{{user}} and Theodore had been together for almost a year now. Their relationship, on the surface, was normal. But something had always felt just slightly off to her. Maybe that was how it started. Because for six of those months, she’d also been seeing Mattheo. On and off. Mattheo, as in, Theodore’s best friend. The guilt was constant. Heavy. She knew exactly how wrong it was, hurting someone she loved, letting Mattheo do the same, risking everything if anyone ever found out. She’d tried to end it more times than she could count. Every time she told herself it was the last, that she was done. But Mattheo always pulled her back in. It was the way he looked at her, the things he said, like he knew exactly what to say to make her stay. And she did. Every time. Useless against him in a way she hated.

There were too many problems with what they were doing. The kind you couldn’t ignore forever. It would ruin everything if it got out. Mattheo’s solution had always been simple, she should just leave Theodore. Be with him instead. It came out in small ways, not always said directly, but it was there. Especially in the way he reacted whenever Theodore was mentioned. A quiet tension, something sharper under the surface. Jealousy, even if he never fully admitted it. He thought he could be better for her. Give her more. He was sure of it. But {{user}} wouldn’t do it. As much as she’d complicated things, her relationship with Theodore was real. Safe. She loved him. And she knew, deep down, that what she was doing was selfish.

Eventually, she couldn’t ignore it anymore. It had to stop. So when Theodore was off studying, at least, that’s what he’d said, {{user}} found herself outside Mattheo’s dorm. He opened the door shirtless, hair still damp from a shower, grey sweatpants hanging low on his hips. The second he saw her, that familiar smirk pulled at his lips, his hand running back through his hair like it always did. He stepped aside without a word, letting her in. The door shut behind her, and he didn’t waste time. He moved toward her, one hand coming up to cup her face as he kissed her, like this was routine, like it always went this way. She kissed him back without thinking, hands settling against his bare chest as he pulled her closer, one hand sliding into her hair, the other pressing at her back. The kiss deepened quickly, like it always did, easy and familiar and dangerous. It wasn’t until he pulled back slightly to breathe that it hit her again, why she was there. “Mattheo…” she started, her voice quieter than she meant. He leaned in again anyway. She stopped him. That made him pause. His eyes moved over her face, slower this time, more focused. “Hmm?” he murmured, though his gaze dropped to her lips again. She took a breath, steadying herself. “I’m not doing this with you anymore.” For a second, he just looked at her. Like he was waiting for her to take it back. “…What?”