Dead End, Baby.
"Do you think my great love will ever come?" I asked, tagging Charlie.
He barely looked up.
"Hmm. How would I know?"
I rolled my eyes.
Of course.
That was exactly the kind of answer I expected from him.
Charlie had been my best friend since kindergarten—my childhood partner-in-crime, my constant companion, and, unfortunately, the person most capable of driving me completely insane.
Our families had been close for as long as I could remember. So close that, growing up, it sometimes felt like Charlie wasn't just my best friend but an extension of my own family. We practically grew up in each other's houses. If there was a family gathering, he was there. If there was a birthday party, he was there. If I needed someone to blame for something stupid I'd done, somehow, he was usually there too.
We'd been through everything together.
The embarrassing childhood phases.
The stupid arguments.
The teenage drama.
The secrets.
The heartbreaks.
And every ridiculous adventure in between.
Right now, we were lounging in his room, fresh off another rewatch of She's Dating the Gangster.
Fifth time.
And I still hadn't recovered.
I had no idea why I kept agreeing to watch the same movie with him when I already knew exactly what was going to happen. Maybe it was because I loved the movie.
Or maybe I just liked having an excuse to spend time with him.
I refused to think too deeply about the second possibility.
Charlie was sprawled out at the foot of the bed, his face buried in a bucket of popcorn. He looked completely comfortable, like he owned the entire world and had absolutely no responsibilities in it.
I sat on the floor, my back resting against the edge of the mattress.
The movie had ended several minutes ago, but neither of us had bothered to move.
The room was quiet except for the faint sound of the movie's ending music still playing from the television.
I sighed dramatically.
"Do you think my great love will ever come?"
Charlie barely looked up.
"Hmm. How would I know?"
I stared at him.
Then scoffed.
"Pssh! That's rich coming from you—a playboy who doesn't even believe in great love."
That got his attention.
He lifted his head, a few pieces of popcorn practically falling out of his mouth.
"Hey! I do believe in it!"
My eyes lit up.
"Really?"
He nodded confidently.
I leaned forward.
"So... you have one?"
Charlie smirked.
Then, as casually as if I hadn't just asked him one of the most important questions of my life, he pushed himself up from the bed.
"Of course!"
My mouth dropped open.
"But I'm not telling you who it is."
I gasped dramatically.
"What?!"
Before he could say anything else, I climbed onto the bed and plopped down in front of him, legs crossed.
"Oh, come on! I'm your best friend! I deserve to know!"
"Nah, not everything, baby."
He flicked my nose with a teasing grin.
I immediately scrunched my face.
"Fine."
I held out my hand.
"Give me the popcorn. I'm going home."
He laughed.
I reached for the extra-large tub he was happily munching from, but before I could grab it, he raised his arm high in the air, keeping the bucket just beyond my reach.
"Hey! That's mine!"
"Nope. It's mine now!"
"I bought it! Hand it over!"
"Yeah, yeah. You brought it so we could eat it during the movie. Together," he reminded me with a smirk.
I stared at him.
"Well, the movie's over!" I shot back, deadpan.
He burst out laughing.
But instead of giving me the popcorn, he held it even farther away.
"Charlie!"
"What?"
"Give it!"
"No."
"You're such a child."
"I'm not the one fighting over popcorn."
"You're the one refusing to give it back!"
"Because it's delicious."
"I paid for it."
"And now I'm enjoying your investment."
I narrowed my eyes.
"You're unbelievable."
"Thank you."
"That wasn't a compliment."
"I know."
I lunged again.
He moved his arm higher.
I reached.
He moved it farther away.
I reached again.
He laughed.
"Come on, Axene. Give up."
"Never."
"It's just popcorn."
"It's my popcorn!"
"Was."
"Charlie!"
He was laughing now, clearly enjoying every second of my frustration.
I made another attempt, stretching farther this time.
And that's when everything went wrong.
Or maybe everything went exactly the way it was supposed to.
I wasn't sure.
I lunged for the bucket.
Charlie shifted backward.
Our balance disappeared at the same time.
We both fell back onto the bed.
The popcorn?
Gone.
It spilled everywhere.
Pieces scattered across the floor, the bed, and probably places neither of us would bother checking.
I landed on top of him.
For one frozen second, neither of us moved.
Charlie had landed flat on his back.
I was hovering over him.
My hands were planted on either side of him.
Our faces were close.
Too close.
The laughter disappeared.
The room suddenly felt different.
The air felt heavier.
My heart gave one hard, unexpected beat.
Then another.
I could feel the warmth of his body beneath me.
I could hear his breathing.
And for a moment, I forgot all about the popcorn.
Until Charlie spoke.
"Great! You wasted it!"
I blinked.
"Excuse me?"
I looked down at the disaster we'd created.
"Oh."
Then I frowned.
"You wasted it!"
"That's your fault," he muttered.
I stared at him.
"My fault?"
"Yes."
"How is this my fault?"
"You attacked me."
"You wouldn't give me the popcorn!"
"And look where that got us."
I was about to argue again when I became painfully aware of our position.
My body was still over his.
Our faces were inches apart.
And then he looked down.
His expression changed.
"Now get off me—your boobs are pressed right up against me!"
My eyes widened.
My entire face went hot.
I gasped and immediately scrambled backward.
"Excuse me?! As if I planned that!"
Charlie started laughing.
I retreated to the edge of the bed, crossing my arms defensively.
"Yabang mo," I muttered under my breath.
He laughed even harder.
"Why? It's true! You were pressing in like—"
The rest of his words were lost in his obnoxious laughter.
I glared at him.
If he weren't my best friend, I'd have smacked him with my boobs right there.
Not that they were huge or anything—but hey, I'm not flat either!
I'm...
Average.
Respectably so.
I glanced down at myself before shaking my head.
Why was I even thinking about that?
"Idiot," I muttered.
I got off the bed and crouched down to pick up the scattered popcorn.
Charlie remained exactly where he was.
Of course.
He was probably enjoying the show.
I grabbed another handful from the floor.
"As if his are any bigger..."
The words slipped out before I could stop them.
Silence.
I froze.
Slowly, I looked back.
Charlie was already grinning like the devil himself.
Oh, no.
I immediately regretted everything.
"Tch."
He sat up.
"You just wanna know if mine is big, huh?"
My eyes widened.
"That is not what I said."
"That's why you're teasing me!"
"I'm not teasing you!"
"You totally are."
"I was just saying—"
"Just admit it."
He leaned back against the headboard, looking entirely too pleased with himself.
"What are best friends for, right?"
I stared at him.
Then took a step backward.
He stood.
I took another step.
He matched it.
I stopped.
He continued.
Another step.
He matched it.
My heart began beating faster.
"Charlie."
"What?"
"Stop."
He didn't.
I took another step backward.
He stepped forward.
Another.
Another.
Until finally, my back hit the wall.
I swallowed.
Dead end.
He didn't stop.
He leaned in slightly, a wicked smile tugging at his lips.
"Dead end, baby."
My heart practically stopped.
I stared at him.
That stupid grin.
Those stupid eyes.
That stupid confidence.
Everything about him was irritating.
So why couldn't I look away?
"So what now, Axene?" he asked softly. "Do you wanna know?"
That idiot was still grinning—and we were practically pressed against each other again with how close he'd gotten!
I stared at him, trying to figure out whether he was actually serious or simply messing with me.
Knowing Charlie, it was probably both.
"I don't want to. I might end up disappointed," I snapped, rolling my eyes to break the tension forming between us.
He raised a brow.
"Oh, believe me, baby... you won't."
His voice had changed.
Just slightly.
The teasing was still there, but something else was underneath it.
Something that made my stomach twist.
I swallowed.
Charlie slowly lowered his face toward mine.
My breath caught.
I didn't move.
Neither did he.
For a second, all the years we'd spent together seemed to disappear.
He wasn't the annoying little boy who used to steal my snacks.
He wasn't the idiot who constantly teased me.
He wasn't simply my best friend.
He was just...
Charlie.
Standing too close.
Looking at me differently.
My heart hammered against my chest.
I shut my eyes.
"Ppfffftt... BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
My eyes flew open.
Charlie was laughing his ass off—again!
I stared at him.
I couldn't believe it.
I actually couldn't believe it.
"WHAT'S SO FUNNY?!" I growled, totally annoyed.
He was practically doubled over.
"Hahaha... Playing hard to get, huh?"
He pointed at me.
"You closed your eyes before I even did anything!"
Sh*t.
I did, didn't I?
My face burned.
I wanted to disappear.
I wanted to hit him.
I wanted to pretend none of that had happened.
Mostly, I wanted to erase the fact that I had closed my eyes so quickly.
I shoved his chest to push him away.
He didn't budge.
"Move!"
He only stared at me.
The laughter slowly faded.
His playful smirk disappeared.
And suddenly, the room became quiet again.
His eyes held mine.
Serious.
Unusually serious.
That look made my heart skip—
then sprint.
"What now?" I said sharply. "Another stupid prank?"
He shook his head.
"Seriously, Axene... why don't we try it?"
I blinked.
"Try what?"
He didn't answer immediately.
"Are you insane? I'm still a virgin, you jerk!" I said, laughing nervously.
The laugh sounded forced even to my own ears.
Charlie didn't laugh.
He simply looked at me.
"Then let me be your first."
My heart stopped.
"No."
"Why not?"
Why not?
The answer was obvious.
Oh, right—because we're best friends.
That was exactly why.
Because once you crossed that line, there was no going back.
Whatever happened afterward, things could never be exactly the same.
I had known Charlie for practically my entire life.
I couldn't risk losing that.
"Are you seriously asking why?" I said, half-laughing in disbelief.
"Uhuh..."
I stared at him.
Then shook my head.
"Because the moment you put me in the same category as the girls you've slept with—we're done."
His expression changed.
I continued before I could lose my nerve.
"Years of friendship? Over."
For once, Charlie didn't immediately make a joke.
He paused.
His eyes stayed on mine.
And in that moment, I wondered if maybe I'd actually hurt him.
Maybe I'd gone too far.
But then...
That stupid smirk was back.
"Who said anything about sleeping with you?"
I stared at him.
Is this guy for real?
I blinked.
"What?"
"Who said anything about sleeping with you?"
"You literally just said—"
"I said let me be your first."
"That means—"
"It doesn't necessarily mean what you think it means."
I narrowed my eyes.
"You're impossible."
He smiled.
"Maybe."
Then he leaned slightly closer.
"That's too basic."
I immediately became suspicious.
"What is?"
His grin widened.
"I could bend you over the wall... the table... the floor... wherever you want."
Oh.
My.
God.
I stared at him in complete disbelief.
There were no words.
Absolutely none.
My brain simply shut down.
Then—
PLOK!
I smacked him on the head.
"Ow!"
"Pervert!"
I turned and walked away before he could say anything else.
Behind me, he started laughing again.
"Tease!" he called after me.
"Disgusting."
"But you like it," he said, still laughing.
I rolled my eyes.
"Keep dreaming."
I crouched down again and picked up the remaining popcorn scattered across the floor.
I couldn't believe him.
Of all the people in the world, Charlie was the one person I never expected to have this kind of conversation with.
We'd joked about everything.
Girls.
Boys.
Dating.
Relationships.
Even marriage.
But somehow, hearing him talk about me like that felt completely different.
It wasn't funny anymore.
Or maybe it was.
I didn't know.
And that scared me.
Because Charlie had always been safe.
Familiar.
Predictable.
He was the person I could run to when everything else fell apart.
The person who knew my embarrassing stories.
The person who had seen me cry.
The person who had seen me at my absolute worst.
And now he was standing behind me, laughing like he'd just discovered the funniest joke in the world.
I picked up another piece of popcorn.
"Idiot."
"What?"
"Nothing."
I dropped the popcorn into the bucket.
"You're still mad?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because you're disgusting."
"But you started it."
I turned around.
"I started what?"
"You asked if mine was bigger."
My jaw dropped.
"I was insulting you!"
"Sure."
"I was!"
"Okay."
"Stop smiling!"
"I can't."
"You're so annoying."
"You love me."
The words came out casually.
Like they meant nothing.
But something inside me went strangely quiet.
I stared at him.
He didn't seem to notice.
Or maybe he did.
Maybe he was just pretending not to.
I looked away.
"Unfortunately."
He laughed.
I gathered the last few pieces of popcorn and stood.
The room looked like a battlefield.
"Look what you did."
"We did."
"You're the one who wouldn't give me the popcorn."
"And you're the one who attacked me."
I pointed at him.
"Because you wouldn't give it!"
"Okay, okay."
He raised his hands in surrender.
"Truce."
I shook my head.
"Whatever."
I picked up my things and headed toward the door.
"See you later, Charlie!"
He flopped back onto his bed.
"Yeah, yeah."
I paused at the doorway.
Then turned around.
"You're still giving me a ride, right?"
He looked at me.
I flashed the sweetest smile I could muster.
He rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, yeah," he mumbled, flopping back onto his bed.
I smiled.
"Good."
I reached for the doorknob.
But before I could leave, I glanced back at him one last time.
He was lying on his back, staring at the ceiling.
For once, he wasn't smiling.
And I couldn't explain why that tiny detail bothered me.
Maybe because I knew Charlie.
Maybe because I'd known him for too long.
Maybe because somewhere between the spilled popcorn, the stupid teasing, and the ridiculous conversation we'd just had, something had shifted.
Something neither of us had said out loud.
I opened the door.
"Goodnight, idiot."
His eyes moved toward me.
"Goodnight, baby."
I rolled my eyes.
Then I walked out.
But as I headed down the hallway, one thought refused to leave my mind.
Why did I close my eyes?
