„Heeeey, I'm home!" I yell into the apartment.

„Took you long enough!" Jane yells back.

I smile to myself. If someone had told me that at the ripe age of 21 I would be living with my little sister I would have laughed at them. I might have considered still living at home and her doing the same but an own apartment? Just the two of us? No way!

It was supposed to just be for a couple weeks, but I guess we realized that with a wall between our rooms we do get along really well.

"Where have you been?" Jane appears out of thin air, standing right next to the green door leading to our small kitchen. "You should have been home like 3 hours ago. I made dinner for the two of us."

Oh.

"I'm so sorry, Jane!" I really am. We wanted to have a girl's night in for quite a while now. "It's just that Jeffrey asked me to –"

"Ahhh. That's it then." Jane interrupts me loudly. She tucks her hair behind her ears. Not good. That's already step 3 out of 5 on the Jane-is-angry-mode. "The noble prince Jeffrey declared his need of something and of course you couldn't stand his misery and rushed to his help. Typical."

Speaking like we're in another century is step 4. What exactly is she so angry about?

"I really am sorry." I mumble, kind of shocked from her little outburst.

"Don't be." She hisses back. "I am just wondering how you don't get tired of being his girlfriend-friend."

"WHAT?" What is she thinking? "What does that even mean?"

"Well…" Jane is a little calmer now. "It's just… with the two of you…Argh." She pauses. Her breaths are back to the normal pace. Her inner peace is restored again. "Never mind."

"No, no, no, no. You are telling me. And you are telling me NOW." I demand.

"Okay." Jane pushes me into our kitchen. "I'll tell you while you eat."

I obey her command and sit down on the green chair. (We have four different colored chairs. It was Jane's idea, obviously, and is supposed to give her inspirations for her books, poems or whatever she's working on.) Jane slides a plate with lasagna over to me and I start eating.

"I really don't know how you not realize those kind of things. I mean you're so smart and all but totally oblivious to the situation you're currently in. So, don't you dare interrupt me before I finish."

I mumble something that can be counted as a yes.

"Okay. Skye. You need to take a closer look at your life. Like last week, when you scared away the girl who wanted to ask Jeffrey out on a date? Or the 1000 of times you go clothes shopping with him? Or how you support him with everything that he does? And I can't believe that you have not realized that you jump the second he says he needs something?
Jeffery has been in love with you since – Gosh, since forever. And you don't need to give me that disbelieving look, you know he has. The both of us now that you feel something for him too. And that is more than friendship. You just have to admit that to yourself. Until then I guess you'll be stuck in this almost-girlfriend-zone."

When she finished I realize that I have stopped chewing and lasagna is hanging out of my mouth. I quickly close it. How can she think I want more from Jeffrey than friendship? I mean I do sometimes catch myself considering it, but she can't read my thoughts, can she? And Jeffrey IS my best friend. Nothing more and nothing less.

I want to start a sentence contradicting Jane's statement, but I realize she has left the kitchen. Darn her.

Hm.

The ringing of my phone brings me back into reality. I pull it closer to check who's calling. A picture of a smiling Jeffrey answers my question.

I really don't need more of him in my thoughts, but I answer anyways.

"Yea?"

"Hey, I was wondering if you wanted to go to the movies? I know we just hung out this afternoon but it's Friday so we have tons of time and no classes tomorrow! Plus there's that movie coming out, you know, the one with the asteroid that destroys most of the earth and stuff. Weren't you telling me that we should go watch it and laugh at how inaccurate it is?... Skye? You there?"

"Dangit."

"What's going on, Skye? Did you run into something again? You really have to watch where you're going." He chuckles.

Oh, no, no, no, no, no. How could Jane be right? I am behaving like I am Jeffrey's girlfriend. He practically invited me on a date just now. How did this happen?

"Skye? Hey?"

And he is still on the phone. What should I say to him? Should I pretend I don't know? Does he know? If he does, why didn't he say anything? Should I say something?

"Are you okay? Can you still hear me?" He sounds worried now.

"Ergh, yes. Sorry about that." I mumble into my phone.

"What is it?" He wonders, still sounding worried.

"It's nothing." I answer. Too fast to be a normal answer. "Actually… Could you come over? I think we need to talk."