“ Love conquers all. ”
---
— Cecile —
“ So, they didn’t end up together? ” The night had settled in, and I found myself recounting Nancy’s story with her best friend to Joel. As I lay on his bare chest on the love seat after dinner, I had mentioned it casually, but I didn’t expect him to be so invested in the details.
“ Yeah… he never loved her the way she loved him, ” I replied, my voice tinged with the weight of the memory. Talking about it brought a pang to my heart. I wished things had unfolded differently, but who was I to decide?
“ So, he left her? ”
“ Yes… ” The rest of the story would come later, when Nancy herself shared the full account with Bernie and me.
“ We’ve been together for over seven years now. He always talked about how excited he was to be my best man one day. Though he sounded serious, I always brushed it off, thinking maybe one day he’d see me as someone worth dating. Turns out, he never had those feelings for me at all. ”
“ But you kept your feelings for him alive, even after seeing him with other women... how did you manage that? ”
“ Well, he always said he liked girls who were taller and more athletic... and I wasn’t either of those things. ”
“ But maybe your place in his life was so irreplaceable that he kept you around all these years. ”
“ I don’t know… but honestly, it doesn’t matter anymore. He doesn’t see me the way I see him, and that stings. ”
“ Yet, your feelings stayed strong. ”
“ Yeah, because we talk every day. We joke around for hours. ”
“ He always told me I was one of the best things that ever happened to him. ”
“ Wow… that’s intense. ” 
“ Yeah… and he gives me compliments all the time. He even once offered to style my hair, and I let him do it… But the more he did, the more I fell for him. ”
“ What now? ”
“ Well, he told me that our closeness and friendship were overwhelming him, and he needed space… a lot of it. ”
“ No... that’s rough. ”
“ Yeah, but that’s exactly what he said. ”
“ How do you feel about it? ” Bernie had asked, gently. 
Her expression shifted, and her eyes started to redden. “ It felt like someone had died... like a part of me was torn away the moment he said it… ”
“ Did you two talk about the kiss you shared? ”
“ Yeah, he said it was one of the biggest mistakes he’d ever made and that he’ll spend his life making up for it… ” Hearing the tremor in her voice and seeing the pain in her eyes made my heart ache. She didn’t deserve this. She deserved so much better.
“ Is he with her now? ”
“ No… I don’t think she’s forgiven him yet. I guess that’s why he started the whole almost-breakup thing — so he could convince her that we weren’t as close as she thought. ”
“ Um… that really sucks. ”
“ Yeah… he’s the only guy I’ve ever loved, and this feels like the worst thing ever. I feel like I made the biggest mistake of my life by falling for my best friend, someone who was supposed to protect me and always be there for me. ”
“ It really sucks. ” My heart had gone out for her, then and now. I felt her pain deeply, as if it were my own. 
“ Yeah… it does. ”
---
“ They probably weren’t meant to be, ” Joel’s voice was unexpectedly serious.
“ You think so? ”
“ Yeah… you know, it’s possible to be really good friends with someone but still realize you can’t be the partner they need or want. ”
“ Yeah… you’re right. ”
“ I’m always right. ” He smiled, planting a soft kiss on her lips. Then, he shifted, pulling her so she was lying fully against him. Instantly, Cecile felt the warmth between them, and her face flushed with heat.
“ Do you believe in love at first sight? ” She asked, trying to divert her attention away from how her body was reacting to him at the moment. 
“ I do… ” He worked his hands underneath her large top and pinched her nipples, causing her to yelp. 
“ Joel, you… ” She blushed, unable to focus on anything else as desire slowly overtook her. 
“ Joel, you… ” She blushed, unable to focus on anything else as desire slowly overtook her. 
“ What were you saying? ” He replied, innocently as he kept playing with her nipples.
“ I was — ” She couldn’t finish her words, as his mouth suddenly covered her and she melted In his arms 
“ Joel… ” She moaned as his mouth and fingers worked on both her nipples. She pulled at his hair in an attempt to stop herself from screaming at the pleasure that overtook her. 
“ Let’s make love, Joli… ” He didn’t give her the time to react as he carried her and soon they were on their way to their room. 
He wasted no time at all, finding his way inside her and she moaned at the pleasure that overwhelmed her. “ Joel… ” She felt her insides tighten around him as they became one.
“ Shush… ” He placed a finger on her lips, silencing her. “ Don’t say anything… simply listen and feel. ” She nodded, subconsciously as she felt him move inside her. 
---
“Gosh, I’m so sore!” Cecile complained, sounding almost like a child, after their long session. Joel had tried to introduce a new round of pleasure but ended up going a bit overboard this time.
“I feel sore too, okay?” he said matter-of-factly, pulling her closer into his arms.
“That’s a lie. You’re not supposed to be sore; I am!” she rolled her eyes.
“I did most of the work, not you,” Joel responded, a hint of pride in his voice. Cecile blushed at his shameless words. “What do you mean by that?”
“Exactly what you heard. While I did all the work, all you did was lie there and enjoy it.”
“You think it’s easy being on the receiving end? Take this!” She pulled away from his embrace and began hitting him with a pillow.
He easily blocked each blow, watching her tire herself out before chuckling softly.
“We should’ve used that energy for something else, hon...” He caressed her hair gently.
“Shameless,” she muttered, hitting him again.
“Still, you love me.” He smiled, lifting her chin and pressing a lingering kiss to her lips.
“Dhhh.”
“You asked if I believe in love at first sight,” he said, breaking the silence after a while.
“Yeah...”
“Well, I do,” he paused, his gaze locking with hers, his voice soft but certain. “Because, without even realizing it, I had fallen in love with you at first sight.” His words felt like sweet music, echoing in her mind long after she fell asleep.
…..
A/N; What an Interesting chapter! What do you think, guys?