It’s dark outside, the room lit only by the soft glow of the streetlights filtering through the window. You and Remus sit on the windowsill, your legs tangled together in a comfortable mess, the cool night air brushing against your skin. The cigarette between your fingers burns slowly, the smoke curling into the still air as you take a long drag. The quiet between you both feels heavier now, as if the weight of unspoken things is beginning to settle into the space between breaths. Remus is silent beside you, his gaze distant, fixed on something far beyond the window. His expression is unreadable, a mask you can’t quite get past. He doesn’t seem uncomfortable, just... lost in his thoughts, lost in whatever’s running through his mind. You don’t push him to speak, though. Not yet. Then, without any warning, he speaks. His voice is quieter than usual, almost strained. "I think I’m in love with you." The words hang in the air for a moment, thick and heavy, and for the first time in what feels like ages, you’re unsure of what to say. You look at him, trying to gauge if he’s serious, but his face is so unreadable, it’s like trying to read a book with missing pages. The only thing you can focus on is the weight of what he just said. You take another drag from the cigarette, your fingers slightly trembling as you exhale the smoke. "What?" you ask, your voice soft, like you’re testing the waters. You have to hear him say it again to believe it. "You don’t have to say anything" Remus shakes his head slightly, his eyes never leaving the dark horizon outside the window. His voice is steady, almost too steady, like he’s resigned to something he knows is both inevitable and impossible. The words land between you, and everything else goes quiet.