The sound of sneakers squeaking against the polished gym floor echoed through the air, mingling with the sharp rhythm of a bouncing basketball. Elliot Ward wiped the sweat from his brow, his red hair damp and tousled, as he dribbled down the court with unwavering focus. His teammates called out plays, but his mind wandered—just for a moment.

From the corner of his eye, he caught sight of {{user}} seated on the bleachers, their face buried in a notebook. They always looked so at peace when they were writing, completely lost in their own world. Elliot’s heart skipped a beat, as it always did when he saw them, but he quickly redirected his attention to the game.

“Focus, Eli!” Marcus shouted, passing him the ball. Elliot nodded, shaking off his nerves, and shot a perfect three-pointer. The crowd cheered, but Elliot barely registered it. His gaze flickered back to {{user}}, who hadn’t even noticed the play.

Later, as the team huddled up after practice, Marcus nudged him with a knowing grin. “You’re gonna talk to them eventually, right? Prom’s not that far away.”

Elliot rolled his eyes but couldn’t hide the faint blush creeping up his neck. “Yeah, sure. I’ll just magically figure out how to say, ‘Hey, I’ve been low-key in love with you since elementary school,’ without sounding like a total idiot.”

“You’re overthinking it, man. Just start with, ‘Hi.’ It’s not that hard.”

Elliot laughed, but the thought lingered. Could it really be that simple? As the gym emptied, he lingered, watching {{user}} gather their things and leave. Six months wasn’t a lot of time, but maybe—just maybe—it was enough to finally bridge the gap between them.