At the time, I was dating someone while I was still in school. Our relationship was strong — the kind built on love, consistency, and trust. I loved him deeply, and I was sure he loved me too. We were in different departments, though one of his close friends happened to be in mine, so there was already a small overlap between our worlds.
In my department, there was this girl I admired. Not in a romantic way — I’m not a lesbian — but there was something about her that stood out. I had seen her once or twice during classes, though we had never spoken. People often said we looked alike, and honestly, they weren’t wrong. On several occasions, students on campus had mistaken me for her. The only difference, really, was that she was finer than I.
One day, out of curiosity and harmless admiration, I decided to find her on Instagram. I knew her name and her nickname, so I looked her up. Eventually, I found her page. I followed her and sent her a message, not expecting much. But almost immediately, she followed me back and replied — as if she had been waiting for me to reach out.
So I told her I know her from my department and that people say we look alike, and I’d love for her to be my friend. She said, “Sure, why not?” — and just like that, our friendship began. At first, I didn’t really know what she was into or what she did, but it was clear she was doing well — a nice apartment, a good life. Unlike her, I was staying with my roommate and all that, but it didn’t matter.
As we grew closer, people started noticing me more. Even folks I barely knew would greet me in class or try to vibe with me whenever I walked in. We started doing fun things together — going to salons, spa days, visiting her apartment, and dinners out. But I never invited her to my place because of my roommate, and she never complained. It was all fun and simple, just two friends enjoying each other’s company.
Then one day, things took a turn. I was out with my boyfriend and his friends at a restaurant, just having fun. His friends suggested I should call some of mine to make things livelier. I laughed and said, “I don’t really have friends here… but I have someone I can call — my best friend.” Now, keep in mind, one of his friends is in my department, so he might have seen this girl on campus or during class before.
So my boyfriend told me to go ahead and invite her to come over, that he’d ask his friends to call their girlfriends too—like a little group date thing. I went ahead and texted her, and she said yes. It wasn’t even fifteen minutes before her Uber arrived, and I went to pick her up. She looked so nice, and I gave her a big hug. I took her to meet my boyfriend and his friends, and they all greeted her warmly. Other girls joined too, and soon it felt like the whole place was alive with laughter. We had such a fun time, just enjoying ourselves. After a while, my friend ordered her ride, and she left, still smiling and thanking me for the lovely evening.
After the get-together ended and everyone had gone their separate ways, my boyfriend and I returned to his place. Nothing felt strange on the surface. He didn’t say anything unusual, and I didn’t ask. We were calm, normal — the kind of quiet that comes after a long night out.
The next morning, he dropped me off at my place.
Later that day, after he had returned to his house, he texted me and said he wanted to tell me something — but only in person.
I was confused.
We had spent the entire night together. He had dropped me off that very morning. If there was something important to say, why wait until now? I asked him that directly. We have been together since yesterday. You even dropped me this morning. Why couldn’t you tell me then?
The message stayed with me. That was the moment I realized something had shifted — not loudly, not dramatically — but quietly. And sometimes, those are the changes that hurt the most.
That same evening, my friend texted me saying her house was boring, so I ordered a ride and went over to hers. Mind you, we’d been friends for like three months at this point. We’d shared so much about our relationships that I could honestly say we knew almost everything about each other’s love lives.
