Paul nearly leaped out of his skin at the shrill of his cell phone. He had forgotten to turn the volume down before he went to bed. He figured by now he should be use to these late night calls. He knocked over the alarm clock and a small picture frame in the process of reaching for his cell phone.

“Yeah...hello, hello…”

“Paul, it’s me Bonnie.”

“I’m on my way Bonnie.” Because that’s what best friends do.

“Please hurry.”

Paul threw his phone at the edge of the bed and swung his legs over.

“Don’t tell me the damsel needs saving again. Paul this is ridiculous every time she calls you leave.  Are you having an affair with her?"  Paul’s ex-wife, Meg Snyder, also awoke from the noise. That sound plagued her bedroom for the past three months. She just about had enough.

“What? An affair? Meg it’s Bonnie we’re talking about. She’s like a sister to me. Bonnie is my best friend Meg. You know that. She’s been through a traumatic experience and I promised to help her get through it.” Paul finished getting dressed as he searched for his keys, which had also fallen off the nightstand.

“Why don’t you just stay this time or better yet move in? I’m sure she’d be happy to have you.” Meg turned her back to him and pulled the covers over her head.

If only Paul thought.

Ten minutes later Paul arrived at Bonnie’s house. Before he reached the door, she opened it and threw herself into his arms. He walked her inside and closed the door. Because that’s what best friends do.

“You’re trembling. Aw sweetheart, come here.” Paul held her until she stopped shaking.

“He’s dead Paul. Marshall Travers is dead because of me.”

Bonnie killed T. Marshall Travers in self-defense. At least that’s what the jury said. In the months that followed, she continued to awake in the middle of the night due to her reoccurring nightmares of shooting T. Marshall Travers twelve times in the chest. But the nightmares only lasted until Paul showed up and held her until she fell asleep again. Because that’s what best friends do.

“Honey no one blames you for that. Marshall force his way into your house and you shot him in self-defense. It was either him or you and I can’t even begin to tell you how thankful I am that it wasn’t you.”

She remembered when her mother first introduced her to Marshall. She disliked with him immediately. There was definitely something off about him. To make matters worse, Paul was being framed for murder and Marshall was the DA prosecuting the case. All charges were eventually dropped because Bonnie broke into his office and stole the only evidence he had against Paul. Because that’s what best friends do. A month later, Bonnie found out that Marshall had sexually assaulted her mother, who incidentally, chose not to press charges. Bonnie had enough. She invited Marshall over to talk. Because that’s what daughters do.

 “Paul?” Bonnie realized her clothes were suddenly wet.

“Yes Bonnie?”

“You’re drenched." They both realized how strange it was, every time he came over it was raining.

“I ran out of the house without an umbrella. I got you all wet.” Because that’s what best friends do.

“You have dry clothes in the hall closet.” Bonnie let Paul keep his ‘just in case I break up with Meg again and needed a place to stay clothes’ in the hall closet. Because that’s what best friends do.

When he returned downstairs, Bonnie had also changed. Paul took her hand and led her to the sofa. He noticed she was still shivering. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her onto him as he lay back on the sofa. Because that’s what best friends do.

“Try to get some sleep Bons. I’m here and everything is going to be fine. I’m always going to be here.” She gently placed her head on his chest as she snuggled against him. She smiled to herself and thought how lucky she was that the therapy she’d been order to undergo by the court, actually work. She hadn’t had a bad dream in months. But she didn’t see anything wrong with pretending she was still having nightmares so her best friend would leave his ex-wife’s bed to come to her rescue. Because that’s what best friends do.

As Bonnie drifted off to sleep, she remember her mother once asked her why she never got together with Paul. ‘It’s Complicated mom and Paul and I are into Simple’. Her mom said she understood and never brought it up again.

Paul stroked her back as the lay in silence. He knew Bonnie well enough to know that she didn’t have another nightmare. He also knew he’d been waiting all week for that frantic phone call so he could come to her rescue once again. Because that’s what best friends do.