He Always Chose I Best Friend,Until The Day I Stopped Waiting

He'd never given it a single thought.

Lesley mentioned it once, and he bought it.

When I came out after changing clothes at home, I saw Lesley pick up the couple's mug that belonged to Miles.

I was about to say something when Miles pressed mine into my hands.

"One for each of you. Best friends, for life."

Lesley walked over smiling, resting her chin on my shoulder.

"Obviously. I'm Georgia's number one, so you, Miles, get to be the side piece for life."

Miles laughed.

I gripped the mug filled with hot water. It was warm, plainly warm.

And yet the cold sank all the way into my heart.

The next morning I woke up with my forehead burning hot.

I forced myself to call Miles, asking him to bring fever medicine after work.

My hoarse voice startled him, and he agreed right away.

Less than half an hour later, there was a knock at the door.

Miles was back, and he'd brought Lesley too.

Both of them had their hands full of bags. "Georgia, are you feeling any better?"

"These are all your favorites."

I pried my eyes open and looked. Shaved ice, salmon.

All of it cold and raw.

The bags came up empty, but there was no medicine for me.

"I need fever medicine."

My throat was so swollen by then that every word came out like a razor dragged across it.

For a second Miles's expression went blank.

Lesley reached out and gave him a smack. "What's wrong with you? You just said Georgia wasn't feeling well, didn't even make it clear she had a fever, and you forgot to buy the medicine."

She immediately pulled out her phone and opened the delivery app.

Scrolling with one hand, she steered me toward the bedroom with the other.

"Go lie down first, drink some hot water, bundle up under the blanket and sweat it out."

Miles nodded along and poured me a cup of hot water, setting it on the nightstand.

The door was pulled shut.

From outside came the rustle of plastic bags.

Miles was washing fruit for Lesley.

After a while, the sound of a reality show started up.

Mixed with the two of them laughing.

Every half hour, the door would crack open.

Sometimes it was Miles, feeling my forehead. "Seems like it's not as hot now."

Sometimes it was Lesley, holding the water cup. "Drink a little more."

But the medicine never came.

Three hours.

I really couldn't hold out any longer, so I picked up my phone myself and ordered a delivery runner.

The doorbell rang.

Miles opened the door, saw the medicine, and there was an extra note of blame in the way he looked at me.

"Why did you order it yourself? Wasting that money for nothing. Didn't we say we'd buy it for you?"

My voice was a rasp. "It's been three hours. Where's the medicine?"

The living room went quiet for two seconds.

Miles and Lesley exchanged a glance.

They spoke at the same time. "I thought you ordered it."

I didn't acknowledge their apologies.

I swallowed the pills dry.

Pulled the blanket up and buried my head under it.

The next day the fever broke, but my body was still weak.

Today, though, was the master's art exhibit I'd booked a month ago.

I got dressed and came out.

But Miles said he'd canceled the tickets.

"Lesley was worried you weren't fully recovered and insisted on coming along so she'd feel better about it. The exhibit tickets couldn't be bought last minute, so I canceled and swapped them for a movie instead."

They dragged me to the theater.

Only then did I find out it was a horror film, the kind I hate.

When the first jump scare came, I shrank back into my seat in fright.

I turned, reaching for Miles's arm.

He was leaning sideways, over the armrest, quietly discussing the plot with Lesley.

"This part's an homage to The Grudge, right?"

"Yeah, look at that composition."

I closed my eyes.

And sat through the entire movie.

After it let out, Lesley leaned over with a hand pressed to her chest. "That's it, I'm done. There's no way I'm sleeping alone tonight."