Atticus by Tarin Lex

Arlen:
I told my best guy friend that I love him.
You know—that thing you’re never supposed to do.
It effectively, and predictably, ruined our friendship.
Now I’m stuck in the snow-slick mud, feeling utterly pathetic as I wait for him to come rescue me.
Because he has to.
Not because he wants to.
God, this is humiliating.

Atticus:
Arlen’s the most precious thing I ever kept.
And because I’m so deeply in love with her too, I let her go.
Guess I’m a jerk, because I’d rather break her heart than mine. All I know is being “more than friends” would only hurt us both worse down the road.
Then again…now that we’re not friends anymore, I’ve got nothing to lose.
So I take, take, take.
She needs me now.
I need her more.