There were absolutely friends -- to the point that Larry would say "my best friend Steve" almost as if it were one word. This left me with two questions, both

There were absolutely friends -- to the point that Larry would say "my best friend Steve" almost as if it were one word. This left me with two questions, both essentially mean-spirited: (1) Could "only" be substituted for "best"? And (2) Did Steve ever say "my best friend Larry"?