Unspoken

Ethan and Leo had been best friends for as long as they could remember. Since childhood, they had been inseparable—climbing trees, sneaking into movies, getting into trouble, and laughing about it later. It was always them against the world.

But somewhere along the way, Ethan’s feelings changed.

He couldn’t pinpoint exactly when it happened. Maybe it was in high school when Leo hugged him after winning a soccer match, grinning like an idiot. Or maybe it was during one of their late-night talks, when Leo had looked at him with sleepy eyes and mumbled, "I don’t know what I’d do without you, E."

Ethan had smiled back, but inside, his heart ached. Because he knew—Leo would never look at him the way he wanted.

Leo was straight. That much was obvious.

But it wasn’t just that. It was the way he talked. The way he casually dismissed the idea of two men being together.

One time, in high school, a rumor spread about two boys dating. Leo had scoffed, shaking his head. "Man, that’s just… weird, you know?"

Ethan had laughed along, even as something inside him cracked.

From that moment, he knew—he would never tell Leo.

Then, in their second year of college, Leo met Sophia.

She was everything Leo had ever wanted—beautiful, smart, funny. Ethan had seen the way Leo’s eyes lit up when he talked about her. How he would check his phone constantly, smiling at every message she sent.

And Ethan? He was just the best friend. The one who listened as Leo ranted about his nervous first date, the one who helped him pick out anniversary gifts, the one who nodded and smiled when Leo said, "I think she’s the one, man."

It hurt. It hurt so much that some nights, Ethan lay awake staring at the ceiling, wondering if he would ever be able to move on.

One evening, they sat on Leo’s balcony, watching the sun dip below the horizon. It was one of those quiet moments, where everything felt just like it used to—before Sophia, before Ethan’s heart had broken a thousand times.

"You know," Leo said, taking a sip of his beer, "you’re the only person who really gets me, Ethan."

Ethan forced a smile. "Yeah. I know."

Leo chuckled, nudging him. "Promise me we’ll always be like this. No matter what happens."

Ethan’s chest tightened.

No matter what happens.

How could he promise that? How could he sit here, pretending that nothing had changed? One day, Leo would marry Sophia. They’d have kids. Ethan would be the best friend who showed up at the wedding, smiling through the pain, pretending like he hadn’t loved Leo in a way that Leo would never understand.

But Ethan couldn’t say any of that.

So he swallowed the lump in his throat and whispered, "Yeah. Always."

And in that moment, he knew.

Some love stories were never meant to be told. Some hearts were meant to break in silence.

THE END

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