My Boyfriend Chose My Best Friend. So I Chose Myself.

By the time the server brought out our barbecue platter, Elvis had already swapped Beryl's iced soda for a hot milk tea. "Drink this. Otherwise, you'll be begging me to rub your stomach again." Beryl gave him a light shove. "Quit embarrassing me in front of Flora!" Then she turned to me with a smile. "Flora, try this." She slid a grilled chicken wing onto my plate. I took a bite. The sticky honey barbecue sauce coated my tongue, and somehow swallowing felt harder than it should have. Across the table, Elvis reached over and gently tucked a loose strand of Beryl's hair behind her ear. His fingertips brushed against her ear. Beryl scrunched her shoulders and laughed. "Stop, that tickles!" Instead of pulling away, he lightly patted the back of her head. I lowered my eyes to the chicken wing on my plate. Elvis used to do that for me. Tuck my hair behind my ear. Pat my head. Somewhere along the way, those little gestures had found a new owner. When it was time to pay, Beryl headed to the restroom. Elvis pulled out his phone to pay. As the screen lit up, I caught a glimpse of his wallpaper. It was a picture of him and Beryl at an amusement park. She had one arm around his neck, flashing a peace sign at the camera. He wasn't looking at the camera at all. He was looking at her, his eyes overflowing with affection. I opened my mouth, wanting to ask something. Elvis noticed where I was looking and immediately flipped his phone facedown. "The park was running a promotion that day. She dragged me into taking a picture so she could unlock an in game skin." "Oh." "Don't overthink it." "I'm not." A notification popped up on my own phone. Tickets Confirmed. Soon, whoever he took couple photos with wouldn't have anything to do with me anymore. Rain started pouring outside. Elvis said it wasn't safe for Beryl to go home alone in weather like this and told me to grab a rideshare first. From the back seat of my Uber, I watched his car disappear around the corner. My phone buzzed. A voice message from Beryl. "Flora! Did your Elvis take race car lessons or something? The way he changes lanes is insane. I seriously thought I was gonna throw up!" In the background, I heard Elvis laugh. "Quit making stuff up. I'm just a good driver." The stereo in his car was playing my favorite song from college. But the passenger seat that used to belong only to me now held the milk tea Beryl had accidentally left behind. I never replied to her message. After I got home, I sat on the couch for a long time without moving. On the bottom shelf of the coffee table was a cardboard box. Inside were every movie ticket Elvis and I had kept over the past five years. I flipped through them one by one. The oldest stub was from sophomore year of college. He'd skipped class to watch the Titanic re release with me. The ink had almost completely faded. During the scene where Jack and Rose jumped from the ship, Elvis held my hand so tightly his palm was sweating. He'd looked at me with complete sincerity. "Flora, I'll always protect you." The newest ticket was from last month. Beryl had gone to the movies with us. Three consecutive seats. Elvis sat in the middle. Beryl and I sat on either side of him. After the movie, he told me Beryl lived alone and it wasn't safe for her to head back by herself. He said he'd drive her home. It had poured that night, too. I stood outside the theater for forty minutes before I finally got an Uber. Thinking about it now, I picked up my phone and opened Professor Miller's chat. Flora: I accept.