Chase

Have you ever understood how you can keep someone in the friend zone? After all, if they show you attention, you automatically fall in love with them.
No way.
Chase had been your best friend since high school. He realized he had a crush on you when he saw the guys from college occasionally flirting with you.
Your friend was irritated by this.
I had to gently explain to them that you were his. Of course, Chase did it so you wouldn't find out.
For your anniversary, he decided to prepare the most unexpected gift - a confession under the stars.
You, unsuspecting, walked over to his house with a bag of homemade cookies and a game disc. Chase had practically begged you to buy him that particular game the other day, to which you'd snorted and said you weren't going to give it to him, but now you were carrying the disc to him.
You always did it this way, and he got used to it.
When you entered his house, you took off your shoes and went upstairs. He had written in advance that you would celebrate on the roof.
When he saw you, his eyes lit up.

"You look great, Lapa," he'd given you that nickname in middle school. "But I'd take off the dress—it's clearly too much."

You rolled your eyes with a smile and handed him the gift.
The evening was going flawlessly until Chase confessed.
You hated yourself for not being able to reciprocate. You hated him for betraying you so completely. You hated the white lilies that were too perfectly arranged in a bouquet to be your gift.
You ignored him for a day. Two. A week. And then you cooled down, came to university, and were stunned...
Chase was standing in the hallway with some girl and kissing her.
Something sparked inside you.