Not Just Friends Mga Nobela at Kwento

He eyed my outstretched hand like it was a weapon, then stepped closer. “And,” I added, “we do it as friends.” He froze. “Friends?” he repeated, as if the word itself was an antique relic. “Yeah. Friends,” I said, holding his gaze. “Not king and subject. Not prophecy and pawn. Not replacement and ghost. Just… two idiots trying to survive.” His eyes softened in slow, cautious degrees. “I…” He swallowed. “It has been a long time since I had a friend.” “Good,” I said. “You’re out of practice. I’ll lower the bar.”

I returned to my senses and quickly said, "Now, now, let's not be rash. Don't mess with my wife's childhood sweetheart. What if she gets mad at me?" As soon as I said that, my friends stared at me like I'd sprouted a second head. Someone remarked, "Elliot, you're a model husband." Everyone gave me a thumbs-up, but I saw the disdain in their eyes. I couldn't be bothered to explain myself. They wouldn't get it, anyway. Just then, the song I'd picked came up, and I started crooning. "Later, I finally learned to love, but you were already gone…" I was just gearing up for the climax when a loud bang stole everyone's attention. The private room's door had flown open.

“The friendship.” “I think you’re mistaking us being comrades for friendship. We are not friends.” It felt like something stung my chest.

Just a boy trying to be something more than what the world had made of him. And a girl trying to feel safe in a world that never was. “Maybe,” he said. They didn’t touch. They didn’t kiss. They just stood together, breathing in the same sky, looking out at the same world, hoping—maybe—for the first time—that they didn’t have to face it alone.

You paused and looked into her eyes, long enough for her to know you absorbed her question but not so long that you were struggling with it. "No, that's not what I'm saying. That is your decision, and I'm not going to try and sway you either way because we're Friends first, and friends support friends. I just meant that getting something special, just for me, felt more special."

“Not to me. Never have been.” I searched his face, looking for the truth in his words. There was something raw and sincere there, but also a guardedness I hadn’t fully seen before. He took a deep breath, as if steeling himself. “Those ‘friends’ I mentioned,” he began slowly, voice low and steady. “They’re not friends in the way you might think about friends. They’re business acquaintances… people I keep in my orbit for deals, investments, and networking. Not people I trust with my personal life.”

always acting thoughtlessly before considering the other person’s feelings. “He’s just a friend,” is the reply I give to his question, probably unconvincingly. Well, it’s not completely a lie. We are friends; it's not like he's my boyfriend or anything. Before I know it, we’re already at the top of the third flight of stairs. The night we had felt like a mediocre date, ending in the guy walking me to my door with hopes of coming inside. The sexual attraction certainly was there, although mentally it felt like we were not on the same page. Suddenly I feel nervous.

Wang Fen's reply made Ellthan look at him meaningfully. "You want to spend time with your seed-producing machine on my island? While I will take care of your cartel." Ellthan's words made Wang Fen stare at him in surprise. Wang Fen immediately laughed "I really feel stupid for underestimating you Ell." Wang Fen's words made Ellthan smile sarcastically. Actually Ellthan had known Wang Fen for a long time, they were business partners in the underground world. They couldn't get along but needed each other's help, that was Ellthan and Wang Fen. Maybe if others judged them like enemies but they were actually allies.

I can’t hurt my best friend because of my stupid feelings. “No,” I said to Andre. “Let’s be honest to our partners instead. No more lies, no more kisses, we can’t be alone for too long anymore because it’s obvious we can’t keep our hands off each other. Let today be the last time we ever get to be alone together.” My voice turned pleading, I hoped he understood, “For our friends’ sakes?” A muscle ticked in his jaw. I thought he was going to argue but he nodded reluctantly and I released a sigh of relief. “For our friends’ sakes.”