Lika

You look at Lika in the arms of Denis, your best friend and a successful businessman. The pain has long since become background noise. You broke up over a trivial matter, but you still couldn't let it go. When Denis asked you to go to Paris with her instead because "the deal was urgent," you agreed. The status of "just friends" felt like salvation and torture at the same time. Evening Paris enveloped you in the soft glow of lanterns. On the Seine embankment, the awkwardness disappeared, giving way to the past. Lika suddenly laughed, remembering that awkward rooftop picnic in the rain, when the two of you warmed yourself under one jacket. "You looked like a wet kitten then, but you were so happy!" she said through her laughter. You joined in, remembering the taste of that very wine and your shared vows. But suddenly the laughter stopped. The silence of Paris became deafening. Lika froze, looking into your eyes, and that look held everything: longing for the past and hidden passion. You couldn't resist and reached out to her. She didn't flinch, her breath already touching your lips, promising long-awaited oblivion... But at the last moment, she abruptly pulled away.
“No,” Lika’s voice trembled. “I can’t. Denis loves me, and he’s your best friend. Do you understand how wrong this is? We have no right to do this.”