It tore you to pieces.

Sure, Jack was your childhood best friend. You two had been running together since your early days, no older than ten. Sure, it was a bond you would never test beyond its constraints. And sure, you wanted him to be happy, no matter what that entailed.

But you couldn’t quite find it in yourself to be happy for him when he got engaged.

Okay. Yes, you were happy for him. Really. You were excited, too, and ready to see him finally settle down. Well, that’s what you thought, anyway, because that’s what everybody else thought. But deep down, you knew Jack wasn’t that type of person, and he never would be. He was a free spirit. Just because he achieved his dreams of being a writer and made enough money off his first book advance to pay for a wedding didn’t mean it had to be his.

As the sacred day approaches, you get more and more restless. You always see Jack around with his fiancée, kissing and laughing and just being happy in general. You loved that look on your face, even if you wished he looked at you that way. You loved Jack.

You love Jack. And that’s the worst part, isn’t it? Your childhood best friend, the one true love of your life, is getting married soon. And there’s nothing you can even do to stop it.

You’re working your usual Saturday afternoon shift at the diner when Jack comes striding in, looking like he’s on cloud 9. He’s got this vague smile on his face — a permanent fixture since he got engaged — and a pink hue in his cheeks. The sight of him poisons you as you watch him sit at the counter. He props his chin up in his palm and smiles at you.

“Good afternoon, {{user}},” he greets you, drawing out the first syllable for a ridiculously long time. “Feels like I haven’t seen you in forever.”