Page 5 of My Ex's Best Friend

He peered at me closely. “A man only drinks so much when trying to forget someone.”

“Where did you get that from? Fucking Kafka?”

“Kafka doesn’t talk about heartbreak like that.”

“You don’t have to worry. Alcohol barely affects me."

He was right, though. I was trying to forget someone. And yet, my thoughts seemed to have materialized her right before me.

When I first spotted Kiera at the bar, I thought I was hallucinating.

I’m pretty sure I’ve had some weed cookies at some point. I can’t tell. Phi Psi Xi parties are epic. That’s one of the reasons Chris had convinced me to join the fraternity, back when it felt like a good idea to be around my best friend all the time. Back before he started dating Kiera.

Just the thought of him with Kiera sucker punches me in my gut.

When I first introduced them to each other, I never imagined that they would end up together.

When Chris told me how much he liked Kiera, I wanted the Earth to come up and swallow me whole, but instead I had to pretend to be happy for my best friend.

I couldn’t tell Kiera how much I love her, and I thought I had lost her for good.

Does she finally see me? Does she know how much I love her? Or is this just a drunken move to spite Chris?

Do I even care if I get to just be with her? Maybe this is my chance to finally come clean about how I feel for her. How I felt for years.

On the second-floor landing, Kiera shows no signs of slowing down. I know exactly where she’s leading me. The thumping music still vibrates through the walls, but it's quieter here.

I plant my feet, resisting her pull. "Kiera, wait." The words escape my lips, breathless and urgent.

She turns to me, frustration evident in her eyes. Her grip tenses on my arm.

"This is a bad idea." I want this more than anything in the world, and even though I’ve had more drinks than I should have, my rational side tells me this is wrong.

The dim light casts shadows on her face, emphasizing the uncertainty in her eyes.

"Come on, Jake. Don't be such a buzzkill.” She tries to pull on my arm again but when I don’t move, she loses her footing, and I steady her with my arms around her waist.

Her skin is so soft and warm through her top, and I have to resist the urge to squeeze her, trail my fingers upwards until…

I quickly shake myself out of it. One of us has to be practical, even if all my senses are numb, and all I want to do is to melt into her arms and never let her go.

Whatever Chris did, it doesn’t change the fact that Kiera is his girlfriend. And as his friend, I can’t go behind his back like this. And I certainly cannot take advantage of Kiera herself, especially when neither of us is sober. I love her too much to do that. And I want her to want to be with me because she loves me, not to get back at another guy.

“Kiera, seriously. Let's not do this. It's not worth the risk. Besides, you can barely stand up."

She frowns slightly. “Risk for what?”

“ Not to mention, you’re my friend’s girlfriend.”

“Chris cheated on me.”

I didn’t mean for her to find out like this.

She takes my surprise for confusion. “Are you still thinking about him?”

I shake my head.

“Jake, I want you.”

---