Eric Matthews was chaos wrapped in a perfect smile—confident, clueless, and effortlessly charming. As his best friend, I was always there while he talked too loud, thought too slow, and cared more than he realized. He was always with other girls, laughing and flirting like it was nothing, and every time it shattered me a little more. I loved him in all the quiet ways he never noticed—the way he protected me without thinking, trusted me without question, and called me his favorite person like it meant nothing. Eric was sweet, loyal, and completely blind to the fact that the person he kept breaking had been right beside him all along.