Chapter 1

SASHA

My heart was still doing a weird dance-like beating. Avoiding them was like steering clear from a minefield, each step screamed with the possibility of confrontation or awkwardness. I did promise to stay friends with them, but I just couldn’t pretend nothing really happened between us, like we could just go back to being normal friends. I sighed, rubbing my chest.

Closing the door behind me felt like turning off an electric fan, turning off the discomfort and tension that seemed to permeate the air whenever Carl and Caleb were around.

I sank into the bed and let out a weary sigh, feeling the weight of the day’s interactions settle around me like a heavy blanket, but I couldn’t help but grin like crazy. I couldn’t deny the overwhelming happiness bubbling up inside me for my best friend. Cassie and Jake’s wedding filled me with an unexpected warmth.

Sure, there was a pang of jealousy, and damned Jake for stealing away my best friend. But beneath it all, I was genuinely happy for Cassie. She had found her forever happiness, and that was something worth celebrating, even if it meant I wouldn’t have much time with her. But really, Jake was her dream, and seeing them say their vow to each other broke my heart with so much joy. Cassie deserved this happiness, this moment of bliss, and I was thankful to have been a part of her journey.

Exhausted, I allowed myself to be lulled to sleep, thinking that avoiding Carl and Caleb wasn’t a long-term solution. I knew that. Eventually, I would have to face them and the complicated emotions that had put a wall between us. I would have to confront the ghosts of our broken friendships and find a way to move forward.

.

CALEB

“Where is she?” I asked Carl, his hair still wet from the shower.

“Did you check her room?” his forehead creased.

I let out a sigh. “Empty. She must have left already.”

“Always eager to disappear.” His jaw clenched. “Her tendency to retreat into herself has become all too familiar to me.”

“She’ll come around,” I said, but even I was not certain. “She always does.”

I watched him take a deep breath, his expression tight, “I’ll tend the farm for this whole summer break,”

“You will just leave? That will only widen the growing divide between us.”

“I will talk to her and clarify things.”

“Talking won’t solve anything if she doesn’t even want to listen,” I countered, frustration simmering in my tone. “We need to find a way to make her stay,”

Carl’s brow furrowed, “And how do you propose we do that?”

“Let’s go back to being friends. Tell her to forget what happened. It’s not too late to save our friendship with her.”

“She’s shut us out, Caleb. She won’t even look us in the eye, let alone listen to what we have to say.”

“Then we’ll find a way to make her listen,” I declared. “We’ll show her that we’re not giving up on her, that we’ll fight for her until she realizes that our friendship is worth fighting for, too.”

His gaze softened, regret flickering in his eyes. “You know, now that you say that, it reminds me that maybe I shouldn’t have confessed to her. If we had just kept up with our act, pretending to like Cassie, maybe things wouldn’t have gotten so awkward. Sasha wouldn’t have put this distance from us. She would have remained the same sweet, funny, and caring person we’ve always known.”

A part of me couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt at Carl’s words. Maybe he was right. Maybe our confession had only served to complicate things further. “But what’s done is done. We can’t change the past, but we can try to make things right moving forward. We can at least try to mend what’s broken.”

Carl sighed, tossing the towel on the bed. “We’ll find a way to make things right with her. Show her we’re still the same friends.”

A scoff left my lips. “How long can we really pretend we only want her as a friend, Carl de Silva?” I challenged.

The question lingered between us like a silent dare.

Carl’s smirk widened, an impish glint dancing in his eyes. “For as long as I can get close to her,” he replied. His tone was light but tinged with a hint of something more.

Amused, I shook my head at his response. Leave it to Carl to find humor in even the most serious situations. “Well, let’s hope that’s long enough,” I quipped, a smile playing at the corners of my own lips. “Because if anyone can pull off the ultimate friend-zone act, it’s definitely you.”

Carl laughed. “No matter what it took.”