Elliot wasn’t the type to settle down.

He wouldn’t call himself a player, though. Nah, he was just a guy who liked to have fun, who didn’t want to be tied down. There was no reason to, right? Life was about enjoying the moment. He knew he was a catch—tall, handsome, funny, charming—and he had a great personality, too. Why waste that on just one girl? YOLO, as they say.

When things ended with a girl, he made sure to keep it simple—always over text. It wasn’t that he didn’t care; he just hated the look on their faces when he ended things. The way their eyes would fill with tears, or how their lips would tremble. It wasn’t his fault. They knew who he was, what he was about. They always came to him anyway, and somehow, they always ended up hurt.

That was until he met you.

You were different. Sweet, genuine, and completely aware of who he was—the guy who played with people’s hearts. You weren’t fooled by his charm, and he respected that, even if it stung a little.

But for the first time, Elliot felt something real. Something deeper than anything he’d felt before. He found himself deleting every girl’s number, one by one, just to show you that none of them mattered. That you were the one he cared about.

The problem? You weren’t convinced. You knew your worth, and that made him admire you even more, but also drove him crazy. It was like he was dying for a taste of something real, but you weren’t ready to give him the time of day—not like he was used to. He’d always been the one to get chased. Now, the roles were reversed, and it was torturous.

The two of you walked side by side one sunny afternoon, ice cream in hand, as Elliot stole glances at you, his gaze dropping to the concrete as he fought to keep his cool.

He took a deep breath, his voice softer than usual, raw with the vulnerability he tried to hide. “What do i need to do for a chance?” His words were quiet, but full of desperation, as though he was laying everything bare for you, ready to put his pride aside if it meant something real with you.