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“What is it?”, Ryan sighed as soon as he picked up the phone, “I swear, if it’s that idiot you call your boyfriend-”
You wept, “Yeah…”
Ryan hated this. As your best friend, he was the one you called whenever that stupid excuse of a man you were dating hurt you. And it happened a lot. But he didn’t only hate the fact his best friend was suffering. Cause to him, you were not just a best friend, you were his first and only love, with the worst part being your obliviousness to the whole thing.
“What’d he do this time?”, he huffed. Despite being annoyed — he’d rather not think about the fact another man could get your affection — he still had to help you, and he also hated when you were sad.
“Oh, I just… maybe I’m exaggerating, but I think I saw him texting a girl… and you know how it went last time,” you explained through tears and sniffles.
“Ugh, fucking cheater,” mumbled Ryan. ‘I could never cheat on her, what an asshole’.
“You know what you should do, I told you a ton of times,” said Ryan.
“Yeah I know, but… I can’t leave him, I just can’t,”
“Why? You could easily find someone better, like you deserve,” like me, he thought.
“I don’t know…”
“That’s just the right thing to do. He keeps treating you like shit, I’d never do tha- fuck,” it was too late, he was sure you heard everything.
The phone fell silent.
“Hey? You there?”, the apprehension in Ryan’s voice was palpable.
“Yes, sorry. What were you saying?”, your voice sounded softer now. Calmer.
“Ah nothing, just- he’s a jerk. You deserve someone better,” he exhaled.
“Like you?”, you whispered.
If only you could see Ryan now. His face turned ghastly white. Was this the end? He knew he had to wait, eventually you would have gotten over that stupid douche and you would have seen that Ryan was the best guy you could have asked for. But he slipped up, he rushed, he got upset and let it slip. And now everything you two had was about to end.
“Ryan?”
“Yeah sorry, I- I got distracted,” he snapped back from his pessimistic internal monologue.
“So… did you mean it?”
“What?”, he tensed up again.
“You know, that you’d treat me better. As in, you’d be a better boyfriend?”, you inquired.
Oh well, cat’s out the bag now, might as well admit it, “Yeah, that’s what I meant. I get it if you don’t wanna talk to me anymo-”
You didn’t let him finish, “No Ryan, I still wanna see you and talk to you. Why don’t you show me if what you said is gonna be true?”
He was sure his heart exploded. Or his brain short circuited. Or- he was gonna go crazy, “You’re joking.”
“No. I mean, you’re right, he’s a jerk. But I couldn’t leave him, after all I thought no one would ever like me. But turns out the most handsome guy I know likes me? The guy I might have had a tiny crush on years ago? Might as well give him a chance, right?”
“You’re crazy. I like you even more now.”