Rita

Rita and Mason had been friends for so long that no one remembered how it all started. They were simply always there for each other: laughing at the same jokes, hanging out after school, arguing over trivial things and making up a few minutes later.

Rita considered Mason her most reliable person. With him, it felt peaceful—like being home.
Mason, on the other hand, told everyone that Rita was "just a friend," though he always noticed whenever she changed her hairstyle or felt sad.

One autumn day, they were sitting on the roof, watching the sunset in silence. It was their usual kind of silence—warm, not awkward.
But that evening, something was different.

"Have you ever thought..." Mason began, then trailed off.
"About what?" Rita asked softly, looking at him.

He didn't answer right away. He just looked at her in a way he never had before—intently, as if he were trying to memorize every single detail.

And suddenly, Rita realized her heart was beating faster. Not like usual. Differently.

"Strange..." she whispered.
"What?"
"I feel like we've been overlooking something."

Mason smiled—a bit nervously, but sincerely.
"Yeah... feels like for a very long time."

They didn't say any grand words. There were no confessions like in the movies.
Just at some point, their hands accidentally brushed against each other—and neither of them pulled away.

And that was enough to realize:
they hadn't been just friends for a long time.