The best man

Chapter 1

"You said I had to accept reality. This is true, but why not tell me anything then?" I ask her, frustration lacing my voice.

Shelly doesn't answer. I can see the guilt written all over her face. She betrayed me by keeping this monumental secret, choosing silence over honesty.

Either way, telling me the truth or not, I would have still been hurt. There's no middle ground...

As I step outside, the cold air hits me, and I wait on the street for my taxi. I scroll through my phone, trying to distract myself from the storm of emotions inside. Suddenly, I hear my name being called from behind.

It's Conor.

"I can drive you home," he says, his voice tinged with nervousness.

I glare at him, anger bubbling just beneath the surface. "Why? So you can lecture me about friendship some more?"

"Do you still want to be friends with me, Lily?" he asks, hands stuffed deep in his pockets, as if bracing for impact.

"Are you serious right now, Conor?" I can hardly believe he's even asking.

"Yes, Lily, I am! Despite everything, I still cherish and value you! I want you in my life regardless of it all! I know I messed up by not telling you anything, and I'm sorry..."

A brief silence hangs between us, heavy with unspoken words. I can't hold back any longer.

"Did you know...," I turn to face him, my eyes brimming with tears, "that I loved you, Conor?"

He doesn't flinch; there's no look of surprise on his face.

"I knew you did..." He turns his gaze away, unable to meet my eyes as he admits it. "I didn't want to hurt you by initiating a relationship with you—"

"But you didn't think it would be painful to lead me on? Taking me on those grand, adventurous dates, cuddling, kissing my forehead, holding me like I was yours?"

"I never thought of it as leading you on and you can't blame only me, Lily. We both went along with it. Countless times, I told you I cherish our friendship—"

"But you could have left me! You could have told me that you didn't want to do those things with me! You could have chosen to live your life without me! You could have said you wanted it to be platonic and never touched me, kissed me, or taken me out!"

"I could..." he says, his voice softening. "But so could you. You could have set boundaries, and I would have respected them. We both participated in this... this tangled web, and it was never serious."

"To me, it was," I reply, tears spilling down my cheeks. "Every moment we had felt special. I hoped every day that you would choose me over all those girls you slept with, that you would see me, value me, and—" I pause, a deep sigh escaping my lips, "—come back to me like you always did. Speak to me, hug me, kiss my forehead, open up to me. You would do this!"

"I don't want our friendship to end like this, Lily. Please forgive me." He steps closer, his eyes pleading. "I need you now more than ever, especially as my best man. But more than that, I need you as my friend!"