Bumping into Diana at the supermarket was the last thing I had expected. We had not seen each other for over a year. My first instinct was to turn and walk away, but I didn’t have it in me to be petty.    

“Hi, Bella,” She said shyly.   

“Hey, how have you been?” I said with a fake smile.   

“Good, working as usual and spending time with Greg,” She replied.   

“Greg” it had been so long since I heard his name.    

“Ohh, that’s great to hear,” I said, trying to mask my disappointment.   

“Yeah, anyway, it was good to see you,” She said before leaving.    

I watched her leave and couldn’t believe she was the same Diana I had known since we were children. We used to have so much to talk about, and now it was shocking that we couldn’t even hold a conversation for more than five minutes. All this awkwardness was because of a stupid test that ruined everything.    

I walked to a nearby café and decided to order some food. As I ate, I couldn’t stop thinking about our encounter, which led me to open my Instagram and scroll through her feed. Most of her photos were of her and Greg. They looked so happy, and as much as I wanted to be happy for her, I couldn’t. Greg was why we weren’t part of each other’s lives anymore. It had been a year, but somehow the wound seemed so fresh.    

Diana and I spent most of our childhood and early adulthood together. Our families were close friends, so we ended up bonding over family get-togethers. Diana was the tough one, and I was always known to be the soft one. However, she always turned into a simp when it came to relationships. The problem was she would always simp for the wrong guys. After countless relationships, she finally met Greg and knew this was the man she was meant to be with.    

Being her closest friend, I would always tell her when a guy she was dating was not good for her; however, with Greg, that wasn’t the case since he was almost perfect. He always treated her with respect, showered her with love and attention, and spoiled her from time to time. Their relationship was everything I aspired to have, so I was shocked when Diana told me she wanted to test Greg’s loyalty.    

“Excuse me?” I asked her.   

“You know how I have always gone through the worst with guys,” She replied.   

“Yes, and now you have a good one. Is it worth it to throw that away?” I asked her.    

“I just want to be sure that he won’t break me as the rest did,” She said.   

“Okay, so what exactly are you planning?” I asked.    

“I’ll buy tickets for a movie, then come up with an excuse last minute. Then I’ll ask him to go with you instead,” She said.   

“What? How is this going to prove anything?” I asked.   

“Can you chill until I finish?” She asked while rolling her eyes.   

“Okay,” I responded.   

“On that day, I’ll need you to enjoy the movie. Don’t make any moves,” She said.   

“Okay, then what?” I asked in a confused tone.   

“You’ll see,” She responded.   

Diana knew I hated being given information in halves, but I decided to run with her plan. On the day of the movie date, I waited for her call all morning, but she never called. I thought she had abandoned the plan, but I realized that wasn’t the case when Greg called me and asked if I was free. I agreed, and he sent me the details of the venue.    

Since Diana insisted, I shouldn’t make any moves, I dressed casually and left the house. When I got to the cinema, I found Greg waiting for me.    

“The movie is about to start. Should we go in?” Greg asked.    

“Sure,” I responded as we walked.    

As we sat down, I realized I had forgotten to ask Diana which movie she had booked during the planning process. However, even if I googled the movie, it wouldn’t have made a difference since I was already there.    

The movie ran for two hours, and by the time we stepped out, I was utterly mind-blown at the fact that she had chosen a movie she knew I would love. Greg couldn’t stop talking to me about it meaning it was also the kind of movie she knew he would like. We went to a nearby restaurant and talked about the movie as we ate. Once we were done, he offered to drop me home before heading home.    

As I walked into my apartment, I found Diana on the sofa, scrolling through her phone. She looked up at me and smiled.   

“So, how did it go?” She asked.   

“The movie was amazing; I’m shocked we both liked it,” I replied.   

“Well, I guess I know the both of you well,” She responded.   

“So great matchmaker, how was this plan supposed to prove that your boyfriend is loyal?” I asked her as I sat down on the sofa.    

“This was just part one; the script is going smoothly,” She said.   

“Elaborate, please,” I said.   

“Just wait and see,” She said.   

Two weeks after, Greg called me on a random afternoon which seemed odd. Being an overthinker, I thought that something had happened to Diana.   

“Hey, is Diana, okay?” I asked immediately after I picked up.   

“You’re her best friend, remember? So, you’re the one who would tell me if anything happened to her,” He replied with a slight chuckle.    

“Sorry, I’m an overthinker,” I replied.   

“I wanted to ask if you are free this coming weekend. Diana and I were supposed to go to the movies to make up for the time she bailed on me, but she has to travel to her upcountry,” He said.   

“Yeah, sure, the same place as before?” I asked.    

“Yeah,” He replied.   

“Okay, sounds like a plan,” I replied.   

“Great see you then,” He said before hanging up.    

I called Diana immediately to confirm the second phase of the plan.   

“Hey, B,” She said as she picked up.   

“So, this was the plan all along, huh?” I asked.   

“I take it Greg has already called?” She asked.   

“Yes, we’re going to watch a movie this coming Saturday,” I replied.   

“Great, so this time, I want you to make a move. Be touchy and see how he reacts,” She said confidently.   

“Are you serious? You want me to make a move on your boyfriend?” I asked.   

“Yes, and please make sure you wear something short,” She replied.   

“This is madness,” I said.   

“Let me know how it goes,” She said and hung up.   

On the day of the date, I woke up feeling nervous. As much as I wanted to help Diana, I had a bad feeling about how the day would play out. However, since I had promised to do it, I decided to shake it off. Unlike the first date, this one was showing at 9 pm, giving me plenty of time to look for an outfit that would work.    

Luckily, I remembered that Diana would leave some of her clothes at my place whenever she came for a sleepover. I picked one of her dresses, did my makeup, and ordered an Uber. During the car ride, all I could think about was how Greg would perceive me after this movie date.    

When we arrived, I took a moment to breathe and remind myself why I was doing this. As I walked towards Greg, he looked up and was stunned.   

“You look nice,” He said as he hugged me.   

“Thank you,” I responded nervously.    

We went into the theatre, and a few minutes after the movie started, I made my move. After many attempts, Greg leaned over to my ear, and I froze.   

“Could you please stop what you are doing,” He whispered.   

I nodded and kept my hands to myself for the rest of the movie. Once we got out, he turned to me and said he loved Diana and would never want to hurt her. I was relieved and embarrassed at the same time but managed to stay calm. Since it was late, Greg offered to drop me home, and like the first time, I found Diana on my sofa waiting for me.   

“He said that he loves you and would never want to hurt you,’ I said to her before she had the chance to say anything.   

Diana looked up at me and smiled.   

“Don’t ever put me through that again,” I said as I headed to my room.   

“Look on the bright side; you got the chance to wear a cute dress,” She said while laughing.   

Their relationship continued as usual, and things went back to normal. Three weeks later, Greg asked if we could meet up for lunch.    

I thought it was weird, but I decided to go anyway. I got to the restaurant and found him waiting for me. As I approached him, he gave me a broad smile, but I didn’t read much into it.    

“So, what did you want to talk about?” I asked.   

“I have been thinking of that movie night we had a few weeks back, and I just want to be honest with you,” He said.   

“I’m sorry about that day; I feel embarrassed,” I responded shyly.   

“No, you don’t have to be I want you to know that I feel the same about you,” He said.   

“Excuse me?” I asked in shock.   

“I didn’t want to confess it that day because I wasn’t sure about how I felt, but now I am certain that you are the woman of my dreams,” He said.   

“You are dating my best friend. Are you mad?” I asked.   

“I’ll just dump her, then we can give it some time and then be together,” He said.   

I didn’t know how to respond, which prompted me to leave the restaurant and head straight to Diana’s place.    

“Bella?” She said in surprise as she opened the door.   

“I need to tell you something, and I don’t know how you are going to take it,” I replied as I walked into her apartment.   

“Okay,” She said.   

“Greg called me and asked if we could meet. I thought it was weird, but I decided to go anyway. He confessed his feelings for me when I got there,” I said.    

“How can Greg randomly call you three weeks later and ask to see you confess his feelings? This doesn’t make sense unless there’s something you are not telling me about that day you went to a movie with him,” She snapped.   

“I have never wanted Greg, and you know I can’t do anything to hurt you, surely,” I replied.   

“Now I’m not sure; this is too random,” She said.   

“You’ve known me for years; I can’t betray you like that, Diana. Greg isn’t who you think he was, that’s why you decided to test him, and now we have the results,” I said.   

“Maybe he was also trying to test you,” She said.   

“You honestly can’t be that naïve,” I said.   

“Why would Greg want you?” She asked.   

“I’ll brush that off because I know you’re hurt, but I’m not the villain here,” I said.   

“Please just leave; I can’t keep arguing with you,” She said.    

“What are you going to do about Greg?” I asked.   

“Last time I checked my relationship with Greg was just between the two of us,” She said.   

“You’re the one that asked me to test your boyfriend, and he gets a free pass while our friendship goes down the drain?” I asked.   

Diana didn’t respond; instead, she opened the door and signalled me to leave. During the ride home, Greg called me, and I kept declining his calls until he eventually decided to text. I forwarded the texts to Diana, thinking they would help her see the truth but instead, I ended up being blue-ticked.    

A few days later, Diana texted me, saying she needed space from our friendship to process what had happened. I knew this was a polite way of telling me we were done, but I decided to let it be. Greg never called or texted again, meaning that Diana had confronted him and probably told him the truth.    

I hoped that she could see the truth with time, but this was her longest relationship, and if she managed to simp for all her exes, Greg was no different. As I snapped out of my thoughts, I wished I could go back in time and refuse to do the test. Our friendship could have survived alongside her fake relationship.