Page 1 of The Best Friend Power Play

1

Hannah

"It's the one trope I don't like," Beth tells Amiel on our weekly morning walk to watch the sun come up at Cuddle Cove Cliff.

The topic is books.

Romance books, to be specific.

It always is with these two.

I didn't sleep well last night, and I've got a lot on my mind at the moment, so I'm only half paying attention to their conversation.

"Really?" Amiel replies. "Friends to lovers is my jam."

"What do you like about it?" Beth asks.

"So. Many. Things. The gradual development of an emotional connection over months, sometimes even years. The anticipation as they begin to realize their feelings run deeper than just friendship. And of course, there's the ultimate question—will they be brave enough to risk everything and act on their feelings?"

She stops to take a breath. "But what I enjoy most of all is that it shows that love ultimately boils down to friendship. That's what a happily ever after really is. Spending the rest of your life with someone you're compatible with. Looks fade, life knocks you around, kids, if you have them, will grow up and lead their own lives. What you want at the end of it all is someone who's there by your side. A companion."

Beth wipes the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand. "I understand that. But what I can't get over is how a man and a woman, presumably both with full cognitive function, can be friends for any amount of time without realizing there's something more there."

"You saying a man and a woman can't be friends?" Summer interjects, raising an age-old topic that's been the subject of countless romcoms.

Beth shakes her head. "I'm sure there are at least a few recorded instances of platonic male-female friendship in the history of our species."

I smile like I always do whenever Beth's sarcasm collides with her staunch anti-love stance. I secretly think she wants love and a relationship as much as we all do, she just hides it under her snarky exterior.

"Because what I know for sure is that in real life, no two people would be that oblivious," she continues. "If there's something more than friendship going on, at least one of them would know."

"But that's the beauty of it," Amiel counters. "The obliviousness is endearing."

"It's annoying, is what it is," Beth says with the conviction of a person whose opinion isn't going to be swayed anytime soon. "And unrealistic," she adds for good measure.

"Right. Because you read romance for the realism," Summer says with a chuckle.

"I'm not saying romance has to be super realistic, but it has to not make me want to hurl my book out the window. No constant miscommunication. That's lazy. No unnecessary third-act breakup. That's tired. And no friends-to-lovers trope. It's annoying. There. I said it. My rant for the morning is officially over."

"Hmm. I'm not ready to lay this to rest just yet." Summer taps her chin. "Let's ask the one person here who might be able to offer a realistic perspective on this whole friends-to-lovers issue."

Four heads swivel in my direction.

"Why is everyone looking at me?" I ask.

"Uh, because all you've talked about these past few weeks is how excited you are about spending the summer with a certain Stanley Cup-winning hockey player who happens to be ridiculously attractive, and, oh yeah, is also your best friend," Summer teases.

"Two-time Stanley Cup-winning hockey player," Evie corrects, pulling her lips from her coffee for a moment. Those are the first words out of her mouth since our pitstop at Bear's diner to pick up her much-needed caffeine boost.

"Culver coming to town is not all I've been talking about," I say to my friends, who are all grinning, despite the steepening incline.

But even as the words come out of my mouth, I don't miss the uncertainty in my voice.

Okay, so maybe I've let my usual guard down and overshared my excitement about Culver staying with me.

That's okay.

I can course correct.

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