Juliana Woodland and Nate Jacobs have been best friends for as long as they can remember.
They are now in their junior year and East Highland High School and things are starting to get complicated.
*Had this story up on my old account and it got del...
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Nate stood leaning against the counter in Juliana's kitchen, staring into his half-empty glass of water, while Juliana sat at the table. The quiet hum of the fridge and the distant sound of the TV in the living room filled the silence between them.
Juliana leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms as she searched for the right words. She had always been the more rational one in their relationship- as friends and as a couple- and she wasn't sure if what she was about to suggest was going go over well or not. As well as she knew Nate, he could still be hard to read sometimes.
"Nate," she began, her voice steady yet laced with an unmistakable vulnerability. "We both know that we obviously have something... really good when it comes to the physical side of things."
Nate's eyes snapped up to meet hers, a flicker of hope igniting within him. He nodded slowly, his grip on the glass tightening.
"Like, really good." She chuckled then hesitated before continuing. "But I think we also both know that we're not good for each other as a couple. The fights, the possessive... the violence."
He winced at the last part of what she said, like he always did when he was reminded of how he hurt her when they were together.
She took a deep breath, bracing herself for his reaction. "I know this might sound kind of crazy, but what if we were like, friends with benefits?"
He felt his heart pounding in his chest, the echo resonating through his body. He had never expected this from her- not after everything they had been through, not after all the times he had hoped for another chance.
But here she was, laying out an offer that was both tantalizing and terrifying. "You mean... just sex?" He asked with a tone of disbelief.
"But it's not just sex," she clarified. "We're still best friends, Natey. We're always going to be there for each other, no matter what. And I don't want to get with anyone else at all. It's so right with you." She paused, looking at him intently. "Do you want to be with anyone else?"
He took a moment to process her words, his mind racing with conflicting emotions. He didn't want to lose her again, not after the pain of their breakup still lingered like a ghost between them.
"No." He finally replied, barely above a whisper. "I don't want to be with anyone else either."
She stood up and walked over to him, closing the gap between them. Her hand reached out, her fingertips brushing lightly against his forearm.
"Then it's perfect." She said with a small smile. "We can hook up and still do all the things we always do as friends, without all the trouble we had when we were actually together."
He pulled back from her, his movements sudden and abrupt. "I need to think about it." He mumbled.
He grabbed his sweater from the back of one of the chairs and quickly headed for the front door, not giving her a chance to respond.
