I tug Joe to a halt on the staircase landing a storey below Caleb and Eilidh's apartment. She assumes it an invitation for a kiss and though it's not what I had in mind, I'm more than happy for the opportunity. We will not be able to as much as look at each other without mockery once we get upstairs.

'I have to warn ya. They'll be proper annoying.'

'I assumed.'

'No,' I stress, 'they'll be really really annoying. They love taking the piss outta me and you are, by extension, gonna suffer it too. So prepare yourself.'

Chuckling, Joe leans up. 'I'm prepared,' she mutters against my lips and kisses me again.

The more Joe kisses me, the better she learns to do it—there is not a chance that she is not teasing me on purpose when she knows we'll have to be in public for the next several hours. We decided not to have sex for a while, considering our whole coworkers with benefits thing were all sorts of confusing. It's good for us to be purely romantic for a while. But let's say that I've been taking longer showers lately and, by the looks of it, tonight also. Apparently, she's chosen to join the Bully Nicolás side of the group. Not that I could care less when her tongue–

'How long are you gonna snog for?'

We flinch apart, eyes snapping to the centre hole of the stairwell through which we have a direct line of sight to the next level. They're all gathered at the railing to watch us. Allan actually has popcorn, clearly having been in the middle of pouring it into a bowl when he were ushered into the corridor because it's still in the pot.

My cheeks burn hot even before Caleb adds, 'Like Jesus, what is this, Love Island?'

I groan even as I climb up the stairs. No point in trying to hide or settle my blush, I'll probably be bright red all night. We all arranged this Saturday off Spectrum for Joe and me to have some sort of official "coming out to society as a couple" party.

'Waaaait,' Caleb continues. 'Are yous... dating or summat? I thought you were just casual friends.'

Allan thrusts his pot of popcorn into Rishi's arms and scoops us into a hug when we're still on the last step. 'I'm so happy for you. I have butterflies in my head just looking at you! You're so cute.' He lets go of Joe only to crush me with both arms. 'Nicolás, I'm so proud of you. You deserve this.'

'Don't make me cry already.'

'I can help you stop crying,' Rishi drones though he's smiling when I look up. Still holding the popcorn, he only hugs me with one arm. 'I'm happy for you, mate. But if you ever have sex in my flat, I will kill you both.'

'We weren't planning on it.'

'I don't trust you.'

Fair enough.

'Okay, well!' Caleb interrupts, exclamation echoing in the stairwell. 'I made t-shirts.'

He steps back and only now do I realise they're all wearing matching ones, baby pink with the text: YOU'VE LANDED ON PLANET JIKKI. On cue, he spins around to show the back. It's plastered with a picture of me and Joe from our "playing house" phase. We're too focused on each other to notice the picture being taken.

I remember that evening; we'd gathered at Rishi's for a Just Dance night. Right before the photo, Joe had taken off my glasses and wiped them clean, then slid them back into place. Of course, I'm staring at her like I want to cry and kiss her at the same time. When has a romantic partner ever done owt like that for me? She watches me so tenderly.

And we probably thought we were being well subtle.

I tug my focus back to Caleb. 'Why've you made t-shirts?'

'Your best mate only loses his committed relationship virginity once in his life!'

Eilidh dips into the flat to grab two bundles and offers them to us, Caleb forcing us to put them on before he shoves us inside. Behind us, Parker explains to Allan that the saying goes "butterflies in your stomach" and Allan asks why he would eat butterflies.

If I weren't taken by the t-shirts, then the heart-shaped balloons with our faces are all I need to melt. I only stay upright thanks to Caleb's arm around my waist. Heart-shaped paper garlands, clearly handmade, decorate the walls, made in the pan and bi colours, and Rishi has even baked what's only a few layers short of being a wedding cake, also heart-shaped.

I can't speak. Neither can Joe. Her hand might be shaking in mine. Unless it's mine that's shaking.

Caleb tugs at the hem of his t-shirt. 'Is it too much? We just... I dunno, we wanted to celebrate but maybe–'

'It's not too much,' Joe interrupts. The crack in her voice is a relief; at least I'm not the only one on the verge of tears. 'It's perfect. I'm so happy.'

Caleb exhales. 'Good. Because we made games. Trivia, crossword– wait, no, it's a surprise. Now, shots.' He picks up a tray from the sofa table. 'There's alcoholic ones and non-alcoholic ones but the point is that they're fun colours!'

Trolley Problem: You are sitting in the trolley with people you love. The scenery is beautiful. No one is in danger.

            I knock, gently with a single knuckle. Caleb's invitation chimes from inside and I poke my head into his room to find him in bed. Caleb in bed. In his day clothes. That thought alone would make him squirm most days.

'You alright?' I ask though I already know the answer.

'All good.' Caleb's masking skills have also made him above average at lying but I know him too well not to hear the echo in his voice. 'Just got a bit tired.'

I move into the room, shutting the door behind myself so the chatting and music dull. Caleb watches me move to the bed, face blank. Both of us have hearts painted on our cheeks.

'What's wrong?'

'Nowt.'

'Caleb.'

He pulls the duvet up to his chin, rubbing his wrists together like a fly. His eyes sweep the anime posters until they settle on Eilidh's Star Trek collectables. 'You won't be one of those people who forgets about their friends after they get a partner, right?' The laughter he crams in morphs into a tremble halfway through. 'I don't want you to forget I exist.'

'Course not. You're my best mate.'

Since he's already wearing his outside clothes in bed and will likely change the sheets before going to sleep tonight, I crawl under the blanket to hug him.

I can't blame him for the anxiety. Caleb has been in two romantic relationships in his life and both were a rough adjustment when I suddenly didn't have him available all day every day.

We've always celebrated Valentine's Day together and when he said we couldn't hang out all day because he wanted to get dinner with Eilidh last year, I were heartbroken. Of course, I was! Not cause he did owt wrong but because it hurt. Just like it hurt when Eilidh moved in with him, as happy as I was for them both—this used to be our flat. Even for a year after I'd got my council house and he had another flatmate, we still called it our flat. Until one day it became his and Eilidh's flat. And it was weird. And sad.

Fuck, it was fucking bizarre when we started hanging out at Spectrum and suddenly had other friends. We weren't popular as kids or teenagers... or adults. Until Spectrum, it had always been just us two, and as happy as we were to find such incredible and loving friends, neither of us could help but feel like summat between us was diminishing.

Of course, it wasn't. If owt, we've only grown closer. There's more love now.

I tuck his braids out of his face and his eyes glide to meet mine. 'Caleb, you're my best mate. You'll always be my best mate. I know a lot of things are changing and I know you hate it, but that is never gonna change.'

His lip quivers but Caleb worms closer to tuck himself into my chest. 'Do you promise? Because I love you too much to survive that.'

'I promise. I love you, Caleb.' Planting a kiss on his temple, I squeeze him as tight as I can—even tighter because the only way Caleb likes to be hugged is if it's bone-crushing. The contended sigh proves just that. He barely manages to laugh when I take on my best twelve-year-old voice to say, 'Best friends forever.' 

Notes

Credit for Jikki goes to itsmeimthevampire. I absolutely hated it when he first said it cause it sounded like a planet. But it grew on me 😁. It's canon now.