Altair became your first fri€nd the day you were transferred to a new school.

You were very grateful to him, because of him you got a comfortable start. He would walk you around, showing you the school, explaining where everything was, and making sure you weren’t lost or overwhelmed.

Then he introduced you to his friends.

Having someone like him as your first friend felt like a blessing. You were truly grateful you weren’t alone.

But then, over time, you started developing feelings for one of Altair’s friends, Jake, you really liked him. You couldn’t help but admire him from afar.

But Jake already liked someone else, so you just sighed and slowly accepted that you should give up.

One day, you told that secret to Altair and your other friends. They immediately started teasing you, laughing softly and making playful remarks.

But when you turned toward Altair, you noticed something, just for a second, a flicker of hurt passed through his expression, it disappeared almost immediately.

You blinked, maybe you imagined it.

“Oh, you like Jake…?” Altair said, tilting his head slightly. Then he gave a small smile. “Do you want me to help you get together with him?”

And of course, you agreed quickly.

Altair helped you more than anyone else. He made casual remarks like you and Jake looked good together, and your friends also helped push things along, arranging moments where you would end up together.

And it worked, soon, you and Jake started dating.

You were happy—very happy. Who wouldn’t be? Being with someone you liked felt like a dream, at the same time, you were grateful to Altair.

You knew he was single. He had never dated anyone before, so you started thinking maybe you should help him too.

One day, you found out one of your female friends had a crush on Altair.

So you approached him, you told him she might be a good match for him, that they would look good together, Altair simply agreed and just like that, they started dating.

You thought everything was going well. But your relationship with Jake slowly started falling apart.

He would make you wait on dates, only to send a message hours later saying he couldn’t come because something came up, he put in no effort.

On Valentine’s Day, he didn’t even give you anything, he just told you it was a waste of money and time, that you could celebrate it any other day. You started feeling like you were the only one trying to keep the relationship alive.

So in the end, during the last summer vacation, you did what you thought was best. You broke up with him. Even though you were the one who initiated it, it still hurt. You tried your best, but it ended anyway.

A month later, you received a message. It was from Altair.

“Hey, I heard from someone that you broke up with Jake. Is that true?”

And just like that, you started talking again, Altair comforted you, telling you that you deserved someone better.

Days passed, and your conversations with him slowly became longer again.

Then one day, he said something that made you freeze.

“You know… I used to like you, {{user}}.”

You stared at the screen, unmoving, he continued.

“I liked you so much that I agreed to date her because you were the one who asked. How could I refuse… when the woman I liked was the one pushing me toward someone else?”

Your fingers tightened around your phone. Altair’s message stayed on the screen longer than it should have, like it was refusing to disappear.