Crossing Boundaries

Prologue

It all began in high school when I met my first crush, my best friend.

He never knew I liked him, though, nor will he ever.

He was the new kid in school and the new kid on the block—our neighbor. Crazy, right? From then on, we both knew it was all meant to be.

He was intelligent, funny, kind, and, most of all, different. He was different in that he didn't stand out in the crowd looking cool or popular like the rest of the people around me. He's simple, he exists, and his presence was my comfort.

He's a year older than me and a fellow mate to my older brother; hence, we used to call ourselves the triad. 

Like him and I, my brother and I are very tight-knit. Ever since our parents died in a car crash a few months after my 17th birthday, he took care of me. At 18, it was a responsibility that none of us would've imagined him carrying alone. Regardless, he still did. 

Our aunts and uncles helped out, of course. However, we both had the house to ourselves ever since, and we've only ever had the chance to live life again when the triad began. 

But not all good things are left at that because there's my overprotective brother, putting all the stops at making my teenage dreams of falling for my best friend (and making him fall for me) come true by creating this 5-rule agreement between them against that. 

He best called it the 'CNB List' aka, the 'Cross No Boundaries List.'

I honestly don't know why he orchestrated this in the early days of our blossoming friendship with our neighbor; I also have no idea what's at stake here for either of them, but I know I was the center of it, and I did not like it one bit, except for the few times that I got my way by using the rules against them however, crushing hard on someone you can't have? It's a real dilemma on my end, for sure.

And heck, it was so childish! But whatever, it's all done and in the past now, I guess.

Curiouser and curiouser, I know you might be. Well, to tell you,

There were only five rules to that list:

First, little to no physical contact.

Second, no flirting.

Third, no secrets between the triad.

Fourth, no ogling.

Last but not least, don't fall for Emily Summers.

This was done years ago; they held onto it madly like old magnets on a refrigerator. With that setup, they had no complaints. But people change, or at least, I have. It's been so long since I saw them last. I had moved from a simple life in our small town to a busier life in the city. 

And I guess it's better off this way, that I'm far gone. It was tough falling for the guy who's well-invested into avoiding you ever since that stupid list was made.

But honestly? I sometimes wish that it never existed.

Maybe someday, if our paths cross again, we can finally cross boundaries.