Rules of Friendship | 18+

𝘍𝘪𝘷𝘦 ♡

𝘚𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺

➵➵➵➵➵➵➵♡➵➵➵➵➵➵➵

Nolan was nice, too nice.

He was the definition of a perfect first date. The first thing he did when he saw me was take my hand, spin me around, and tell me I looked beautiful. And when we got to the brewery, which was on the roof level of a brick building, he waved at someone who I assumed was the owner and got us a table right by the edge, the view was spectacular, and the summer sun was finally setting which made New York City seem like it was glowing. He ordered us our beers because if I'm being honest here, I only knew the cheap stuff from The Rusty Tavern. He was so sweet, held my hand, made sure I was comfortable and started telling me stories about his time being stationed in Hawaii.

But it felt wrong, I felt wrong.

His thumb was stroking the back of my hand, and I fumbled trying to stay focused on him, but my heart was in a different place. It was in my room, where a six-foot-blonde playboy was lying in my bed. I wanted him, and as fun as a date sounded at the time, and maybe I was accepting to piss Steve off, it wasn't right of me to play with someone else's emotions while he was looking at me like I'm worthy of his affection, like this could be something permanent. If I was a different person, with my heart not tied up in someone who doesn't love them, then maybe it could be. But Nolan deserves better than me.

"Okay," His words startled me and my eyes snapped up to him, his fingers still holding my hand, "I can read a room pretty well and know I've been talking about myself, so," I blinked, trying to steel myself from an oncoming embarrassment, whatever it may be. "Those three guys, I've walked past your shop every day for a week trying to have the guts to talk to you," I felt myself crack, because how could I have done this to him? He was nice, I should want him, "Not because of you so to say, but because those three looked murderous any time someone approached you, the blonde specifically, who are they?"

"My best friends," I supplied a short answer, but when I saw it wasn't satisfactory to him, I pulled my phone out of my bag, showing him my lock screen, a picture of the four of us from our trip to Cabo on spring break. I pointed to each of them as I recited their names, "Steve, Bucky, and Sam. I've been friends with Steve and Bucky since high school, and Sam I met my first year in college. We go to NYU, and Steve goes to Pepperdine in California."

"That blonde one, Steve," Nolan corrected, "Looks extremely comfortable with you, have you two ever?"

"No," I pulled my phone back, "We just clicked better than everyone else. They're all comfortable with me, but Steve has always just been a little more comfortable, I know," Or I knew, but Nolan didn't need to hear that story, "That if I needed Steve, he'd be here in an instant, he's the first person I know to call if I'm in danger, I know it's weird, I have girlfriends too, but I've just always found myself gravitating towards those three, I'm friends with most their ex's, and almost all their girlfriends."

"You say almost," Nolan leaned back, his hand still in mine, and I wanted to throw up because he was so casual about all this, he was making me feel safe and I appreciated it, but I couldn't let him in, he didn't deserve his heart to be thrown into the mess of my life. "Let me guess, Steve's are the ones you don't like."

"It's not me not liking them," Nolan's brows dropped in confusion, "On the contrary, I've liked almost every girlfriend he's had, all but one, and that's because she and I had issues before she started dating Steve, but I tried, I wanted to mend things because she was dating my best friend and I wanted him to still be in my life, we were young and in high school, she ended up starting a rumor about me, Steve didn't talk to me for a year, he stopped talking to Bucky for six months, it was a mess, but it's over and as long as he's happy it's all that matters."