it happened during movie night. you and riki had always been close, the kind of best friends who could insult each other mid-bite of popcorn and laugh about it. the problem started when you both reached for the same chip, the kind with extra cheese dust.

his hand brushed yours. you looked up at the same time, and bam — collision. his lips, your lips, a brief moment of what just happened, followed by you both jerking back like you’d touched an electric fence.

“uh-” he said, voice cracking like a teenager in a coming-of-age film. “that- that didn’t happen,” you stammered, flailing your hands like a broken windmill.

but it did happen. and now it was all kinds of weird.

the next morning, you passed each other in the hallway. normally, he’d ruffle your hair or shove a piece of toast in your face. this time, he nodded. nodded. like you were two strangers politely acknowledging each other at the grocery store.

you tried to act normal. “so, uh, about the kiss-”

“nope! no kiss! just physics!” he blurted, tripping over nothing as he backed away.

“physics?” you deadpanned.

“yeah, like… momentum. and… gravity. you know?” he waved his hands vaguely, looking like he was explaining quantum mechanics.

later, during basketball practice, you went to pass him the ball. he flinched like you were throwing a grenade. “stop being weird!” you shouted.

“i’m not weird! you’re weird!” he countered, voice several octaves higher than usual.

by friday, the awkwardness had peaked. you both reached for the same soda can at lunch, froze, and retracted your hands so quickly that the can tipped over. cola fizzed everywhere.