"Honestly, I am happy for them," insisted Tristan for the umpteenth time. But the two knuckleheads sitting on the other side of his computer screen were refusing to take him seriously.

"I dunno. From the way Tori described that kiss things sure sounded pretty steamy," quipped Zig with a wry smile that the poor quality of the web camera couldn't hide.

"For sure," chimed in Cam. "Who cares if it's been a few months. The way you're always talking about him suggests otherwise."

Tristan let out an exasperated sigh but secretly he wasn't minding the guy time. Maya and Tori were out looking for new pageant dresses and bantering with his buddies who had known him for years was what he needed.

"We're just saying that this Miles guy seems like a step up from Mr. Pervert."

"Why does everyone keep calling him that?" Tristan groaned in frustration. "So what if he was a bit older than me? We were two people in a relationship who respected one another."

Zig and Cam grew quiet as they shared uncomfortable looks with each other and seemed to communicate without using words by either shaking or nodding their heads.

"Guys… what's going on?"

'We were sure that the girls told you this already, but it seems that they were waiting for you to come back this weekend," began Cam. "Someone just reported that he was groped by Yates."

Tristan felt his head spinning. His mouth was dry and he suddenly broke into a cold sweat. He was sure that he would lose his lunch any second. His lover that he had given so much to was actually a predator. And he fell for it. Hook. Line. Sinker.

"Who?" he asked weakly.

"That Asian kid who runs the comic book club," shrugged Zig. "I can't remember his name."

"I… I'm going to go lie down now."

He didn't even bother waiting for his friends to say their goodbyes as he closed his laptop. He shut the lights off and curled under his duvet wrapping his arms around his knees and bringing them close to his chest. The knot in his stomach squeezed impossibly tight and that was when a salty teardrop rolled down his cheek. Then another, and another. Of course what he had wasn't real. Grant never introduced him to his friends like Miles did. He never even took the time to really get to know him like Miles did. Next time Tristan needed to find someone more like Miles. It was too bad that he was leaving the country in a matter of days and had missed his chance with him all together. But at least he could go home knowing the truth, and in a way that made him feel stronger.

-/-/-/-

Tristan was pacing anxiously in the empty theatre room, waiting impatiently for Zoë who promised him that she would sweet talk the acting coach to get him his final progress report early rather than wait for the results to be posted online. Just when he was going to lose hope she waltzed through the door, envelope in hand.

"What, were you losing faith in your bestie?" she pouted.

"Zo, you're amazeballs!" squealed Tristan as he snatched the document and ripped it open. Zoë didn't have to ask how he did since the way he danced around the room pretty much answered her question. Tristan was so busy celebrating he almost didn't notice when another person entered. He was tall, dark and handsome with just the right amount of stubble to give him a dangerous edge. Tristan watched the stranger pull Zoë in his arms and dipped her into a kiss before reaching in his coat pocket and pulling out a pair of designer shades.

"You forgot these in the back seat of my car, babe."

"Aww, thanks hon. You know they're my favourite."

"Just don't forget our date tomorrow at four. You know I'm dying to see that new Arnie movie."

"You can count on me!"

Tristan tried not to leave his mouth hanging as he watched what looked like Zoë's new boyfriend leave.

"Oh. I didn't know you broke up with Miles."

"Who said I did?"

"But that guy…"

"Yeah, I'm just going out with him because he's currently staring in this great action flick, and he promise he'd land me an audition," she said casually with a shrug. "Hollingsworth is way more loaded. Why should I drop him? Hey, just looking out for number one."

With that she slipped on her sunglasses and strutted out of the room leaving Tristan stunned. He automatically reached for his phone and without thinking twice he texted his friend asking if he wanted to go to cinema with him the next day. He didn't wait long before he received a confirmation. Tristan had no regrets with what was going to happen.

Miles had to know the truth.

-/-/-/-

That afternoon, instead of watching Zoë's love life implode, he found that seeking solace by rounding up his friends for one final Skype session was enough to ease his frazzled nerves. It was his last day in Sweden before he would be flying back home and leaving the drama behind.

"You did the right thing, Tristan," soothed Maya. "The longer this West Drive girl is going to string Miles along, the more it's going to hurt."

"And now you can nab him for yourself!" cheered Zig with glee.

"Oh, would you stop encouraging his libido already?" asked an annoyed Tori swatting his arm. "It's like you pushing him to find someone to kiss before his stage smooch with Dave all over again."

"Why shouldn't he take a chance?" Cam questioned. "Make the most of the time he has left even if it's just a day?"

"Because I don't want my heart to be crushed when Miles says that he's not into me," replied Tristan. "And even if he still was… it would hurt like hell if he returned my feelings are we're split apart by distance. No, it's a lot easier to leave as friends"

Just then Tristan's cell went off and jumped when he read Zoë's name on the caller ID.

"Guys… it's Zoë… what do I do?"

"Answer it!" his four friends cried out at the same time.

Tristan picked up the phone and his friends watched him turn white before he hung up.

"Tris… what happened?" asked Maya.

"Zoë… she told me that she wasn't cheating on Miles after all."

"What?!" yelled Tori.

"That guy she was with? It turns out that he dug up some dirt on her and he was about to release it to the press," Tristan explained. "So she dated him until her attorney was able to draft up a gag order. Zoë was actually going to tell Miles that tonight but he saw the two of them together first and he's not taking her back."

"Woah, Tristan," commented Cam quietly. "What are you going to do?"

Tristan rose from his seat.

"I have to find Miles. I have to fix this or it will haunt me forever."

-/-/-/-

It wasn't hard to track down Miles and arrange to meet him on the bridge in a nearby park. It wasn't hard to get everything off his chest and set the record straight. And Tristan firmly told himself that it wasn't going to be hard to watch Miles light up with the newfound information and get his girlfriend back.

But that last part didn't happen. Upon receiving the news Miles stayed put with an unreadable expression on his face.

"Uh, Miles? Are you listening?"

"Remember when I told you that I always felt that there was no room for a third person in any of my relationships?"

"Sure, but Zoë wasn't using you! Yay?"

Miles looked down and took a breath before he looked back up at Tristan. It was beginning to drizzle but he didn't let that bother him.

"I was going to break it off with her even before I found out about that other guy," he explained. "Because there's someone else. I thought I could distract myself. I tried to let it go, but there has always been someone else."

Tristan wracked his brain wondering who Miles could be referring to. A crack of thunder sounded off in the distance and it was starting to rain a bit harder, but his feet were planted on the ground.

"Who is it?"

"It's you, Tris. It's always been you."

"Really?"

"When you pushed me away, I accepted the fact that you didn't feel the same way. But after you looked out for my feelings, I have to know the truth. Do you feel the same way?"

"I leave tomorrow."

"That's not an answer."

Of course it wasn't. He knew very well that beating around the bush was not going to cut it. Miles wouldn't let him go until a direct response was given despite the heavy drops pounding down their backs. Tristan thought back to the countless number of conversations that he had concerning this boy with his friends about how he didn't have feelings for him. He attempted to remind himself how jumping into a tryst when he was going to hop on a plane in a matter of hours would be a terrible idea. His heart has gone through the wringer enough. He couldn't go through something of this magnitude.

But.

What if life was trying to give him one last chance at something that could be incredibly special despite its fleeting nature? Here was a boy drenched from head to toe. A flash of lightning lit up the sky to show his unwavering gaze fixed directly on him. What if Tristan was supposed to go on one last wild adventure before returning home to his mundane routine? What if this was the kind of night that he could never get back and he needed to make the most of this moment?

His head and his heart were playing the ultimate game of tug-of-war. He could role the dice and see where the night would lead them. He could just as easily pull the plug and they would simply part as friends. Nothing more, nothing less.

It was time to make decision.