Lara and Daniela had been best friends for as long as they could remember. Their friendship had survived everything—family troubles, heartbreaks, and even the occasional argument that left them not speaking for days. But no matter what, they always found their way back to each other. They were more than friends. They were sisters. And no matter what challenges life threw at them, that would never change.
Or so they thought.
Then Megan entered their lives.
It started innocently enough. Megan was new to their social circle, having transferred to their university a few weeks into the semester. She was effortlessly cool, with a warm smile and a way of making everyone around her feel special—like they were the only person in the world when she spoke to them. Unlike most people, she listened—really listened—and when she laughed, it wasn't just polite. It was genuine, like she actually felt the joy in the moment.
She wasn't the loudest in the room, but somehow, she was always the one people gravitated toward.
Lara noticed her first.
It was in their literature class, where Megan sat a few rows ahead of her, absentmindedly twirling a pen between her fingers while taking notes. There was something effortlessly captivating about the way she carried herself—like she knew exactly who she was and didn't need to prove anything to anyone. Lara found herself watching her, curiosity sparking.
So after class, she made her move.
"Hey, I'm Lara," she said, stepping up beside Megan as they exited the lecture hall. "Are you new here? I haven't seen you before."
Megan turned to her, offering a bright smile that made Lara's stomach flip. "Hey, I'm Megan. And yeah, I just transferred here. They have a great dance team I'm hoping to make."
A dancer. That made sense. Megan had the kind of grace and fluidity that seemed effortless.
"Well, welcome," Lara said, matching her stride. "If you need help with anything, I'm your girl."
Megan's eyes lit up. "Actually, yeah—do you know where Steven Hall is? I have my next class there, and I have zero sense of direction."
Lara hesitated for only a fraction of a second. Steven Hall was on the complete opposite side of campus from where she needed to be. But that didn't matter.
"I'm actually heading that way," she lied smoothly. "I'll walk with you."
Megan's face broke into a grin. "Aww, thank you! You're a lifesaver."
As they walked, the conversation never faltered. Megan was easy to talk to—charming, funny, and effortlessly engaging. Lara barely noticed the distance, too caught up in their effortless back-and-forth.
By the time they reached the building, Megan turned to her with a grateful smile. "Thanks again for walking me," she said. "Can I get your number? You know, in case I need more help... or just someone to hang out with?"
Lara felt a warmth spread through her chest as she handed over her phone. "Of course. Text me anytime—for directions, a study buddy, or just company. I'm your girl."
Megan laughed. "I'll hold you to that." She waved before disappearing into the building, leaving Lara standing there with an idiotic grin on her face.
Then reality hit.
"Shit."
Her next class was in the complete opposite direction.
Lara took off sprinting across campus, skidding into the lecture hall just as the professor stepped up to the podium.
Daniela, already seated, raised an eyebrow as Lara collapsed into the seat beside her, panting. "Why are you out of breath? You hate running. You literally say beauty is more important than being on time."
Lara sucked in a breath, trying to compose herself. "I was... walking a girl to class," she admitted between gasps.
Daniela smirked. "Oh? And she was so special that she had you sprinting across campus afterward?"
Lara rolled her eyes but couldn't stop the small smile tugging at her lips.
Daniela's smirk widened. "Yeah. We're definitely talking about this later."
And just like that, the first spark had been lit.
Neither of them had any idea what was coming next.
Daniela met Megan a few weeks later at a party. They had spent hours talking—about dance, movies, and the ridiculousness of dating apps. It was effortless, the kind of conversation that felt like it could go on forever. By the end of the night, Daniela knew—Megan was special.
What she didn't know was that this was the same Megan Lara had been gushing about.
She found out the next morning when Lara invited her to breakfast.
When Megan walked into the café, Daniela's eyes widened in surprise.
"Megan?" she blurted out before she could stop herself.
Megan's face lit up. "Oh my God—Dani! I didn't know you'd be here!"
Lara looked between them, confused. "Wait... you two know each other?"
"Yeah, we met at a party last night," Megan explained, sliding into the seat across from them.
Daniela recovered quickly, offering a smile. "Yeah, it's good to see you again."
Lara grinned, completely unaware of the underlying tension. "Well, that's perfect! Now you have to be friends."
And just like that, Megan became part of their world.
She fit seamlessly, as if she had always been there—joining them for late-night drives, weekend brunches, and impromptu study sessions. With Megan, everything felt easy, natural. They laughed until their stomachs hurt, shared inside jokes, and learned each other's quirks like they had known one another forever.
But as the weeks passed, something unspoken began to settle between Lara and Daniela.
They both liked her.
At first, they danced around it, pretending nothing had changed. But it was there, in the subtle shifts, the quiet moments that neither of them acknowledged. The way Lara's voice softened when she spoke about Megan. The way Daniela's eyes lingered a little too long whenever Megan walked into the room.
It wasn't just friendship anymore.
And even if they refused to admit it, they both knew—sooner or later, something would have to give.
One evening, the three of them were at Lara's apartment, sprawled across the couch, a half-forgotten movie playing in the background. The glow from the TV cast flickering shadows across the room, but none of them were really paying attention to the screen. Megan sat between them, her legs tucked beneath her, absentmindedly playing with the hem of her sweater.
Halfway through the movie, Megan shifted slightly, leaning toward Daniela as she whispered something. Whatever it was, it made Daniela laugh—really laugh. The kind of laugh that lit up her whole face, the kind that Lara had seen a million times before. But this time, it felt different.
Daniela's hand lingered lightly on Megan's arm, just for a second.
Lara felt something twist in her chest.
It was irrational—she knew that. But knowing didn't stop the sharp sting of jealousy from creeping in, uninvited and unwelcome.
Megan didn't notice. She just smiled, settling comfortably back into the space between them. But Lara did notice. And it did matter.
Later that night, after Megan had left, Lara turned to Daniela, arms crossed, her voice deliberately casual.
"You two have been spending a lot of time together lately."
Daniela, who had been scrolling through her phone, barely looked up. "So have you."
Lara scoffed. "Not like you. You're practically attached at the hip."
That got Daniela's attention. She put her phone down, tilting her head. "Is that a problem?"
Lara hesitated. She wanted to say no, to shrug it off, to act like she didn't care. But she did.
She really did.
"I just don't want things to get weird between us," she muttered, avoiding Daniela's gaze.
Daniela studied her, something unreadable in her expression. Then, as if fitting the last piece of a puzzle into place, she asked, "Lara... you really like her don't you?"
Lara's breath caught.
"I—" She started, but the look on Daniela's face told her there was no point in lying.
Daniela exhaled, running a hand through her hair. "Great."
Lara frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means," Daniela said carefully, "that this is going to be a problem."
And for the first time, Lara realized she might be right.
From that moment on, everything changed.
It wasn't obvious at first—there were no blowout fights, no dramatic confrontations—but the shift was there, simmering beneath the surface. Their once-effortless friendship became strained, their laughter a little too forced, their conversations laced with unspoken words.
They still hung out. They still acted like nothing had changed.
But it had.
It was in the way they maneuvered around each other, like two players in a game neither of them had agreed to.
Lara would invite Megan for coffee, conveniently "forgetting" to mention it to Daniela. Daniela would buy tickets to a concert and somehow neglect to tell Lara until after the fact.
And Megan—oblivious to the slow unraveling of their friendship—kept treating them both the same, unaware of the storm brewing between them.
Then came the night everything fell apart.
The party was packed, music thrumming loud enough to rattle the walls, bodies pressed together in a blur of movement and laughter. Lara had lost sight of Daniela and Megan early on, but when she finally spotted them across the room, something inside her snapped.
Megan was laughing, leaning into Daniela, her fingers grazing Daniela's wrist as they talked. It was innocent. Casual, even.
But to Lara, it felt like betrayal.
She turned on her heel and walked out, her heart pounding.
The cold air outside hit her like a slap, but it wasn't enough to cool the heat rising in her chest. She crossed her arms, staring at the pavement, willing the jealousy away.
Minutes later, Daniela found her.
"What the hell is your problem?" Daniela demanded, her breath slightly uneven, like she had been searching for Lara.
Lara clenched her jaw. "You know exactly what."
Daniela scoffed. "Oh, come on. You're mad because Megan and I were talking?"
Lara let out a bitter laugh. "You weren't just talking."
Daniela's expression hardened. "And if I was? What, are we supposed to pretend we don't have feelings for her?"
Lara swallowed, her chest tightening. "We were supposed to put us first."
Daniela exhaled sharply, running a hand through her hair. "Lara, that's not fair. We both like her. And unless Megan magically decides she likes neither of us, this is going to hurt no matter what."
Lara hated that Daniela was right.
They stood there, the tension thick between them, neither willing to be the first to back down.
Finally, Daniela's voice softened. "I don't want to lose you over this."
Lara looked away, her throat tight. "I don't either."
For the first time in their friendship, they were at a crossroads with no clear way forward.
"What are we supposed to do?" Daniela asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Lara didn't have an answer.
Because the truth was, Megan was the first person in a long time that had made her feel something real. And for Daniela, Megan brought out a side of her she hadn't even known existed.
They both really liked her.
They had crossed a line neither of them ever thought they would. And no matter what happened next, it was going to take more than one conversation to fix what was breaking.
And the worst part?
They still didn't know who Megan would choose.
Daniela and Lara stepped back into the party, the tension between them still heavy, though neither was ready to address it just yet. But as soon as they spotted Megan across the room, the weight in their chests grew heavier.
She wasn't alone.
A pretty brunette stood beside her, fingers casually intertwined with Megan's. They were laughing, completely at ease with each other.
Before either Daniela or Lara could process what they were seeing, Megan spotted them and waved, making her way over.
"Hey, Dani, Lara! I want you to meet my girlfriend, Noelle."
Girlfriend.
The word hit like a gut punch.
Daniela and Lara exchanged a quick glance, but neither could quite hide the flicker of shock in their expressions.
"Oh," Daniela said, recovering quickly. "Nice to meet you. When... when did this happen?" She hated how forced the question sounded.
"About a week ago," Megan said with a wide smile, completely oblivious to the weight of her words. "She's in one of my classes. I've actually noticed her since the beginning of the semester. I finally built up the courage to ask her out, and well... here we are."
Megan beamed, her happiness radiating off her like a glow.
Lara forced a smile. "I'm happy for you, Meg." And she meant it. Even if it hurt.
Megan grinned. "Thanks! We're gonna go dance. I'll catch up with you later!"
And just like that, Megan was gone, pulling Noelle onto the dance floor.
Daniela and Lara stood frozen, watching as Megan laughed, twirling Noelle playfully, completely lost in the moment. She looked so happy.
Seeing her with someone else sucked.
But the truth was, Megan had never been theirs to begin with.
No matter how much they had wished she was.
Daniela let out a breath, shaking her head. "Well. That's that."
Lara swallowed past the lump in her throat. "Yeah."
They had spent weeks caught in a silent battle over someone who had never even realized she was in the middle of it. And now, there was nothing left to fight for.
Nothing except their friendship—if they could find a way to salvage it.
Daniela and Lara left the party without another word. There was no reason to stay, not anymore.
The walk back to Lara's apartment was silent, both of them lost in thought, trying to process everything. The cool night air should have been refreshing, grounding—but instead, it just made the weight in their chests feel heavier.
When they finally reached Lara's apartment, they wordlessly fell into their usual routine. Kicking off their shoes, grabbing blankets, curling up on the couch, and putting on their favorite movie—something comforting, something familiar.
But comfort didn't come so easily tonight.
It wasn't until halfway through the movie that Lara finally broke the silence.
"So... Megan has a girlfriend."
Daniela let out a small, humorless chuckle. "Yeah. Didn't see that one coming."
"Me either."
A beat of silence.
"Were we just imagining it?" Daniela asked hesitantly. "Were we naive to think Megan felt the same?"
Lara exhaled, sinking deeper into the couch. "Yeah. I think so. Megan's just... that way. She makes people feel like they're the only one."
Daniela nodded, her voice quieter now. "Yeah. But she was never going to be ours. Did you see the way she looked at Noelle?"
Lara swallowed the sting of it. "Yeah. She never looked at either of us like that."
There it was—the truth they had been avoiding.
Daniela sighed, rubbing a hand over her face. "I think we mistook her friendship for something more. And that's on us."
"Yeah," Lara admitted.
Another pause. The movie played on, but neither of them were watching anymore.
Then Lara spoke again, softer this time. "But I don't want to talk about Megan anymore. She was never ours, and that's not her fault. I want to talk about us. About how we let her come between us."
Daniela looked over, guilt flickering across her face. "Yeah. I thought we were better than that. I never thought we'd stoop low enough to intentionally hurt each other." She swallowed. "I'm sorry."
Lara shook her head. "No, I'm sorry. I let my jealousy get the better of me. Megan's special, but you're more important to me. You're my sister."
"And you're mine," Daniela murmured. "You're all I have."
She reached for Lara, and they hugged tightly, holding on like they were trying to put themselves back together.
Lara rested her chin on Daniela's shoulder. "Let's promise we won't let something like this happen again. No one is worth losing you over."
Daniela exhaled, nodding against her. "Agreed. I don't think I'd survive without you."
And just like that, the storm between them settled.
Megan had never been theirs.
But they had always been each other's.
And that was enough.