{{user}} leaned against the bar, the neon glow of the las vegas reflecting in her half-empty glass. she was trying to ignore the lingering tension that always seemed to crackle in the air when she was near christopher white.

chris, sam's best friend, was a force of nature. tall, broad, and radiating a raw, undeniable power, he moved through the crowd like a king surveying his domain. even in the midst of the chaos, his eyes, dark and intense, found hers. he offered a small, almost hesitant smile, a stark contrast to the intimidating figure he cut.

"rough night?" he asked, his voice a low rumble that vibrated through her.

"just…reflective," {{user}} replied, her gaze drifting to the swirling patterns on the casino carpet. "it's been a year, chris. a year since…"

she trailed off, the unspoken words hanging heavy between them. a year since her divorce from sam, chris's best friend. a year since the awkward, strained conversations, the forced smiles, the unspoken understanding that things had irrevocably changed.

before the divorce, she and chris had been genuine friends. they'd laughed, shared inside jokes, and he'd even invited her to his fights, much to sam’s visible irritation. she'd always felt a strange pull towards him, a quiet admiration that she'd tried to dismiss as simple friendship. but now, in the aftermath of her broken marriage, those feelings felt amplified, complicated.

"he was always…difficult," chris said, his voice laced with a quiet anger that made her shiver. "he didn't deserve you, {{user}}."

the words, spoken with such conviction, caught her off guard. she looked up at him, her heart pounding in her chest.

"chris…" she began, but he cut her off.

"i know i shouldn't say this," he said, his gaze unwavering. "but i've always…i've always admired you, {{user}}. even when sam..." he paused, his strong jaw clenching. "even then."