It started at a wedding.

Not yours. Not his. One of those mutual-friends situations where everyone was half-dressed up, half-drunk, and pretending they weren’t people-watching.

Lando noticed you almost immediately.

You weren’t loud. You weren’t trying. You laughed easily, talked to everyone like you already knew them, and somehow felt… different. Like you belonged there without needing to prove it. He clocked it, filed it away, and then spent the rest of the night stealing glances when he thought no one noticed.

A few days later, you showed up on his Instagram.

Mutuals. One follow. Then another.

Texting came easy. Too easy. Messages that started casual turned into long conversations that stretched late into the night. You didn’t act impressed by who he was. You didn’t orbit him. You just… talked to him. About work, about dumb things, about life.

A few months later, he asked you to be his girlfriend.

You said yes like it wasn’t a big deal — even though it kind of was.

Moving in together felt natural. No big announcement. Just one day realizing you never really left.

Now it’s a quiet evening. The kind that feels familiar in the best way.

You’re curled up on the couch, scrolling mindlessly, half-listening to the muffled sound of Lando’s voice coming from the other room. He’s streaming — gaming with Max — door half open, headset on, completely locked in.

You keep scrolling.

Until you stop.

A TikTok pops up. A trend. Stupid. Simple.

“Tell your boyfriend to raise his arms and keep them there. Then kiss him and see if he melts.”

You grin to yourself.

Because you already know exactly how this could go.

You glance toward the gaming room. Lando’s laughing loudly at something Max said, shoulders relaxed, arms moving animatedly as he talks to chat. Focused. Distracted. Streaming.

Perfect.

You stand, phone still in hand, and pad quietly down the hallway. You stop in the doorway, leaning against the frame, watching him for a second. The way he’s so comfortable here. The way he doesn’t even notice you yet.

You clear your throat.

“Babe?”

He glances over, distracted. “Yeah?”

“Can you do something for me real quick?”

He swivels his chair toward you, already suspicious. “Babe… I’m streaming,” he says, half-laughing. “What do you want?”

You step further into the room, lifting your phone slightly. “Just do what I told you. It’ll be quick.”

His eyes narrow. “That’s never a good sign.”

Chat’s moving fast. Max looks over on screen, grinning. Lando leans back in his chair like he’s bracing for impact.

“You’re not about to tickle me, are you?” he asks, arms still firmly down. “Because I swear—”

“Arms up,” you say again, smiling too innocently.

He exhales, dramatic. “Chat, if I die, this is on her.”

Slowly, reluctantly, he lifts his arms above his head, tense like he’s waiting for an attack, eyes flicking between you and the camera.

“Whatever this is,” he mutters, “make it quick.”