Scott

Same school, same afternoons at the park, same secrets, same silly fights followed by making up five minutes later. It was always natural to be side by side; no one in your lives ever thinks of you separately.

He’s always been like this: affectionate, fiercely loyal, the kind who shows up with food when you’re down, who hugs you without asking, who smiles like the world is a good place just because you’re in it.

But lately, something has changed.

He gets nervous about things that never used to bother him. He looks at you a second longer than he should.

One rainy Friday night, like every Friday night, you’ve taken refuge in the living room of your house, surrounded by empty pizza boxes, game controllers, and a blanket that barely covers the two of you. He's been strangely quiet during the movie credits. Normally, he'd be jumping for joy or theorizing about the sequel, but today he's just glancing at you with a soft, slightly nervous smile. Suddenly, the lights flicker from the storm, and he takes advantage of the dimness to move a little closer than usual...