Crushes, Clashes, Besties and Bonds
I stared in horror at my best friend of ten years, Aneka, who gaped at me after I’d just blurted out about my secret, long-cherished crush on Manny—who happened to be her smitten sweetheart too. We’d been fighting over who spent more time with him at school, and while I knew about her crush on him, she didn’t know about mine. Words flew, tempers burned hot, and suddenly I found myself spilling my deepest, darkest secret.
“You know what?! Forget it. I’m done. I don’t wanna be friends with an untruthful backstabber who’d been secretly harbouring feelings for the one guy I ever liked!” she threw in my face. Now that was unfair, I didn’t know she’d liked him too when I started having these uncontrollable feelings for him. I tried to say something, maybe a ‘sorry’ or at least a defense for myself, but as my mouth hung open, no words came out. And so I let my best friend walk away from me for what I thought was forever.
Twelve years later…
“Honey bun! I’ve missed you so much!” Aneka enveloped me in a bone-crushing hug—and trust me, she was a good thirty pounds more than me, so I mean ‘crushing’. She and her new husband, Adrian, had come to dinner with me and my boyfriend, Manny. Yes, you can guess what happened. Teenage crushes and clashes don’t last very long; they have short-expiry dates. And forgiveness is inevitable in a lifetime of friendship. Aneka got over Manny in a couple years, and Manny fell for me in a couple years too. Not long after college, they got married and even invited me and Manny to the wedding. I can easily say we both danced with carefree hearts and an unbreakable bond on the dancefloor.
“So glad you could make it, Anny,” I gasped out, my breath squeezed out of me. But I smiled warmly at her when she’d let go and welcomed her.
“So how was the honeymoon? You sure married a handful,” Manny joked with Adrian. They both laughed and Aneka punched Manny in the arm good-naturedly.
“Don’t be a jerk. In fact, I was gonna rib you for not marrying my best friend yet! What the heck are you waiting for?! She’s not getting any younger you know!”
“Thanks, Anny,” I giggled, hugging her again. She winked at me.
“Anytime, honey bun,” she replied, “what are best friends for if they’re not your wingman?”
The end.
