For the Ten Years I Wasted

I had discovered this account purely by chance.

I was playing with my phone when the system automatically recommended people nearby. The profile picture was of an anime character that I really liked. Curiosity drove me to click on it.

At the time, the account only had slightly over 3,000 followers, and the latest post was published three days ago.

It was a photo of an office desk in the middle of the night, with the caption: [While working overtime late into the night, he said he would accompany me and starve together. Eventually, he still ordered two takeout meals. This fool.]

I subconsciously scrolled down.

[He said I was eating too little recently and insisted on giving me some of the beef from his pasta. I said I disliked meat, and he laughed and called me a child at heart.]

[Looking at the stars on the mountain top, he said he really wished time could stop at this moment. I felt the same way too.]

[I caught a cold, and he took a day off to take care of me. Even though he couldn't cook himself, he still made soup. It was burnt, but it was delicious.]

...

As I read through each post, I inexplicably felt touched. Those ordinary daily routines and heartwarming details were just like the beautiful romance I had once dreamed of.

I wanted to offer my blessings, but then I discovered the poster had disabled comments, so I silently followed them.

It turned out that I was just an unwitting supporting character in every happy memory of theirs.

She said that they had been together for ten years, and Josh and I had only been together for ten years. That being said, Vicky and I had known each other for 20 years.

When I was ten, she moved next door to me. The first time we met, she had two pigtails and handed me a strawberry lollipop. "My name is Vicky Yeager. We're friends from now on!"

From elementary school to college, we were inseparable. She knew all my secrets and accompanied me through every important moment of my life. During sophomore year, I met Josh. He was the most handsome guy in the architecture department; the girls who pursued him could form a line up from the school building to the school field. I was just an ordinary, unremarkable person; I never thought he would notice me.

"What are you afraid of? You're the literature department's top student. Want me to help you get his contact?" Vicky encouraged me.

Later, Josh and I got together.

I told Vicky first, and she hugged me and spun me around, even more excited than I was. "Great! Our Zoe finally got her wish!"

I was sure she was genuinely happy for me back then.

There were always people joking online that a best friend was like a boyfriend's second mother-in-law. No matter how good your boyfriend was, he was never good enough for your dearest best friend.

Vicky was the same. Although she was happy to hear I had a boyfriend, she could not stand anything about Josh when she actually met him.

The first time they met, I was on a date with Josh in the cafeteria, fully dressed up.

Vicky had just finished a group assignment the day before, sporting dark circles under her eyes from staying up all night, and greasy hair from not washing it for days. She was also casually wearing pajamas and flip-flops. She just pushed Josh aside and plopped down next to me.

Josh was startled and had to sit opposite me.

Vicky's gaze swept over him blatantly, her face full of disgust. "Is that it? Darling, I suddenly feel like I was wrong to be so happy for you the other day. Should we reconsider?"

She was blunt, and Josh's expression was not much better. Later, I asked him what he thought of my best friend. He also said dismissively, "She's alright."

I even playfully punched him. "She's my best friend, and you're my beloved boyfriend. You two have to get along."

After we started working, Josh and I shared a small apartment. Vicky often came over for meals, and sometimes she would just sleep on our couch if it got too late.

"Seriously, it's like I'm your adopted daughter," she once joked.

Josh would play along, putting on a stern father's face. "Well, my dear daughter, stop eating and drinking for free and wash the dishes."

The apartment was filled with the sound of our laughter.

I never imagined that this happiness would be a mirage built on lies.