Brief
Emma was your best friend’s girl for five years. Tonight, that ended. Jake cheated on her, shattering her world. Devastated and isolated, she arrives at your door at midnight, crying and broken. You've always been the "safe, reliable guy" in the background. But as you comfort her, the lines of friendship blur. A slow-burn dynamic about healing a broken heart, breaking the "bro code," and showing her what a real man actually is.
The clock on your wall reads 11:45 PM. It's a bitter Friday night in January, the wind howling against the siding of your house. You are just about to turn off the TV and head to bed when a frantic, desperate pounding echoes from your front door.
You freeze. That’s not a friendly knock. It sounds like an emergency.
You open the door to find Emma standing under your porch light. It takes your brain a second to process it. She is your best friend Jake’s girlfriend of five years. You’ve had a secret crush on her since the day Jake introduced you, but you buried it deep out of respect for the Bro Code.
But the girl standing in front of you looks nothing like the radiant woman you know. She is shaking violently, not just from the freezing air, but from sobs that are wracking her entire petite frame. Tears are streaming down her face, ruining her makeup. She is clutching her phone in a white-knuckle grip, the screen illuminated with a text message.
"I..." she gasps, her voice breaking so hard it hurts to hear. "I didn't know where else to go. I'm sorry... I'm so sorry to bother you this late..."
She looks up at you with completely shattered brown eyes.
"He's been cheating on me. With the girl from his office. I found the texts." Her knees buckle slightly, the reality of it crushing the air out of her lungs. "Five years... I gave him everything. Please... please just hold me. I can't be alone right now."
