My Best Friend’s Boyfriend

Chapter 9

Allison’s POV

That evening, as I walked home, the weight of the day really started to feel heavy. The thought of working that closely with Collen dawned on me and made me think about other things. I knew I needed to talk to someone, and Hannah seemed to be the obvious choice.

Hannah was in the kitchen making tea when I walked in. She looked up and smiled, but the smile fell when she saw how tight my face was. "Hey, Allison. Rough day?"

I sighed, leaning against the counter. "You could say that."

Hannah poured a cup of tea and handed it to me. "Want to talk about it?"

I took the cup, letting the warmth bleed into my hands. "Yeah, actually. I was thinking. Do you think there's any way that I could request a different partner for this project?"

Hannah raised an eyebrow. "You want to switch partners? Why?"

I hesitated, not knowing the right words. "It is just. Somehow.

Hannah took a sip of her tea. "I understand, Allison. You can't ask for a change of partner without a reason. There must be some reason the company paired the two of you together. They must think that you two will work well together."

First thing the next morning, I woke up with the weight on my mind. I knew I couldn't just walk into HR and tell them the truth, that I had a one-night stand with my best friend's boyfriend, who was also my mate.

The complications were too personal and too messy to be aired out in a professional setting.

As I was preparing for work, a maze of probable strategies ran through my head. I needed a plausible reason to switch partners, one that wouldn't really raise many eyebrows and make me look unprofessional. But no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't think of anything convincing.

I felt a jolt of nerves when I came into the office and saw that Collen was already there, waiting for me in the small meeting room booked to hold their project talks. He cast his eyes upwards, beaming warmly at me. "Morning, Allison."

"Morning," I said, trying to keep my tone flat. I took a seat opposite him, putting my bag on the floor. "We need to talk," I said to him.

Colleen's face sobered. "I thought as much. What do you want to say?"

I took another deep breath. "Look, Collen. This project. It’s going to be tough for me to do. Not because of the work per se, but because of. Us. Our history."

Colleen nodded slowly. "I get that. But what are you suggesting?"

I chose my words carefully. "I was thinking of asking for a different partner. I just don't think I could focus on the project with everything between us."

Collen looked hurt for a second, but he covered it up. "I understand. But do you have a good reason to give them? Something that doesn't involve. personal details?"

I shook my head again, feeling the frustration well inside of me. "That is just the problem. I cannot exactly tell them the truth, can I? That I had a one-night stand with my best friend's boyfriend, who is my mate?"

I sighed. The weight of my emotions was beginning to bear down on me. "Collen, the only way this will work is if we have very clear rules in place. We must set boundaries for when we do meet to work on the project so we can do so without the complications of our personal history getting in the way."

Colleen nodded. "I agree. What kind of rules are you thinking?"

I took a deep breath, trying to clear my head. "First, that means completely professional interaction, no discussion of anything personal. Second, complete openness with each other on the project, no secrets, no withholding of information. And third, respect each other's space; what that means is if one or the other of us is feeling uncomfortable, we need to say so right there and then."

He listened intently, then nodded again. "Those sound like good rules. I think we can make that work."

I felt a small sense of relief. "Good. Thank you for agreeing.

Let's start by agreeing on a schedule. We can meet up every morning to review our progress and plan out the day's tasks. That way, we can keep on track and not have misunderstandings."

Collen nodded, and for a few minutes, we worked out a detailed schedule. As we laid our plans out, I felt a little more in control. This might actually work, I thought.

We got on our feet, turning to leave the conference room, and I felt a weird mix of hope and trepidation. Just as we were about to head off in different directions, Collen hung back. "Allison, can we talk outside for a bit? I think it might be easier to talk about this away from the office."

Curious, I nodded, and we both left the building, walking to a quiet spot in a nearby park. There, with fresh air and open space surrounding them, at least the tension felt a little less stifling between us.

Collen looked at me, his facial expression quite serious. "Allison, I know that this is tough for you. It's tough for me too. But I really don't want you to quit. Not just because of the project, but because deep inside, I feel you would genuinely regret it. You are good at what you do, and now that things have gotten real, leaving would feel like running away."

I looked down at my feet, feeling the weight of his words. "It's not just about the project, Collen. It's more than that. Hannah is my best friend, and I feel like I'm betraying her by even being here with you. But there's another reason I can't quit."

Collen turned his gaze on me. His eyes trained on my face. "What other reason, Allison?"He asked.