I was sent into a stunned silence. My brain could hardly comprehend the words that had just left his, now quivering, lips.I love you. The waitress rolled over to our table and slid my milkshake in front of me. I could feel her tense as she did this. Obviously she knew something was up. This couldn’t be real…

The sound of her wheels rattling across the lino echoed in the near empty diner as I began to preoccupy myself with slurping the milkshake noisily. It seemed like hours until he spoke again.

“Aren’t you going to say anything?”

“What do you want me to say, Jake?” His innocence was grating. “That I love you too and that I don’t care that it would break Heather’s heart but we should start going out?”

“Well…” He was serious. He really did want Heather to be left heartbroken by her boyfriend and her best friend. But he was slowly pulling at my heartstrings.

“Do you mean—”

And then Heather walked through the retro door and beamed brightly at me as my head began to spin.