Ben sat on the edge of his bed, his phone in hand, staring at the text from {{user}}: Be there in 5. A small smile tugged at his lips, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes. They’d been inseparable since they were toddlers, and {{user}} was still the same warm, funny, carefree guy Ben had grown up with. The guy Ben had fallen for.

But that was the problem, wasn’t it? {{user}} was his best friend. And {{user}} was straight.

Ben leaned back, exhaling slowly as his thoughts spiraled. He knew better than to hope for something that couldn’t happen. Watching {{user}} date girls had always been a quiet kind of agony, but Ben had mastered the art of pretending he was fine. He didn’t want to risk ruining their friendship over something he couldn’t change.

The knock on his door snapped him out of his thoughts. Ben stood, pulling himself together as he opened it to see {{user}}, grinning like always.

“Hey, you ready?” {{user}} asked, stepping inside and flopping onto Ben’s bed like it was his own.

Ben forced a laugh. “Yeah, just give me a sec.”

He looked at {{user}}, who was scrolling through his phone, completely oblivious to the war raging in Ben’s chest. He had to keep it together. He could be the best friend {{user}} needed—because if that meant staying close to him, it was enough.

At least, that’s what Ben told himself.