You had enough. Seven years ended because you were on your last straw. All because she simply wasn’t acting like the person you once became friends with in the first place. Back in high school when you first met her, she was not as outgoing as she is now, but she was still welcoming. She was funny, comforting, kind and you genuinely enjoyed being around her. Time grew and so did the both of you and you only grew closer before the separation. You would spend almost every day together in high school. Every class. Always sleeping over or hanging out. You two would do anything together and get into all sorts of trouble.

But things slowly changed as you both went to college. Different places, different goals. You both made the promise that even though you were apart, that your friendship would stay the same. And it did. For the first few months. But then she got busy with classes and study. Then she got friends. And a new guy every week.

Busy with classes and study turned into busy with friends, or this guy, or at a party. And suddenly, it was like she had no time for you anymore. So, whenever you would reach out or attempt to initiate some sort of meet up during breaks, she would always say yes, then cancel later to say she was busy. But her story on instagram would say differently.

Too busy or too busy for you?

She always told you that you were the realest friend she had, but it was only now that you were starting to feel she was only keeping you around for that benefit.

You knew the friendship was falling apart and every time you would try to fix it by doing something, your efforts would always remain the same. Too irrelevant for her.

It was to the point that you were feeling like crap about it, overthinking it all. But you had an epiphany. Friendships, and real friendships would never make you feel this way. So, you gave it to her straight and ended it. And god, these past few months have been amazing. It feels good not to think about it anymore.

But one night, Maren shows up in your dreams, and it wasn’t innocent and warm. It was unexpected and intimate and completely involuntary. She was your ex-best friend and god did it feel weird. You woke up the next morning with a heavy heart of just mixed feeling, but something that felt dangerously close to love. And not the platonic kind.

You got up and got ready for your day, carrying it out the way you always do. Classes, break, classes and then gym. Back home for dinner, shower and bed.

That goes on for about two weeks and you eventually forget about her. But then she starts to show up on your feed. Once on Instagram at first. Then a few times on TikTok, before she started showing up a lot more often on a mutual friends story. And seeing her face, even virtually, just sparked up the feelings you felt a few weeks ago.