Albert reassured her, "Hey, I'm here. You can tell me."

Worried about burdening him with her problems, Jolie hesitated. "But I don't want you to feel sorry for me."

Albert invoked the wisdom of an acquaintance, urging her to share her feelings. "You know, an acquaintance of mine used to say, 'Hey doofus, let it out.'"

Jolie finally relented, recognizing the comfort in confiding in her best friend. "Are you sure?"

"Hey, we are best friends, remember?" Albert reminded her with a warm smile.

With that assurance, Jolie opened up about her struggles. "Okay, it hurts. It all hurts. I mean, I just found out that my new friend, Aviana, is my boyfriend's ex."

Albert listened attentively as she continued, "And they lied to me. Cedric lied to me. We said no lies, he promised no lies."

As Jolie poured out her feelings, Albert felt a sense of satisfaction with the way things were unfolding. Little did anyone, including himself, know that Albert was starting to change, taking on a different character. The dynamics within their group of friends were shifting, and Albert's actions were leading them all into uncharted territory.

As Jolie poured her heart out to Albert, the two best friends decided to take a walk outside to give her some space to let her emotions out. They both got boba tea and found a comfortable spot to sit.

"Hey, are you doing fine?" Albert asked, showing his concern.

Jolie shook her head. "No, not really. It's just that..." she trailed off, struggling to find the right words.

Albert took a sip of his tea, waiting patiently for her to continue.

"Have you ever fallen in love?" Jolie asked, her voice hesitant.

Albert was caught off guard by the question, making him spit out his drink and cough. "Oh, god, I'm sorry. Are you okay?" Jolie immediately asked, concerned.

"I'm okay, I'm okay. You suddenly asked while I was taking a sip," Albert chuckled, trying to regain his composure.

Jolie pressed on, wanting to know his answer. "Well, your answer?"

Albert hesitated, afraid to reveal his true feelings. "I...don't know," he finally replied, avoiding a direct response.

Frustrated by his vague answer, Jolie insisted on a definitive response. "It's a yes or no answer, not a modified true or false."

"I can't tell you," Albert admitted, his fear of rejection holding him back.

Jolie was taken aback by his response. "What was that?"

"What?" Albert asked, trying to play it off.

"You want me to tell you how I feel about my problem, but you don't want to share yours?" Jolie questioned, feeling hurt.

Albert struggled to find the right words. "Yeah, kind of."

Jolie reminded him of their deep bond. "We have been friends for like forever, alright?"

Albert couldn't help but mutter to himself, "Please don't say forever. It feels like I have been friend-zoned already."

"We have known each other, but now it feels like I don't know you at all," Jolie continued. "I mean, you never share, you never talk about your feelings, you never say anything to me. Are you gay?"

Albert was both surprised and amused by her question. "What? No! Why do you always end up with that idea?"

"Probably because I watch too many Boys Love series," Jolie replied, trying to lighten the mood.

Sincerely, Albert explained, "Look, the point is, I'm scared to tell people about my feelings."

Jolie was understanding, even though she wished he would open up to her. "Even to your best friend?"

"Sorry, but yeah," Albert replied honestly.

Jolie reassured him, "It's alright." She understood that people have different ways of dealing with their emotions, and she respected Albert's boundaries.

The awkward silence lingered between Jolie and Albert as they continued their walk. Jolie couldn't help but press Albert to share his feelings, urging him to reveal who he had fallen in love with.

"Can you at least tell me? For old times' sake?" Jolie pleaded.

Albert hesitated but eventually relented, "Alright. Yes, I have fallen in love."

Jolie felt a sense of victory in finally getting an answer from him. "See, that's the answer I'm looking for. So who is the girl?"

But Albert playfully refused to divulge that information. "Oh no, no, Jolie. That's the only thing you could know."

Jolie laughed, feeling a bit more lighthearted than before. "Man, I thought I had you on that one."

As they continued their walk, Albert noticed Jolie's mood lifting, and he was glad that their little adventure outside was helping her feel better.

"You are becoming livelier," Albert observed with a smile.

"Yeah, I guess you're right about taking a walk. Thanks," Jolie replied gratefully.

"Gosh, I wish we could still do this in the future," Jolie expressed wistfully. "You know, friends, that kind of thing. It feels like it's been a long time, even though it's just been weeks."

Albert empathized with her sentiment. "Yeah, ever since you and Cedric became a couple, we never got to do this again."

Jolie's phone rang, indicating that Cedric was calling her. Her expression changed as she remembered the pain he had caused her. She chose not to answer the call, leaving Albert concerned about her well-being.

"So what do you want to do now? About your problem with Cedric," Albert asked, trying to be supportive.

Jolie was conflicted. "I still don't know. I mean, Aviana is my friend, she is my first friend that's a girl. But I wished they told me that they dated before."

Albert asked her a crucial question, "Let me ask you. Do you still love Cedric?"

Jolie admitted, "I mean, yeah, he is my boyfriend. I know I am mad at him, but..."

"He lied to you," Albert pointed out.

"Yeah, and it's a single mistake, don't you think I should give him a second chance?" Jolie wondered.

Albert recognized her struggle and offered his perspective. "I mean, yeah, you are right, but can you still trust him after what he did?"

Jolie didn't know how to respond to that question, and she questioned Albert's intentions. "I don't know...why are you saying this stuff?"

Apologizing, Albert backtracked, "I'm sorry, you are right. I'm not supposed to say things like that. I'm worried for you, that's all. That's what best friends are for, right?"

Jolie acknowledged his concern. "I guess you're right."

Her phone rang again, and Albert encouraged her to answer Cedric's call and have a conversation with him about their feelings.

"You got to tell him how you feel. You got to talk about it. The two of you need to talk about it," Albert advised. "If it goes well, well good for you two, if not, I'm here. Your best friend is here for you."

"Thanks, Albert," Jolie said gratefully.

As Jolie answered Cedric's call, Albert decided to give her some privacy and messaged Aviana to check on their plan.

Albert: Did you talk to Cedric?

Aviana: I didn't.

Albert: What? Why?

Aviana: Because it will make me look like the villain. And if they look at me like that, Cedric won't even be mine.

Albert: Ok, you're right.

Aviana: Ok.

Albert: Bye.

Aviana: Doofus.

Albert and Aviana made sure to delete their messages to each other so that nobody would find out about their plan. Albert noticed that Jolie seemed happy as she talked to Cedric, but he couldn't shake the feeling that he had somehow failed.

As Jolie expressed her gratitude to him, Albert muttered to himself with a serious and unsettling expression, "Don't worry, Jolie, you will be mine. I promise that."

To be Continued...