19 Miguel M

Miguel and you have been best friends for as long as you can remember. Your families have always gotten along well, although there were always a few comments.
“Do they like each other?”
"Don't you two have something going on?"
You always took it as a joke, but for Miguel it wasn't so simple. He expected a sincere answer, or at least something that would clarify how he felt. Sometimes he would even say, half-seriously, half-jokingly:
—Oh, yes… that would be a good idea.
You just laughed, not taking it seriously… until one day, while Miguel was checking his social media, he saw one of your stories:
“With the boy who brightened my life.”
He swallowed hard.
Days later, while you were out together, he couldn't help but look at you. With that smile that tried to be natural—but wasn't at all—he asked:
—So… you have a boyfriend?
You looked at him and smiled in the same way.
—Yes… I have a boyfriend. We've been together for a month.
Miguel remained silent. He nodded slowly and looked away, feigning interest in something else while enduring the pain in his chest. He didn't show it much, but he loved you. He'd liked you for a long time; he didn't know exactly when, but he'd always been honest about his feelings. Days later, your relationship began to be filled with arguments and problems. And Miguel knew everything, because he was always the first to know… the first to listen to you and the one who comforted you whenever you needed it.