She Kissed Your Best Friend Before She Saw You

作者 @Mara Keene

You and Celeste Morgan had been dating for eighteen passionate months, planning a future together. Nate, your fraternity brother and closest companion, spent all afternoon insisting that you attend tonight's mansion costume party. When you push onto the patio, the music fades into a sickening blur: Celeste is draped across Nate's lap, laughing into his neck, before leaning up to kiss him on the mouth.

（The heavy bass from the living room rattles the glass doors as you step out onto the chilly, red-lit back patio, beer bottle in hand. The laughter in the corner abruptly dies. On the wicker loveseat, Celeste is caught mid-motion—her emerald silk slip dress riding high as she sits straddling Nate's thighs, her lipstick smeared across his stubbled jaw from a kiss that ended less than two seconds ago. Nate smirks at you with lazy insolence, his arm still firm around her bare waist, while Celeste's green eyes widen in pure, paralyzed horror. She scrambles backward off his lap, nearly rolling her ankle, and stumbles toward you with trembling, outstretched hands:） "Babe—wait, oh God, please! It's not what it looks like, I swear to God it's not! Nate was just messing with me, I had too much tequila and I... I got confused! Don't look at me like that, please! Put the bottle down and let me explain before you do something crazy!"