He Turned Me Down, So I Dated His Best Friend Instead Chapter 08

He Turned Me Down, So I Dated His Best Friend Instead Chapter 08

Dawn asked if we could follow each other on Instagram.

I said no.

She was only reaching out because she had no idea I had feelings for Julian. I couldn’t accept her kindness and pretend nothing was wrong.

Dawn looked disappointed, but she kept talking to me for another minute.

“I’ve only met Mason once, but he seemed like a really good guy. You should give him a chance.”

I answered absently, “Sure.”

Julian had been silent on the other end of the call, but now he suddenly cut in.

“Since when did you start playing Cupid?”

Dawn laughed softly and said goodbye to me.

Then she turned away and continued talking to Julian.

I watched her go.

To my surprise, something in my chest loosened.

Dawn was a genuinely good person.

Julian had found someone wonderful. I should’ve been happy for him.

Still,

maybe I imagined it. Until that day, I’d always been the one avoiding Julian. Afterward, he seemed

just as determined to avoid me.

Whenever we crossed paths in a hallway or off campus, he changed direction before I had the

chance.

He’d never done that before.

He used to watch, cool and detached, while I scrambled to avoid him.

For a while, my life was peaceful.

Then a girl in our cohort had a birthday

and invited a large group of people to celebrate.

We got along well, so I bought her a gift and showed up.

As I reached the private dining room and started through the door, someone stepped out. I lost my

footing and nearly walked straight into him.

Music and laughter spilled out behind us.

I looked up and found Julian standing there.

Our eyes met.

I was about to apologize.

But he was already stepping around me and walking away.

Once I entered, I realized Dawn was there too.

A group of girls had gathered around her, asking how she and Julian had gotten together.

Dawn blushed.

“Honestly, I chased him for more than a month. I sent message after message, and he never

replied.”

“Then one day, I waited outside his dorm. I was sure he’d turn me down again, but he actually agreed to go out with me.‘

Someone stared at her. “Wait, just like that?”

Dawn nodded. “Yeah. I couldn’t believe it either.”

My roommates had arrived earlier.

They were playing poker on the other side of the room.

I didn’t know how to play, so I stayed out of the game and found an empty corner. As I listened to

Dawn, I absently picked up the glass in front of me and took a sip.

I thought it was soda. It was alcohol.

And it was strong.

I’d never tasted anything like it. It burned all the way down and sent me into a coughing fit.

I started to get up for water

when a glass appeared in front of me, held in a long–fingered hand.

I looked up.

It was Julian.

The shifting lights left his eyes dark and unreadable. He said only one word.

“Water.”

Thankfully,

no one else was paying attention to us.

After a long hesitation, I thanked him without taking the glass. “I’m fine now.”

His lips twisted.

He set the glass down on the table with a hard thud.

“Suit yourself.”

Then he turned, crossed most of the room, and sat beside Dawn.

I stayed where I was.

I didn’t know what I was feeling.

You couldn’t turn feelings off like a switch.

I’d already decided to move on, but years of attachment didn’t vanish overnight. As I watched his back, I still couldn’t stop the ache rising in my chest.

So I reminded myself,

Enough. Move forward. Stop thinking about him.