F.R.I.E.N.D.S

" There's this girl. I've been wanting to talk to her for a while now. But haven't been able to."

(Stupid, stupid Jen. Here you were hoping it'd be a confession and there he was expressing his feelings for someone else. )

" Oh! Well, you could start off with something casual," I said while taking out the cheesecake from the glass shelf.

" Yes, but what if she's not interested?"

" Look at yourself Zeph. You're smart, funny, kind, handsome, caring. You're everything a girl could ask for. How can anybody reject you? That'd be ridiculous," I said.

" Those were a lot of adjectives, Jen. But thank you. I guess I'll talk to her tomorrow," he said as he took a bite from the cheesecake.

(No matter how much I hated the idea of him with someone else, he looked happy. I guess that was enough for me. )

*****

" Hey, you won't believe what just happened," read a text from Zeph.

It had been 3 days since that day at the bakery. He said he had been busy with a few things.

Busy with his new girlfriend, said a voice inside my head.

" Remember that girl I was telling you about. Your man just scored a date with her. It's tomorrow. And I need a favour."

("Your man". I laughed. He wasn't my man. )

" That's amazing. I'm so happy for you. And yes, tell me what is it? "

(I wasn't lying. I was happy for him in a way. )

" Haha, thank you. Okay so, we're going for dinner this Friday. And I'll need your motivational pep talk like last time and also some fashion advice. Hope I'm not asking for too much."

" Of course not. I'll be happy to help you out. I'll be at your service, Zeph," I responded.

" Thank you Jen. You're the best." He replied with two hearts.

*****

" Okay, you can look now."

(Oh my god. He looked so handsome. I decided to pick a white button down shirt and navy blue tailored pants. The white shirt hugged him in all the right places and his muscular body stood out in all its glory. I layered it with a blue vest and paired it with a matching tie. I rolled up the sleeves halfway up and the veins on his arms made him all the more attractive. I was kinda proud of myself. )

" Are you gonna say something?"

(Oh right. I had been gawking at him for the past five minutes. )

" You look amazing!" I exclaimed.

" Okay now, listen carefully. You're amazing. And you will sweep that girl off of her feet. Just be yourself and don't bite your nails. Good luck."

" Thank you so much for everything Jen. You're my saviour. I will treat you with pizza later." He proceeded to give me a tight hug.

(That girl had been blessed by Tyche herself. She had won the heart of the most amazing man I know of. She better not hurt him. )

( Tyche is the Greek goddess of luck)

*****

The next day I got a text from Zeph that said, " Hey, could you come over for a bit?"

(I would've said no if it was someone else. But it was Zeph. Getting out of bed on a lazy Saturday afternoon was worth it for him. )

I quickly got dressed and made my way down the street.

I rang his doorbell and waited at the doorstep. The door opened revealing a visibly upset Zeph.

" What happened to you?" I asked.

" That girl I went on a date with was horrible," he said while making his way towards the couch.

" What happened but?" I sat beside him putting my hand on his.

" She was awful throughout. She misbehaved with the waiter, and asked me to pay for the whole meal because apparently she thought that men are supposed to pay for their date and the worst part, she hated rom-coms."

(I liked how the worst part for him was her not liking rom-coms. )

" She sounds horrible," I said while trying my best to hide the stupid grin on my face.

He rested his head on my shoulder and it sent shivers down my spine. His head wasn't heavy, like I had expected it to be. I caressed his fingers with my thumb and muttered, " You were too good for her."

(Was it wrong to feel happy? I know that he was sad but I couldn't help but feel a bit relieved that his date didn't work out. Does this mean that I still had a chance with him? )