Best Friends Don't Sleep Together - A.H. Series #1

Chapter 3

⪻A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words.⪼

- Unknown

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Standing in front of me, Chris eyed me carefully, so I did my best to smile. I knew he was trying to see if I really meant it, and I didn't want him to feel guilty. If he's met a girl he likes, why should I be selfish and play the best friend card just to keep him all to myself? Part of me wanted to, but love also entails putting the other's happiness before yours, doesn't it?

I have no right to control his life, to interfere with his decisions. Being so close, so tightly invested in each other's life, it gives me the privilege of knowing everything, not deciding for him or worse, guilt tripping him into doing what I want. When Chris asks something of me, I comply because I want to, not because he's giving me an order or manipulating me, and the same goes for him. Despite what everyone else thinks about him bossing me around.

He tilted his head to the side, staring at my fake smile. In the end, he sighed. "You're a terrible liar, Viv, you know that, right?" He claimed, causing me to frown. Even more when he plopped back onto the couch, next to me.

"I ..."

I nearly fainted when he wrapped an arm around my waist, and pulled me into him, leaving his temple against mine. "Come on, Vivy," he chuckled, "did you seriously think I'd leave you for a booty call?"

I found myself smiling as I relaxed in his arms. "A booty call, huh?" I mocked. "What happened to, I'm not a flings kind of guy?"

He laughed. "I mean, I'm single, I can mingle." He shrugged.

I rolled my eyes at his lame comeback. But I needed to know. "So," I left my head on his shoulder as he leaned back against the sofa, "Cherise is just a booty call?"

Chris cleared his throat, clearly uncomfortable with telling me about her, which is weird, because he's always recounted me everything about his girlfriends. Why is this one different? "I barely know her," he admitted, "we met at Shay's bar last week and we've uh ... well, you know ..." he waved his hand in the air.

"I know?"

"Come on, Viv, you get what I mean."

"I do," I lifted my head to look at him, "I just didn't think ..." I stopped, unsure whether I should say it or not.

"You don't really think I have sex only when I'm in a relationship, do you?" Chris frowned.

Of course, not. Silly me. How could I ever think that the only women that were able to take him from me were the ones he actively dated? What I don't understand is why did he always claim he wasn't the one-night-stand type of guy, if he is.

As if on cue, Chris explained: "Viv, you know I don't like one-night-stands. But after Karen, I needed ..." he clouded over, and I regretted my nosiness, which had caused him hurt.

"I'm sorry," I said hastily, not wanting to waste one thought more than necessary on his ex. "I didn't mean to pry."

He half smiled. "Come on, now, Vivy, it's not prying when you're my better half." Chris claimed, leaving his temple against mine again.

I sucked in a breath to try and control the rapidly increasing beats of my heart. He always says things like that, and I just don't know how to keep on reminding myself that it's all 100% platonic. I guess you see my problem here ... how do you deal with an unrequited love for someone that's so sweet and tender and adorable with you?