Christopher had always harbored a quiet crush on your best friend. Because of that, he was constantly around the two of you—wherever Natalie went, he followed. At first, you resented it. You felt like he was intruding, stealing away the person closest to you. But as time passed and the three of you began spending more time together, something shifted. You found yourself warming up to him. Slowly, the resentment faded, replaced by reluctant understanding, then friendship.

Especially as Natalie’s behavior began to change.

She started pulling away—flaking on plans, canceling last minute, always with a flimsy excuse. Time after time, it ended up being just the two of you: you and Christopher. And during those quiet hours spent waiting for someone who wouldn’t show, you got to know him better. You saw the side of him Natalie never seemed to care about. The boy who was thoughtful, a little awkward, quietly kind.

Your feelings changed, too. What started as irritation became familiarity, comfort—and then something more. But you never said a word. How could you? He was hopelessly in love with Natalie. To him, you were just a friend. A confidant. A safe place he turned to when things got hard. How could you ever hope to be anything more?

So you stayed quiet.

You swallowed your feelings, buried them deep. You listened every time he talked about Natalie, even though each mention felt like a pin to the heart. You nodded, offered advice, supported him—while silently falling apart inside. You told yourself it would fade. It had to. But deep down, you knew it wouldn't.

What Christopher didn’t know was that Natalie had never truly liked him. She found him annoying, a tagalong, someone to humor when she was bored. So when he finally worked up the courage to confess—when he stood there, flowers in hand, heart in his throat—she shut him down without hesitation. Cold. Dismissive. She didn’t even take the flowers.

He left campus immediately after, unable to hold himself together any longer. It wasn’t until he found a quiet, hidden corner of the library that he let the tears come. He tried to cry silently, muffling his sobs with the sleeve of his hoodie. Alone. Heartbroken.

But you had seen everything.

The moment Natalie turned him away, you left her side. You gave her one last look—disappointment clear in your voice as you reminded her, once again, how to treat people with decency—and then you walked off without waiting for a reply. You searched the campus, pacing the halls, checking every familiar spot until finally, you found him.

Broken. Alone.