Mistaking Pretense For True Feelings

My boyfriend had a bestie.

There was a rainstorm warning, so I called Brad and asked him to pick me up from get off work.

The first thing he said when he answered the phone was, “It’s not safe for Sophie to stay in that rental house in this weather. I’ll go check on her. You can go back home after get off work and pay attention to your own safety.”

I was stunned for a few seconds and when I wanted to speak, I found that he had hung up the phone.

Late at night, Brad’s best friend, Sophie, posted a message on an Instagram story.

In the photo, Brad was shirtless and wearing big pants and Sophie had his arms around his neck.

The caption was: [Sure enough, friends are more reliable than boyfriends, I will depend on you for the rest of my life!]

I then commented below: [Gift to you]

——

Two days after the storm, he had already started working normally. Only then did Brad think of contacting me, his girlfriend.

When I called, the first thing he said was, “Tamara, why did you ignore me?”

“Because I want to break up!”

I said calmly, hung up the phone and blocked the number.

When I got home from get off work, I found Brad sitting on the sofa with a gloomy look on his face.

I ignored him and went straight into the bedroom, taking a change of clothes and preparing to go to the bathroom to take a shower.

“Tamara, stop!”

Brad called me.

“Is something wrong?” I glanced at him.

“I’m hungry, you should cook first!”

I was a little speechless and said, “Do you think of this as a hotel or a snack bar? Didn’t your bestie feed you enough?”

Brad looked at me with an unhappy face and said, “Tamara, what are you angry about? That’s Sophie, my friend since childhood and it’s not someone else. Why are you jealous?”

He continued, “A little girl came here from my hometown to work. She only knows me here. The storm was very scary that day. She is timid. What’s wrong with me accompanying her? When did you become so selfish? Sometimes you have to think about others!”

“Oh! Think about others, you said? There are so many people outside in the rain and so many people at home. Why don’t you help others? I am also alone in this city and you are still my boyfriend. Why don’t you help me?”

After saying this, I turned and entered the bathroom.

Brad stared at me speechless.

After taking a shower, Brad handed over a pile of clothes.

In a matter-of-fact manner, he said, “Tamara, these are the clothes for the past two days. The washing machine at Sophie’s house is broken, so I will take the clothes back. Sophie has two pieces that need to be washed by hand. Don’t put them with the others, otherwise it will be stained easily and there is also an underwear…”

I pointed at the clothes, frowned and interrupted him, “Wait a minute, what do you mean, you want me to wash it?”

“Yes, what is wrong with that?”

“Are you crazy?”

“It’s just a few clothes, Tamara. What’s wrong with you?”

Brad became impatient at first.

I stretched out my hand to stop him and said, “First, I am not your nanny. Second, you and I are not married yet. Even if we are married, I have no obligation to wash clothes for you and her. Third, I told you that I broke up with you, so get out!”

Brad and I were together in our sophomore year. After graduation, we began a year-long long-distance relationship, meeting twice a month.

Long-distance relationships were very difficult. When I needed him, he was not by my side.

Every time I saw my colleagues and friends around me, they were in pairs and that was when I missed him the most.

Friends said that long-distance relationships were the easiest to break up and I was also afraid that he wouldn’t be able to bear the loneliness and be with someone else.

Just when I was in a dilemma whether to leave here to find him or continue to another place, he left his work there and came to me desperately.

The moment I was held in his arms, I really loved him.

I knew he loved me too.

He came over suddenly and didn’t have time to rent a house, so he moved into my small rental house.

We also started living together.

Just half a year into the sweet life, his childhood friend came over.

I still remembered the day Brad took me to see Sophie. As soon as we entered the door, Sophie jumped on him and lay on his back.

Brad held her butt very skillfully and even hugged her tightly.

I was shocked, how could this be like this? No matter how good the relationship was, there should be differences between men and women. They were not children anymore.

The whole private room was filled with friends of Brad and Sophie.

They sat together eating and drinking, talking about their childhood.

Speaking of getting excited, Sophie put his arms around Brad’s neck and pulled him hard into his arms.

Brad struggled to reach out to her armpits, waist and abdomen, scratching her itchy flesh.

The two fell on the sofa and made a fuss and everyone else laughed too.

I didn’t even look at him, so I could only smile awkwardly and pat his back. “Brad, Sophie is a girl. Please be careful and don’t press down on this little girl. Get up quickly.”

Brad listened to me and stood up directly. “She saved you this time, otherwise I would not have spared you lightly.”

Unexpectedly, Sophie got up, tidied her clothes and stared at me with a dissatisfied look on her face, “Tamara, you are nosy. Brad and I have been like this since we were young. We also agreed at the time that if I were 30 years old, he would marry me. We are just joking.”

I looked at Brad and asked him with my eyes.

Brad held my hand and laughed. “Sophie, when did that happen? I have Tamara now and you are no longer a child. Find someone quickly, otherwise your skin will sag and you won’t feel it when you touch it. Who would want you!”

“Whose skin is sagging and whose hands feel bad? Come and touch it to see if my hand feels good.”

“Then I’ll touch you, don’t run away!”

When I looked at these two people and listened to these words, I felt that my outlook was ruined.

What was their relationship? Were they really just friends?

How could any friendship be like this? She was still a girl.

And his friends seemed to be used to it.