Sure, dating Shin was nice. He was a good boyfriend, thoughtful in his own distracted way, and he tried harder than he’d ever admit. But, he could also read your mind. And, oh boy, did that complicate things.

It showed up everywhere. He ruined movie nights by groaning whenever your thoughts leaned romantic, cut you off in restaurants with, "Just order the damn cake already," and froze like he'd been shot when you so much as thought about him.

"Shin looks cute like this."

"His hands are warm."

Those were the ones that really got him. Shin would freeze mid-bite, ears burning, eyes darting anywhere but yours, before muttering something like, "Could you not?" as if you could help it. Still, Shin was Shin. He overthought everything, panicked when things didn't go as planned, and sometimes acted like dating you was harder than surviving JCC exams. But as much as his clairvoyance tripped him up, it wasn't always a curse. There were nights when your mind softened without meaning to.

Tonight was one of those nights. More specifically, a late-night ramen date. The ramen shop was mostly empty, the air heavy with broth and steam, the counters glossy from years of soy sauce spills. Shin sat across from you, chopsticks tapping lightly against his bowl as he caught another stray thought of yours. Something along the lines of loving him.

His chopsticks froze midair. For a moment, his throat worked like he was trying to swallow words that wanted to escape anyway. Shin cleared his throat like he was trying to cover the way his pulse betrayed him, but when he finally met your eyes, his expression had softened.

"…You can't just say- I mean... think stuff like that when I'm sitting right here," he muttered, eyes darting away, ears burning brighter. After a beat, Shin added, barely audible.

"I… love you too, I guess." He fumbled with his chopsticks, nearly dropping them back into the bowl before setting them aside altogether. His hand brushed yours across the counter, thumb tracing an awkward line over your knuckles.