Chapter 1: Lines Crossed

Natalie has always been surrounded by her tight-knit crew of guy friends.

It’s kind of a running joke with us—like that one night at Applebee’s. The sticky tabletop was littered with half-empty soda glasses and a pile of mozzarella stick baskets when Natalie leaned over, laughing so hard she nearly snorted. “Man, I wish you could just come with me to the bathroom. You know, like my bros do. I hate going alone.” The whole table cracked up, but I just shook my head, feeling a prickle of annoyance.

I told her, half-joking, half-serious, that maybe she ought to learn to set some boundaries.

She just snorted and waved me off like I was being dramatic. But instead of letting it go, she shot back, “You’re seriously calling me out for hanging with my friends? You’re acting paranoid.”

I remember rolling my eyes, trying to laugh it off, but the whole way home her words clung to me. Maybe it was time I leveled the playing field.

So, I decided to get myself a female best friend.

1

My birthday should’ve been a good night, but Natalie and Derek hit up a gaming lounge for some late-night session—and didn’t come home until the next morning.

When Natalie finally dragged herself through the door, I was slouched at the kitchen counter, sipping bitter black coffee. She smelled like she’d spent the night inside a bar—beer, stale cigarette smoke, and something sour clinging to her skin. My face twisted in a frown before she even spoke.

Maybe she saw my mood, because for once, she tried to explain: “A few of us hadn’t hung out in forever, so we played late and just crashed at the hotel.”

She made sure to add, “It wasn’t just me and Derek this time—there were four of us, we slept in bunk beds.”

She even dropped the hotel name, like it was proof I never asked for. But what she didn’t say? She was the only girl in the group.

Just a few days earlier, we’d had a blowout fight because I’d walked in on her and Derek lying on the same bed, controllers in hand, playing games.

I called her out for not keeping her distance, even threatened to confront Derek myself.

Derek’s been her friend since childhood—neighbors on the same block in Maple Heights, thick as thieves since grade school.

Natalie’s always been blunt and a little reckless; she calls Derek and his guys her “bros.”

I’ve watched Derek touch her, seen them roughhouse and goof off, acting way too close right in front of me.

At first, Natalie would try to talk me down and smooth things over.

But as time went on, she stopped caring. Every time, she’d just toss out, “If there was really something between me and him, would you even be here?”

The worst part? Her bros would try to talk sense into me. “Dude, seriously? You’re gonna get bent outta shape over that? We all grew up with Natalie—she’s like a sister. Derek just sees her that way.”

A sister, huh.

Let’s see how they’d react if their girlfriends had their own crew of guy friends hanging around like this.

I got so sick of it, I told her straight: if she couldn’t set boundaries, maybe we should break up.

After that, Natalie actually stopped being so close with Derek, but then Derek started pushing my buttons in public.

“Caleb, I made sure not to sit next to your girlfriend this time.”

“Natalie, don’t come game with us, or Caleb’ll come beat me up.”

“Guess Natalie’s got herself a new guard dog. Hope you bite.”

He always threw out these little digs, right in front of me, baiting a reaction.

Whenever Natalie and I were alone, the tension was thick enough to choke on.

After a while, the rumors started—people saying I was controlling, maybe even abusive. I only found out when a mutual friend texted me, “Dude, what’s up with you and Natalie? People are saying you’re way too possessive.” And then, cold shoulders at the bar from folks I’d known for years.

From then on, Natalie and I just started drifting.

I blinked back to reality, pulling myself out of the spiral.

I just gave Natalie a quiet “Mm,” and headed for my room.

Natalie must’ve sensed the chill, because she put down her phone and padded over, looping her arms around my waist from behind. She nuzzled her head into my back, her voice soft and sugary: “Babe, didn’t you want to play Black Wukong? I’ll buy it for you later, okay?”

Her hair still smelled faintly of last night’s bar—a bitter mix of cheap beer and menthols. There was a sharpness, like old limes and burnt sugar, clinging to her skin. My stomach twisted. Still, I remembered how much I’d wanted that game since I saw the E3 trailer. It was the one thing I looked forward to after a week like this.

The moment Black Wukong dropped on Steam, I was ready to buy it.

But Natalie had scolded me for wasting money, telling me I should buy her a lipstick instead.

Then, the next day, I scrolled through Instagram and saw Derek bragging about getting Black Wukong as a gift.

My hand tightened around my phone until my knuckles ached. I didn’t even have to check the username. The message said it all—it was Natalie. “Other people get it from their girlfriends, but you’re still single, so I got it for you. Bros before hoes, right?”

The stench of Natalie’s hangover hit me again, making my breakfast threaten to come up.

I peeled her hands off, my voice ice-cold: “No need.”

Then I went to my room and started packing my suitcase.

Natalie, realizing I was ignoring her, got frustrated. She yanked the clothes I’d just folded out of the suitcase and tossed them onto the floor.

“Caleb, what’s with this attitude? I told you nothing happened between me and Derek.”

“I know.”

I kept folding my clothes calmly. “You guys are good bros.”

Natalie looked thrown, her eyes darting away. She sat on the edge of the bed, pouting, her hands twisting together. “Then what are you doing…?”

I shrugged, not meeting her eyes. “Work’s been busy lately, I have to pull all-nighters, so I might as well stay at the office for a few days.”

Her face darkened even more. She just stared, searching my face for any hint of a lie.

But I was calm—eerily so.

I’d finally decided. I was ready to let go. She could have her bros, her late nights, whatever she wanted.