For Me,There Is Only You |18+|

2. True Friend.

(Improvised version)

4 years later

The value of emotional support often goes unnoticed.

People were quick to offer their opinions on others' lives, regardless of whether they were wanted or not.

Yet when it came to truly supporting someone's decisions, the same people were quick to criticize, offering a slew of opinions on what was wrong.

"I can't believe this," Mandy said, her voice dripping with disbelief. Her short blonde hair swayed with the intensity of her frustration, and her cat-like eyes narrowed at Cassie. "We spent the whole weekend prepping you for this big day, and now you're saying you didn't even go through with it?"

Cassie stared into her coffee mug, her black hair cascading over her face, hiding her emotions. She looked down, feeling the weight of their disappointment.

"If everything was going so well, why did you run away?" Kara chimed in.

Cassie's voice was barely a whisper, thick with regret. "I got scared."

"Scared?" Mandy repeated, her voice laced with disbelief. "You're twenty-two. Are you really going to live like a nun?"

Her words, though biting, were surprisingly restrained. I had braced myself for something far more abrasive, something along the lines of her usual bluntness.

"We're not living in the '80s. You need to suck a dick," was the kind of language I had expected from her.

Cassie slowly pushed a strand of hair behind her ear, revealing a face etched with anxiety. "I don't know. When he took me into his room, I felt like I couldn't breathe. And when he started undressing me, I panicked and just ran," she confessed, her voice quivering and eyes shimmering with unshed tears.

The café was alive with the chatter of other patrons, their conversations a muffled backdrop to our own. I scanned the room, noticing how absorbed everyone seemed in their own worlds.

"It's okay, Cassie," I said gently, taking a sip of my coffee. "You weren't ready, and that's perfectly fine."

We live in a society that often pressures people to have sex to seem cool.

"Sam was really eager to take our relationship to the next level. I must have really hurt him," Cassie lamented, her voice thick with regret.

I reached across the table and gently squeezed her hand. "Cass, did he say anything last night that might have upset you?" I asked softly.

She shook her head slowly, her eyes downcast. "No, he was really understanding. He even dropped me off at home. That's why I feel so terrible."

"Cassie, remember that sex isn't the only thing that defines a relationship," I said, my voice steady but kind. "You should only do it when you truly feel comfortable and loved, not because you feel pressured."

Mandy, who had been listening with growing impatience, shot me a sharp look. "You should keep your opinions to yourself on this matter!" she snapped.

Her words were as blunt as ever, and I raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Why are you being such a drama queen? It's just sex. Bang your boyfriend and move on," she advised Cassie with her typical lack of filter.

"Really, Mandy?" I asked, my voice tinged with disbelief. "That's your advice?"

She turned her finger towards me, a defiant gesture. "Ignore her. She's just a prude," Mandy said dismissively, clearly shifting the focus onto me.