Jake and Emma had been inseparable since middle school. Now high school juniors, they were the definition of best friends – always there for each other, inside jokes galore, able to practically read each other’s minds. From an outside perspective, you’d think they were already a couple. There was just one problem… neither Jake nor Emma had admitted their true feelings for the other.

It was one of those “afraid to ruin the friendship” situations. Classic. Jake would find himself getting lost in Emma’s bright hazel eyes as she laughed at his dumb jokes. His heart would do backflips when their hands accidentally brushed when reaching for popcorn during movie nights. But he always stopped short of making a move, terrified of losing her altogether if she didn’t feel the same way.

Meanwhile, Emma was equally smitten with Jake’s lopsided grin and the way he absentmindedly ran his fingers through his wavy brown hair when deep in thought. She’d fight back a blush anytime he’d drape an arm around her shoulders or give her one of his famous bear hugs. But Emma figured Jake saw her as a sister more than a potential girlfriend. Why else had he never tried to kiss her?

So they continued their dance of “will-they-or-won’t-they”, both oblivious to the other’s longing stares and lovesick sighs when they thought no one was looking. Everyone around them could see plain as day that they were head over heels. Their friends were about ready to smack some sense into them.

“Seriously Em, just tell Jake how you feel already!” urged her bestie Kayla. “What’s the worst that could happen?”

“Um, he could totally reject me and things would get super awkward and ruin our entire friendship?” Emma countered. “No thanks.”

“Dude, you’ve got to ask Emma out,” Jake’s buddy Mark prodded. “You two are already practically dating, just without the kissing.”

“As if,” Jake scoffed. “She’s so far out of my league. And I’d rather have Emma as a friend than not have her in my life at all. I’m not gonna screw this up.”

Then one fateful day, a new guy asked Emma to prom and she said yes, figuring she might as well go with someone. When Jake found out, it felt like a punch to the gut.

Suddenly he saw with startling clarity how badly he wanted to be the one to take Emma to prom, to slow dance with her, to finally confess his feelings and kiss her under the twinkling lights. It was his epiphany moment – he couldn’t risk losing his chance with her.

Jake grabbed his keys and raced to Emma’s house, heart hammering. When she opened the door, he blurted out, “Don’t go to prom with that other guy. Go with me instead. I know this seems crazy, but Em, I’m totally in love with you. I think I have been for years.”

Emma stood stunned for a beat before a huge smile swept across her face. “You idiot, I love you too! I thought you only saw me as a friend.”

“Are you kidding? You’re my everything,” Jake said fervently, taking her hands. “I just didn’t want to mess up what we have. But I can’t go another day without you knowing how I really feel.”

“Well you sure picked a heck of a time for this epiphany,” Emma laughed, shaking her head. “Prom is tomorrow!”

“Is that a yes?” Jake asked hopefully, heart soaring.

“Of course, it’s a yes!” Emma replied joyfully. “Although I do need to let Ryan know I’m going with someone else now. But after that, I’m all yours.”

“I’ll take it,” Jake grinned, wrapping her up in his arms at last and bringing his lips to hers in a passionate kiss – the first of many.

At prom the next night, Jake and Emma only had eyes for each other as they swayed in each other’s arms, foreheads touching.

“I can’t believe we wasted so much time,” Emma murmured.

“Well I plan on making up for all of it,” Jake replied warmly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “Starting with this…”

He dipped his head and captured her mouth with his as everyone else disappeared. They’d finally taken the leap from best friends to something more. And it was better than either of them had ever dared to dream.

Feature Photo by Oană Andrei