My best friend (2)

Carter’s POVThe doorbell rang so loudly, startling me a little.“They’re here!” Stacy squealed, practically jumping off my thighs where she’d been aggressively scrolling through TikTok for the last twenty minutes. She smoothed down her tight denim skirt. “Carter, get up! Don't be weird and antisocial. Go open it!”I dragged myself off the couch, my palms suddenly feeling slick.When I swung the heavy front door open, the hot summer air hit me but not as hard as the sight of Liam standing on my porch. He looked massive under the porch light, wearing a gray t-shirt that stretched tightly over his chest and dark gym shorts. Next to him was Mira, one of Stacy’s best friends. As far as I knew, Stacy had been playing Cupid for the two of them for a year now.“Hey,” I said, my voice cracking slightly before I caught it.“Hey, man,” Liam muttered.The silence that followed was suffocating. It also didn’t help that we hadn’t said a word to each other since

My best friend (3)

Carter’s POV“Oh my god, Carter, stop being so absentminded and pass the bowl already!” Stacy yelled, flicking her fingers in my face. I didn’t realize she had been trying to catch my attention the whole time.I blinked, pulling myself out of my head, and reached for the popcorn on the coffee table. “My bad.”“Like, seriously. You’ve been a zombie all day.” She snatched the bowl from my hands, tossing her head so her blonde ponytail whipped across my face. She didn’t even look at me as she turned her perfectly wide smile toward the other side of the couch. “Anyway, Mira! You have got to tell Liam about that thing you did with your hair for the pep rally. It was literally so cute, right, Liam?”Liam sat on the opposite end of the couch, looking massive and entirely out of place in the cramped space. “Yeah,” he answered, clearing his throat. “It looked great, Mira.”He didn't look at Mira, though. He looked at the TV screen. And then, for a split second, h

My best friend (4)

Liam’s POVThe sky didn't just open up; it completely dumped on us the second Carter’s truck engine stopped in the driveway.“Go, go, go!” I yelled, playfully shoving Carter’s shoulder as we bolted out of the car, sprinting toward the porch.“Move your fat ass, Liam!” Carter bellowed back, bursting into a loud laugh echoing over the thunder. He gave me a hard shove back to get ahead of me, but the wet grass gave way. My foot slipped on the wet turf, and I violently lost my balance, my arms flailing as I stumbled backward.Instinct took over Carter. The second he saw me slip, his laugh cut short. He lunged forward, his face instantly twisting into pure worry as he rushed toward me, his hands grabbing my forearms to steady me before I could hit the ground.“Whoa, you good? You alright?” he yelled over the downpour, his voice frantic as he held onto me, his thumbs digging into my skin. He didn't pull away once I was stable. Instead, he stayed right there, scann

My best friend (5)

Carter’s POVI was drowning, and the worst part was that I’d jumped into the water myself.One week. One week of total radio silence from the only person who actually knew me. I’d called Liam a dozen times. Every single call went straight to voicemail. When I finally swallowed my pride and texted a massive paragraph trying to apologize, all I got back was a single word: Okay.I sat at our usual lunch table, staring blankly at my plastic tray while the rest of the guys argued about some college game. My head was a violent, chaotic mess. I wasn't in denial anymore. I couldn't be. You don't lunge at your best friend, pin him to a wall, and kiss him until your knees go weak if you're completely straight. I had gotten rock hard just holding him. I liked the taste of his mouth. I was bi, or gay, or whatever the hell label fit—I didn't care. I just knew I was crashing out because the thought of losing Liam was physically making me sick.He can’t be gay, I kept tel

My best friend(6)

“Carter! Carter!” Coach yelled, but I ignored him. Training was over for me and Liam today.“Hey! What the hell—” Liam stumbled, trying to yank his arm back, but I didn't let go.The boys behind us were hollering and cheering, thinking it was just a typical captain fight, but I kept walking until I dragged him all the way back into the locker room hallway, a quiet corner away from prying eyes.The second we were inside and alone, I shoved him back, my palm slamming hard against the brick wall right next to his head. The impact echoed loudly.“Are you okay?!” I breathed, my chest heaving against my shoulder pads, my face inches from his.“What the fuck do you think, Carter?” Liam spat, his voice trembling with a mixture of rage and shock. He ripped his wrist out of my grip. “I just got dragged off my own field like a piece of trash in front of the entire team!”“Don’t say that,” I interjected, my voice dropping. “Don’t say that.”“Then what am I sup

My best friend (8)

Carter’s POVIt took me a solid five minutes just to get off the concrete. The throbbing ache in my groin made my stomach turn, but the fire burning in my chest was worse. I dragged myself up, leaning heavily against the brick wall, my breath coming in ragged gasps as I forced myself to walk back to the locker room.When I pulled the heavy metal door open, the loud sound hit me. The team was already inside, there was the rushing noise of running showers, boys yelling at each other over the music, and the sound of wet towels being strung over the locker doors. It was the exact background noise we’d lived in for years.My eyes instantly cut through the crowd, tracking down the one person I needed to see.Liam was at his locker at the very end of the row. He was already bare-chested, his broad shoulders glistening with a mix of sweat and water from where he’d tried to wash his face at the sink. His skin was still flushed a violent pink from our fight, his chest