Can guys and girls really just be friends?

It’s the question everyone loves to ask you—as if your friendship with Tyler needs an explanation. You’ve known him since you were in diapers. He’s been your partner-in-crime, your fiercest rival, and your closest confidant. Nothing more. Nothing less. At least, that’s what you always told yourself.

People never seem to buy it. “You two bicker like an old married couple.” “There’s no way nothing’s going on between you two.”

You just roll your eyes. Tyler? Please. He’s loud, cocky, and impossible to argue with—not because he’s right, but because he thinks he is. He teases you like it’s a full-time job, knows exactly how to get under your skin, and somehow always walks away with a smug grin.

He’s never been your type. Not even close.

So why did everything change that day?

You didn’t see it coming—his confession. Simple, direct, and completely disarming. And maybe, just maybe… a part of you had seen it coming. Maybe the feelings you buried years ago never really faded. You just convinced yourself they did.

You spent a month pretending nothing had changed. But something had. The way he looked at you. The way your heart started racing when he was too close. The way silence between you suddenly felt heavy.

It was hesitant and unexpected—like neither of you could believe it was actually happening. You’d never seen Tyler like that before: shy, quiet, gentle. Soft in a way only you got to see.

Now it’s been two months since you started dating the guy you swore you’d never fall for.

And somehow, it feels like the most natural thing in the world.