“Today you have to tell him. Did you hear me?” she shouted.

“Oh God, for the 1000^th time, I will tell him.” I groaned, rolling my eyes at her.

I was still staring at my wardrobe, like looking at a painting in an art gallery. I couldn't decide what to wear. The black one, nope; I looked like a funeral director. Maybe the yellow- nope, that made me look like a walking banana. Christ! Why was choosing an outfit harder than taking an exam?

Maybe it's because today I was going to confess to my childhood crush- my so-called true love.

Peter. His dark hair, warm brown eyes, a jawline sculpted by the gods and his undying love for black jackets. Oh! Just perfect.

“Stop dreaming and just pick one,” Ann huffed, clearly irritated for no reason. She was changing her lipstick for the fifth time now. She was the Cleopatra of our college—the Rachel to my Monica.

Anyway, today was special: my soon-to-be boyfriend’s birthday.

Everyone calls him Peter, but in my heart, he is Pete. Whenever I imagine calling him that, my face turns redder than a tomato.

He looked exactly like Zayn Malik— well, not exactly, but surely from a particular angle.

He was an artist. Once, he doodled my face, and I nearly passed out.  I walked around smiling like an idiot for a whole week to the point where my mom even doubted that I had gone nuts after failing the midterm exam. He’s the topper, and as a bonus, he sings. A perfect package.

“Stop blushing. Just pick an outfit, will you? Or else your soon-to-be boyfriend will become someone’s soon-to-be fiancé?”

I was done rolling my eyes at her. I just nodded.” Okay, I think I will go for the dark blue one. It's his favourite colour. What say?”

She studied my dress for a minute. “Good. Pair it with my silver earrings. Let me check if I have the perfect lipstick for it.” She started to rummage through her stuff like a cat digging through trash in search of a rat.

Tonight was the night. I was going to confess to my Pete. I had to. If I didn’t, the blonde Erin would snatch my chance. I had seen the way she looked at him, like he was a plate of her favourite pasta, just waiting to taste it. Not on my watch.

His house was huge. I didn’t understand how they managed to clean it— it would have taken atleast two days just to sweep the floor. I didn’t even want to think about the painters, their lives must have been hell.

Ann adjusted her skirt as we reached his doorstep. I was nervous as hell, my heart pounding like a speeding train.

“Okay, listen to me. Look into his eyes and tell him. Be confident; don’t look like you’ve seen a ghost —like you do right now. Change that expression. ASAP.” She said, talking as if she had dated a hundred boys. She was just as pathetic as me. If a boy so much as smiled at her, she created an entire family in her imagination. At least I had a crush; she was born single. Anyway, I wasn’t in the mood to argue with her, so I just nodded.

We walked straight into the house, and my whole college seemed to be there.

Ugh, I hated it.

My eyes scanned the room for him, but he was nowhere to be found. The music is so loud— was this a party or a full-blown concert?

That’s when I spotted his friends. They thought they were the coolest, but they were dumb as hell. Charlie, the giraffe-looking one, thinks he is Harry Styles. He sang at every party, and listening to him was like stuffing bugs into your ears. I don’t know what that felt like, but I was sure that his voice was worse than that.

Then there was John, who fancied himself a fighter. Last month, when there was a fight at college, I saw him running away from the fight like he was in a marathon. But I had to admit, he ran like a cheetah. And there was Samuel, the playboy with his annoying smirk that he thought was his trademark.  He believed he was some great speaker like Martin Luther King, but in reality, he is Donald Trump.

Out of all of them, my Pete was the only normal one in that circus.

Ann went off to get drinks while I stood there, still searching for him. That’s when I saw the biggest headache of my life—the dandruff of my hair— Miss Erin, with her high-heeled minions. Her eyes were scanning the crowd too, and I was willing to bet she was looking for my Pete. I had to move fast.

I pushed past the crowd, and there, near the swimming pool, I found him. My stomach felt like it had a whole troop of bats flying around inside. A blush crept up my cheek. I got glued to the floor, adoring him— the way his skin glowed in the moonlight, the way he laughed, his teeth so white—I wondered if he carried a toothbrush in his pocket, his jacket hanging loosely off his shoulders.

His eyes met mine, and he waved. Slowly, I walked toward him, my heart pounding like a drum. My palms were sweating.

He stepped closer. “Hey, Sophy. I am really glad you are here.” He hugged me, and my cheeks burned. His scent instantly calmed my nerves.

“Happy Birthday, Peter”, I whispered.

“Thanks. Where’s Ann?” he asked.

“She’s somewhere over there.” I gestured towards the crowd. I put up my whole courage and asked, “Peter, I want to tell you something.”

“I want to tell you something, too.”

My heart skipped a beat.

“Let's go over there.” He led me towards a bench away from the crowd. This wasn’t just a house— it was a castle.

I walked nervously behind him. He sat on the bench, and I sat beside him.

“So, what is it? What do you want to tell me?” he asked, his eyes shining. My heart felt heavy.

“You go first?” I forced the words out.

“Okay, I’m a bit nervous. I haven’t told anyone yet. But trust me when I say this— I haven’t felt this way before.”

My pulse pounded in my ears as I blinked rapidly, willing the tears away. My hands were shaking. This was it. My mind urged me to scream and dance like a maniac.

He exhaled sharply, closed his eyes and said, “ I like Charlie.”

“Yes!!—Wait……. WHAT????” My eyes nearly popped out. Maybe I heard it wrong.

“I think I’ve fallen for Charlie.” He repeated with a soft smile. My mouth hung open, I probably caught a fly then and there.

Gay. Charlie… Seriously!!

“You mean Charlie? That one?” I pointed at Charlie, who was standing near the pool, ready to sing ‘Baby’ for the thousandth time.

OH, MY GOD. How could he do this to me? My head started to spin.

Peter nodded shyly. “I’ve always liked him. I am planning to confess today. You can help me, right? You’re one of my closest and most genuine friends.”

Jesus, why me? Did I accidently sign up for some tragic experiment? I had planned three children with him. A house, a dog, even retirement plans. Gone. Just like that. I had even picked my wedding dress. And now, without my permission, my brain was already imagining his wedding with Charlie—with me as their priest.

Oh no.

“Yeah, yeah,” I mumbled, still can't believe it.

Peter was about to say something when Charlie shouted his name and waved him to come over. Peter blushed.

 Please take me to hell, God. I could handle hell better than this.

“Don’t leave! I need your help.” Saying this, he ran towards Charlie.

At that moment, I was ready to flush him after smashing him like Hulk..

As I plotted different ways to erase Charlie from existence, Ann appeared, searching for me.

“What the hell are you doing here? Did you confess? What did he say? Close your mouth— you look like Annabelle.”

“I hope Charlie never finds his charger when his phone is at 1%. I hope his WiFi stops working right before an online test. I hope his Spotify plays only ads. Forever.” I started to ramble.

“Are you nuts? What the hell are you talking about?” she frowned.

“Ann, I have been widowed before even getting married.”

“Okay, it's official. You’ve lost it.” She rolled her eyes.

“My life is a joke. MY Pete is no longer mine— he is Charlie’s Pete now.” She looked confused.

“Come on! Pete loves Charlie.” I cried.

Charlie’s voice suddenly boomed across the party.

“WHAT??? NO WAY!” Ann screamed

And just like that, my tragic love life began.