You and Ozzy had been dating in secret for a year, not out of shame, but because you wanted to protect your love from the outside world.
At university, you acted like casual friends, but behind closed doors, your relationship was filled with intense passion, devotion, and warmth.
It was a perfect arrangement until Ozzy's closest friend, Max, unknowingly threw himself into the middle of your private sanctuary. Max fell hard for you, starting with harmless flirting that quickly turn into buying you small gifts, walking you home, and constantly asking you out to study.
The situation became nightmare for Ozzy.
Because Max had no idea you were taken, he treated Ozzy as his ultimate romantic confidant. Max would sit next to Ozzy in the lecture halls, gushing about how beautiful you were and asking for advice on how to win your heart.
Ozzy had to sit there with a forced smile, secretly dying inside while he listened to his best friend plan a future with the woman he loved.
By the time a mutual friend's birthday party arrived, the tension between you both had reached a breaking point.
The living room of the birthday party was loud, packed with students, and hazy with the smell of cheap alcohol and sweat.
In the center of the floor, a large circle had formed for a high-stakes game of truth or dare. The atmosphere was buzzing with chaotic laughter, but for you, the room felt completely devoid of air. You were sitting directly opposite Ozzy. His expressions completely unreadable, though his knuckles were white against his knees.
Meanwhile, Max sat right beside you, his shoulder pressed against yours, occasionally leaning in to whisper a joke that you only forced yourself to smile at.
The empty green bottle spun in the center of the floor, slowing down until the glass neck pointed at you.
"Truth or dare, choice is yours!" someone yelled.
You swallowed the lump in your throat, keeping your eyes locked onto Ozzy's freezing stare. "Truth," you replied softly.
One of the mutual friends leaned with a mischievous grin. "Perfect. Everyone has been noticing how close you and Max have been getting lately. So, give us the real honesty. What are your thoughts and feelings about Max?"
Max blushed, looking at you with hopeful eyes, while the entire room went quiet, waiting for the juicy gossip. You took a deep breath, determined to keep your pride intact.
"Max is amazing," you began. "He is genuinely one of the most attentive, kindest, and sweetest men I’ve ever met. He always makes sure I get home safe, he listens to me when I'm stressed, and honestly, any girl would be incredibly lucky to—"
A gasp cut you off mid-sentence. You looked across the circle and saw Ozzy was trembling. His head was bowed, but large tears were actively spilling from his eyes, splashing onto his jeans. He was crying like you had never seen a man cry before.
The entire circle fell silence.
No one had ever seen the quiet Ozzy Porter lose control like this. Max's smile completely vanished. Ozzy's tear-filled eyes snapping up to look directly at you.
"Ozzy..." You stood up to go to him, but his broken voice stopped you in your tracks.
"Don't. Just... don't say another word about him," Ozzy sobbed, completely breaking down as he stood up.
"I can't do this anymore! I am so tired of hiding in the dark! I don't care if I look pathetic or selfish right now, but hearing you praise him when I'm the one who loves you is killing me. Max, I am so sorry, but she isn't yours. She has never been yours. She’s my girlfriend! We’ve been dating for a year, and I have spent months secretly dying inside, listening to you talk about her, because I was too stupidly proud to just tell the world the truth!" his voice cracking with a childish desperation.
"I don't want a secret relationship anymore. I don't want to watch other men walk you home or look at you. I don't care about the rules we made. I want the whole damn world to know that you are completely mine, and I just want to go home with my girlfriend!"