[right][h2][color=8882be]Sirpa's Catharsis[/color][/h2][@Tlazolteotl][@Stanifly][@JJ Doe][/right]

“Does an answer like ‘asking means you don’t trust me’ count as being weird about it? Or saying they ‘feel a kinship’ instead of just… saying we’re friends?”

[color=8882be][b]”Well, yeah,”[/b] Sirpa said. [b]”Someone who’s your friend would care about how you felt. Would you want to be friends with someone who was weird about you sharing your feelings? A real friend would want you to know they’re your friend.”[/b]

Sirpa watched Jay as they appeared to juggle their thoughts. Then,[/color] 

“I think— Okay, this is going to sound weird, but I think there are… levels? To friendship?”

[color=8882be][b]”Yeah. You could be acquaintances, friends, best friends,”[/b] Sirpa explained. [b]”You’re also allowed to be friendly without being someone’s friend. And it’s not lying to do that. It’s just being nice—and nice to be around—if that’s your vibe.”[/b]

There was some more discomfort on Jay’s behalf that Sirpa did not shy away from.[/color]

“Do you guys have friends?”

[color=8882be][b]“I have friends. Not as many as I did in high school, necessarily, but a handful. Granted, people from my childhood that I don’t talk to but I’d be happy to see are still friends in my book. Just not…”[/b] She thought for a moment. [b]“…active friends. Like, I wouldn’t invite them all to my birthday party, but if I ran into them or if I see their post on social media, I’d happily talk to them and enjoy catching up. In my daily life, I’d say I have like three friends. Sometimes that bothers me and sometimes it feels lonely, but that’s also the stage of life that I’m in right now.”[/b]

Sirpa paused and twiddled her fingers. Her last sentence surprised her. She hadn’t expected to say that. It was true. But that didn’t make it feel any better. For now, though, she’d lean into the facts. The things that were visible. Making friends as an adult is hard, especially when you’re introverted and don’t drink or go clubbing. That was just a [i]fact.[/i][/color]