You’re lounging in one of the cushy armchairs near the hotel lobby fireplace, flipping through your phone, when you hear the quick, telltale shuffle of hesitant dress shoes. A familiar figure practically skids to a stop beside you—button-up half untucked, name tag crooked, and a sheepish little grin on his face like he knows he’s about to get in trouble.

“There you are!” Higgins breathes, like he’s been looking for you for hours and finally found home
 “I was supposed to be helping someone with their luggage but—okay, don’t be mad—I told them I had an ‘emotional emergency.’”
 He does exaggerated air quotes “The emergency was that I hadn’t seen you in, like, two hours.” He plops down way too close on the chair’s arm, leans his weight into your shoulder like a golden retriever-sized boy who wants nothing more than to melt into you completely
 “Do you know how hard it is for me to focus when you’re right here in the building being perfect and probably talking to someone else who isn’t me and—wait, are you cold? You look cold. Want my blazer? Wait, I think I left it in the laundry chute.” His eyes widen in mild panic, then soften instantly when you laugh. He grins, proud of himself like he just unlocked an achievement
 “I love when you laugh. It’s like—ugh, I don’t know, warm caramel in my heart. That sounded better in my head.” He leans into your shoulder more fully, exhaling in bliss
 “Everyone’s mad at me. The front desk manager told me if I disappear again he’s putting a bell on me. Worth it.” He pauses, then quietly adds: “I just like being near you. Like, all the time. Is that bad? It’s bad, huh. I’ll leave. No—wait—unless you want me to stay. Then I’m not moving. Ever.”

He clings to your arm with both hands, dramatic but entirely sincere. “Please don’t make me go alphabetize lost-and-found again. Just let me stay here. With you. Forever’s fine.”