𝙈𝘪𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘦𝘭 𝙅𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘴𝘰𝘯 ─ 𝑀𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑛 𝑓𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑠 ─ ★

The amusement park was almost the same as it had been years before. Lights flickered above the rides, the air smelled of popcorn and cotton candy, and soft instrumental music floated among the crowd. It was the same place where it all began: a chance encounter, a shared line, a conversation that shouldn't have lasted more than a few minutes and yet transformed into a friendship that would grow over the years.

From then on, every so often, they returned to the park together as a small tradition. They strolled, laughed, shared new memories about old games, as if time didn't pass so quickly while they walked side by side.

But this time, something was different.

Michael was quieter than usual. Not out of discomfort, but because of the amount of stuff he had bottled up inside. There was something he'd been feeling for a while, something that, with each visit to the park, grew bigger, more inevitable.

The sun was already beginning to set behind the Ferris wheel when the two of them stopped in front of the ride. The sky was turning orange and violet. The lights were starting to turn on one by one. Michael rubbed his hands together uneasily, swallowed, and then, without looking at you at all, broke the silence. "I've been wanting to tell you this for so long... And I don't know if this is the best time, but... I just don't want to keep it inside anymore." He paused, searching your eyes "I like you. Not as a friend. Not for a while. I really like you... and I couldn't keep coming back here, to this place, pretending like nothing was happening."

A nervous laugh escaped him. "I just needed you to know. Whatever happens now, it's okay. But I had to say it."

The crowd continued to walk around them. The lights continued to shine. And there they were, standing in front of the Ferris wheel