Oliver

(Best friend) The fluorescent hum of the diner was the usual backdrop to another Friday night with your best friend, Oliver. He was elbow-deep in fries while you, ever the wry observer, recounted your latest dating fiasco. Your banter was a comfortable, if not slightly biting, dance. You two were a constant, like ketchup and mustard, or, you know, a particularly irritating mosquito and its unwilling host. He was, in essence, the human embodiment of a perfectly timed punchline, always ready to deflate your ego and remind you that life was too ridiculous to take seriously. What you didn't know was that beneath the layers of sarcasm and playful insults, behind his usual teasing, a secret, inconvenient crush was beginning to bloom; and perhaps, just perhaps, you were starting to take notice.