Best Mistake | Nicholas Chavez

Eighteen | no more

present day

—••—

"Tatiana? Really?" Amara scoffed when Cooper mentioned the girl Nicholas was seeing. Cooper chuckled at how similar their reactions were when they found out about each other's dating lives.

"Sounds like a stripper's name," Madelyn blurted out. They paused for a moment before bursting into laughter.

"I didn't want to say it, but it really does!" Amara added, shaking her head in disbelief. The humor masked the pang of jealousy she felt, and she scolded herself for feeling this way, especially since she was dating Chad.

"I'm not internally misogynistic I swear, like do your thing if you are, but it does," Madelyn chimed in.

"How are they together?" Amara asked casually.

"Pretty casual," Cooper replied.

"Is she pretty?" Madelyn asked, knowing it was the question her best friend wanted to ask, so she decided to voice it for her. Cooper shrugged. "I mean, she's not hard on the eyes, but I guess it depends on what you like."

Amara felt a knot form in her stomach at the thought of Nicholas with someone else. " Good for him, as long as he's happy"

They both gave her a look as if saying, girl be for real.

" What?" Amara asked, a bit too defensively.

" You don't have to be fake mature with us, babe," Cooper said. "Seriously, I still randomly stalk my ex from high school, and he's dating this weird horse girl right now," Madelyn added, prompting laughter from both friends.

"No, it's okay. We both moved on; I'm happy for him if he's happy," Amara continued, though her voice betrayed her uncertainty. She knew she was trying to convince herself more than anyone else, and deep down, the thought of Nicholas with someone else gnawed at her.

Both of her friends sighed, letting her have her moment of delusion. They knew that deep down, Amara was struggling with the thought of Nicholas moving on, even if she put on a brave face. It was easier to pretend she was over him than to confront the feelings still lingering in her heart. They exchanged knowing glances, ready to support her through whatever emotional turmoil lay ahead, but also aware that she needed to work through this on her own terms.

—••—

Nicholas's dating life was a mess. Ever since Amara started dating Chad, he decided it was maybe time to move on and actually start putting himself out there. It has been a very unsuccessful process, his feelings for Amara still very strong, and every time he started thinking of a girl he could potentially be with, he nitpicked everything about her, finding any excuse not to continue.

He went on a date with Sarah, a personal trainer, but all he could think about was the way she breathed with her mouth; he ended the date shortly, lying about an emergency and claiming a friend was giving birth and he's the baby's godfather.

He has been casually hanging out with Tatiana, a girl he met at a bar while out with Cooper. She made the first move by asking him out, and he decided to say yes, thinking it was a chance to finally move on from the hold Amara had on him.

Tatiana was nice, and pretty too. She'd invited Nicholas over for dinner, and the evening had been going well. When she leaned in and kissed him, he kissed her back, her hands beginning to wander. She reached for his waistband, but he froze, his body tense.