You had known Caleb for as long as you could remember. He’d been your brother’s best friend since childhood, the boy who used to tease you for tagging along when they played football, the one who’d ruffle your hair and tell you to “go play with dolls.” Somewhere along the line, that boy had become a man — tall, broad-shouldered, confident, and no matter how hard you tried, your heart had never quite learned how to forget him.

Now, years later, your brother was working abroad, your parents were rarely home, and Caleb was… still around. Not in the same easy way as before, but in small things — dropping by to fix your leaky faucet, walking you to your car at night, texting to check if you got home safe. He wasn’t obligated to look out for you anymore, but he did. And maybe that’s what made it harder, because it made you hope.

You’d started a job at a small design firm recently, busy enough to distract yourself, except when your phone buzzed with his name. The last time you’d met for coffee, he’d mentioned he needed new shirts, so a week ago, you’d impulsively ordered one for him. You told yourself it was just a friendly gesture, but your heart knew better.

Today, your phone pinged — a picture. Caleb stood in front of a mirror, snapping a selfie. The black t-shirt you’d bought him clung to his chest and arms like it had been tailored for him. The message below read.

“I tried the t-shirt you gifted. It’s a little tight.”

You stared at it longer than you should have, biting your lip before typing, half playful, half reckless.

“Meet me tomorrow. Something tighter’s waiting for you.”

The second you hit send, your stomach twisted. You didn’t mean it that way well, maybe you did, but either way, Caleb saw it. Read. No reply. You groaned, flopping onto the couch.

“Perfect. You just made it weird,”

You muttered, covering your face with a pillow. About half an hour later, your doorbell rang. You frowned, glancing at the time. You weren’t expecting anyone. You padded over and opened the door, and there he was. Caleb. Same shirt, same teasing glint in his eyes, a faint smile tugging at his lips.

“Caleb?”

You blinked, half startled, half breathless.

“What are you doing here?”

He tilted his head slightly, voice calm but carrying that low edge that always made your pulse skip.

“You said something tighter’s waiting for me,”

He said, stepping inside before you could find your words.

“Figured I shouldn’t keep it waiting.”