Chapter 3 Prioritizing Her First

[Lexie POV]

I checked the screen again. Still no reply. I didn't want to call her for no reason; I didn't want her to think I was suffocating her. I’m just her best friend who happens to be worried. There’s no malice in that. None at all.

Taking a deep breath to steady my nerves, I finally tapped her name and brought the phone to my ear.

"H-hello? Agatha? Um... are you still at the party?"

Silence. Then, the line went dead.

Shit. She hung up on me. Was she angry? Did I interrupt something? Was she with one of her flings right now?

Puzzled and frustrated, I got out of bed and began pacing around the room like an idiot. I felt like a thief who had just been caught red-handed.

I couldn't handle this silence. I needed a distraction. I needed a replacement for Kayden because the truth was, I went absolutely crazy whenever I was single. It sucked.

A few minutes later, the heavy sound of the front door slamming echoed through the house. My chest gave a sudden, violent throb. Agatha was here. She had actually come. Yes. I won.

"Lexie! What happened?" Agatha burst into the room, her eyes frantic with worry.

Without thinking, my legs moved on their own. I rushed forward and threw my arms around her, holding her tightly. I had missed her like crazy, even though we had just been together yesterday.

Suddenly, a wave of reality hit me. I was acting entirely on impulse. I quickly let go of the hug before my desperation became too obvious.

"It’s because of Kayden..." I muttered softly, letting my voice trail off hesitantly. It was a convenient excuse to hide the fact that I just wanted her here.

"What did he do to you?! I swear, I will kill him!" Agatha’s face contorted with pure rage. Her hands clenched into tight, trembling fists.

"Hey, no! He didn't do anything else," I stammered, scrambling to piece my lie together correctly. "I-I'm just sad... because... I miss him."

My pride had been utterly trampled when Kayden cheated on me, but that didn't mean I was losing my mind over him.

The sting of betrayal was the only reason for my tears. I refused to be deceived the way my father had deceived my mother.

Fortunately, Mom was abroad now, finally living her best life away from the drama.

"Don't be sad," Agatha said, her voice softening as she looked away from me. "This will pass, too."

She cleared her throat, shifting her weight. "Do you have any food? I'm starving. My stomach is just full of alcohol right now. Want to go grab a bite out?"

"Yeah... let's go out," I replied, trying to act casual. I walked out of the room first, secretly glancing back over my shoulder to make sure she was following me.

[Agatha POV]

I had completely abandoned my own night, trading a guaranteed hookup for absolute chaos because I genuinely believed Lexie was in danger. And for what? Just to hear her say she missed her cheating garbage of an ex-boyfriend. Fuck.

Instead of letting my intense irritation show, I averted my gaze, pretended to be hungry, and suggested we get food.

The alcohol was still buzzing through my system, and a sharp headache was beginning to form behind my eyes. I desperately needed coffee.

I followed her down the stairs. Lexie was the only person alive who could manipulate my life like this, and yet, I willingly let her.

Why do I keep doing this to myself? The honest answer was that I didn't fucking know.

No matter how hard I tried to build up my walls, the moment she called, I ran to her. I was a traitor to myself, always putting her first.

Just one word from her, and I was entirely undone.

When would the day come when she wanted to see me simply because she wanted me, and not just because she needed a shoulder to cry on?

I tried to scrub the false hope from my brain. It was better to shatter the illusion now before I sank any deeper into a hole I couldn't climb out of.

"I have a shoot tomorrow afternoon," Lexie said quietly once we were inside the car. "Can you drive me and stay with me? Only if you have nothing else to do, of course. If you're busy, it's fine."

To me, it didn't sound like a request. It felt like I had no choice. My soul was physically incapable of saying no to her. I knew exactly what this was: Kayden wasn't around to chauffeur her or keep her company anymore, so now she was leaning on me.

It was infuriating. Knowing someone needs you is a far cry from knowing they actually want you in their life permanently.

"Sure," I replied, keeping my tone level. "I don't have anything major on my schedule this week. I have plenty of time to work on my novel updates anyway."

Suddenly, her lips brushed against my cheek. "Thank you, best friend!"

Hearing that specific title made something ignite inside me. Agatha Nguyen is just a best friend to Lexie Lewis. What a absolute load of bullshit.

If I was just a friend, why did she act like we were a couple? Why did she call me in the dead of night, cuddle into my chest as if I were a lifeline, and kiss me out of nowhere? Was this really just a standard "best friend" dynamic to her?

[Lexie POV]

I had to swallow my pride entirely before asking her to come to the shoot with me. Fortunately, the work excuse kept things safe. I didn't want her picking up on any weird vibes.

I was determined to savor every single moment I could get with her, especially since I didn't have a boyfriend to occupy my time right now. I knew the drill—once I got into another relationship, it would take months before I'd have the freedom to see her like this again.

But a small, intrusive thought crept into my mind: Why do I always need a calculated reason to be around her? Why can't I just ask her to stay?

Agatha pulled into the restaurant parking lot. She killed the engine, stepped out first, and walked around to open the door for me. I secretly hated how effortlessly chivalrous she was. Did she treat her other casual friends this way? Just the mental image of her opening car doors for someone else made my blood boil with jealousy. I wanted to be the only one who received that version of Agatha.

"What do you want to eat? Or drink?" Agatha asked as we slid into a booth. The waiter approached and handed us the menus.

"Mushroom Pasta?" I suggested.

"Mushroom Pasta..." Agatha voiced at the exact same second.

It was a running theme with us. My absolute favorite comfort meal was creamy mushroom pasta paired with a strong coffee.

"With coffee?" she added with a slight smile.

Sometimes, I genuinely wondered if other best friends were this perfectly in sync.

[Agatha POV]

I resolved to make the absolute most of this window of time. I had her all to myself while she was single, because the moment she stumbled into a new relationship, I would be systematically pushed to the background again.

"How's the taste?" I asked.

"How is it?" she spoke over me.

We had both asked the exact same question at the exact same time. Was it a bizarre coincidence, or was it something closer to fate? Our minds always seemed to run on the exact same track. I only wished our hearts did, too.

My chest gave a familiar, heavy thud just looking at her across the table. There was a profound sense of satisfaction I got from just being near her—a feeling that no casual hookup could ever replicate.

Her smile was completely lethal. Her beauty was entirely captivating. I knew, with absolute certainty, that I would never tire of looking at her for the rest of my life.

Then, she paused, setting her fork down and looking directly into my eyes.

"Hmm... Can you just stay at my place while I'm in the process of moving on?"

Fuck. What did she just say?