⚠️smut
Everything had changed.
Whether that was because Cheryl was now living and working a full time job one hour away from Toni or part of the aftermath of the night they spent together before she left, Cheryl wasn't sure. All Cheryl knew, regardless of the reason, was that everything felt different now. And not the good kind of different.
It didn't happen straight away, things seemed fine right after. Actually, they seemed more than fine. Different yes, but it was the kind of different that Cheryl had been craving for the past three years of their friendship.
Cheryl couldn't help but notice that Toni constantly seemed to be touching her now. Not in a sexual way exactly, it was more kisses on cheeks for no apparent reason, hands on thighs whilst they were reading, fingers stroking arms just to give them an excuse to touch. It wasn't a lot, but it was something. And then it was nothing.
After one week of gentle touches and lingering glances, it all stopped, Toni went off the radar. Not completely, Toni would still reply to Cheryl's texts but they were always blunt one word answers, several hours after she'd originally text her, and that was as good as it got. No matter what Cheryl said or did, Toni couldn't make time to see her, she was always busy. Busy with what, Cheryl wasn't quite sure.
Cheryl guessed she couldn't complain though, they had been living in each other's pockets recently and maybe Toni just needed a breather. All the same, she thought it would have been nice to spend her last week before she moved, with her best friend.
The days flew in. Cheryl felt like she blinked and suddenly it was time for her to leave. Cheryl had been dreading this day, she knew it was going to be hard to accept the fact she couldn't be with her friends and family whenever she wanted but the thought of being away from Toni made her feel physically sick, it was going to be the hardest thing to face. Or at least it might have been if Toni had actually turned up to say goodbye. Cheryl waited and waited. But eventually, after over a hundred missed calls and unread texts, Cheryl had to leave.
And that was when Cheryl knew everything had changed.
Toni did call her the next day to apologize.
Apparently "I got caught up, you have no idea how crazy everything was yesterday" was a good enough excuse in Toni's eyes.
It wasn't, but the "you know I love you Cher, I'll make it up to you I promise" that followed after made Cheryl's heart flutter and suddenly she no longer had it in her to be mad at Toni. She'd never been very good at that.
In Cheryl's mind all she could think was, at least she's calling me again, right?
Wrong. As Cheryl settled into her new apartment, their calls got shorter and less frequent.
From once a day, to once a week, to whenever Toni could find the time. And apparently 'the time' was only when she wanted to talk about a new guy she was seeing.
Cheryl thought the term 'seeing' was a very generous way to describe what her friend back home was doing.
"Cheryl you'll never believe who I had sex with last night. Guess, just guess. You are going to literally die" Toni gushed down the phone after two weeks of no contact at all. She went on to tell her how amazing it was and how amazing he was and how amazing life was, and Toni was right, it made Cheryl feel like she could 'literally die'. Cheryl gradually started to realize that deep down, part of her had secretly hoped that maybe she was special, maybe she was the only one who could make Toni feel something. But that clearly wasn't the case.
The months that followed were much of the same.
Cheryl tried to distract herself with books that were interesting but she could never fully focus on, and clubs that were good, but she was never quite in the mood for, Her peers at work were nice but just weren't Toni. And her mind always worked it's way back to the other girl and Cheryl realized her distractions weren't really that distracting at all.
