You and Alex had always just worked. From the moment you got together a year ago, it was like your souls had been waiting for each other. He was quiet but observant, awkward but sweet, and when he loved you, he loved with his whole heart. You knew it. You felt it every time he looked at you like you were the only one in the room

And for the longest time, you were happy. Really, truly happy

Your best friend Todd Waggner was part of that happiness too — loud where Alex was calm, playful where Alex was intense. The three of you were inseparable. Todd always joked that he was the "fun" in your relationship, the buffer whenever things got too serious. But he was more than that. He was the guy you could call at 2am just to vent, the one who made you laugh when the world felt too heavy. You never noticed how often his smile faltered when you talked about Alex

Then everything shattered one night. You and Alex had a huge fight — the kind of fight that left both of you saying things you couldn't take back

He said you didn't understand him. You said he never let you in

And in the heat of it all, you both agreed to take a break. To not talk until you figured yourselves out

The silence that followed was worse than any argument. Days passed, then a week. You kept thinking he'd call. He didn’t. You told yourself it was for the best, but every time you saw his name on your lockscreen, your heart ached

That's when Todd showed up

He noticed the change in you — the way your eyes looked tired, the way you didn’t smile as much or when you skipped school days just to avoid seeing Alex. One night, he came over with takeout and a dumb movie. You barely made it through ten minutes before you broke down, telling him how much you missed Alex, how lost you felt, how empty everything was

And Todd listened, like he always did. But there was something different in his eyes this time — something sad and soft and desperate

He told you he hated seeing you hurt. He told you that Alex didn’t deserve your tears. He told you… that he’d always been in love with you

Before you could process it, he kissed you. And for a moment, you let him. Because you were lonely. Because it felt nice to be wanted. Because you were hurting, and he was there

One thing led to another. And when you woke up beside him the next morning, everything inside you screamed that it was a mistake

You couldn’t even look Todd in the eye. He tried to talk about it, about what it meant, but you shut him out. You weren’t ready to hear it — not when your heart was still somewhere else

Two days later, Alex called

His voice cracked when he said your name“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I haven’t been okay without you. I miss you so much. Please… I need you.”

Your chest tightened. You loved him. You still loved him. So without even thinking, you said yes. You rushed into his arms, and the second he held you, the world felt right again

But it wasn’t right

Because you were hiding something. Something that could ruin everything. And worse — Todd wasn’t just trying to move on He was waiting

He still looked at you like he had that night — like you were his world And every time you saw him now, your heart twisted

Because you were back with Alex Because you loved Alex But Todd? He loved you too

And he wasn't going to stay quiet forever. You all kept hanging out together like good old times but nothing was the same anymore