Best Friend

Chapter Two

I always go back and think about that movie day. I always wonder what it would be like if I had said something to Jeff, and if anything between us would have changed. I like to spend my lonely nights in bed to myself and play all of the different scenarios in my head that could have happened. What would he do if I asked him to cuddle? Would he wrap his arms around me and let me rest my head on his shoulder? Or would he tell me that I was acting strange and not like myself? It kills me that I’ll never know the answer.

As I was lying in bed, I thought of a scenario for that night…

I looked up at Jeffrey and smiled. Out of all this time of knowing him, I didn’t really notice that his eyes were a beautiful shade of blue. How could I be so blind to all of this? He’s absolutely perfect. I sit up next to him. “Hey J? Do you want to cuddle with me?” I blurt out of nowhere.

My heart is beating a million miles a minute. I can’t believe I just said that.

He repositions himself on the couch and looks at me with a confused, but surprised expression. We’ve never ever really been touchy with each other before. I bite the inside of my cheek and look away at the TV stand.

“Isn’t that a little strange?” he asks. “I mean… I don’t really like you like that, you know? You’re my best friend.”

I feel my stomach drop, and my face feels like fire. I’m positive my cheeks are blazing red. I can feel my eyes get watery. Immediately I get up without looking at him.

 “Yeah. That was really stupid of me. I gotta go, thanks for all of this… Bye,” I say as I make my way to the door and down the stairs. I don’t want him to see me cry.

Immediately he calls after me and follows me out the room and down the stairs. I stop by the kitchen table to grab my bag of movies and my coat and dart for the door before any more tears rush down my face. Jeff catches up to me and blocks the door.

“Mia, wait! Why didn’t you just tell me that this is how you felt?” he says, placing his hands on my shoulders. “Look at me, please.” He begs, while rubbing the tears off my face with his thumb.

“What are you talking about, Jeff? I just wanted to cuddle.” I say lamely, while barely looking up at his face.

“Cuddling isn’t something you just want to randomly do with me, you know that. Why didn’t you just straight up tell me how you felt?” he asks, searching my face for an answer.

I chuckle a little, as tears still trickle down my face. “It’s because I knew something like this would happen. And plus the feelings weren’t always there. Now I gotta go home,” I say, grabbing for the door knob.

He places his hand on top of mine, and takes hold of my hand. “Mia, you know I love you, right? That I’ve been in love with you since the day I met you. I was shocked when you even started talking to me that day. I’m an absolute dork, and you didn’t care at all,” he says with a smile, while gently rubbing my fingers.

I feel my heart jump. That’s not at all what I expected to hear.

“Then why did you tell me you didn’t like me?” I ask, while looking up at his face.

“I was shocked. I thought you were kidding. I didn’t know that you had feelings for me. I didn’t want to scare you away if I confessed how I felt about you. Losing you would be the death of me.”

A smile creeps onto my face, and my stomach is filled with butterflies. I can feel the heat creep up into my cheeks again.

“Jeff… I love you. I’ve been blind this whole time, and now I know—”