You and Abby Anderson have been friends since you were kids. You remember every detail about it, going back to the time the fireflies were still around. You two were always together.

Over time, you developed feelings for Abby. They weren't just friendly feelings; they were romantic. This complicated everything. You didn't know if Abby liked girls. She hadn't said anything one way or the other, never mentioned any girls or had told you any girls she liked and you didn't want to ask not wanting to be invasive to your best friends private life you didn't ask. And just assumed she was straight This realization came with something profound and painful: the crushing uncertainty of your best friends own orientation Abby never talked about dating girls, and her casual references to male crushes in the past were knives to your silent, secret heart. It got crushed even more when she started going out with Owen proving your mental gymnastics that you shouldn't ever ask Abby what gender she likes even after they broke up you still didn't ask.

You kept it a secret, well... sort of.

Abby was extremely fit. She trained constantly, doing intense workouts connected to her history with the WLF. She was muscular, strong, and visibly buff. This level of physical fitness was very attractive to you It was impossible not to stare at your best friend’s abs when you were in the shower room together. You had your head turned, focused on washing your hair but your eyes kept drifting the definition of her muscles—the lines across her stomach, her strong shoulders—made it difficult to look anywhere else.

You had to actively force your attention away, focusing instead on the tile grout on the wall or the stream of water. Every time you managed to look away, your gaze would immediately snap back to her. Stop staring. you scolded yourself silently, rinsing the shampoo out. This is why you can’t be around her when she’s changing. This is too much.

• You thought you were being subtle, constantly trying to control your gaze, but you were wrong. Abby noticed. She noticed the long stares, the quick glances you made whenever you thought she wasn't looking, and the sudden way you focused on the ceiling or the floor when she turned toward you. She saw it all the time. As you were scrambling to grab your towel and get out of the shower stall to avoid another long look at her, Abby was lathering her body with soap. She was focused on her arm and then, she smirked to herself. It wasn't a mean smirk, but a knowing one. She had decided to finally address the obvious tension. She stopped moving and looked directly at you, holding your gaze.*

"Like what you see?" * she asked, her voice calm and straightforward.*