It all started with a small crush. At the time, my ex-boyfriend didn’t know because we were just acquaintances throwing out corny jokes here and there. 

I was going through hard times with my family, and he cared enough to ask if I was OK. He would message me every day just because he missed me.

We would talk on the phone late at night and sometimes text till 3:00 or 4:00 am. We both had to wake up early for work, but we managed. 

Something about him made him completely different from other guys I dated. He did not seem like a player. He was a smart, hard-working person who cared for me. I just couldn’t find anything wrong with him.

After a while, we became best friends, and I trusted him completely.

He knew things about me no one else knew. We knew each other’s past, and it wasn’t weird. It was nice to finally trust someone and let everything off my chest. 

We were close for about a year when he finally asked me out on a Friday night. It felt like the beginning of a romance: We ate in the car and talked. That first date became two, and eventually, we kissed.

I can definitely say he was a great kisser, but kissing him felt weird. Although I felt like we might be better off as friends, we continued dating for a while. We grabbed dinner, watched movies, and shopped together.

One day, we decided to go to a hotel to relax. Although we planned to just watch a movie together, something unexpected happened. 

He called me on Valentine’s Day, but instead of our normal conversations, he said, “We have to talk.”

From that moment, I knew where the conversation was going.

He picked me up from work, and we grabbed lunch. As we ate, he asked me if our relationship felt awkward to me.

He said it felt like we weren’t even dating because we were best friends before, and he felt like our friendship was perfect.

He proceeded to tell me that he would like us to remain just friends.

For a moment, I wanted to punch him as I stood there staring at him. I looked around the small restaurant with romantic couples surrounding us, and I realized that he dumped me on Valentine’s Day. 

Although my ex-boyfriend didn’t have the best timing, I realized it was for the best in the end.

In fact, I actually feel fine at this point, and I forgive him. Sometimes we just need a best guy friend without the complications of romance. I hope that even as we both move on to new relationships, my ex-boyfriend and I can still remain close.

- Oneyris Lopez