My Bestfriends Boyfriend is my Mate.

Chapter 1

*Updated, 2024*

REAL QUICK - Tell me, what are your New Year's resolutions? Mine is to finish this damn book lmaooo.
----------

When we are forced to peer into the looking glass and ponder the realization of who we really are ...what do we see? What lies beneath the façade that we wear so well?

When I look into the looking glass - I do not see my reflection.

I see a thin, tight thread on the verge of snapping.

I'm hanging on by a thread. I don't know how I have become so unraveled, but I am on the brink of nothingness ...

How did I end up here?

"You know, you are actually supposed to drink it. Not just stare into it." Sam whipped out, sarcasm oozing from my best friend's voice as she tips back her glass of water to finish it.

I blink, jolting from my daze, raising the rim of the glass to my lips. "For real though," Sam hushes, concern lining her beautiful face. "You good?"

I tilt my head back, savoring the cool water as it trickles down my parched throat. Glancing sideways at her, I raise my brows. Finally, after quenching the desert in my mouth, I release a sigh.

"Yeah, just in deep thought again." I shake my head, still blinking myself back to reality. "I need some coffee."

She chuckles in response, her vibrant pink and white sweat suit lighting up the room as she heads to the makeshift coffee bar in the corner of the kitchen. "Tell me 'bout it. Sometimes, I'll lay in bed, and my head conjures up these wild scenarios... It's like my brain has a talent for spinning made-up drama."

I smile at her, watching her as she grabs two mugs – pouring coffee into each.

"Can't sleep with out getting a good cry sesh in." I retort, a wry smile playing on my lips.

She laughs, the warm sound echoing out of shared experiences. "Oh absolutely, it's a nightly ritual for our overactive imaginations."

I lean against the kitchen counter, the fragility of my earlier thoughts dissipating as she hands me the mug of coffee. "It feels like I am just hanging on by a thread sometimes, you know?"

She only nods, the playfulness of her pale blue eyes turning into ice. "Life is a tightrope for us all." She murmurs, "But hey, at least we have each other, right?"

We clink our coffee mugs together in a silent toast, acknowledging the unspoken bond that we have – remembering all that shit that we have been through together. The parts of me that she had seen .. the parts that no one else knows.

As we both drink in silence, the caffeine begins to work its magic- the looming brink of nothingness retreating, replaced by the assurance that in this tangled journey that we are on – we are not alone.

After a while of silence, a rhythmic hum began buzzing on the counter behind me. Its persistent purr catching the eyes of my best friend.

"By the way," She bit her lip, setting her mug on the counter as she hurried to grab her phone. "You know that guy I was talking to you about yesterday?" She smiles softly; I always envied the way that her soft pink lips never seemed to crack. Not really envy I suppose-but definitely admired. If she was the beauty in our friendship, then I was the beast.

"Internet guy?" I raised a brow.

"The one and only," Her eyes gleamed with excitement as she tapped away at her phone, "Also – his name is Dylan, and-" She squinted at the green glow of the microwave clock beside them, "He will be here in about five minutes."

I blink again. "What?"

"When you see him, girl" She purred, taking the mugs to the kitchen sink. "Just remember, I already called dibs." She winks, taking out her phone once more.

I somehow forgot to breathe.

I raised myself from the counter then; my brows scrunched together as I stared down at my worn-out Converse.

"Uhm, why?"

I could feel her gaze on me then, those pink manicured nails coming to a standstill from tapping away at her phone. I quickly shake my head, a hoarse laugh coming from me.

"No – sorry, I mean why is he coming here?"

"He goes to our school, well ... he now goes to our school. He's a transfer." She snatched her bag from the bar stool, throwing it over her shoulder. "Get dressed! Unless you want your cookie monster shirt to steal the spotlight at school today."

I quickly followed her, my t-shirt swishing around my small frame. Little did she know, this is precisely what I intended to wear.

"Wait wait wait," I shake my head, tying my thick hair into a messy bun. "Why is someone you met from the internet coming here though – can't we just meet him at school?"

She threw a glance over her shoulder at me, "Uh, because gas is expensive?" She pursed her lips, "Besides I have met him."

The hell?

I grabbed my checkered bag from the loveseat, still warily watching her as she plopped herself down onto the couch.

"I have never once heard of you meeting this guy." With my bag now strapped to my back, I sit on the edge of the couch beside her.

"Well, you know me, always full of adventure and surprises. I didn't think it was a big deal; we had mutual friends – started texting, then video-chatting. But hey, when you see him, just play it cool – okay? Don't be weird."

My eyes widen in disbelief. "Video-chatting?"

She grinned mischievously, "Life is too short to beat around the bush, my friend. We are now in an age where I could know what a guy's dick on the other side of the world looks like."

I nearly choked on my own spit.

"Anyways," She clucked, "He is about to witness our unmatched energy, and I intend to make a stellar first impression." She glanced at me, "You are my best friend, Jub, basically my only one."

"Oh please, you are literally the most popular person at school." I chuckled nervously, still grappling with the unexpected turn of events. My heart pounded in my chest, whether it was from my social anxiety disorder – or the disbelief.

"And none of them truly know me." She responded.

I stared at the deep blue blanket that was piled between us, grasping at the ends of it – my fingers began tying together its tasseled ends.

"I am just surprised you never told me is all..."

And before she could utter a response, a sharp horn echoed from outside.

"Well," I blinked, Sam now staring at me with a small touch of guilt in her eyes, her mouth parted as if she were about to say something – yet couldn't quite get it out. "Looks like the internet guy is here."

We both got up then, I walked to the door first – before being halted to a stop. My wrist now being held by her small hand, "I promise I will explain later, okay?"

I nodded, then after a few seconds – her eyes turned into slits, "And don't call him that. His name is Dylan." I could only roll my eyes in response, but she knew. Knew I wouldn't cross that line.

"Well, no time like the present!" She chirped, latching her arm through mine as she lurched the front door open. "Now let's make an entrance that he won't forget!"

"Let's," I grumbled sarcastically, flicking off the light switch – before trudging out the door.

The outside world embraced us in its wet air as we stepped onto the porch. A black, sleek car idled at the curb – and as its door swung open, my eyes met his. Time seemed to pause at that moment, and Sam's grip on my arm only tightened. In the faint glow of the streetlights, his features held a mysterious allure, sparking a curious recognition in the depths of my consciousness.

That small little thread in me quivered.