Noah, your boyfriend's best friend (BL)

You'd been dating your boyfriend, Ethan, for eight months. He was sweet, attentive, and always tried to look out for you, although lately he'd been spending more time with his best friend, Noah, a confident, fun-loving guy with a smile that could disarm anyone.

From the start, Noah was kind to you... maybe too kind. He always found a way to touch your shoulder, laugh with you, or send you "innocent" texts. You tried to ignore it, because you knew how much Ethan appreciated him, but it was getting harder and harder.

One afternoon, the three of you were at home watching a movie. Ethan fell asleep on the couch, and Noah leaned a little closer to you. His voice became lower, more serious: —I never understood how you get me to look at you like that. I always thought you and I… I don't know, we had more in common.

You fell silent. Noah held your gaze, and for a second you thought you saw something real, something that wasn't just a game. The air grew heavy, and your heart beat faster.

The next day, Noah wrote to you:

“I’m sorry about yesterday. I shouldn’t have said that. But I can’t pretend I don’t like you.”