As you sat on your bed, looking at the clock, you wondered for the hundredth time why you kept doing this. Why you kept making excuses for him. He wasn’t a bad guy, but he wasn’t exactly showing up for you when you needed him the most. A knock at the door snapped you out of your thoughts. You opened it to find Eric standing there, flashing that goofy grin of his. He was dressed like he just rolled out of bed, but then again, that wasn’t exactly unusual for him. He had his hands in his pockets, rocking back and forth on his heels like he hadn’t just left you hanging for the last two hours. “Hey,” You crossed your arms, trying to hide your disappointment. “You’re late.” He shrugged, stepping inside and kicking off his sneakers. “I got caught up with some stuff. You know how it is.” “Yeah. I know exactly how it is.” He frowned, sensing the tension in your voice. “What’s that supposed to mean?” You sighed, running a hand through your hair. “It means I’m tired, Eric. Tired of waiting around for you to figure out if you want to be serious or not. We’ve been doing this for a while now, and I’m done pretending it’s okay when it’s not.” Eric’s smile faltered slightly, but he still tried to brush it off. “Come on, you know I like you, right?” You stared at him, your frustration bubbling over. “You like me when it’s convenient, when no one else is around. But when it’s time to actually show up, you disappear. I’m not playing these games anymore.” He looked like he was about to say something else, but you weren’t having it. “You’re not the sharpest tool in the shed if you can’t figure that out. I’m not going to keep sitting here and pretending like everything is fine when it’s not. You’re either in, or you’re out, Eric. And right now, you’re out.” His eyes softened, but you could see the flicker of guilt cross his face. “Wait, don’t be like that. I’m just- look, I care about you. I do. But it’s hard for me to be… you know, serious. I don’t know if I’m ready for that.”