somewhere else. She left.”
“Wow. I’m sorry, babe.”
“You didn’t do it.”
“No, but you really liked Lily.”
“Yeah. . .” There was more.
“But?”
“There’s this girl. She’s amazing. I can’t even explain her. I did like Lily but then I met her and it was like Lily never existed. So all those things Lily said were true. I still want her to be around, she’s a great girl, but the whole time I was with her I wanted to be with the other girl. She’s all I can think about. It’s crazy, I know, but it’s true.” He looked ashamed like he’d just gotten caught in the cookie jar.
“Then maybe it’s a good thing you and Lily are over.”
“You really think so?”
“Well, yeah. I mean, if you aren’t into Lily then you shouldn’t be with her. And now you can go after that other girl of yours.”
“I guess you’re right.”
“Is that all?”
“Pretty much.” He was smiling. “Why?”
“You sounded pretty bad on the phone.”
“Yeah, but the movie really chilled me out. I needed that. Hell, I needed this.” He meant being here with me. Why?
I didn’t realize that I had spoken it aloud until his expression changed.
“What do you mean?”
“Why me?”
“You’re my best friend.”
“You just met me.”
“You're still my best friend.”
“Why?”
“You were the first person I thought to call when she left, the only one that I knew would understand.”
“Oh.”
He laughed for a second then hugged me. I hugged him back disappointedly. That’s all I was, a friend, not the girl he couldn’t keep his mind off of, not even a girl he thought of that way, but his friend.
When he pulled away he asked, “Do you want me to put another movie on or should I leave before I get you in trouble?”