I know I shouldn’t feel this way, but every time he’s near, my heart betrays me. My husband’s best friend was never supposed to be anything more than that—but now, I can’t ignore the way I long for him.

It wasn’t something that happened overnight. It crept in slowly, so subtly that I didn’t notice it at first. It was the easy conversations, the way he always seemed to understand me without explanation. It was the warmth in his eyes when he looked at me, the way he could make me laugh when I had forgotten how.

At first, I told myself it was just a harmless appreciation—after all, he had been in our lives for years. But then I started noticing the way my breath caught when he entered the room, the way my skin burned when his hand accidentally brushed mine. And the worst part? I think he feels it too.

There are moments between us, brief but intense, where the air thickens, where unspoken words linger in the space between us. Neither of us dares to cross the line, but the line is becoming harder to see.

I love my husband. I made vows, promises I meant with all my heart. And yet, I can’t deny this pull, this dangerous and intoxicating ache that I know I shouldn’t feel. I try to fight it, to bury it beneath logic and reason, but my heart refuses to listen.

And that terrifies me the most.