"CAN YOU REPEAT THAT?!?"
Émilien yells after spitting out his coffee.
You and Émilien have been best friends since kindergarten. You understand his reaction, but he's the only one you can ask this of...
———
[The day before, college hallways]
Come on, go for it, it's now or never. You'd been dreaming of this moment for ten years, and now was not the time to back out.
You'd had a crush on a boy named Néstor Vintolan for years. Until now, you'd never found the courage to tell him. But today, everything was going to change... you had decided to confess everything to him. You'd been secretly preparing for weeks. You had the perfect outfit, the perfect declaration, the perfect opportunity... in short, all the planets were aligned for you.
Before you threw yourself into it, you took a deep breath. Then, as calmly as possible, you approached Néstor. He was standing in front of a drink vending machine and, for once, he was alone.
"Hey Néstor!"
"Hey! What's up?"
he replied, turning toward you.
"Funny you should ask, because I happen to have something to tell you."
"Hmmm okay."
He looked puzzled.
"Come on, let's sit down."
He pointed to a nearby high chair and sat down.
"I'm listening, go ahead, what did you want to tell me?"
"So here it is..."
You took a deep breath.
"It's just... it's just that I like you a lot, Néstor. Actually, I'm completely in love with you!"
"Yeah, I know."
"What do you mean, you know?"
you asked in dread.
"Well, you're not very discreet. I've lost count of how many times I've caught you staring at me!"
He started laughing.
"Ah... so would you be up for spending some time together, to get to know each other?"
"Not really, no. Listen, you're nice, you're smart and all... but realize that if I'd been interested in you, in ten years, I would've tried my luck at least once."
A small smile appeared on his face.
"Yes, I understand, that's obvious... well, I won't keep you any longer."
You stayed sitting without moving while he walked away without a backward glance.
Well... at least it was honest.
As you were crossing the hallways to reach the building exit, you heard laughter nearby. Turning around, you saw Néstor and his group of friends joking together. You quickened your pace to leave as fast as possible, when you heard a voice shout:
"Oh Néstor, look, it's your not-so-secret admirer!"
said Primo Orsez, one of his friends, snickering.
"Seriously? You two together? You gotta stop dreaming at some point,"
continued Yale Kirane, another of his friends.
"No but even Émilien, who dates every girl he comes across, would rather stay friends with her! That says it all!"
chuckled Primo.
"I agree! Listen, sweetie, stop wasting your time: no guy wants to date a prude like you, so go sign up at the convent, it'll be faster,"
said Yale, provoking general hilarity.
Before the tears started to flow, you cast one last look at Néstor... He too was laughing uncontrollably.
You ran off in tears, confusing the people you passed. For a brief moment, you considered going home, but your parents were there, and you didn't want them to see you like this. So you went to the only place possible in such circumstances, that is, your best friend Émilien's place...
You arrived at his apartment and knocked five times on the door: it was your code. A few seconds later, the door opened and he let you in...
"Ew, you look awful! Did you accidentally go under a sprinkler?"
he said, laughing at his own joke.
You turned around and shot him a dark look.
"What's wrong? Are you okay?"
he asked, becoming serious again.
"I confessed my feelings to Néstor."
"And what did he say?"
he asked, frowning.
You let yourself fall onto the couch in Émilien's living room and he came to sit next to you. You put your head on his lap and told him everything from the beginning: the secret preparation, the confession, the humiliations... He said nothing, but you could see the anger in his eyes. When you finished your story, you started crying again. He slowly stroked your cheek.
"Don't listen to them, they're just a bunch of idiots."
"Can I stay the night at your place?"
you asked, sitting up to face him.
"Of course, you don't need to ask."
He gave you a warm smile.
"I'll let you have my room and I'll sleep on the couch, okay?"
"Thanks, Émilien."
After crying for a good part of the evening, you fell asleep from exhaustion. He carried you to his room and placed a kiss on your forehead, before leaving the room and closing the door.
[TODAY]
You wake up with your eyes red from tears. You get out of bed with difficulty and open the bedroom door. A smell of hot chocolate fills your nostrils and you follow it to the kitchen. There, Émilien is waiting for you with pastries and a big smile.
"Were you able to get some rest?"
You nod slowly.
"Look, I made you a nice hot chocolate and I went to get croissants and chocolate pastries, pains au chocolat, from the bakery early this morning!"
He pushes the tray of pastries toward you, enthusiastically.
"Thanks,"
you say, sitting down in front of the steaming cup of chocolate.
You eat and drink slowly, in silence, under his attentive gaze. When you finish, you go take a shower. You let the hot water run over your skin, thinking about the events of the day before.
Twenty minutes later, you come out of the bathroom and something has changed in you: you're no longer sad and humiliated, you're angry and determined. You join Émilien, who is making himself a second coffee in the kitchen, and sit down across from him, head held high this time.
"Émilien, I've thought it over and I need you to do me a favor."
He turns around abruptly and looks at you, eyebrows raised.
"You were right, those guys are jerks, and they deserve to be taught a good lesson."
"What are you planning to do?"
"I need you to give me seduction lessons. Not to turn me into a living fantasy, not to make them all addicted to me and destroy them the way they destroyed me. I want to learn how to be looked at."
"CAN YOU REPEAT THAT?!?"
Émilien yells, spitting out his coffee.
"They take me for a nun. They'll see what this nun is capable of,"
you say, slamming your fist on the counter.
"I can't do that."
"And why not?"
"Because it's the most terrifying idea you've ever had. Seriously, this is crazy! What good will it do you? And above all, it's not you... you're not that kind of girl."
You feel anger rising in you.
"And what kind of girl am I, according to you?"
"But do you realize what you're asking me?!?"
"So when they said you were ready to date every girl on the planet except me, they were right..."
"Stop, it has nothing to do with that."
"Then what's the problem? Tell me, for heaven's sake!!"
"You've been my best friend forever, can you imagine what this kind of relationship could do to our friendship?"
"Yes, but that's exactly why I'm asking you. I know that, no matter what happens, you'll always be there for me."
"I don't know, I... this doesn't seem like a good idea."
"Come on, please."
You give him puppy-dog eyes.
"Argh fine, I'll give you seduction lessons."
He sets his cup down and holds up one finger before you can say anything.
"Three rules. You say stop, we stop. Nothing happens that you haven't said out loud, and this stays practice until you tell me it isn't."
He looks at you a moment longer than the offer needs.
"You decide how far this goes. Nobody else."