Memories of mine

I fell in love on my straight best friend

It was my first year in college at SUS Silang University States and I was excited to start this new chapter of my life. As a freshman, I was nervous and lost in the sea of new faces. However, I never expected that one of those new faces would change my life forever.

His name was JM, a second-year college student who I met in our Journalism class. He was confident, charming, and had an infectious smile. I was immediately drawn to him, but I never thought that he would become my best friend.

JM was the one who made the first move. He approached me after class and asked for my name. From there, we started to build our friendship. We would hang out at the campus cafe, study together, and share endless laughter. I felt like I could tell him anything.

Over the next 10 years, our friendship grew stronger. We shared our secrets, our dreams, and our struggles. I never thought that I could have a friend like JM – someone who accepted me for who I am. But little did I know, our friendship was about to face its biggest challenge.

One day, JM confessed to me that he had feelings for my classmate, Jess. I was taken aback by his revelation. I never thought that my straight best friend would have feelings for someone of the same gender. But as a bisexual, I could understand how he felt. I opened up to him and told him about my own sexuality. To my surprise, he said, 'I knew it.'

As the years went by, our friendship continued to blossom. We built more memories, and I found myself falling in love with JM secretly. I knew it was wrong, but I couldn't help it. I wanted to confess my feelings to him, but I was afraid of ruining our friendship.

Meanwhile, JM and Jess became a couple. I couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy every time I saw them together. I tried my best to hide my feelings, but JM noticed that something was off. He asked me about it, and I couldn't bring myself to lie to him. I told him the truth – that I was in love with him.

JM was shocked and confused. He didn't know how to react. Our friendship became strained, and I could feel the distance between us. I was afraid that I had ruined everything.

One day, while we were hanging out at the campus park, JM caught me taking a screenshot of his picture. He was annoyed and asked me why I was doing it. I couldn't come up with a good excuse, and he got mad at me. He said that he needed some space and that our friendship needed time to heal.

I was devastated. I had let my feelings get in the way of our friendship. I regretted not telling him sooner, but I knew it was too late. Our friendship came to a halt for the next 15 years. We both moved on with our lives, and I never saw him again.

Years went by, and I heard rumors that JM and Jess had broken up. I couldn't believe it. I thought that they were meant to be together. I decided to reach out to JM and see how he was doing.

To my surprise, he responded, and we met up for coffee. At first, it was awkward, but as we started talking, it was like nothing had changed. We caught up on each other's lives, and I found out that he had been single for a while now.

Before I knew it, I blurted out, 'I still love you, JM.' He looked at me with a mix of shock and disbelief. He then said, 'I never stopped loving you either.' We both laughed and cried, and from that day on, we were inseparable.

Looking back, I realized that sometimes, love comes in unexpected ways. JM may have been my straight best friend, but he was also the love of my life. And I was grateful that our friendship stood the test of time and brought us back together.