Sunday Short: Can We Be Friends - Chapter 3

Bryan was still staring at his phone when the gym’s playlist shifted from high-energy EDM to a slow, tragic ballad about lost love. The irony wasn’t lost on him.

Lily: We need to talk.

A few hours later, they met up at a quiet rooftop café, Lily’s go-to thinking spot. The air smelled like burnt espresso and overpriced dreams. She brought cupcakes. Bryan brought confusion.

They slid into a corner seat with string lights above them and city sounds faint below.

Lily handed him a red velvet. “Eat. You’ll need sugar for this.”

He took a bite. “You’re seriously telling me Ethan complimenting my pecs isn’t normal?”

“Oh, it’s definitely not normal,” Lily muttered. “Zoe has been extra… warm lately, too. Like, she asked me if I moisturized my cuticles. Who even says that?”

They swapped stories for the next half hour, one weird interaction after another. The compliments. The sudden deep conversations. That unsettling, lingering eye contact. Bryan swore Ethan hovered behind him for a full minute in the shower before complimenting his muscle symmetry. Lily gagged into her drink.

“We’ve been… best-friend-zoned,” Bryan concluded, horrified.

“Or worse,” Lily said. “We’ve been romantic-best-friend-zoned.”

They stared off into the distance, digesting the idea in silence.

After one last dramatic sigh, they stood and decided to call it a night. Answers weren’t coming easily. Maybe sleep would help.

---

Back at her apartment building, Lily was startled to find Zoe waiting in the lobby, sitting cross-legged on the velvet bench, scrolling her phone.

“Zoe?” she blinked. “What are you doing here?”

Zoe looked up, bright-eyed. “Wanted to see you. Surprise.”

Lily raised a brow. “Surprise…?”

Zoe grinned and held up her phone just as a notification popped in.

Daily Horoscope: “Your wish is about to come true.”

Zoe read it aloud, then looked up at Lily with a playful glint in her eyes.

“Weird coincidence,” she said. “You know… when Ethan and I went for our anniversary walk last week? We found this old fountain in the park. We both made a wish.”

Lily tilted her head. “What kind of wish?”

Zoe just giggled. “Can’t say. It won’t come true if I tell you.”

She reached out, briefly touching Lily’s hand. Her fingers lingered just a second too long.

“I don’t know,” Zoe said softly, “but something about all this… it’s starting to feel kind of magical.”

She gave Lily a teasing smile, one that made Lily feel like she was in a rom-com she didn’t audition for.

“Anyway,” Zoe added. “Goodnight.” And with that, she floated up the stairs.

---

Lily stood frozen for a second. Then she yanked out her phone and furiously texted Bryan.

Lily: I know what’s going on.

Lily: Meet tomorrow.

Lily: It’s time.

---

Next Week in Chapter 4:

Lily and Bryan join forces to break the wish by rekindling the original flame. Can chaos undo magic? Let’s find out.