Something more than friends

𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝟏

It was late afternoon, the sun setting behind the skyline as Harper sat across from her best friend, Elle, in their favorite coffee shop. The gentle hum of chatter surrounded them, the smell of freshly brewed coffee filling the air. Harper swirled the last of her iced latte absently, the cool condensation dampening her fingertips. She tried to focus on Elle’s words, but her mind drifted.

Elle had always been effortlessly beautiful, her hazel eyes sparkling with laughter, her dark hair framing her face like a painting. Harper felt a dull ache in her chest, the same one she’d been carrying for years now, ever since the start of high school. It was always there, a quiet, persistent yearning she’d never dared to confess. She could never tell Elle how she felt. So she settled for being the best friend, the shoulder to lean on, the secret keeper. It was all she could ever be.

Elle leaned forward, her smile widening. "So, I met this guy."

Harper’s heart skipped, her breath catching in her throat. She forced a smile, the familiar pang of jealousy and fear twisting in her stomach. “Oh?” Her voice came out steady, but inside, everything was cracking.

“Yeah, his name’s Ryan. We met at work last week, and he’s… amazing, Harper. He’s sweet and funny, and we’ve been texting every day. I think… I think this might actually go somewhere.”

Harper’s smile faltered for a split second, but she quickly masked it with feigned excitement. “That’s… that’s great, Elle.” She felt like she was suffocating, each word dragging against the lump in her throat. “I’m happy for you.”

Elle’s grin widened, oblivious to the turmoil unraveling behind Harper’s eyes. "I knew you'd understand! You always get me, Harp." She reached across the table and squeezed Harper's hand, the touch warm and familiar, yet it burned in a way that made Harper want to pull away.

Harper forced another smile, nodding. She wanted to scream, to tell Elle how much she loved her, how every time they touched, she hoped it meant something more. But instead, she swallowed it down like she always did, burying her feelings deeper than ever.

They finished their coffees, Harper listening half-heartedly as Elle gushed about Ryan, about how perfect he was, about their plans to see each other again. The words blurred together, white noise against the storm inside her head.

By the time they hugged goodbye, Harper could barely hold it together. "Talk soon, okay?" Elle said, her smile bright and carefree, like she hadn't just shattered Harper’s heart without even knowing it.

"Yeah, of course." Harper’s voice was a whisper, her arms tightening around Elle for just a second too long.

She watched Elle walk away, her laughter echoing as she disappeared down the street. When she was out of sight, Harper let out a shaky breath. Her chest felt tight, like it was caving in. She fumbled with her keys, making her way to her apartment, barely holding back the tears threatening to spill over.

The second she stepped inside and closed the door behind her, it hit. She sank to the floor, her back pressed against the cold wood as sobs racked through her body. She covered her mouth, trying to muffle the sound, but it was no use.

It hurt.

God, it hurt more than she’d ever imagined. She had spent years loving Elle, hoping that one day, maybe, she’d see her the same way. But now Elle was with someone else. Someone who wasn’t her.

Harper slammed her fists against the floor, the pain a brief distraction from the gaping hole in her chest. Rage surged through her, hot and bitter. How could she love Elle this much and still have to watch her fall for someone else? It wasn’t fair. It was cruel.

Tears streamed down her face, her breaths coming in ragged gasps. She loved Elle so deeply it consumed her, and now she was losing her. She had lost her without ever having the chance to say how she felt.

She pressed her forehead to her knees, her body trembling.

Elle had always been her everything. Her light. Her home. And now… now she was slipping away, and there was nothing Harper could do about it.

She hated Ryan. She hated how effortlessly he had taken what she had been too scared to fight for. And yet, beneath all the anger, there was a deep, aching sadness. A pain that came from the knowledge that she had done this to herself. She had waited too long, stayed too quiet. She had lost before she’d even tried.

Harper’s tears eventually slowed, her body exhausted from the emotional storm. She stayed there on the floor, numb and hollow, the weight of her unspoken love pressing down on her like a suffocating blanket.

In the stillness of her empty apartment, Harper whispered the words she could never say aloud.

"I love you, Elle."

𝘛𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘦𝘥...