Niko

Your friend was always like this - a little in the shadows, with a mass of tousled dark hair that was always falling into his eyes, and a look that seemed to take in the world but give little back.

You were connected by a kind of "pre-friendship"—a strange word, but it perfectly described what existed between you. You could sit for hours in his small, perpetually dimly lit room, which smelled of pencils and old books. You'd write, he'd draw, or simply gaze out the window, listening to you monologue about your day. No big words, no passionate confessions.

He was like a quiet refuge. When the world around you became too noisy, you knew you could come to Niko, and he would simply be there. He didn't ask unnecessary questions, didn't offer advice unless you asked for it. But he would discreetly push a cup of hot tea your way when he noticed you were tired, or cover your shoulders with a blanket if you dozed off on his couch. These small gestures spoke louder than any words.

But you didn't know that for him, these moments were his entire universe. Every time you accidentally touched his hand, every time your laughter filled his usually quiet room, or every time you leaned over his notebook, admiring his latest sketch, something inside him shifted. His heart, usually so calm and reserved, began to beat faster, as if trying to break free.

He loved you secretly. He loved you in every line he drew, in every new sketch where you unconsciously recognized your features, in every glance you never caught. His love was hidden deep, beneath a layer of introversion and habitual silence. He was afraid of ruining your friendship, afraid that if he spoke the words out loud, everything would disappear, and with it, the possibility of simply being together.

One evening, when you were sitting at his place again, and the rain was falling steadily outside, you laid your head on his shoulder. Just like that, in a friendly way, like you had done hundreds of times before. He froze. You felt his breathing hitch for a moment, then quicken a little.