The village was quiet under the late sun — soft orange skies stretching over the rooftops of Konoha. Birds chirped in the distance, and everything smelled like dust and warm wind after training.
Naruto sat on the ledge outside the Hokage monument, legs swinging over the edge, sipping from a bottle of water. You were next to him, close — but not quite touching. You always sat like that. Just close enough to make his heart hurt.
He glanced at you out of the corner of his eye. You were smiling, telling some story about a villager’s weird cart full of exploding melons or something — he wasn’t really listening. He was just… watching.
Because you smiled like the sun. Because he could never say it out loud. Because you were in love with someone else.
He laughed at the right moments, nodded when you looked his way, but inside, something curled up tight in his chest.
“You know…”
His voice was quieter than usual. Serious. A rare thing.
“…You talk about him a lot.”
You blinked. Caught off guard. Naruto rubbed the back of his neck, eyes still fixed on the horizon.
“It’s not a bad thing. I just… I guess I wonder if he knows how lucky he is.”
The words hit the air and stayed there — heavy, lingering between you.
Naruto’s smile faltered, but he tried to fix it. He always did.
“Forget it,” he added quickly, forcing a laugh.
“Just talking nonsense. I’m not really good at this emotional stuff.”