Boy Friend, Not Boyfriend

My name's Robin Carter, and I've been with Julia Leonard for two years. Last month, Julia told me she was three months pregnant. I was so excited I nearly jumped up and immediately brought up marriage. She hesitated for a few days but finally said yes. I quickly dove into planning every little detail of the wedding. To make sure the wedding went off without a hitch, I suggested inviting a few close friends over to talk things through. Julia didn't object and even made a point to invite her male best friend, Ben Johnson. That afternoon, our friends showed up one after another. We all sat around the coffee table, throwing ideas back and forth about the wedding plans. Ben Johnson sat next to Julia Leonard. At first, everything seemed normal—he was even saying congratulations. But as the conversation went on, he suddenly switched gears and started bringing up his past with Julia. "I still remember back then Julia didn't know crap—didn't even know how to put on a condom without me showing her." Ben said it so casually and even threw me a deliberate look. The tea cup in my hand froze for a second—I felt a bit off, but since he's a friend, I figured maybe it was just an idle joke, so I didn't snap right then. But Ben, like he didn't even notice my expression, just kept going: "There was one time she accidentally got pregnant and was too scared to tell her family. I was the one who went with her to the hospital for the abortion." "She was bawling her eyes out, and it took me ages to calm her down." The moment those words left my mouth, the living room fell completely silent, and all eyes turned to me. I felt a wave of anger surge from my feet all the way up to my head—it was like my blood was about to boil. I looked at Julia Leonard; she kept her head down, saying nothing—neither defending Ben Johnson nor explaining anything to me. That silence pissed me off even more than what Ben said. I couldn't hold it in anymore; I grabbed the teacup on the table and splashed it right into Ben Johnson's face. The tea ran down his hair and soaked his clothes. Ben froze for a moment, then snapped, standing up ready to fight me. Our friends quickly pulled him back, begging us to calm down. Right then, Julia suddenly shouted at me, "Robin Carter! Are you out of your mind? How dare you splash him!" I couldn't believe my ears. Ben was the one who went too far, but she was blaming me instead. "Julia, didn't you hear what he just said?" I confronted her. "He was just saying that casually. Do you really have to take it so seriously?" Julia frowned, her voice full of impatience. "Just saying that casually? He was talking about your past. How could I not take it seriously?" I was shaking with anger. "Robin, if you're going to be this unreasonable, then don't stay here. Just leave!" Julia pointed to the door, her eyes icy cold. I looked at her, furious and cold inside. After a few tense seconds, I grabbed my coat and slammed the door as I walked out. After I left, in the living room, Ben wiped the water off his face and said to Julia, "Look at his temper; he definitely won't last long." Julia Leonard snorted and said, "That's all he's got. I bet you he won't last three days before he comes crawling back, all humiliated, begging me to forgive him." Ben Johnson laughed and said, "Alright then, let's make a bet. If he comes back, you owe me a million; if he doesn't, I owe you a million." Julia Leonard shook her head. "A million's too little. If we're betting, it's gotta be ten million. I don't believe he can really cut me off." Ben Johnson nodded and said, "Fine, ten million it is. I'll be waiting to see him begging you to take him back."