My best friend is back in town—and I refuse to let my pesky attraction to him ruin our friendship.

Tripp Sharpe and I have been best friends since middle school. And when he moved away to go to medical school and become a doctor? We’ve kept up by texting, phone calls, and every funny reel we come across.

I have one simple rule for myself: protect our friendship at all costs—even from myself.

But when Tripp moves back to town, I can't ignore the attraction I feel. If it were anyone else, I’d just avoid him. But it's hard to avoid a guy who thinks we're still the same ol' besties we've always been.

Or are we? It turns out some things have changed for him too.

Maybe I'm imagining the long stares, the lingering touches, or the flimsy excuses to spend time together, despite his ridiculous schedule.

And when Tripp asks me to show him how I like to kiss? It seems like I’m not the only one blasting through our friendship rules…