It was supposed to be one of those cozy double-date nights, the kind where laughter fills the air and you leave feeling closer to everyone at the table. Kara, my best friend since high school, slid into the booth beside me while Ethan sat across from us. I thought nothing of it—until the drinks arrived.
From the moment she picked up her glass, I noticed it. The way her laugh lingered a little too long at his jokes. The way her hand brushed his arm when she leaned across the table. At first, I told myself I was imagining it. Paranoia. Maybe grief from our recent fights bleeding into everything I saw. But then Kara tilted her head, looked at Ethan with those wide, playful eyes, and said, “You always know just what to order, don’t you?”
It was the way she said always. Like she knew him better than I did.
Ethan chuckled, shrugging. “Guess I’ve got good taste.”
“Clearly,” she replied, her smile curling in a way that made my skin prickle.
My chest tightened. I sipped my wine, the bitterness sharp on my tongue, and tried to steady myself. I wanted to believe it was innocent, that she was just being friendly. But the longer the night went on, the harder it was to ignore. She leaned toward him, laughed too hard, asked questions she already knew the answers to. And Ethan… he didn’t stop her. He smiled back, basking in it.
Finally, when dessert came, I couldn’t hold it in any longer. Kara had leaned so close to him she might as well have been sitting in his lap. “Do you mind?” I snapped, my voice sharp enough to cut the air.
The table fell silent. Kara blinked, feigning innocence. “What? I was just talking.”
“Talking?” I shot back. “Because it looks a lot like flirting.”
Ethan raised his hands, defensive. “Come on, don’t make this a thing. She’s just being Kara.”
But I knew Kara. Better than anyone. And the look in her eyes wasn’t friendly. It was hungry.
I pushed my chair back, the legs screeching on the floor. “Enjoy your dessert,” I said coldly, standing. “The two of you clearly have plenty to talk about without me.”
The walk to the car felt like moving through quicksand, my pulse pounding in my ears. A few minutes later, Ethan followed me out, his expression caught between guilt and frustration. “You embarrassed me in there,” he muttered.
“I embarrassed you?” I laughed bitterly. “Maybe you should think about how it felt to sit there and watch my best friend throw herself at my husband while you smiled like you enjoyed it.”
He didn’t answer. He didn’t deny it either. And that silence told me everything I needed to know.
That night, I lay awake replaying every moment of our friendship, every secret I’d told Kara, every time she’d sworn she had my back. Now I realized she’d been watching, waiting, and maybe even wanting what I had all along.
And Ethan? He’d let her.
Final Thought
Sometimes betrayal doesn’t come from strangers—it comes from the people sitting right beside you, smiling in your face while stealing glances at the person you love. That night taught me a truth I’ll never forget: not all friends are meant to sit at your table.
