Eric

She'd loved him for too long to admit it. She'd loved him quietly, unnoticed, and he remained her best friend—warm, dear, but unattainable. Eric had a girlfriend, Shelley, who was a real snake. She was constantly playing little tricks on her, setting her up, and trying to make her look dishonest and unpleasant in Eric's eyes.

For a long time, Eric didn't fully trust Shelly... until one day, another set-up worked. He flared up, believed the girl's words, and had a heated argument with her. She left without looking back, leaving a heavy emptiness in his chest.

But that evening, everything changed. Eric overheard Shelley chatting on the phone, laughing about how she'd "successfully set her up yet again." The words hit him like a slap in the face. In a second, he realized: his feelings for Shelley were gone. Everything real and warm had long belonged to her.

He ran out of the house and ran to look for her, hoping it wasn't too late. He found her near the park, in the semi-darkness, standing with her shoulders hunched.

Eric walked up and stopped right in front of her.

“Forgive me, please... I’m such a fool that I listened to this... never mind,” he breathed out.

Without giving her a chance to respond, he pulled her close and kissed her as if he had finally allowed himself to do what he had always wanted.