Today was.... tense, though if she was being honest, every day was tense lately. She puzzled over it every night before bed, and woke up every morning hoping it was gone, but why was it there to begin with? She couldn’t fix it if she didn’t know what was wrong!
Truly though, it was willful ignorance that kept her from seeing the truth. After all, maybe Brio was just having some problems at home, maybe his siblings were giving him grief, or perhaps even just some discomfort over something or other. The sad pining puppy looks couldn’t possibly be because of her, could they?
It was selfish of her. Deep down, she had already noticed his affections, as well as her own for that matter, but after so long of searching for her one true love.... it was hard to let go of that. What if the mystery man showed up one day and she was already tied down? What if they took offense to her being with Brio? What if Brio didn’t actually feel the same way as her, and she’d been mistaken about his feelings all this time? All these things terrified her.
So she pushed them away, pretended they weren’t happening, weren’t there. If she didn’t acknowledge them, then they wouldn’t bother her, right?
Unfortunately, she hadn’t taken into account how Brio felt about her plan of action, and in retrospect, dragging him out to go mystery mate hunting again may not have... been the best idea. So far, most of their interactions consisted of her trying to do her usual guessing and gushing, followed by Brio... snapping at her?
That was new. He had never done that, not really.
Choosing to ignore the warning signs, Medli attempted to plow through with another comment, “Perhaps today will be the day! Surely he will show up soon. Ohh, are you sure my fur is nice and tidy? Maybe we should go over conversation material agai-“
”Medli.” It was said so abruptly, something so out of character for him, that the lioness immediately stopped in her tracks. Brio just watched her with tired eyes, his face almost bordering on stony had it not been for the almost droopy way it lay.
This was a lion that had reached his limit. Brio couldn’t take it anymore - not the pining, not the gushing.... It was no secret that he had feelings for her. He was fairly certain the whole pride knew it by now, everyone except for the very object of his affections. Alas, she was the one person that it mattered most with, and with her refusing to even consider him as an option, that didn’t seem likely.
Brio had resigned himself to that long ago, but as time went on, he was finding it harder and harder to cope. Was it worth it, for the sake of their friendship? He didn’t want to one day lash out at her. Not over chasing her dreams. But there was only so much a lion could take... and he’d reached it.
Maybe it was for the best to let things go. People were worrying over him now, saying it “wasn’t healthy”. Some said he should tell her what his feelings were, others thought he should just let her go and wipe his paws clean, but how did he know what was best? He wasn’t like Medli - he couldn’t have visions of the future to guide him - and he didn’t want to ruin his friendship with her. Just... he wanted this to stop.
He wasn’t blind. As someone who spent most of his time watching others, he liked to think he was pretty good at reading people. Medli... perhaps it was wishful thinking on his part, but he was fairly certain she felt the same way towards him, if only she would show it more. But he wouldn’t push. It wasn’t in his nature to do so.
That did leave him in a dilemma though. What was he to do? It was time for a change.
With a deep breath in, Brio gathered himself up, “I can’t.... I can’t do this anymore, Medli.”
The lioness stared confusedly back at him, a sinking pit forming in her stomach at his words.
“Can’t do what? We only just got started.”
Now he threw her a frustrated look, knowing full well that she was avoiding the problem again. With a shake of his head, he looked away, trying to figure out how to word things the right way.
“I’m not talking about today. I mean, I want out. I can’t take anymore of this searching for a guy that might not even exist.”
That got her fur bristling, “Might not exist?! Brio, I wouldn’t have led us through all of this if it wasn’t real!”
”That’s not...” Brio sighed, “You know I don’t question your visions, but you didn’t even have a full vision of this guy. He could be anyone!” Which was very true. There had been a few instances where she had gone after someone, thinking they were the one, only to decide partway through that they weren’t.
He clucked his tongue, “Whatever. Regardless, I’m just saying that I can’t... I can’t take it anymore. I’m done. Find someone else to do your searching with.”
Medli would have retorted back, argued back, pleaded back for him to stay, don’t go, please don’t walk away from me, but the pained look on his face stopped her cold. This was that bad? She had just wanted him to be there with her while.... while.... She was hurting him with this.... she hadn’t meant to hurt him.
Oh, what had she done?
She watched him disappear through the tall grass without a word with an equally broken expression now, wanting to chase after him but also not yet willing to let go, if only she could.
It was the first time she’d been forced to face the reality of her situation. Did she choose the male that she knew she had feelings for, or the male that she had spent her whole life looking for?
She didn’t know.