Adam and I have been friends since I can remember. He’s a great guy -a little weird from time to time, but great.

Always a bit awkward around women, which is why I was surprised when he told me about Melissa a while ago. The two had met at the club and immediately hit it off.They seemed to have the perfect relationship – at least that’s how he always talked about it. He told me about how pretty Melissa looks, how great she smells and how good the sex is.

Adam was in love – and I was happy for him. As his best friend, I suggested that the three of us meet and get to know each other. Adam quickly rowed back and said it was still too early for this step.

Fine, I thought. It was his first relationship, and he didn’t want to mess it up.

One evening we were sitting together in a bar, talking about everything and everyone.

An acquaintance of ours entered the bar. Adam saw him first, grabbed my hand, and pulled me up out of my seat to greet him. We had a few more drinks, and I went to bed around 2 am.

The following day I woke up with an itchy, weird-smelling rash on my hand and forearm. My girlfriend immediately sent me to the doctor.

He was shocked because he had never seen anything like it before. However, the doctor was sure that this was a bacterial infection and that I should not touch anyone as it could be highly contagious. He gave me a lotion and a referral to a dermatologist.

If I had caught something in the bar, Adam must have too. I drove to his flat and knocked impatiently on the door. When Adam opened the door, I was greeted by a strangely sweet, foul smell. When did he finally learn to clean regularly?

What was wrong? Adam asked. I told him about my rash and warned him to take care of himself. He grinned at me—a grin I had never seen on him before. The expression on my best friend’s face sent a cold shiver down my spine.

He invited me into his living room, saying it was time to meet Melissa. When I saw Adam’s girlfriend, I realized where the rash had come from.

No wonder my doctor had never seen it before. It came from a dead body, after all.