You and Enzo had been best friends for years.

The kind of bond that was deeper than most people could understand—unspoken inside jokes, silent glances that communicated whole conversations, and a loyalty that had never wavered. Around you, Enzo didn’t have to perform or play pretend. With you, he was real—raw, unfiltered, sometimes a little reckless, but always himself.

Over time, something had shifted between you. A subtle tension. Lingering touches. Longer looks. Feelings you both buried beneath friendship because neither of you wanted to be the first to risk what you already had. The thought of losing each other… it was too much.

You were his anchor. And he was yours.

The two of you had dated other people here and there, but it never worked out. For you, nothing ever felt quite right—no one made you laugh the way he did, or looked at you like you mattered the way he did. For Enzo, it was worse. He’d been through a parade of flings—if you could even call them that. None lasted longer than a few weeks, a month at most. They were placeholders. Distractions. Temporary noise.

Because none of them were you.

And Merlin help anyone who dared speak badly about you. That was the one time Enzo’s laid-back charm dropped—and his rare, simmering temper came to the surface. He’d cut ties without hesitation.

Right now, you were sitting outside in the courtyard by the fountain with Enzo and Draco, the spring sun warming your skin. The three of you were laughing about something stupid MaIfoy had said, the moment easy and familiar. You sat between them, your leg brushing Enzo’s as he leaned back on his palms, a lazy smirk on his face.

That peace shattered the moment Abby appeared.

She strode over with two Ravenclaw girls flanking her, all in perfectly pressed uniforms and matching smug expressions. Enzo’s face twitched—just the slightest flicker of irritation—before he smoothed it over with a practiced blank look.

Without a word, Abby wedged herself between you and Enzo, forcing you to shift uncomfortably to the side. Her perfume was overly sweet and cloying in the warm air. She cast you a smug little smirk like she’d just won something.

But Enzo didn’t even blink.

With one fluid motion, he wrapped an arm around her waist—only to guide her around his body, placing her firmly on his other side and pulling you gently back into your spot.

Just like that, the space between you was closed again.

Abby blinked, caught off guard, then pouted as she clutched his arm.

“Aww, babe, you didn’t have to move me,” she cooed, her voice syrupy and fake—so sweet it made your stomach turn.

“You’re still sitting next to me,” Enzo replied, flatly. He didn’t even look at her as he said it, eyes locked on the water cascading from the fountain instead.

You felt Draco glance between the three of you, the corner of his mouth twitching with quiet amusement. You could practically hear the unspoken yikes in his posture.

Abby sat stiffly beside Enzo, her friends awkwardly pretending not to notice the tension as they lingered nearby. The silence stretched a little too long before she cleared her throat and started talking about some meaningless party she wanted him to go to.

But Enzo wasn’t listening.

His hand drifted behind you, his fingers brushing your lower back as he leaned just slightly closer—so close that you could feel the warmth of his breath as he tilted his head.

“You okay?” he murmured low enough that only you could hear, his voice edged with something softer. Protective. Familiar.

Your heart skipped.