Two worlds one heart

My trusted friend

Chapter 2: The Friend Who Knew Too Much

Back at my student commune, I lay on my bed staring at the ceiling, unable to stop thinking about Jordan. The supermarket had only been a brief encounter, yet it had already taken root in my mind like a melody I could not silence. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw his smile, felt the warmth of his voice, and remembered the way my heart had betrayed me by fluttering at the sight of him.

It was foolish, I knew that. I was already with someone else, and Jordan was not supposed to matter this much. But feelings, unfortunately, do not always wait for permission.

I rolled over and reached for my phone. If I was going to speak to anyone about this, it had to be Smolly. She was the kind of friend who would tell me the truth even when I did not want to hear it. She would not flatter me, but she would not abandon me either. That was exactly what I needed.

I called her.

“Hello, friend,” she answered brightly.

I hesitated for a moment, gathering my thoughts. Then I blurted out, “What if, Smolly, what if the person you’re with isn’t really your soulmate? What if you meet the one you’re actually meant to be with today?”

There was a pause on the other end of the line.

“Where is all this coming from?” she asked carefully. “There’s no such thing as a soulmate, Julian.”

I sighed, staring at the wall. “Sometimes the person you’re with isn’t the one you’re supposed to be with, Smolly. That’s why men hurt us. Maybe we’re in the wrong place.”

Smolly let out a short breath. “Babes, don’t tell me Caleb hurt you. What’s wrong?”

“It’s not Caleb,” I said quickly, though my voice was already betraying me. “I just... I met someone today.”

“Then who is it?”

I swallowed hard. “Friend, please promise me you won’t judge me.”

Her voice softened. “You know I don’t judge. I’m just honest.”

That was the thing about Smolly. Her honesty could feel sharp, but it was always rooted in care.

So I told her.

“I met this guy at the grocery store today. His name is Jordan. I’ll never forget his name because the moment I saw him, I knew I loved him. From the moment I saw him, I knew I wouldn’t mind waking up next to someone as handsome as him. I know they say you can’t love a person on your first encounter, but I just did.”

Smolly was silent for a beat.

Then she said, “Wait, what? Julian, you love Caleb ? The Jordan you just met today?”

I know how it sounds,” I admit. But there was something about him. Something I can’t explain.

Her voice changed immediately, becoming firmer. “Babes, stop with the fantasy. You know you’re with Caleb .”

I blinked. What?

“I mean your man,” she corrected, and I could almost hear her shaking her head. “You know I’m talking about the one who actually loves you. Don’t get carried away by some handsome stranger. Men like that don’t come into your life to stay. They come to charm you, tempt you, and disappear.”

Her words hit me harder than I expected.

I looked away from the phone for a moment, biting my lip. “Relax, friend. I’m not going to do anything. I ran before he could even talk to me again. I don’t want to betray anyone.”

Smolly exhaled slowly, as if she had been holding herself back from a full lecture. “Good. Because you need to think clearly before you do something foolish.”

I was quiet after that, but the truth was that silence did not mean peace. My mind was still racing. Jordan’s face kept appearing in flashes. The way he spoke. The way he smiled. The scent that had clung to him and stayed in my memory like perfume on fabric.

I should have let it go.

Instead, I called Smolly again later that day.

“Julian,” she said, sounding amused this time, calling me twice a day?

“I need to tell you more,” I said.

She groaned softly, but not in annoyance. “Go on then.”

I took a breath. “There was something about him, Smolly. It was like an instant connection. I don’t know how to explain it, but I felt something shift inside me.”

“Julian,” she said gently, “sometimes a moment feels bigger than it is. That does not always mean it’s destiny.”

“But what if it is?” I whispered.

There was another pause. “Then you still have to be honest,” she said. “If Jordan is the one you want, you owe the person in your life the truth. You can’t build a future on confusion.”

Her words sat heavily on my chest.

I knew she was right.

That was the worst part.

“I don’t want to hurt anyone,” I said quietly.

“I know,” Smolly replied. “But hiding things usually hurts more in the end.”

We spoke for a while longer, but the conversation had already done its work. Smolly had not given me permission to follow my feelings; she had given me something harder, a mirror. And in that mirror I could see my own confusion plainly.

When I ended the call, I lay back down and stared at the ceiling again.

Love at first sight, I wondered. Or the beginning of trouble?

Either way, my heart had already stepped onto uncertain ground.