Luke Moore and Mary Ashford had been friends for years, practically in each other's lives from the very beginning.
In Highschool, puberty hit them both hard, and Luke noticed that Mary was changing a lot compared to him.
But he managed to maintain his friendship with her.
But college came fast,
She took Biochemistry and he took Computer science, fitting for the both of them.
But because they were so close even as young adults, people thought they dated.
Luke would dismiss the claims but something had always been pounding in his chest, asking the question, "What if we could be more than friends."
But each time he shocks those feelings away, pursuing friendship over relationships. Then he appeared, Blake Rogers, a tall and athletic senior from her class.
He immediately changed everything for the two of them. Whenever he wanted to hang out, Mary would give an excuse.
"Sorry, Blake wanted to introduce me to his friends."
When he wanted to study for a test, it was always .
"Im helping Blake study, you'll be fine on your own."
They soon started spending time apart more and more, he was losing her and he knew it, so maybe it was time for a change.
He decided to gather all his courage and finally ask her out on a date. He had planned it for February 12, two days before valentines day.
He managed to convince her to meet him by the park.
February 12
Time : 19:45pm
Location : Ocean Park.
Luke was by a bench next to a pond, he watched as the moonlight illuminated brightly.
Creating a spectacle on the water, he looked at the time.
19:50pm, she hasn't arrived yet, maybe she wasn't interested in what i have to say.. no Luke get a hold of yourself, she's just late. : He thought, trying his best to contain his nervousness.
Soon he heard footsteps approaching from behind, he didn't stand up, waiting for any confirmation that it was her.
"Luke, is that you? Come on, stop acting like you can't hear me.." Mary declared, her tone as soft as always.
"Y-yeah, it's me." He told her, standing up slowly, he turned and looked at her under the moon light.
She was beautiful, her soft dark radiating perfectly under the moon's light, making her shine even more.
He felt his pulse quicken and hands start to shake, he was anxious and nervous.
"Oh hey, you look nice tonight, did you do something with your hair?" He asked nervously, knowing he should have said something better.
Mary smiled softly, shaking her head slowly, smiling at his nervous demeanor.
"Geez, you seem even more nervous than usual, what you wanna tell me you like me or something?"
She asked jokingly, her expression of pure joy.
Luke strummered slightly, trying to find the right words but failing horribly.
"Come on. You know I've always been like this." He told her, tapping his fingers together, a habit he developed.
Mary laughed and took a seat next to him, Luke could feel her heat just inches away from her.
It made his palms sweaty, he took a deep breath and spoke.
"Nice night we were having huh?, reminds me of back home when we would play in the woods." He said.
"Well, it has that tone to it, but it's just missing the bears and bees chasing us around." She said, chuckling slightly.
"You'd always cry when the bees surrounded you, 'Mary Help' you were always dramatic." She added on.
Luke's face turned red, he averted his eyes, suddenly feeling flustered.
"Come on, anyone would scream if bees chased them across houses."
He started, doing his best to defend himself.
"Hey, I'm just remembering the good times, but I really do miss the old days, when everything was simple and just not complicated." She stated, pausing before continuing.
"So what did you want to talk about?." She asked.
Luke stopped breathing for a few seconds, his hands gripping his pants tightly.
This is it, just tell her how you feel, you can handle it, even if she says no. Nothing should change. : he told himself.
"Hey Mary, I was wondering. Would you like to go on a date with me, like you know just to move to the next stage." He asked , regretting the way he just sounded.
Mary slowly turned her gaze towards him, she opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out.
"Are you.....are you asking me to date you, like boyfriend and girlfriend?" She asked him.
Luke nodded as he turned away from her slowly.
Mary looked towards the ground, her hands gripping the bench hard, "Luke I'm fluttering that you feel that way. But....." she paused.
Luke knew this was where he was about to lose, but he had to take it like a man.
"Im dating Blake now." She told him, the words hit harder than a bat to the skull.
Blake, that muscle headed idiot, how did he win her heart. No she's probably joking, please be joking. : he tried to convince himself, but the look in her eyes said it all.
"Listen, you're sweet and all but, Blake makes me really happy, and I don't want to ruin our friendship over all of this." She said,
"So please understand that I care about you, but not to that extent." She told him. Holding his hands tightly.
Luke felt his heart sink to his stomach, he wanted to say something but couldn't, so he simply did what he does when faced with disappointment, he smiled and laughed it off.
"Oh, I see, no it's fine. I'm glad you found someone that cares about you and makes you happy."
He told her, even if he was about to cry.
Mary started feeling his hands slipping from her grip, she held on, not wanting to let go.
"You sure you're okay, promise me that this won't change anything between us." She asked him.
Luke gritted his teeth but agreed instantly, not wanting to make her worried, "yeah, it won't, we'll still be friends." He promised her.
Mary smiled and nodded, "okay, I trust you."
But Luke felt a sudden pain in his chest. For the next few days, he barely talked or saw Mary, valentines day was the worst.
Pictures of her and Blake trended on socials, hushtag, "best couple ever" , soon his friends noticed the shift in his demeanor as Luke started smoking more.
So they decided to drag to a party, let him forget about his troubles. Luke agreed but he didn't have a choice.
At the party, everything was going great. Luke was drinking and laughing with his friends, everything was fine.
Until he saw Mary and Blake at the far end of the room, held in each other's hands, slow dancing like the world spun around them.
Luke just stared, his hand loosening around his cup as he watched on.
Hmm, looks like they're happy..... : he muttered to himself.
He looked at his drink then back at them, he wanted to cry a little but couldn't, that wasn't his story, just had to watch.
But a tap on his shoulder suddenly snapped him out of this trance, he turned slowly and saw someone he didn't expect to see.
Jill, Mary's twin sister. She looked just like Mary, from the face to feet, Luke hadn't seen her in months, she was always the party girl after all.
She stood in front of him and turned her gaze to Mary and Blake, shaking her head.
"Are you yeaning at a party Luke, that's just sad, really sad. My sister broke your heart and all you can do is watch." She told him, taking a low drink.
"But you know, there is something just the same but just better." She told him, pressing her chest against his chest.
She leaned in slowly, her breath hot against his ear.
"And that something is me, a virgin boy." She stated, licking his ear slowly.