Chapter Text
It was seven at night and Jonas was sitting down and eating dinner with his roommate, Mia. They were having chicken parmesan, which would have made Jonas sad a few years ago, when the thought of Italian food made him sick with the feeling of missing his best friend, who had dropped out of university to move to Italy with his new boyfriend.
But years had passed and Jonas had learned to cope with it. He had somewhat kept in contact with Matteo, calling him a few times a year and sending him texts on his birthday, but for the most part Jonas had learned how to live without him. While Matteo was gone he had graduated from university, gotten his dream job, and moved into his own apartment. Jonas didn’t need him and, at this point, he barely missed him. Their lives had taken them in different directions and he was okay with that.
Jonas still had plenty of important people in his life. He had Hanna, who was a nurse at the local hospital and was in a happy relationship with one of the doctors there, Amira.
He had Sam and Kiki, who were friends of his. Kiki was an art teacher for children and Sam was in law school. They were best friends that lived in a house together. They were also deeply in love, but neither of them really knew it yet. Jonas and Hanna had a running bet as to who would ask who out first. His money was on Sam because of her fierce confidence, but Hanna seemed to think that Kiki would be the one to make things happen in the end.
And then there was Mia Amalie Winter, with her flawless eyebrows, fluffy blond hair, and soft skin. She and Jonas had dated for a while while they were in university before they realized that friendship was the best option and, to be honest, Jonas never really thought a friends with benefits situation could actually work until he met her. They were roommates and coworkers who occasionally had some fun together and it was an absolutely fantastic situation. They were too busy with their fast-paced journalism careers to find serious relationships, so they just hooked up, whether it be with strangers or with each other.
Since Matteo hadn’t been a big part of his life throughout the past few years, Mia had become his new best friend. They depended on one another for a lot, including advice. It seemed like Jonas could be more open with Mia than he ever had been with Matteo.
They ate dinner together every Friday night, trading off cooking duty, and discussed the highs and lows of their weeks. This week, Mia had cooked, so Jonas just got to sit back and enjoy.
“So, how was your tinder date with that girl?” he asked her.
Mia shrugged. “It was just a hookup. She seems nice enough and we had a lot of fun, so I might hit her up again if she’s up for it. How about you? Anyone on the horizon.”
He shook his head. “I’m afraid that the well is as dry as ever.”
“Sex isn’t everything,” she replied.
“No, it’s not,” Jonas agreed. “But it’s pretty fucking nice.”
Mia laughed. “I guess I have to give you that. You know, I’ve got that party tonight with Kiki and Sam, but if you’re up for it, we can fool around after I get back.”
“If I’m awake,” Jonas shrugged. “This week fucking kicked my ass. Interviewing complete idiots on same-sex relationships is the worst.”
“I’d imagine so,” she replied. “I still understand how young people can be stuck in the past when they weren’t even alive then.”
He opened his mouth to say something, but Mia’s phone buzzed with a text. She read it and looked up to him apologetically. “Shit, they’re here already. I have to go, but I’ll see you tonight, okay?”
Jonas smiled. “Have fun, Mia,” he said, waving at her as she grabbed her jacket and rushed out of the door.
He took his time finishing his dinner, as he had nowhere else to be. After he was done, he put away the leftover food for the rest of the week and cleaned up all of the dishes.
When he had finished the last of his duties for the night, he went to the living room and sat back in the counter with a blanket over him and a cup of tea at his side. He went to reach for the remote, when the doorbell rang.
Jonas groaned. He had just gotten comfortable and now he had to get up to answer the door. He had never known Mia as the type to lock her keys inside the apartment, but he supposed that there was a first time for everything.
After all, who else could it be? Kiki and Sam were out at the club with Mia. Amira had just gotten off a 36 hour shift, so she was surely asleep and Hanna was working through the night. Unless it was a late night solicitor, it had to be Mia.
It wasn’t Mia. When Jonas opened the door, he was faced with familiar blue eyes. The eyes that had haunted many sleepless nights. Matteo was here.
“Jonas,” the other man grinned. “It’s so good to see you.”
He blinked for a moment, unsure as to what to make of the situation. “What are you doing here?” he eventually blurted out. “Like, I’m happy to see you and all, but I’m a bit confused.”
“I’m going to be in Berlin for the next three months,” Matteo informed him. “I was hoping that I could come in and chat with you.”
“Of course,” Jonas replied, moving over to let him in.
“This is a nice apartment,” Matteo complimented, looking around the living room before taking a seat on the couch. “Do you live alone?”
“God, no. It would be a mess if I was all alone here,” he replied, sitting on the other end of the couch and facing his friend. “I live with Mia.”
“Oh, I’m kind of surprised that you two are still together,” Matteo said.
Jonas chuckled. “We aren’t together anymore. Just friends.”
The other man nodded slowly. “You two always did have a lot in common. I didn’t think the relationship would last, but I always kind of knew you two would still be in each other’s lives.”
“Yep,” Jonas muttered. The conversation was a bit tense and awkward, but he supposed that it had been a long time since they had last spoken. “So, why are you here?” he asked, getting the conversation back on track. “Did the excitement of Florence finally wear off?”
“No, it’s not that,” he chuckled. “I realized that I missed all of you and I wanted to reconnect during these last three months. Besides, Riccardo’s company has a branch here in Berlin, so we could get them to pay for it.”
Jonas tried not to frown at the mention of Riccardo. He had never really liked the guy, but he had always made Matteo happy, so he knew that he was going to have to deal with it.
“Wait,” Jonas said, furrowing his eyebrows. “What’s happening in three months?”
Matteo smiled and patted Jonas’ knee. “Okay, so you can’t tell anybody this, at least not yet, but me and Riccardo are getting married. Here, in Berlin.”
His stomach convulsed. He knew that he should be happy for Matteo, like any good friend would, but the news made him feel ill. Matteo was still fairly young, and he wasn’t sure that Riccardo was the best person for him, seeing as their relationship had caused him to abandon all his career goals and move to a foreign country.
Still, Jonas managed to muster up a smile for the sake of his friend. “Matteo, that’s wonderful news!”
“I came to you first for a reason,” he informed him.
“Yeah?” Jonas’ smile began to become a bit more genuine, since he was the first person that Matteo had come to see.
Matteo bit his lip and looked Jonas in the eye. His heart lurched when his vision was met with that sea of blue. God, he had missed having his friend in his life.
“I want you to be my best man,” Matteo told him.
Jonas heart heart sunk a little in his chest, but he maintained a smile. “I’m definitely willing, but don’t you have any friends from Italy that you’re closer with now?”
The other man shook his head. “They only people we hang out with there are Riccardo’s friends, and I fucking hate every last one of them.”
“I’ll do it,” Jonas promised.
“Thank you so much,” Matteo replied, reaching forward to wrap Jonas in a hug. His arms made feel Jonas at home.
They chatted for a little while longer, talking about this in that, nothing that really mattered much, until Riccardo called Matteo and he had to leave. Jonas received a text not long after he left about a group meetup for Sunday brunch and it seemed like everyone was on board, so he knew that he would see his friend again soon.
Jonas was laying in bed, wide awake, when Mia finally came home. He figured that she would go straight to her room and sleep, as it was pretty late.
Instead he heard his door creak open slowly and there she was. She had changed into a t-shirt and gym shorts, probably because she was going to sleep soon.
He clenched his eyes shut and pretended to be asleep. He didn’t really want to have sex tonight. Still, he felt the creaking of the bed beside him as she climbed in.
“Jonas, I know you’re awake,” Mia whispered, softly running her fingertips down the side of his face.
Opening his eyes, he turned toward her. “I’m not really up for sex tonight,” he admitted.
“I know,” she said with a smile, stroking the side of his face. “But I figured that you would want some company tonight. I got Matteo’s text too.”
“He stopped by while you were gone,” Jonas informed her.
“And how was that?” she asked, brushing the edge of his lip with her thumb. Usually, it would have been a sexual gesture, but for Jonas, it was comforting. Mia was assuring him that she was here and that she was listening.
“You can’t tell anyone this and you need to act surprised on Sunday,” he started, “but Matteo came back because he wanted to reconnect with everyone before he gets married to Riccardo.”
Her hand stilled for a moment. “I’m sorry,” she said.
“What are you sorry for? My friend is getting married,” he protested.
She shook her head. “I know that you’re unhappy with this. You don’t have to pretend with me.”
“He deserves happiness and love,” Jonas sighed, looking up at the ceiling. “I don’t understand why I’m feeling this way. Maybe I need to start trying to start searching for a relationship again. Maybe, deep down, I wish that I was getting married and starting to become a real adult.”
“You are a real adult,” she protested. “Besides, Jonas, you can’t help how you feel about it. I know you. You’re going to attend that wedding with a smile on your face because Matteo was your best friend for years and you want to support him.”
“Of course I’ll support him,” he confirmed. “But here’s the issue: Matteo wants be to be his best man and I’ll gladly do it, I just know that it’s going to suck.”
She raised her eyebrows. “Well, he must have had a reason for doing that then. I guess we’ll see what comes of it.”
“What do you mean?” Jonas wondered aloud. “Would I not be a good best man?”
“You’d be an amazing best man. It’s just that I’m not sure you should be Matteo’s best man,” Mia clarified.
He gave her a strange look. “Mia, what?”
She ran her fingers through his hair. “Don’t worry about it. You need to try to get some sleep, alright?”
Jonas bit his lip. “Can you stay?” he asked.
Mia smiled softly. “Of course. I’m here for you, Jonas.”
She snuggled up closer to him and they fell asleep in each other’s arms. For anyone else, it would be romantic, but for Jonas and Mia, it was just another part of their friendship. Matteo left Jonas’ thoughts for a brief moment, just long enough for him to fall asleep.