who had just spilled soda and didn't clean it up, and he ran over to confront him. Joey used this opportunity to leave the lounge for his dorm. He was starting to feel uncomfortable with the conversation.

As he walked in the brisk autumn air, he tried to reason with himself. He would have to learn to let Danny be and do what he wanted with his love life. But when he remembered Pam's sweet smile and the love that they shared, he began to feel that he'd never be able to let go.