Most people find out that their best friend went broke up with their partner because they are told so... by said friend. That was not the case here - He found out when two clients in his pilates class talked about the "celebrity break-up of the year" in between exercises. The two had known that he was a close friend of Zenia Terlov, and likely wanted to bait him into spilling some more beans. Unfortunately for all three of them, he was just as clueless. And just like them, she was on his mind for the rest of the class.
Some years ago, he first met Zenia as a client. She was not quite as famous back then, he'd just started working as a personal trainer. Client became friend, then confidante, soon he accompanied her to every event, always in tow, always there on the sidelines.

"You are such a great friend."

"Why can't I find someone like you?"

"Why are you still single, you would be such a catch!"

She rose to stardom. Runways, ad campaigns, then movie deals. Just a month ago, she'd been on the Forbes cover. 30 under 30. And for almost that entire time, there had been that other man. They met a month after Zenia started working out with him. An influencer of some sort, a singer too. Power couple. Three years later, they moved in together, some swanky penthouse in New York. Her place, he'd pried from her during one session. Maybe there was hope, then. Marriage not on the table yet, apparently. Oh so often, her best friend asked these leading questions, mostly unaware of the pain he inflicted upon himself..

"How are you?" (Still love him, huh?)

"What's on your mind?" (Please don't say it is him.)

"Wanna grab a coffee this weekend?" (I love you. So much.)

Just being a good friend, really. A friend who was alone at night, his mind with her while she was with him. A cold cushion next to his own, void of dents and creases. A scent of laundry detergent, rather than her perfume.

So often he had told himself these ever same lies.

That she'd realize that this other guy was a dick.

That she'd realize she loved him.

That he was completely and fully over her and ready to find love himself.

Oh, this last one, that one was a devil. It came so frequently to mock him, and every time he had this thought, he knew it was a lie. But it was a good lie, a healthy one if only he could convince himself it was the truth. That he never managed. Got closer. And closer. Never quite there.

Zenia's world was a night sky full of stars. These tingling, moving dots behind closed eyelids that only appeared if one stared into the sun for too long. Or into the rustic lightbulbs of a gym locker, in this instance. If it was not for the humming of these lamps, the only noise filling the room would have been her beating heart.

How would she tell him?

How would he react?

Would this ruin their friendship?

Finally, she rose from her bench. Sneakers squeaked over polished floors as she slalomed her way past the attendants of his previous class. Most knew better than to ask her questions, knew better than to pry. Even those two that had spilled the beans - in her presence, they were mousy, quiet, stole glances behind her back. The last class of the day, now it would be just the two of them for their workout.
And maybe a heartfelt conversation. For the longest time, she'd held her cards so close even she couldn't see them. This was the end of that.

Once he knows why she broke up with him... that her love belongs to someone else?

It will all make sense.

It will all have been worth it.

These years of pain, self-hatred, defeat.

All these moments of quiet after skipping through her Insta-stories, every photo with him yet another dagger to an already worn and bleeding heart.

"I broke up with him... because I love you."

Alright, that's my prompt for today. You know what this is about. All those feelings. All that frustration, all that love. These years of missed chances, these years that they already could have been together. All these feelings channeled into that first kiss and all those other, *many things that will follow right after. Let us start them off with fireworks, let us celebrate that they are finally together, let us celebrate love and passion and the end of all that pain. Let us be wholesome, let us be rough. And when the night falls over these two, let us hope that we created something real for them.

Do not jump right in. Tell me why you want to write this story - tell me if you experienced something like this... I think most people have. Celebrate this hurt with me and turn it into something beautiful. This perfect little fantasy where everything goes right for once. Let's also talk about the DPP-stuff. Kinks - which, why, and how do they fit in here? Limits - simpler than that, but they need to be known.

Notes: Limited 3rd narrators; Consensual stories only; Visual references for characters/outfits and places appreciated; longer (on average 4-8para) format preferred; PM only