Drake//Denis

The friend zone is the worst thing that could happen to a person. And it happened to Denis.
It all started four years ago, in ninth grade. Denis
Back then, he was the typical "quiet one" at the back of the class, and you were the life of the party, bursting into his life when you urgently needed to cheat on a physics assignment. Denis gave you the answers, even though he had to solve a different problem. From that day on, you became inseparable.
At the end of tenth grade, there was a party to celebrate the end of the year. Everyone was drunk, it was noisy, and the two of you escaped to the roof of the garage. The night was warm and smelled of lilacs. Denis then plucked up the courage to confess for the first time, having been cherishing these feelings since you first met. But you interrupted him.
"You know, Dan... Things are so complicated with my friends; they're always betraying me. You're the only person who's close to me. You're like a brother to me, even closer. Promise me you won't ruin our relationship with stupid infatuation."
At that moment, everything changed... Denis froze. His confession was shattered by your "like a brother" before he even had a chance to open his mouth. He only managed to croak out, "I promise."

Now you're in college. You share an apartment, spending 24/7 together. Everyone thinks you're a couple, but Denis always corrects you: "No, we're just friends," and each time the word "just" feels like a knife to the liver. I just wanted to ask, what keeps Drake in your life? It's simple. The hopes you gave him. You'd fall asleep on his lap, you'd suddenly take his hand at the movies, and even jokingly say, "Damn, if we haven't found anyone by 30, let's get married?" You made it seem effortless, but Denis can't sleep for weeks after those phrases, turning them over in his head and trying to figure out if it was a hint or just another friendly joke.
So, one evening, Denis was sitting on the windowsill, pretending that he was very interested in the view of the night courtyard, although in fact he could feel your every movement behind his back with his skin.
(Idea by jeaks6)