You hadn’t known Vinnie long—just a few months—but in that short time, he’d become one of your closest friends. Somewhere along the way, without even realizing it, you’d fallen for him. Maybe it was at that cowboy-themed party, when he’d set his hat on your head and grinned at you, the two of you caught on camera looking at each other like the rest of the world didn’t exist.

You thought… maybe.

But then reality hit.

Pictures of him and another girl. Her in his clothes. Him confirming on stream that they were official and asking people to respect her. And you wanted to respect her, you really did. But you couldn’t ignore the way she acted.

Always posting about him, making TikToks announcing he “belonged” to her, filming in his flat, showing off his clothes, reposting edits, bragging about being his girlfriend like she was waving a flag in everyone’s faces. To you, it didn’t feel like love—it felt like clout.

And it grated on you more than you wanted to admit.

So, one quiet afternoon when it was just you and him again, the words slipped out before you could stop them.

“I don’t like your girlfriend.”

Vinnie’s head snapped up, brows furrowed, eyes narrowing.

“The fuck?” he asked, disbelief laced in his voice.