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.   

Aaron, 25, and Kayla, 26, Capener became best friends at the age of just 14.

Aaron eventually moved thousands of miles away from Kayla then started to identify as a man.

They remained friends and eventually reunited six years later.

They then fell in love and got married.

Aaron credits his wife with supporting him through the toughest periods of his transition. He added that she even helps to administer his testosterone supplements.

Media company owner Aaron said: “Me and Kayla are happily married and all the trials and tribulations I’ve been through to get to this point have been so worth it.

“We had a connection that was instant – but our romantic relationship was a slower progression.”

Kayla, who owns the media company alongside her husband, added: “Our relationship was built upon our friendship and I believe that’s what makes it so strong.”

The pair initially met when at school in Tennessee, but after just six months Aaron had to move back to Oregon with his family.

Aaron eventually grew apart from his family as they were conservative and regularly attended church while he realised at age 14 that he was attracted to women.

Aaron still identified as female at the time and his family disapproved of same sex relationships.

Aaron noted: “My early years were challenging because I knew from a young age I wasn’t feeling what others my age were feeling.

“As I started to mature and go though puberty it became evident to me something didn’t feel normal and I started doing my own research.

“Because of my background I never explored my feelings – I was so sheltered from the existence of the LGBTQ+ community.

“When I came out gay at first, my family were extremely disappointed and they kept making excuses as to why I was saying these things.

“They made me see the pastor at our church to try and ‘cure’ my feelings, and they then started saying I was simply not praying hard enough.”

I’m a 28-year-old man and need advice after sleeping with my best mate’s ­girlfriend.

It was a one-off and we both regretted it afterwards, even though it was great fun at the time.

It wasn’t planned – she asked me if I’d come over and check her car, as she thought she had a flat tyre and her boyfriend was away on a stag weekend.

I stayed for some food, we had a few drinks and when I went to leave she kissed me goodbye at the door.

One thing led to another and we ended up in bed, and I stayed the night.

The next morning, we talked about it and decided we wouldn’t do it again.

It’s a difficult situation, though, because I see her boyfriend a lot – he’s been my best mate for years and we also meet as a group with our girlfriends, who also get on really well.

I don’t want our friendships to change – is that possible?

I’m terrified we’ll trip up and give the game away when we are all out together, and the guilt has been driving me mad.

I’ve learned my lesson big time, but I don’t want to fall out with my mate. What should I do about it?

Coleen says

If you don’t tell him or he doesn’t find out, you’ll still both know what you did, so I think it’s going to affect the group dynamic anyway.

If you decide not to come clean, then I think it’s really important you’re on same page with his girlfriend – that it will never happen again and you’re never going to tell your partners or anyone else.

The problem with this is, I don’t think you can ever be really sure he won’t find out – what if his girlfriend blurts it out in anger the next time they have a row?

He might not find out for five years or maybe never, but it could be next week! That’s the chance you take.

You’ll also have to embrace the guilt, so it’s whether you can live with that.

I think you probably know that if he finds out you will no longer be friends.

He might carry on with her, but I think you’ll definitely be out of the picture.

I just wonder why you did it? When I was with my first hubby, I had one of his mates living with me for two years and it never came to that, however drunk we got and however many deep conversations we had.

That line was never crossed, not even in my thoughts. So, I think you have to work out why it happened (and don’t blame the booze).

Has there always been something between you?

I kind of hope that is the case or you’ve risked an important friendship for a night of meaningless sex.

Also, perhaps give some thought to your own girlfriend and what this means for your relationship.

As far as I can see, you seem to be more concerned about your mate.

Joel Malaya Muchacha was shocked to find his heavily pregnant wife Trinity Makumucha (30) in bed with his best friend Kennias Musakona (41), a local tabloid reports.

After Musakona refused to pay eight beasts which Muchacha had demanded as compensation, the latter decided to dump his wife at the former’s house.

According to a source privy to the incident, upon his return from work in Chikombedzi,  he heard rumours that his wife was having an affair with Musakona each time he’s away for work.

Muchacha decided to set a trap so as to discover if the rumours were true.

The source reveals that after staying for a week, Muchacha told his pregnant wife that he had decided to go to South Africa.

However, on the day he said he was going to South Africa, Muchacha reportedly went to his relative’s place of residence to stay while spying on his wife’s movements.

On the very day he left, his wife allegedly invited Musakona to their house for their usual lovemaking sessions.

To confirm his suspicion, Muchacha decided to give the two lovebirds a little time before coming out of his hideout.

After a couple of minutes of waiting, Muchacha stormed into his bedroom, and just as alleged by the rumours he caught his wife and best friend in the act.

Muchacha reportedly took Musakona‘s clothes and two packs of condoms which Musakona had brought as evidence.

Makumucha confessed to her husband about her sexcapades with his friend Musakona. She told him that Musakona was always coming to their house for sleepovers during his absence and went on to show him some of the used condoms she had been hiding in their bedroom.

After busting them, Muchacha took the matter to community leaders where he demanded eight beasts from Musakona as compensation for bedding his wife but Musakona refused to pay the beasts, prompting Muchacha to dump his wife at his house.

He said, “Good morning Fafa, I can understand why you don’t want to talk to me but I’m not a bad person.

I just want to be friends.” I ignored him. I said in my head, “Where’s this guy from that all of a sudden he needs a friend in me? I know his kind. Today friends.

You give him a small chance, then he’ll be talking about love and sex. You devil, go away from me.” But he came again the next day, the next day again he came.

The following day he came but I kept ignoring him until one morning he said to me, “I found you through Dela. She said a lot of things about you, that’s why I’m here.”

I responded immediately, “What things did she say about me?” Before he could say anything else, I tapped on his name and started going through his profile. I said in my head, “Well, he’s a nice guy though. That’s if pictures are anything to go by.”

Dela indeed was our mutual friend and it looked like they both attended the same senior high school. When I came back to our chat, he had sent this, “Well, she said you guys are good friends and you’re such a nice lady who brings beauty to things.”

In my mind I was like, “Dela said that to you? She doesn’t even talk to me. Why would she say good things about me to people and still try to avoid me?”

I didn’t know where and how the problem between me and Dela started. We were very good together until one day she started showing me attitude.

She wouldn’t pick my calls and wouldn’t return my missed calls. When I texted her, sometimes she replied and mostly she ignored me.

She was someone I spent a lot of weekends within her house but all of a sudden, she wasn’t interested in seeing me around or hanging out with me again. I asked why on several occasions and all her answers to me were vague.

She will say, “Oh there’s nothing wrong.” Tomorrow she’ll say, “Oh we are fine but I’ve been too busy these days.” Nothing she said made sense until I decided not to bother her again.

So I asked this guy in my inbox, “How did you two begin talking about me? What was the topic?” He responded, “She posted a photo of you on your birthday and I asked about you.

She said all the good things so I decided to know you too.” I asked him, “Is that all you two discussed?” He sent a laughing emoji and said, “Yes, that’s all. Nothing serious.” Immediately when we stopped talking, I called Dela. Surprisingly, she picked my call the first time.

I asked her, “There’s this guy in my DM, Annan. Do you know him?” She responded, “Oh, he found you?” I asked, “What do you mean he found me?” She answered, “I posted you on my status on your birthday. He saw you and started asking me about you.

Finally, he said he likes you so I should give him your number, which I declined but I didn’t know he’ll look for you on Facebook.” I asked her stupidly, “What do you think he wants from me?” She answered, “Maybe a relationship but be careful. He’s a womanizer.” That did it for me. 

I spent the next several months trying to avoid him. He kept sending me messages upon messages that I ignored until one day a call came through on my phone.

It was him. “How did you get my number?” He said, “I got it from your business page.

I’ve had it for so long but I wanted a situation where you yourself will give it to me willingly but it looks like it’s not going to happen.

I’m not a bad person. You can ask your friend. She knows me very well…” I cut through and said, “Yeah she knows you. That’s how come she knows you like women.”  

He went silent on the phone for a while and later said bye-bye. I knew I had said something that hurt him. I felt sorry. If anything, he was only trying to be friends and didn’t deserve to be told that.

I called him in the evening and I apologized to him. He asked if it’s Dela who told me he was a womanizer. I said it didn’t matter but I was very sorry. 

Some days he’ll call and other times he’ll send a message. One thing I liked about him, he was never boring. He asked questions I was interested in answering.

He brought topics I was excited to talk about. Then one day we met. He was a charmer. Everything about him was so smooth but I couldn’t shake off the womanizer tag in my head.

I’ve dealt with two of them already and didn’t want a third so that night I asked him, “What did you do to make Dela think you’re a womanizer?” He said, “Dela knew me when we were in senior high school.

Haven’t seen her again until we started talking recently because I asked her about you. Since then she had visited me in the office twice and had come to my house a couple of times. She doesn’t know me enough to call me a womanizer.”

After that meeting, I called Dela. Immediately I told her I met Annan, her demeanour changed. She started telling me about all the women Annan had slept with and jilted. He said a lot of bad things about him.

It made me think she had something against Annan so I stopped telling her what was happening between me and Annan.

So several months later, Annan proposed to me and I remember the answer that came from my mouth was, “What about all the other women in your life? Those you jilted after sleeping with them.” There was this shock in his eyes.

He asked, “So Dela told you all that?” I nodded my head. He said, “I’ll send you some screenshots when you get home.” 

When I got home, he sent over fifty screenshots of conversations between himself and Dela. They started talking just the day he saw my photo on her status and along the line, Dela sounded like she was interested in Annan.

She said everything to suggest that she loved him. She sent her semi-nude photos telling him, “See what you’re missing.”

At some point when Annan agreed that she should visit him in the house, Dela said, “I hope you show me what you’re capable of when I come around.” Then she added a winking emoji.

Then after knowing both of us had met, she started saying bad things about me to Annan; “That girl is not as innocent as you see her oo. She’s my friend. I know her secrets. She’s currently dating two guys together and I know them both.” 

My last relationship ended a year ago and Dela knew it. She was there with me, providing support and care when all I did was cry. So why would she say that I was dating two men?”

Annan asked, “Are you not surprised the same person is calling me a womanizer?” I answered, “Surprisingly, it was just about the same time she started showing me attitude.

Now I know why she’s doing all that.” So that day, I called her and said, “Annan proposed to me last night?” She asked, “And what did you say?” I told her, “I said yes to him. He’s quite a good guy than I expected.”

The next thirty minutes or so, Annan sent me a screenshot; “So you proposed to her finally? You don’t care about being the third boyfriend?”

We both laughed at her and her pettiness.

On 19th October 2019, after almost two years of dating Annan, we had our wedding and moved in together.

We sent her an invite but she didn’t attend our wedding and to date, if anyone asks her why I and her are no more friends, she tells them, “She stabbed me in the back.

She snatched my boyfriend and got married to him.” Those who don’t know the truth believe her and curse me. Those who find it too hard to believe come to ask me and I tell them the truth.

They end up saying, “What sort of witchcraft is that? Dear, enjoy your marriage,” and truthfully, I’ve done nothing else but to enjoy every little bit of this marriage God threw my way.  

That’s why, sometimes, our interest drifts to people we could never have, people we should never be falling for in the first instance. But matters of the heart are hardly controllable.

That’s why you find romantic interest growing between step-moms and their step-kids, between people with decades of age difference between them, and sure, people who set out to be just friends.It’s OK to be scared when you fall in love with a friend because it could be the beginning of the end of that relationship [Credit – iStock]iStock

If you find yourself falling for your best friend and you don’t know what to do, the tips below are just for you:

Understand what’s at stake

It is important to understand what is at stake and the things you’d probably lose by allowing this feeling linger. There is actually a chance that your best friend will like you back and there is also the possibility that they would want nothing but friendship.

Is it worth it to say something?

It is important to also ask yourself if what you feel is something that could translate to a real relationship or if you are just lusting after them?

Put your feelings in perspective – do you just find them sexy and want to know what it feels to have sex with him or her, or do you really consider them relationship material and want to build a serious relationship off the friendship you already have going with them?Be sure the relationship is worth pursuing before doing anything about it [Credit – Akron]Akron

Now if your friend is someone who does not appreciate casual sex, it makes no sense to broach the subject because you already know what their stance on the subject is, and what their response will likely be.

So, really, you just have to ask yourself: is it worth it to say anything about what you are feeling?

Try to gauge if your friend feels the same way

The fact that it’s your friend you are crushing on makes your job easy… kinda.

The proximity you have with him or her can be used to your advantage. So judge from what you can observe whether they would be keen on taking the relationship to a higher level or not. Do you think he or she feels the same way about you? Or do you think there is a chance they would want to see if it’s time to take your ‘relationship’ from friendship to the next level?You just might end up having a friend and a lover in the same person. [Credit – Ask Men]ask men

Be ready to accept your friend’s decision

Now you have to know whatever you are doing in a situation like this is a risk.

It is a tricky situation when you think about it; they might be cool with being friends but not being more than that. In that case, you have been friend-zoned and the knowledge could put pressure on the relationship in ways that would upset and upstage what you have going.

But whatever their decision is, you have to respect it . Whether you are cool with it or not.

Find a way to move forward

If they are cool with turning the friendship to dating, you’ve had it easy and there’s nothing to worry about there.

If they aren’t so sold on the idea, though, you’d also have to decide if you want to remain friends with them or not. And it’s cool whatever you decide. Just make up your mind on whether you want to remain friends with them or not.