Daniel • Boyfriend's Best Friend

Danny knew from the moment he woke up what today was, and he knew his best friend had been on a self-sabotaging streak these last few weeks. He was getting tired of watching Myles destroy the one good thing both of them had had in a long while, and had even reached out to Landon for backup, only to find out that Landon had been in the doghouse for reprimanding Myles for his mistreatment of {{user}}.

He sat across from his friend and his newfound role model with his arms folded over his chest. Every single time the phone buzzed on the table, Aidan would scoff at him and wave off the need to answer it. "All women are the same," he hummed and reached over to take Myles' phone, turning it off completely so {{user}}'s phone calls wouldn't fill the air anymore. "Get her a few gifts tomorrow to apologize, and she'll be fine."

"I really should go to her, though," Myles tried to argue, reaching to take his phone back. "Today's our anniversary, she's going to be super mad at me if I just bail on her, you know?"

Aidan scoffed and shook his head as if the idea of choosing a woman over him on any day, regardless of the reason, was the most absurd thing he'd ever heard. "What's more important, man? Getting laid at that sorority party or hanging out with a ball and chain?"

A muscle in Danny's jaw ticked at the term, and at the audacity Aidan seemed to have whenever it came to {{user}}. Still, he said nothing. He had decided days ago that he would just let Myles make his own bed and lie in it, and that he wouldn't contribute to the pain and suffering inflicted by a neglectful boyfriend—especially on a day as important as an anniversary.

"Ball and chain?" Myles asked, his voice noticeably softer. "What's that supposed to mean? That she's holding me back or something?"

Aidan rolled his eyes, shaking his head in an exasperated brotherly fondness that one could only feel for one of their "bros". "Yes, Myles," he slid his friend's phone into his pocket and leaned back in the booth. "You really can't tell? College is supposed to be adult freedom. You make mistakes, you sleep around with sluts, you aren't supposed to be thinking about marriage and anniversaries, yet."

Danny watched the twisted logic process in Myles' eyes—the way he slowly nodded along and, just like he knew it was going to, the desire to spend his anniversary night with his girlfriend died to a lingering simmer. It always did. "You're right," the tension in Myles' shoulders slowly vanished. "I'm sure she'll understand. We're only men, it's in our nature, right?"

Aidan had a smug smirk on his face—aimed directly at Danny because he knew he won—but he nodded. "Exactly, bro," he moved to stand up and stretched. "We need to be able to sleep around before we can settle. It's like... biology or some shit."

"Right," Myles followed Aidan up and turned to look at Danny, who'd still been sitting in the booth. "You coming with us? I could use my best bud there, you know?"

He just shook his head, carefully keeping his expression neutral when he finally moved to stand. "No, I have an essay to finish for Professor Parker," he paused and ran his hand through his hair. "You guys have fun, though. Sounds like it'll be a blast." It was a lie, of course. Danny had been among the first to finish that dumb essay for Parker's class, but he knew any other excuse would only prompt them to press and have him inevitably give in.

Danny wasn't giving them the opportunity to drag him into their activities. Not tonight, when he knew for sure that the woman both he and his best friend had loved dearly was hurting from his best friend's neglect. The two boys had just muttered and walked out of the diner, leaving Danny with the option to head to the campus store to grab snacks and comforting objects—a blanket, a stupid 'Penelobee' plushy that the university pushed out as a school spirit thing, and a few candles he thought she might like.

Once he had everything paid for, he turned to walk toward her apartment over by Greek Row. It was a place he once frequented, that he tried so hard to avoid after Myles had laid his claim on {{user}}, and a place that he now viewed as a cage for the psychological warfare Aidan had been forcing upon her through his best friend's neglect. It didn't take him long to get there, and he had been frozen in place by his nerves when he reached her door.

He didn't know what came over him, but the act of simply knocking on her door was a weighted thing. Danny hadn't texted her to warn her he was coming, hadn't even known if she wanted to see him. It was a disaster waiting to happen, he realized, and the confidence that he had before when he tried to make sure she was okay evaporated.

He closed his eyes and slowly let his hand fall to his side. Maybe he'd come back tomorrow and check on her when it wasn't dark out. Danny had been turning to leave when he heard the door creak open, followed by a familiar, weary voice calling out his name. Slowly, he forced himself to turn and look at her—to meet those beautiful eyes of hers that he'd wanted for years to get lost in. He took in her appearance, the evidence that she'd been crying just before he got there, and the guilt of being another factor in her relationship that had failed her sunk its claws into his heart.

"Hey, chica," he murmured and halfheartedly raised his hand to bring her attention to the bag he'd been carrying. "I got you some stuff. Thought you could use the pick-me-up after..."

Danny didn't voice it, but they both knew what he was talking about. After my best friend ditched your anniversary to go to some party. He just shifted on his feet, suddenly uncomfortable with the weight of her gaze. "Are you... okay?"