I couldn't believe it when I found myself agreeing to marry my best friend that night.
**a ForthBeam short story**
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author...
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"Which one should we get?" Forth asked, placing his hands on his hips while standing beside me.
The aisle seemed to go on forever, packed with numerous bottles of wine that I had never seen before. I spotted one on my left and decided to grab it. "How about this one?"
Forth looked dubious. "Did you pick that because of the label?"
I responded with a touch of indignation, "Absolutely not! The name itself adds to the charm. Silver Fox. Who wouldn't love a silver fox every now and then?" I playfully winked at him.
He questioned, "It's priced under ten dollars... doesn't that imply it's probably low-quality wine?"
I nonchalantly shrugged and said, "I'm not sure. But it comes from California. They're known for making top-notch wine, right?"
Forth still seemed unsure, but he accepted the bottle from me before reaching for another one. "Let's grab this one as well. It's got a medal on the label. It can't be too terrible if it won an award, don't you think?"
"Sounds like solid logic to me."
Forth turned and headed for the cash register.
We were heading to Foei and Niev's place for a double date that included wine tasting and games night. It was a bit cliché for suburban married couples, but Kana and Nahm had already made plans to see a musical that evening. So, when Niev suggested skipping the usual Rancho's and instead enjoying some Chenin Blanc and a few rounds of Scrabble, we couldn't resist (even though we tried really hard to find an excuse).
We arrived right on schedule, bringing along a bottle of wine, and Niev greeted us with a smile that seemed to light up the room. She insisted that we make ourselves comfortable and feel at home.
I never expected her to be serious about it. If she had been, I would have found myself sitting comfortably on her couch in just my boxers, munching on a bag of BBQ Fritos with one leg draped over Forth's. However, that wasn't the case, so I decided to keep my pants on and take a seat.
After spending so much time being close to Forth, it felt strange to resist the urge to touch him now. I trusted Niev to keep anything she witnessed to herself, but Foei was a different story. We definitely didn't want to face any unnecessary trouble from Nahm and Kana. Instead of sitting right next to Forth on the sofa, I opted for the armchair by the window.
I was still uncertain about why I didn't want our friends to find out about the shift in our relationship. Perhaps it was because at least one of them would revel in it and taunt me with "I told you so" until I snapped. Or maybe it was because the newfound connection between us still felt fragile. It was temporary, but it was more than that. It was solely mine.
I wanted to keep it to myself, and a small part of me thought that if others found out, it wouldn't be as special. I wanted to keep it all to myself. For now, Forth belonged to me and me alone. Well, at least for the next nine days.
